Pole Barn Started

[EddieWalker]

pemad,

Sure is crazy how much more those poles cost when you add a few feet to them!!!!!!

My neighbor built a house on his land with milled cedar posts on his back porch. He has a very tall peak that I'm guessing is over 20ft tall. He was able to get standard length posts for the corners and the midway point, but the middle one was over 20ft. That one post cost him $1,000.

Eddie

 

[CATMAN]

How well do you trust your laser level? If I remember correctly, I read a post/story where someone's laser level was inaccurate and their concrete or their whole project was uneven. Just that story would have me trying to double-check measurements somehow before one gets too far along. Rent/borrow a transit to verify??? Edit: I just thought about those cheap garden hose/clear plastic water levels would do the trick nicely, once you trust your laser, then you'll feel comfortable for the rest of its uses on the project.

 

[saltman]

What kind of laser level do you have? I had a nice Craftsman that only worked in the dark or on a cloudy day, so I have been using batten boards and a tape measure, needless to say some of my small structures are not always exactly square.

So is a transit the way to go? Or does someone make a good laser level that works in the day light?

 

[pemad]

Flusher, I am using steel siding, the same color as my house. It mathces perfectly!

Catman, Saltman I trust my laser level. It is a dewalt laser DW073KR I bought roughly 4 years ago when I built my house. I used it to side my house when starting each side. I did 70% of the siding with it and the guy that came in to finish the siding said he could not belive how accurate of a job I did. He said that he usually has to tear it down because most home owners have no clue how to level the siding all the way around the house! I also used it to pour my garage floor and basement floor and it worked out perfect! My brother used it when he built his house to level the top of his poured walls becasue the masion did a crap job and he also used it to pour his floors and to check the grade of his land. The laser level is not cheap and works in the sun. Once you level it on the tri-pod it works real well.

 

[pemad]

pemad,

Sure is crazy how much more those poles cost when you add a few feet to them!!!!!!

My neighbor built a house on his land with milled cedar posts on his back porch. He has a very tall peak that I'm guessing is over 20ft tall. He was able to get standard length posts for the corners and the midway point, but the middle one was over 20ft. That one post cost him $1,000.

Eddie

Yes, but $1,000 for 1 post, WOW is all I can say. I think he was taken to the cleaners if it was a PT 6x6! Someone made some profit!!!!

 

[EddieWalker]

I agree that he paid way too much money for that post, but it's what he wanted and it fits in with the others perfectly. It's a 6x6 perfectly straight and clear cedar post. I told him that he should have built four foot rock footings for the posts, but he wanted them to go all the way from the floor to the ceiling. It's just money. LOL

One way to make sure your laser level is accurate is to follow the perimiter around in a circle or square. If you start at one height and end at the exact same height, they you are level. I have a Spectra laser level that I used for my house foundation, leech field and the dam on my lake. Even though I couldn't see all the way around while the trees were still there, I could mark my reference points and work from there. I don't know my shoreline length, but the dam is 940 feet long and I guess that's less then half of the total shoreline. 2,000 feet would be a safe number. It wonders in and out, but witht the laser level, I was able to get it exactly right and keep it there while building the dam from those reference points. Many times I thought that I was too tall and doubted the accuracy of the level, but it was always right.

It sounds like you have a good solid plan and have worked out allot of your details. I like the build the pad first and get it nice and level with a gentle slope going away from the pad first. To me, it's easier to work the dirt without any poles in the way. Your way will work too, it just means you have to pay more attention to what's around you.

Eddie

 

[pemad]

Update on the pole barn progress.

Dug all the holes yesterday with the 3pt back hole which took way too long! It took me rougly 5 hours to dig all the holes. That was a lot of seat time. I filled each hole with 3 bags of 60lb concrete mix which took me another 2 hours. Pre-mixed the concrete depending on how much water was in the hole.

So today I had the holes inspected by the town and this evening I decided to place the first pole when my wife got home giving the concrete 24 hours to cure. I have to say Placing a 20' pole in a hole with a B7510 tracktor was and adventure. Scared the heck out of me at first as my tractor reach is only 7' but once the pole slid in the hole I was over half way up and it balanced it self. Tomorrow I am hoping to get the other 3 corner poles in so I can make sure I am square. Brother-in-law is coming over to help for a few hours. Hopefully we can get the 3 other poles in and square up the building. I will try to shoot some pictures tomorrow.

What is weird is that the 6x6 poles that were delivered were CCA and not the new ACQ. Must be they still sell CCA for ground contact 6x6 long poles as these poles were recently treated becasue they are WET and heavy!

 

[pemad]

Yesterday was HOT and I did not get a lot of time to spend on the pole barn. My brother-in-law stoped in for 3 hours and we put up a few poles. I have figured out the trick to installing these poles. Not too bad with the tractor. Brother came in last night and we are going to try to get most of the poles set today. Here are some pictures of the poles set yesterday.

 

[Deerlope]

Sounds like the year for pole barns. I (contractor) will be starting mine the first week of May. 26X32X10, 2- 11X9 overhead doors and one man door. 4/12 roof pitch, we don't get the snow that you do.

 

[streamin]

Lotsa luck. Looks like you have a neat project going.

What type of siding?

I plan to build an 18'x36'x10'H equipment shed (three 12-ft wide bays) later this year. It'll be pole frame with corrugated steel siding (barn red) and roofing (white) and gravel floor. Need cover for the haying equipment --- 2-14 plow (IH #8 Little Genius), sicklebar mower (Allis Chalmers 80T trailer type), side-delivery rake (JD 350, 3pt type), baler (small square bales, still looking) and grain drill (10' wide, still looking).

I am looking to do a similar one only 40 x 60. I have priced out the all steel vs. the pole kits and the wood structure is almost half the cost. Another advantage is that I can pour concrete at a later date, even in sections as money permits.Are you buying the whole kit or piecing it together?( what company too?)
Pemad, what are you going with for siding, didn't see the answer earlier?