Your thoughts on Pole Barn general construction and kits

[GPintheMitten]

I don't understand your building technique. Once you have posts 4 feet in the ground and six inches above grade, how are you attaching the rest of the structure to these posts?

 

[Wa11banger]

Gpin I should have written that part clearer.. the post themselves will still extend 12' aboce the ground. The 6" ag is the concrete column it will be in. I wanted that because I thought it would be easier to add the 6" pad later

 

[boggen]

contact some local "word of mouth" construction workers, that build homes and like. you may find a couple folks willing to help ya out.

building a shed, is a min a 2 man job. and at least one needs to have idea what they are doing. alot can be done one man, but ya talking lengthy lumber, and metal siding that is rather difficult 1 person.

rock / concrete can be last thing. you can put in.

get the main structure built and a roof and siding on it.

doors can wait.

the roof and siding the metal itself, helps hold things together. you leave stuff set to long, outside in the rain/sun, and it will begin to warp and sag and bend. more so if ya use basic non treated lumber, (besides the main posts).

your 12 foot side wings can be added now or later. if ya add them now. it would be less work but more upfront cost for the lumber, and the metal roof sheets. it can be a bit of a pain to pry up the ends (pull up nails) at the ends of the metal roofing sheets. to slide in the metal for the wings later down the road. 50' or 60 feet even. ya bound to bend some metal to some degree. were it does not fit tightly and smoothly for sheet below it that ya adding for your side wings at the very beginning.

as long as you are not going to heat or cool the entire shed. you can go with cheaper main door route of a slider/s ((there like sliding glass doors on many homes)) they are much cheaper. order ya enough siding for the doors, and then just get the tracks, and various end pieces for a door at a later time. along with the lumber for sliding doors.

 

[GPintheMitten]

Gpin I should have written that part clearer.. the post themselves will still extend 12' aboce the ground. The 6" ag is the concrete column it will be in. I wanted that because I thought it would be easier to add the 6" pad later

Ok. I get it now. I wouldn't encapsulate the posts in concrete. I think it might hold moisture around the posts.

 

[GPintheMitten]

You asked about kits. I've built just a few pole barns but always figured what I needed and ordered the lumber from a yard. So no experience with kits.

I think they are just a collection of lumber and trusses that you could order individually.

Most lumber yards will help you with plans and list of materials.

I second the suggestion to get a helper. It can be done by one's self but it can be pretty challenging at times. But I've learned a few tricks to help when single handing it.

 

[tkappeler]

Not for a barn, but when I was installing our deck, we had two options: 1) posts in ground on concrete footing, either backfill with dirt or encapsulate in concrete and 2) concrete piers to grade and posts attached to embedded anchors. Inspector highly recommended the latter as less work to fix a rotted post. He stated that the post embedded in concrete would be the worst option as far as rot is concerned. I agree with GPintheMitten.

 

[umassjj]

Fellas, give these a shot: Post Protector

I've worked for a large pressure treater for the last 21 years. For pole barn applications, you want what is called "Severe Service" treatment, which corresponds to AWPA's UC4B (Use Category 4B). In 6x6's, it's a special order item in many lumber yards- stock in a handful. Even with that level of treatment, it's important to somehow protect that ground level area from 8 inches above to about 18 inches below. That's where the most microbial activity and the biggest chance of failure is. Some fence guys use roofing tar, some people pour cement footings, sink the post 12 inches into the cement (four feet below grade) and then go the rest of the way up with really well-draining gravel, some guys wrap the post in tyvek, and some guys use the post protectors.

I'm building a large post structure soon and am going to use the post protectors in that link for extra peace of mind.

 

[EddieWalker]

Pressure treated poles in the ground will not rot in the ground. They rot at the surface where water puddles and sits. The simple cure for this to keep the post dry and grade the soil so that water runs away from the building. The beauty of a pole barn is how affordable, simple and effective they are by using the strength of the pole in the ground. This is a proven method that will last a hundred years if you just follow the basic rules of construction.

Eddie

 

[Wa11banger]

Eddie, thanks for chiming in here, I didn't want to hijack the other post I saw you commenting in so I started a new one. Do you think having the concrete columns 6"ag would be sufficient for ensuring that water doesn't get to the post? or do you mean I have to be able to move the water away from the concrete column at ground level as well? I intend to wall it up in a future step, then pour a 6" pad inside even later but wanted to clarify that before completing plans to move forward.

 

[breadtrk]

Telephone poles are cheap, strong and will stand 100 or more years when properly stuck in the ground. They are simple to install and have almost zero chance of shearing off at the ground from wind like I have seen some concrete piers and brackets . Like Eddie says, don't let the water stand on them.