pole barn

[mechanic]

I have been thinking about the posts in the ground and talked to a company that drills the holes and pours the concrete into the holes then pours the slab over the peirs and locates the 6x6 poles over the pier. The use a L bracket that is anchored to the concrete and bolted to the 6x6 on 10 foot centers. This would alleviate rotting posts. The building is $4000 more for doing it this way. I still read about these new cca posts rotting before there warranty is up. But try to get that company out to repair the pole would be like pulling teeth. The other company company told that their poles (6x6) would last 60 years. Just a gut feeling that this is not really true. There are posts rotting after 5 years because they didn't keep water away from their building. I'm still thinking about the cheaper way but it really bothers me about wood being in the ground. I have seen so many treated fence posts fall over after years standing. You wouldn't want your house to fall over so why do something that may jeopardize your man cave.

 

[Jeepnford]

Maybe I'm missing something but $4000.00 to fill some holes with concrete seems a bit extreme, unless this is a huge building. I know a guy that had an older pole barn with rotten posts so he augered new holes right next to the old posts and set new posts and bolted them to the old ones. I would rather have the posts sitting above the ground on concrete but again the price seems excessive.

 

[Billrog]

There's at least 1/2 doz. pole barns I put up here 35 to 40 years ago not one has fallen over yet with rotted posts but I did take care to have the buildings higher than their surroundings. I have one on my own property with the posts in brackets on top of ftings. but that's only because I couldn't dig holes in solid rock.
Like Jeepnford said $4,000 more sounds excessive.

 

[Wolfy]

Pouring concrete around wood is a terrible idea. The concrete will slightly shrink in time and allow dirt and water in between the concrete and wood, speeding up rot. However, the posts will last quite a while if set in holes filled with crushed rocks.

 

[mechanic]

The $4000 is the 2x6 purlins along the walls and and concrete apron 10x4. I hate to spend the money paying $4000 but posts in the ground does not set with me very good. I can get a stud wall for $17850 vs $14000 for posts in the ground. The post do have a 60 warranty but that is considering the ground you put it in. If it is wet most fo the time I doubt you will get 60 years out of it. Well drain ground around the building makes a lot difference. During a rainy season you probably have a lot moisture around the post a lot of the time. Moisture breaks down the chemical in the wood.

 

[ericm979]

My barn was built in the late 1800s. It's a pole barn with redwood poles and concrete poured around the poles. The poles are still solid, even where the roof was collapsed when we bought the place. We get 35-60+ inches of rain a year (more this year). But if I was building new I'd opt for concrete, not wood in the ground.

 

[davedj1]

Why would you bother to drill and pour piers if you're just going to pour a slab over it? Pour an Alaskan slab and be done with it, then you can't call it a pole barn though.
I have built them with the posts in the ground setting ON a concrete "cookie" with no issues. Tons of them that way around here in farm country.

 

[mechanic]

The pier keeps the slab from cracking. Cheaper than pouring a footer

 

[ajmaxham]

The pier keeps the slab from cracking. Cheaper than pouring a footer

How does the pier keep the slab from cracking?

 

[ajmaxham]

I would build a pole barn if I wanted a dirt or gravel floor. For a building with a concrete floor I would use a Monolithic Slab. A third option is a footer below frost line, foundation wall and pour the slab inside the foundation wall. It all depends on your budget.