Re: OT setting poles on concrete piers ????

Posted by NE IA on February 13, 2008 at 13:19:33 from (12.227.201.200):

In Reply to: OT setting poles on concrete piers ???? posted by jim in NY on February 13, 2008 at 08:16:26:

I have been in the pole barn business since about 68. I feel you are right on tract asking about cement piers.
We built alot of pole buildings with cement cookies on the bottom. In addition we place a big staple made out of 1/2 inch rebar under the cookie and then pounded into the pole just above ground. This will prevent lifting unless it pulles the concrete cookie out of the ground. Most poles building poles can be lifted with a handiman jack, or a loader.

That being said everyone that has a pole building over probably ten years old that has the poles in the ground should check about 8-10 inches below the soil level. I don't care what salesman claims their poles are rot proof and all the other pack gravel sales pitches. POLES ROT, and we have redone alot of them once you show the building owner what is goin on. The salt treat, and pena treat were the worse ones. I can give you addresses of farmers that had fences seven years old and I could bust the six inch posts off at ground level with my shoulder.

Many sheds are sitting on top of the ground so to speak--regardless of what the salesman made for statments. Anyone ever cut a RR tie into? Find one that has split wide open with the crack upwards. Then take a rod and start digging, they are mush in the center, leaving only a shell of actual strength. We learned this the hard way while jacking a barn full of hay, and the best looking RR tie in the bunch. It turned to mush on us, no one got hurt, and no damage other than my pride.

If you use poles, make sure they have no knots or cracks below ground level. Yea that will happen! Laminated poles are 2 x 6's nailed together. Ever seen a deck that rotted away? I may have the soil conditions that are bad --Clay soil, it will hold water. That is what they make pots out of years ago. But regardless the chances are pretty good of you poles rotting off.

Cement piers are going to cost you more, and not worth the extra cost if you are going to sell the building later on in life. However if you want it to last and avoid high wind shear go with the piers and lots of bracing. You will lose a fraction of strength not having the poles in the ground, but you can overcome that real easy with bracing.

When placing any concrete don't forget the rebar if you want to keep the building for along time.

They make post sockets for decks, but they are not long term compared to 1/2 in welded plates.

I have but only a opinion, and have losted or walked away from many buildings. I seldom have any competition or do I have price driven folks when it comes time to save the building I lost the bid for years ago. Your extra cost will soon be lost in your memory, but a poorly made building can tick you off for many years to come.

I did not intend to disrespect anyone that is more than satisfied with their building. Just advise them to check their buildings where the soil and air mix on the pole. Forget the tree huggers and dump your wast oil around the base of the poles, it will help alot.

Modern procedures are not always perfect. Ever watch the TV when a high wind takes down pole sheds....Sheared the posts off at ground level? The wind took the whole or half the roof off the house? I will guarentee it was probably not a stick built house. The wind took this tree down! In our area it was probably a Soft Maple if all the other trees are still standing. Otherwise the tree should have been harvested years ago? The building colapsed under all that snow! How much web bracing was on the rafters? Probably the building colapsed and pulled the nails out of the web bracing and filled the nail holes in as well. The wind took the whole roof off, must have been a bad wind because it took the huricane straps off and tossed them into outer space because we can't find any of them. The garage door header is sagging from all that snow we got last winter. These are just a few of the things that make me upset. My insurance goes up because of these things. I would guess seventy five percent of all my wind repair is because it was not done corect the first time, or was lacking of attention. While I'm ranting uncontroalably how many machine shed doors are replaced every year because the gravity of the door did not hold it down in the wind?

I best go take my blood pressure pills and get to doing something.

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