pole barn floor help

[jack707]

I posted a few times on here about the pole barn that I wanted, well its built! now so I wanted to get some fill because the field where it is is not level so I talked to this guy that borders my land to build a pad for it .He did but here it is he did not use clean fill!! he bought over some crap mixed with clay,dirt and rocks everytime I walk in there the stuff sticks to my boots. A few weeks ago I went over his house and talk to his wife and told her I want the stuff out! well no answer and the month is almost over so I'm thinking about taking him to small claims I paid him 1,100 for the job. In the furture I want concrete inside and that stuff inside has to come out first the concrete guy told me or it will heve and crack.

 

[Djames55]

First try to be nice about the problem...Then maybe you should talk to him and not his wife... Did you have a contract that said what would be used for fill and how it would be done? If not, you most likely won’t get a penny out of him in small claims... I found out the hard way one time... NEVER hire a neighbor for anything... Because if it doesn’t go right you're pissed then they get pissed... You need to always try to get alone with your neighbors because we have to live by them...

 

[ishiboo]

Fill is fill. It is not clean fill unless it states CLEAN FILL, without which it might have concrete and tons of other fun stuff in it.

Clay, dirt and rocks IS CLEAN FILL.

If you wanted dirt, buy dirt.

As Djames said, talk to him... not the wife. But it sounds like you didn't know what you were ordering. The stuff the concrete guy brings in would probably be about the same.

 

[jack707]

I guess its all on me then! no contract it was word of mouth that's why I hired him - now I have to rent a skid steer to clear it out then build a pad of sand and crush gravel.

 

[ishiboo]

How far north are you?

 

[DB Pilot]

I have a similar problem. Two years ago I had a pole barn built. At some point the guy building the pad ran out of gravel. So he casually says "mind if I use a little top soil for fill". Very shortly I learned the top soil under the gravel acts like a sponge, forever, when you get a good rain. :smiley_aafz: Although I was assured the trampoline effect will go away when everything dries out. So I will never get the concrete floor I wanted. I have decided to put in crushed asphalt.
I don't know how deep the topsoil goes in just one spot of my barn. I have considered digging it out but have to make sure I get all of it and that may take another year waiting to see if the spongy area is really stabilized.

 

[s219]

Can you just dress the top of it with some fine crushed gravel, or crusher run? Sometimes it doesn't take much of a dry spreadable top layer to hide the mess below. If the existing fill is well compacted, you should be able to dress the top and just move on. All depends on if you have the ability to raise the floor level another 1-2" though.

 

[jack707]

s219 its still alittle damp to compact - I don't think no matter what I put on top is gonnA WORK I JUST WANT IT OUT.

 

[truckdiagnostics]

Ouch. I thought everything up North was all sand. The clay and dirt will expand when it freezes, even if the slightest bit damp. It you have good drainage maybe able to get away with 8-10 inches with gravel. To be safe 18", drainage underneath is key. I have two spots where I cut corners one right in front of the shop door, every spring it heaves and when it rains just right water runs in. I grew up where everything was all sand. I am real careful now when pouring a pad over clay. Also, you are going to want to put a grade beam on the inside perimeter before you pour. Last thing you want is the slab to grab those poles when it expands. Maybe easier to put those in now.

 

[Aaron9876]

There are many ways to get an appropriate subgrade for a concrete slab, some better than others. Obviously optimal is several inches of free draining compacted gravel on top of several feet of compacted soil with no organics (black soil). However your not building a highway and unless you plan on driving large equptment in your shed you can probably make it work. Easiest option is to pack the exisitng soil down, you can do an OK job with any vehicle that is not tracked, bigger is better. Any areas that sink more than others fill with gravel and continue until you get a reasonably solid level surface then cover with gravel, compact, and pour your slab. If that is not an option due to build up of material you can make soil cement, basically mix lime or cement powder into the ground till it in, water, and compact, you can use more cement in areas that are softer. Last option is dig it out and replace with gravel. Another option is a thicker heavier reinforced slab, an 8" slab with sufficient reinforcement will probably stand up to any loads you can throw at it even with a bad subbase. One more thing to consider, countless foundations have failed because of improper drainage. Make sure all water on all sides of your shed drains away, if not it really won't matter what type of subgrade you build. Clay will stick to your boot to? In fact clay that can't be kept dry is just as bad as organics. Any from the way you were describing it that sounds like what's heppened.