Pole Barns

Looks like I'll be building a pole barn soon. Anyone have any comments to help me along?

I have a 24 x 28 x10 Conestoga brand building. See http://www.conestogabuildings.com/ It's a New Holand, PA company located in the PA Dutch region. I'm very pleased with my pole barn and highly recommend the company. It's very well designed and the two man crew erected the complete building in two days. I was highly impressed with there work ethic, there wasn't any wasted effort. Likely the influence of the PA Dutch.

Thanks, Yanche, I'll check them out. I've already looked at Kistler and ABCO's websites. Kistler is just finishing up a commercial building about 5 miles from here, I go by there often and have been watching the progress.

I've been planning this for a long time and I just want to get it done right.

A friend of mine recently built one and did a lot of it himself, alone. He just groans when I mention what he went through.

I`d plan on insulating it right from the start, I have a 60' x 52' & it`s colder inside than it is outside in the winter. Summer isn`t quite as bad with plenty of venting and a couple exhaust fans. Also plan ahead for the lighting & power outlets, its a lot easier to do stuff as part of the building process than going back later and adding. Good luck

Just remember, no matter how big you make the barn,, it will be too small.. When I bought my farm it had the empty 40x60 polebarn already.. it looked huge.. not any more,, with two 4post storage car lifts, and an asymetrical truck lift, two lofts and trucks, vehicles, tool boxes and work benches... it is FULL I'll build another 40' on it someday. 40'x100' will be too small too !!

When you put it up, if you plan on pouring a concrete floor,, make sure you plan on and install in slab piping for heating the slab... not that much money, and if you ever hook it up and use it , you will love it.

Greg L

I have a pole building built by Morton. No complaints. Like Greg said, no matter how big you make it will end up being too small. No matter how well thought out you will probably wish you had done something different too. That's just the way it goes. Good luck.

Absolutely true guys, no matter how big I make it it will end up being too small at some point. Always the case.
Yes, Greg, I plan on radiant heat in the slab, I also want to finally get a floor poured in the barn, with radiant heat as well, I'm tired of laying on plywood and fighting with the dirt and gravel and ground hog holes!
Of course the slabs will be heated by a coal-fired boiler, I guess another rehab is on the way as I can't afford a new one. I'm leaning towards an EFM.
Greg, I'll be asking lots of questions about your set up when the time comes.
Thanks.

The Amish do a great job, or you can do it yourself if you have the time and desire. Pole barns rank as one of the easiest buildings to put up, especially if you buy ready made trusses you can't go wrong. The hard part is digging the holes. I think my arms are still sore from when I dug the holes for my chicken coop. The trick is to get the post holes at least 4' deep and don't use any concrete in them. They rot faster if cemented, and any less than 48" you risk them lifting up.

The posts have to be set below the frost line to avoid being pushed up during the freezes and thaws. Most are set in concrete, the problem is that water gets between the post and the concrete, rotting the wood and cracking the concrete. I would think posts set directly into the soil would rot faster due to constant contact with the soil and water.

Kistler has the "Perma Column" which is supposed to eliminate this problem.

http://www.kistlerbuildings.com/perma1.htm

That's the only concern I have about a pole building. I don't like the idea of the post extending below the ground.

e.alleg wrote:The Amish do a great job, or you can do it yourself if you have the time and desire. Pole barns rank as one of the easiest buildings to put up, especially if you buy ready made trusses you can't go wrong. The hard part is digging the holes. I think my arms are still sore from when I dug the holes for my chicken coop. The trick is to get the post holes at least 4' deep and don't use any concrete in them. They rot faster if cemented, and any less than 48" you risk them lifting up.

My pole barn post holes were dug with an skid loader mounted hydraulic motor power auger. Maybe 14-16 inches in diameter. Drilled well below the freeze line. After the holes were drilled they needed to be inspected by the local building inspectors for correct depth. After inspection dry bagged concrete mix was dumped in to serve as the base the pressure treated post would rest on. Fill dirt was used around the posts. The concrete sets by absorbing moisture from the ground. No water was used.

What amazed me was that two Amish men put up the entire building in two days. The only ladder they had was a 6 foot step ladder. They used the stringers as steps to climb to the top of the building. Trusses were set in place pointing down, swung like a pendulum, and flipped up. They did use air power nailers and screw guns. Construction was a site to see. It would have taken me all summer!

Another three man crew poured the concrete floor. They had engine power buggies for moving the concrete. Used a laser rotary level to set a reference level. Then a stick was set on the top of the wet concrete. It had a sound alarm to detect the laser. One sound for to low another for too high. The concrete screet was interesting. A vibrating 10 ft. metal board, powered by something that looked by a weed wacker engine. It all made the job look easy. I know that wasn't the case judging by the sweat pouring off their faces.

Quite a story!

My neighbor set his post footers last year, his posts will be above ground. He used 55 gallon plastic drums as forms with 18" long 12" diameter sono tube attached to the top with cross braces so the top of the drum was open to pour in the concrete. He had three pieces of 5/8" rebar coming up from the bottom of the barrel and suspended from the sono tube. He had 3/16" steel U brackets welded to the rebar (sized to fit his 4X6 columns) so they were flush with the top of the sono tube and lined up to make a straight wall.

The sono tubes and drums were filled with one pour and then back filled with 2B modified. So bottom line his footers were well below the frost line, the columns are above ground and will support a mack truck!

I have changed the style and size of the pole barn several times, moved it's location several times, did some measuring out in the area where I want to build it tonight, realized it will be way too large for that area, redesigned it again, made it smaller, then made it bigger, thought about clearing an area that is overgrown with brush and trees and moving it there, then thought about building it at the end of the driveway. Sooner or later I'll figure it out. All I know is that whatever I end up with will be too small.

Also my wife helped me take the measurements, when she found out what I was intending on building, well...it wasn't good.

A representative from the pole barn company is stopping by next Thursday to look at the site and my drawings and offer some ideas. He is from Conestoga Buildings.

Does anyone know if Conestoga Buildings sell there units as kits for the homeowner to put up or do you have to have installation done by them?