Pole Barn Project

[Docsknotinn]

Well I am just about to start takeing bids for a pole barn. I have absolutely no clue of what to look for. I am thinking a 20 x 40 should do. What would you do differently with yours ? Features ? Things to look for etc. I would like the roof to overhang on one side if possible perhaps 10' like a covered porch to put firwood under. HELP /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif Dave

 

[DUMBDOG]

It will never be to big. Make it as big as you can afford to go.

 

[SteveBenson]

>I am thinking a 20 x 40 should do.

That all depends on what you want to do with it. Maybe you could give us a hint /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[MossRoad]

My garage is 20x20x10' high... It holds two vehicles, barely, and a work bench along the side. The bumper of a pickup truck is close to the wall and the door. What I'm getting at is make sure you have enough depth for you pickemup truck. If you put a vehicle size door on the short(20') side, you should be OK. If you put the vehicle door on the 40' side, you might be sorry. If I was building a pole barn, I'd go with vehicle doors on both one short and one long side. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Docsknotinn]

LOL, ok I'll try but you guys all know how it is with a garage ! This is just for my camp. I cant build a cabin for another five years. I need a place to store my tractor and I want to get a bigger one ( Did you hear that SANTA ?) Other than that I need to store a UTV and implements. At the moment I have no intention of putting a truck in it but theres a good thought by MossRoad. The initial prices I am getting are $12 per square ' for the barn plus $3 per sq' for the concrete. This seems very reasonable to me. I was initially thinking 20 x 40 but I might go to 25 x 50 ( MAX ). I am going with a 4/12 pitch for sure and I want a 12' sidewall so I can have a 9-10' garage door on the narrow end. I want 1 window and 1 entry door at the other end. On the opposite side I want the roof and concrete to extend about 10' like a covered porch so I will have a dry place to stack firewood. I want to set up temporary deer camp at one end. As long as I can have a wood stove and room for a couple of cots so I can stop staying in motels and wake up on my own property with my tractor /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I will be a happy camper. Dave

 

[tomnky]

I have a 24 x 46 garage with 14 foot ceilings, a 13 foot door on one end and an 8 footer on the other.

The thing is still way too small /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
Never enough room /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Docsknotinn]

LOL, that's exactly what I mean. But I am wondering if others would have done things differently in a structural sense, different steel, bigger beams etc. Dave

 

[Glenn9643]

Dave,

My shop is not a pole barn, but I built it 24X40 with 10' ceilings thinking that would be large enough. At the time my primary use was for woodworking tools and a little mechanicing. Since building it I've purchased a tractor with a few implements and had to add some storage. Now there's a 20' dropshed along the 42' north side and a 24X24 dropshed at each end. I'm currently adding a 26' dropshed along the 42' south side. After I finish that I hope I'll have enough shed space! It's surprising how your requirement for storage space will grow on you.

 

[bebster]

Dave - I'd make whatever size you choose in even increments of 4 feet to minimize scrap on materials. The typical garage is 24' wide for instance. Consider putting in a 16' wide garage door as that will make it easier to maneuver in and out. Sounds like you want to wall off a "living area" and insulate that section?

 

[JASTN70D]

Dave

I know there never big enough. But if you plan your layout well expanding it in the future will be easier and possible. I belive it is the most critical decision to make. Next to structure reliability

 

[tomnky]

It just might be ,One would benefit from consulting with an architect .if They foresaw future expansions.
Not to mention You could actually see it before You actually start construction.Just a thought.

Sometimes I think it is money well-spent , and they can see things or uses We don't.

 

[Docsknotinn]

After talking to a builder tonight I was told it would be less expensive to do 24 x 40 than 20 x 40 due to the standard truss size. So I'm now at 960 sq '. I am told that with a 10' wall height I can get a 9' garage door and thats exactly what I want. Also doing a 10' overhang with pea stone underneath but concrete in the barn. I'm not sure I will actually wall off a section, although I intend to put a single entrance door and window on the back of the long side. Probably on the same side as the overhang. I just plan on a nice wood stove. If I do decide to frame in a couple hundred sq' I will do that myself. I will let them install the stove though, hopefully. Next I'm off to get a zoning permit before the price triples in January /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[cowboydoc]

Dave,

I agree on the 24x40. Another thing is I would probably go at least 12'. This would let you put in a taller door. This would be good esp. if you are thinking of a bigger tractor. That would be an extremely easy polebarn to build by yourself. I doubt the materials alone would be much over $4k.

 

[Docsknotinn]

Richard, How big of a door would you use ? I have been considering the 12' sidewall. My property is down the road 4.5 hours, so after mileage, fuel hotels etc I only wind up saving about 4k. I need to get this project done. I have five acres total I want to cut and clear. I guess for me it boils down to weather I want to trust and pay a contractor to build a barn or have the tree slayers in to clear cut my land and then clean up their mess. I am not much of a carpenter and the logistics with the distance are pretty tough so I am going to turn this one to the pros. I wish I had more time, overall I think it would be fun to build or at least very satisfying. As it is I just keep on cutting. To date it looks like all the hard work is paying off as we are seeing some very nice bucks and have a wonderful grouse population. Overall its very cool to take a piece of land and improve it. Dave

 

[bebster]

Dave, standard garage doors are 9' and 16' wide. I'd go with the 16' wide one at whatever height you decide. It will be cheaper if you stick with a standard size, which you can pick up at Lowe's for example.

 

[Docsknotinn]

I need to decide the height first, or at least at this point I think I do. I dont see a need for a door wider than 16' and I wont be going any smaller. Dave

 

[bebster]

I believe that most compact utility tractors will fit in a 8' high door with the ROPS in the up position. I'm sure there's a tractor that needs more than 8', but in my case I could never see myself going that large, so I settled on an 8' high door (ordered it from Wayne-Dalton). Many doors come with 12" low clearance versions, meaning that 9' overall clearance would me the minimum but sufficient. My decision was to go with a standard 18" clearance, and so I designed a 9'7" clearance from floor to bottom of ceiling joists. I felt that I could use the inside height and didn't like the idea of having to use the low clearance track if I didn't have to.

 

[Junkman]

I have a 10' x 10' door in my garage and if it were not for the power door operator, I wouldn't consider using it very often. If you are considering a 16' x 12' door, you will definitely need a 1 HP commercial door operator. The quick way to determine door heights is to remember that all commercially available doors are made up of 21" and 19" sections. Just figure that 7' = 4 - 21" sections. 8' = 5 - 19" sections. 10' = 5 - 21" sections and 1 - 19" section. 12' = 3 - 19" sections & 3 - 21" sections. Doors may be ordered in increments of 8', 9', 10', 12', 14', 16' as standard sizes. Today, most doors are installed with torsion bar suspension as opposed to the old fashioned draw springs. The most important thing is to make sure that the door opening has the proper mounting framing to accommodate the door hardware. Many door installers will comment that they have to "repair" or add lumber to the framing so their mounting hardware will be properly supported. Also make sure that your electrician supplies a live box for the door operator. Personally, I wouldn't go larger than 12' x 12'. Shop around for the best door that you can find, because the sweetness of price can often lead to problems later on. Many doors today have insulation in them and are of good quality, but I have seen some doors that are so poorly constructed that they have to be replaced in a few years. You might be better off if you contract with the door company to do the installation rather than having your general contractor do the installation. Remember service after the sale is important.

One last thought that just came to me... If the floor is to be installed after the building is competed, then you will need to adjust for the floor thickness when planning the door opening. I have seen where contractors don't take this into consideration when erecting these type of buildings because they figure that it will always have a dirt floor. Considering the size of the proposed building, I would suggest that you go with a 5" or 6" thick floor... the small extra cost is well worth the investment. See other threads about pouring concrete floors and insulation / poly underneath them.. My last floor was poured 6" thick, with high strength (4000# mix) concrete with chopped fiber glass and reinforced with steel mesh throughout and 1/2" re-rod reinforcing at the door openings over poly. Solid as a rock and dry as a bone....

 

[Docsknotinn]

Thanx for the tips. I will do a search for the concrete threads. I have no power at this time, nor will I likely for several years. I do intend to run a generator at one end for camp but it will be minimal usege and I dont want to run with anything that will require electricity. My contractor will be responsible for the concrete but of course I will now look into the specs they use. Dave

 

[bebster]

Dave, it's definitely worth looking into the concrete specs. Some contractors skimp, often out of ignorance themselves. Structural problems don't show up immediately so you won't know there's a problem until it's too late. If you plan to use part of the barn for living quarters, you might want to insulate the slab in that area. I used a product called Insultarp