Moving/Removing or dismantling a Pole Shed

Since it looks like almost anything goes on these threads.(like Can openers to .22 bullets) I thought I would ask you wise folks to share some some of your stories/ experiences/ ideas about dismantling or removing pole sheds. Thanks!
 
Last one we took down, I hooked a tractor to one corner and pulled. Then we pulled the nails holding the tin and saved it for later use.
Richard in NW SC
 
I had a 40x75 moved back in "99. Took two days, cost $4500. Other farm is a mile away. Friend of mine has dismantled some- marks all the sheets in order of take-down.
 
Not clear what your interest is... I once removed a 5000 sq ft shed for a New Yorker who bought a weekend house here. Split the salvaged material with the guy working with me. Nothing wrong with the shed, just in the wrong place for the new owner's sensibilities. Even had to break up and haul off the concrete slab. Poles, rafters and roofing were all taken away to be recycled. The owner just wanted it all to disappear.

Then he hired a contractor friend of mine to build a new one, about 150' away, but out of his primary view.

I'll be using some of the metal roofing to cover a circular saw mill here. It'll go over oak beams and rafters considerably longer than anything the shed had. I already used most of the posts on other outbuildings where I didn't need much height.

Recycling material isn't something everybody is good at. Many times it gets moved and left to sit, what the other guy did with his material. Strikes me as too much work to waste it. Not that we weren't well paid to remove the shed.
 
What is the building sheathed with? If it is metal and put on with nails that can be a bear to demo. About the easiest way to get the tin off is grind the head off with a angle grinder. If done with metal to wood screws or metal to metal screws then a cordless drill and either a 1/4" or 5/16" nut driver is all you need to get the tin off.

If the building has wood siding and you can get to the back side you can usually pry it off with a flat bar.

If the building is little, you might be able to tie the post together with some temporary framing and cut the posts off with a chain saw. Then jack it up and drive a trailer under it to move it intact.
 
Best advice I can offer is see if it was built with ring shanks before commiting to dismantle one.
 
Helped take down many buildings, everything from small sheds to large barns. Even got to clean up a old half rotted dance hall. I got volunteered to help clean out all the tractor/equipment parts that the dealer that owned the dance hall had in it. Since it was not stable enough to work on standing, (had it shaking when bumped it with skid-steer when cleaning out) a excavator came in and pushed it down. Then me, my dad and my brothers came in and cleaned up the wood for the furnace. Even got enough savable to make a few bale racks. If you can get inside safely strip anything that is not load bearing structure(drywall, floors, ect.). Then start from top and outside and go in and down. Pulling off pieces in as big of chucks you can handle for salvage(full length posts, studs, sheeting). If going to rebuild someplace label everything: such as post, sheets: with someway to tell where it goes at new site (abc, 123...matching on both sides of splice.)
 

It sounds like you are asking about a different kind of project but here are a couple of videos I've always liked.
If you have a lot of friends and neighbors you can do it this way.


<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/o83W0gj_CRE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


Or if you have a good old Ford you can do it like this.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/6cFwiPhEeFo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
I know 2 people who got metal pole barns for little of nothing. Both barns, when put back together, had holes in the siding, like someone shot it with a 22. They didn't put them back together the way they were taken apart.

If I have to pay someone to help, knowing I will have to live with damaged metal and damage the wood pulling nails. Possibly buy new posts, because the old posts may be rotten. Buy new perlins. I would just go buy a new package and save time. Pay the Amish to build it. Time is money. My last barn was completed in 4 days start to finish.
 
The only way we ever put up a barn or building when I was growing up was with salvaged wood. We would know of someone that had an old tongue and groove grainary and buy it whole, spend a few days taking it down and saving everything (my job was always straightening nails) and put up the new building. Our barns and sheds were always way over engineered and the only thing new was the paint.
 
Stephan, it would be covered with Sheetmetal.
Da Bees, What are ring shanks? Maybe I know them by another name? Thanks guys! I'm enjoying the stories and wisdom!
 
Pulling the poles (and not getting hurt doing it) will be the biggest challenge. A fast and really easy way to take nailed metal off is from the inside with a ripping hammer. Put the claws between the wall girt or roof purlin at the nail and just push down on the handle. Vice grips with a slide tack-welded on them will also pull the nails from more stubborn areas like the skirt boards. A sawzall with a demo-blade makes real quick work of the ring shank nails in framing. We used a lot of quenched 60d's and there really ain't no pulling them out of good Southern yellow pine.
 
Ring shanks are also known as pole barn nails. Circular rings around the shank near the pointed end of the nail. Close to impossible to pull out. Very brittle nails, likely break before bending much to the side.
 
If the metal has been nailed on a blue vaughn pry bar will pop most of the nails loose. Sawzall with demo blade will cut the trusses from the poles. we rented a all terrain fork lift/Lull to take down trusses pull poles and load out material. Take lots of measurements of the framing so you can reuse the same holes. Urethane caulk will take care of the "extra holes". We took down a 40x100,5 people 5 days from start to loaded on trailers go for it gobble
 
My dad took down a 50 X 80 when I was about 10. They used a nippers to cut the heads of the nails to remove the steel. Once the materials were moved 3 miles to out farm my younger brother and I got the task of driving in the cut off nails so they would be out of the way when the building was put back together. The resurrected building was a bit different design so no attempt was made to put everything back like it was originally.
 
I've help with a couple.First one we worked our a$$s off.The second one we where a little smarter.First we rented a LULL to get the trusses down and pulled the posts too. Used slap hammer vise grip pullers on the nails.Broke off a lot of the heads but still worked well.Didn't bend any sheets.

To get the trusses down went thru the door end,pryed them lose and just pick'em off .

For the posts dug on two sides with a hand digger around 3 -3 1/2 feet.Wrapped a strap on em , wigged around and out they came.

Good Luck and be careful.
 
heard about moving a metal building once, near me. It was 2 story 100' x 200' with metal pipe poles. They cut the poles off & jacked up the whole building, then welded the pipes onto 16" pipe skids. Hooked a Cat D9 to each skid & drug it across a flat field 100 yds. to the new location. It was an old natural gas pump station. I was impressed.
 
This has been discussed a number of times, look in the archives.

How big is the building and how far do you need to move it? It might be least cost to move it in one piece: install extra cross-bracing; cut off the existing poles at ground level; install a sill around the bottom; and fasten it all down to a new foundation at the new site.
 
We took down a 60 x120 morton about 20 years ago. Pulled the poles with the froks on our 1845 case skidder. Used long handled end nippers with slide hammer welded on to pull th ring shanks on the tin. For the trusses, ran the bolts out then used a grinder to cut the heads off the ring shanks holding the trusses to the poles.for the roof tin, to avoid bending, used a40 ft extension ladder laid on to of the loader tractor. Raise the bucket to the roof line, slide the tin on the ladder, then lower the bucket and slide the tin off the ladder at the back of the tractor. Looked goofy, worked good. Number all your tin and poles before you take em down so everything goes back in the same place.
 

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