Footer for overhead door

T-Nason · Oct 20, 2021

Good afternoon everyone,
Well we built a new pole barn last year,48x80 and it has a 14 overhead door on the side wall. Given the slope of the ground the door comes to rest about 1.5 above the surface of the dirt. Whats the best option for a footer? Im pretty decent with concrete so making forms and rebar dont bother me. How deep should I make the footer? How wide? Our frost line is roughly 3

T-Nason · Oct 20, 2021

Please note all measurements are in feet. I dont know why it erased the symbol

Michael Soldan · Oct 20, 2021

It depends where you live. In southern Ontario I would have to go 3' below grade to escape frost heaving. You want it strong so I would go 2'wide , a foot each way from the center of where the door stops. You also might want to leave a small space between the bottom of the door and the concrete surface . A rubber strip can seal it. If you live where there is no frost then its a different ball game

Steve in VA · Oct 20, 2021

Recently we used railroad sleepers as footers for barn doors where none previously existed.

Blackhole49 · Oct 20, 2021

I built my 30'x48'x12' barn in 2002 in SE MI. I have a 12 wide by 18 deep base under both roll up and entrance doors. Frost has never been a problem. As long as your tracks aren't sitting tight to the cement, the door isn't affected if it moves a little. All my sliding doors are outside the cement and seal against the face. Before I put in the brick work, the ground heaving would effect them. I have had 1 1/2 clearance between the sliders and the brick for 15 years with no issues.

DRussell · Oct 20, 2021

Depends on where you are. Most places 3 feet is sufficiently deep for a footer. Width is as critical as depth. I would advise a footer of 8 inches thick by 24 inches wide, then a 6 or 8 inch wall on top of the footer to the bottom of the floor.

TimWafer · Oct 20, 2021

(quoted from post at 23:01:14 10/20/21) Recently we used railroad sleepers as footers for barn doors where none previously existed.

Curious, what exactly is a railroad sleeper? Never heard of the term.

T-Nason · Oct 20, 2021

I should say the barn floor is crushed stone and will not be cemented

MarkB_MI · Oct 20, 2021

I just have a 6 inch slab under my door. It has a treated 2x6 on edge directly under the door for a thermal break. I ran an apron out about three feet in front of the door, which is when we ran out of concrete. The apron does heave up a little bit in winter, but it has not cracked in twenty years. There is reinforcing mesh in the shop floor and apron. This is SE Michigan, where the frost line is down around three feet. YMMV.

DRussell · Oct 20, 2021

If you are not going to cement the floor then you don't need a footer. The footer is to prevent the floor or walls from heaving up and down. Your walls are supported by the poles, so with no cement floor no footer is needed.

1948CaseVAI · Oct 20, 2021

(quoted from post at 13:16:26 10/20/21)

(quoted from post at 23:01:14 10/20/21) Recently we used railroad sleepers as footers for barn doors where none previously existed.

Click to expand...

Curious, what exactly is a railroad sleeper? Never heard of the term.

Sleeper is an another term for tie but not so commonly used in this country. Europeans use it commonly. Some folks use the term to describe the extra long ties used for turnouts (switches) but a sleeper can be any tie.

Geo-TH,In · Oct 20, 2021

Mark,
We think a like.
I have a 6 inch concrete continuous pour slap floor over 8 inchs of white rock/dirt mix. The outside wall were the only forms used. Concrete grade was shot with a laser.
Frost line is 24 inches.
No footer.

504 · Oct 20, 2021

If it is available,I like ag grade lime. It packs down like concrete and it's a lot cheaper than cement. You could dump a load in the door and just push inside what you don't need to bring the floor to the door.(I did it on a 30x40)

redforlife · Oct 21, 2021

Well, I'd make the footing at a depth of what is acceptable for your area. (I don't know where you live). A local cement contractor would be a good place to find out.
When you do lay forms and poor cement, make sure that the cement immediately out side of where the door hits the cement angles downward. I know a couple guys that (not thinking) made thier cement level to the outside of wall (door was recessed inside the wall 6 to 8 inches) and then the outside pad tappered downward. Anyways, just that 6 to 8 inches of level concrete outside of door was eneough to allow rain water and melting snow to run underneath of door to the inside (both had concrete floors inside).

WNYBill · Oct 21, 2021

Be sure to slope the apron away from the door and put in some kind of threshold to stop rain from blowing under door. Make the slope fairly steep, so water runs away and not freeze the door down. Simple, but my contractor didn't do it and it's a PIA!

TimWafer · Oct 21, 2021

(quoted from post at 03:59:38 10/21/21)

(quoted from post at 13:16:26 10/20/21)

(quoted from post at 23:01:14 10/20/21) Recently we used railroad sleepers as footers for barn doors where none previously existed.

Click to expand...

Curious, what exactly is a railroad sleeper? Never heard of the term.

Click to expand...

Sleeper is an another term for tie but not so commonly used in this country. Europeans use it commonly. Some folks use the term to describe the extra long ties used for turnouts (switches) but a sleeper can be any tie.

Thanks! Funny Ive never run into that name for them before. Always just heard "Ties"

T-Nason · Oct 21, 2021

Just let it drop on the stone?

Footer for overhead door

T-Nason

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Michael Soldan

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Steve in VA

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Blackhole49

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DRussell

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