Need how to for barn/pole building.

I would appreciate any help with ideas and plans for putting us a pole building out in the back. I was thinking of a 60 x 100, or so. I need to know who deep to cut the hole, what type of lumber, etc.

Merry Christmas

Most of the pole buildings have similiar characteristics. The poles are 8 foot on center. Then they are wrapped with purlings that are two foot on center. Roof structure can be trussed or rafters. Lots of options! Visualize and dream!

I built mine without a plan. 32 x 64, two stories, traditional gambrel roof design. 32/12 pitch roof on sides and 6/12 on top. Lots and lots of pole barn nails. Way over built...but I'm gonna live here for a long time. Kids will probably have this place after me. Built strong and built to last.

One big advantage to pole-construction is - you can build many types of buildings with just one or two people. For multi-stories, you can build a pole first level, and conventional frame for the uppers.

In this area, when you hire out, most "crews" that I've noticed, consist of two people, unless the building is huge.

From what I've seen, pole barns companies do what ever goes the fastest, not necessarily what makes the best building.

Much of this depends on your climate and what your soil is like. Having pure sand is quite different than if you have hardpan three feet down. You also have to know the frost line - and where I live, it's five feet down.

Code usually requires all poles below frost line, and the roof has to meet snow-load requirements - which is 80 lbs. where I live.

If you dig holes by hand or drilled carefully by auger, you will get a much stronger building - than one done with a backhoe and concrete footings (in most cases). A finished building supported by rigid poles in undisturbed ground - is a lot sturdier than one that relies on angle-bracing instead.

I have put in many 24' poles as thus. Have the hole dug. Have a flat board on the side of hole that the 6X6 can ride on as you slide it in. Get at the end of the pole and walk it up with someone helping at the middle of it. I will add that some poles - depending how wet - are pretty heavy at 24' I've never had any problem with poles up to 20' by myself, but I've had a few 24's that were a bit too heavy even with two people. For those, I used my backhoe instead - which makes things easy. One more note - about the poles themselves. Since the changeover, from CCA to ACQ, you have to be careful. Many pressure treated 6X6s for sale are not suitable for below-ground use. Read the tags carefully. In my area you cannot buy a 6 X 6 shorter than 12 feet that is treated properly. So, if you need a couple of 10s - you must buy a 20 footer and cut it in half. In regard to trusses, you might want to consider the extra expense of walk-throughs, or at least trusses build heavy enough to support a floor and storage - it's nice to have the extra space.

A few photos of examples.

I put an addition on our house, two story, 35 feet by 26 feet - all pole at the first level. Also a three story barn with a little fourth-lever cupola/bedroom. Also a 50' X 40' equipment barn that also holds solar panels. That has 24' poles the peaks. Also a cabin not finished yet in the Adirondack mountains. Built it around a camper so we'd have place to sleep and eat while working three. Pole at bottom, frame on top.

I purchased a kit from Carter Lumber (a regional chain). They included specs that were more stringent than those of the local building department. I suggest getting quotes from a couple of sources; most lumberyard chains will spec out a custom design for no charge.

However, for your case, you might find it a lot more cost effective if you had an outfit build it for you.

For that size building, I say that you can do the grading yourself if it is not too extremely out of level. >>>Remember, a seeemingly flat piece of land can run out 5 feet by the time you measured 100 feet across.<<< This means a LOT of dirt displacement and leveling. I know with my small shop, I had nearly 2 feet to dig and backfill to get it level!

You're talking major time if you do this by yourself.

You will find that the materials you can buy for making trusses is 3rd rate compared to the fine stuff the truss makers use and so your home made trusses will be two or three times as heavy as a truss you could buy, but you can't buy directly from the truss factories, you have to let a lumber yard get to buy wholesale and sell to you at retail since you aren't one of their buddy contractors.

Think about the weight of a 20' 6x6 and how you ar going to stand it on end in the hole and straighten it up. I watched a crew do that for my last building and it took most of the crew on each pole. Then think about lifting a truss high in the air. They had a long pole on their tractor loader.

The building crew earns their money. They'll build in a couple weeks what will take you a couple years working alone. What's the value of having the building this year instead of two years from now?

Gerald J.

Some tips: wrap the poles with sheet metal or aluminum flashing about 24" wide at about three or four feet off the ground it keeps rats and snakes from getting up in the rafters (supposedly).

Thieves love pole barns because they are so easy to get into. Just cut the metal from the bottom edge up and crawl in. To prevent that, nail plywood around the inside of the barn about 2' up.

If you put transluscent panels in the roof (I recommend it), double them up (double thickness) so hail doesn't punch through it.

Put windows on the south and west wall for solar gain in the winter. Put them high enough that someone couldn't easily bust one out and climb through. I put a window up high on each end for ventilation in the summer. I passed on the ridge vent because I wanted to hold heat in the winter.

Insulate the roof. Probably sheets of foam. It prevents 'rain' in your barn from condensation.

Beef up a truss in the middle for chain hoist, etc.

Think about the door. I got a slider but it gets hard to open when we get a few inches of ice and snow on the ground. Maybe a roll-up would have been better.

Run 220V to it whether you think you'll need it or not. And water. And beer.

Good luck!

God bless and Merry Christmas!!!!!