SPIKER
Elite Member
When I had my pole barn put up the crew (Amish) barn builders used the concrete cookies, There are several sizes in both diameter and thickness. ones we/I wanted & picked were the largest ones they offered about 20" dia and 8" thick Pre-Cast cookies. Guess they worked so far been up 10 years. once poles were in I has washed gravel for bottom foot or used about two 2ea 5 gallon buckets poured into the holes AFTER the poles were up leveled and centered. The boys putting up the poles had a pretty hard time with the end poles, Gambrel roof with about 22 feet to the peak and 4' in-ground, I think there were maybe 8 30' poles.
Once it was up with Skirt Boards on I started compacting soil and gravel mix into the holes. Holes had been drilled at 24"dia 4~5' deep (local codes to the north of me required that size or better & they had the auger on for that size.) the cookie dropped into the hole with a little clearance around it. they pounded the cookie down with the post end. Ole guy working with the kids made them do it. said that it did a few things, set the cookie so it didnt set on soft dirt, smashed sealed the end grain of the wood and let the post slide easier on the cookie when they needed to level/square and true up everything when installing the skirts... gravel 2 buckets ea poured in after pole was leveled & set.
I repeated several times compacting dirt/gravel around the posts over the years and kept the dirt around them higher than surrounding dirt. Used a 7' spud bar that has a 3" round end on it for compacting the soil around the posts. Prior to filling the holes rest of way up I used pump up sprayer and 5" gallons of wood preserver all around the posts. did this the first days while barn going up and a 2nd coat after the barn was wrapped up. I did a 3rd coat about 2 years ago from top to bottom for all of the posts. The posts were also sprayed heavy at ground level to prevent the rot found at those air water dirt zones.
With a lot of study people recommended no concrete around the posts so I did not install any directly against the post. When I poured the floor I stapled on some foil/bubble insulation around the posts as well as it seemed to have more people saying none against the posts for pole barn or fences. after 8 years I finally this September got the concrete in there... and even at that I compacted around the posts one last time and inside the graveled barn with sane compacted in...
This spring / summer I will do a full spray wet coat of wood preserver on the ground floor of the barn prior to sealing it up. it is due for a fresh coat of stain outside too.
mark
Once it was up with Skirt Boards on I started compacting soil and gravel mix into the holes. Holes had been drilled at 24"dia 4~5' deep (local codes to the north of me required that size or better & they had the auger on for that size.) the cookie dropped into the hole with a little clearance around it. they pounded the cookie down with the post end. Ole guy working with the kids made them do it. said that it did a few things, set the cookie so it didnt set on soft dirt, smashed sealed the end grain of the wood and let the post slide easier on the cookie when they needed to level/square and true up everything when installing the skirts... gravel 2 buckets ea poured in after pole was leveled & set.
I repeated several times compacting dirt/gravel around the posts over the years and kept the dirt around them higher than surrounding dirt. Used a 7' spud bar that has a 3" round end on it for compacting the soil around the posts. Prior to filling the holes rest of way up I used pump up sprayer and 5" gallons of wood preserver all around the posts. did this the first days while barn going up and a 2nd coat after the barn was wrapped up. I did a 3rd coat about 2 years ago from top to bottom for all of the posts. The posts were also sprayed heavy at ground level to prevent the rot found at those air water dirt zones.
With a lot of study people recommended no concrete around the posts so I did not install any directly against the post. When I poured the floor I stapled on some foil/bubble insulation around the posts as well as it seemed to have more people saying none against the posts for pole barn or fences. after 8 years I finally this September got the concrete in there... and even at that I compacted around the posts one last time and inside the graveled barn with sane compacted in...
This spring / summer I will do a full spray wet coat of wood preserver on the ground floor of the barn prior to sealing it up. it is due for a fresh coat of stain outside too.
mark