Pole Barn advice/Tips & Tricks/ Pictures
I want to build a pole barn in 5 or so years (I work on a glacial time scale). The dream is to be at least 3-4 bays, one of which will have a 4 post lift so at least one section will have to have to be ___ feet. I might even want to wall off a small section for an office. I will build it in West Virginia once I retire and buy out mom and dad. I plan to do most of the work and farm out a few things. It has to look good due to its location on the property.
So if anyone has pole barn porn pictures post them and I will use them for reference.
I just had this pole barn built by the omish its 40 x 80 x 16ft inside ceilings...they did a fantastic job at a great price....my advice to you..dont wait..life is too short..enjoy it now not 5years from now...build it enjoy it..
A-Yup a pole barn type building is probably the most building for the money you can get.
You might be able to do better than that kit type stuff tho. Looks like they are not as rugged as some of the self designed ones I've seen local. Poles appear to only be 4" x 4" on only 8 foot centers. The metal part you usually can get supplied local as a turn key type installation. Don't know how the prices compare. Probably depends on gauge of metal, those kits might tend to go cheaper on a lot of things.
The ones I've seen that I really like are far more well built. 4" x 6" poles and general timbers bigger, less center to center spacings. One very nice one as a garage with a second story rec room that I like might still have some pixs. There a huge one local that you could play football in. One hardware store just expanded using that building type design.
Also I question the quality of the doors in those kit ones. Probably want a far better, maybe even lite industrial one. Another thing that might come in handy is the ability of a good under roof air flow and vent system, with some insulation backing that up. Those type buildings can heat up fair amount on hot summer days. Lose heat pretty good in winter. Plan out the energy needs / use far better. Need lots of good lights, ceiling fans come in pretty handy. Does those kits supply enough of that?
One surprise I did have recently, they are more easy to damage that I thought. We just had this big wind storm and a bunch of metal type buildings where damaged along with tons of other stuff. Those metal panels wants to be a wing and fly. We probably got something up toward 70 MPH and a bunch of it was in what is called wind sheer condition and if that is close to the ground about like a mini linear tornado, rips Hell out of stuff. In some places ripped off the roof, anything mildly loose or not well secured got a chance to fly.
But it still would be my choice of design. You want to plan it out pretty good in all aspects.
In West Virginia it wouldn't be a bad idea to use some form of 'sock' on the sub-grade wood 'poles'. They manufacture a purpose built product just for this, but even a well wrapped thick mil plastic trash bag would work as long as you were careful with the backfilling. On the package I purchased they did apply wood preservative to the bottom 4'-5' of each 'pole' (triple laminated 2 X 6), but again either a thick mil plastic trash bag or purpose built pole sack over a coating of basement wall waterproofing would go a long way on preserving the wood where it will decay.
Many of the pole barn kits do not include provision for a ceiling. Mine didn't and the bridging between rafters while good for snow loads and winds was more than adequate, but not sufficient for attaching a metal ceiling (using the same metal panels as the exterior sheathing). Just a note, at the time I was looking into having a ceiling installed it was more or less a wash as to whether metal sheeting or sheet rock was installed. The sheetrock was cheaper, but with the added necessary extra bridging and installation hours it came close to what a metal ceiling called for (still had to add about half as much bridging for the ceiling rafters as I would have if I had gone with sheet rock). The added benefit of the metal ceiling comes from it's structural shape which allows a goodly load of attic insulation without the need for further reinforcement (running R-40 blown in and happy with that amount even with the -40 temps during winter). For heating I went with vented-to-exterior ceiling mounted radiant gas heat (works well, heats quickly to bring the temperature up when I first enter the shop and is about the cheapest form of heat unless you are looking at using a wood stove and free wood plus no moisture from the combustion process...matters with machine tools!). Also use several reversible ceiling fans for both cooling as well as reversing the air flow for heating during the winter.
As far as overhead doors go the price you save on going residential over commercial will be more or less offset by the higher heat bill from the minimal insulation value of the typical residential overhead door. I had one door installed with an electric opener on the wall next to the door and one without. For my money, and the fact that I don't use the overhead doors all that often during the time I'm up there, I'd stick with a simple manual door...less to go wrong (though I've had no problems in 14 years) for the minimal convenience.
Shop lighting...go with fluorescent! I have metal halide lo-bays as well as several halogens in site specific areas and neither provides the output of the fluorescent fixtures. While the metal halide lo-bays provided excellent illumination when new they have all weakened over the years until they are barely adequate (400w per installation) plus they are a pain in the *** to wait on when you flip the switch first thing when walking into the shop. The halogens seem to hold up far better, but they are hot SOBs to work around. For the fluorescents I just built several large plywood and 2 X 4 box mounts with white formica facing attached to the ceiling by chain and run the cheapest fixtures in gang screwed to the bottom of each mount.
Last edited by WyoRoy; 08-31-2012 at 01:08 PM.
Lincoln PrecisionTig 275
Miller 251
Miller DialArc 250
Bridgeport mill
Hossfeld bender & dies
Logan shaper
Jet 14 X 40 lathe
South Bend 9" 'C'
Hypertherm 900
Ellis 3000 band saw
21"Royersford Excelsior
Two shops, still too many tools.
Check the zoning laws and what you can get away with if the structure will be close to a house. I've built four barns here in VA, one of them for myself. My barn is 600 feet from my house and further from any neighboring house so I was able to zone as "agricultural use". The next two I built I were for horses and also got zoned agricultural. The fourth one was within 30 feet of the house and they forced the home owner to zone as residential. This was after all the poles were set and the walls were up. Zoning as residential meant we had to pour a footer No amount of explaining the construction of a pole barn to the zoning office or the inspector helped. We ended up pouring a "turn down slab" as a suitable solution, even though nothing was constructed on the turn downs. If we knew that before starting (shame on us for not pulling the permit first) it would have been better to stick build on the turn down.
Any thoughts on a good and cheap way to insulate pole barns? The one on my new property is in dire need of heat.
20 degF below zero is no fun
I checked locally for spray foam...damn near had a heart attack...quote in the thousands.
My shop is a pole barn basically, with 2x4 studs to the trusses with insulation and OSB sheathing on the inside. Plus the ceiling has 18" of blown in insulation. I didn't build it so I have no idea what it cost. but it's warm in winter.
Problem with metal sheathed pole barns(in this area.. but I'm sure in others too) is they sweat like the dickens!!! at the metal.. whether insulated or not... that's why you see the vinyl sided roll insulation in the roofs of a lot of them... to keep t from dripping on you... but the unseen moisture is still therebetween the vinyl and the metal. about the only good way to do it is spray foam... you can save a bundle and just do sections of it yourself not that hard... takes a knack to get it looking like a pro but you'd have plenty of experience after the first 100 square feet and you really don't need 12 inches on it... just a couple inches will make a huge difference in keeping the heat in!!! and go for the closed cell foam it does cost more but the R value is twice as much per inch so it is cheaper per R there are plenty of DIY foam kits out there you just have to look around at run some numbers... been a few year since I helped a buddy build his cabin up on the pass... he put 14 inches of spray foam in the Aframe rooh of one section of the house plus a few other areas. Oh... and foam board sheeting will still sweat... BTDT even trying to seal all the inside openings with tape... there is so much water generated from condensation it WILL find ways to haunt you
But... from my understanding the condensation comes from inside the building, if you have a vapor barrier it wont reach the steel and condense. I dunno, I live in the desert. My uninsulated shed will rain on you, but the garage with vapor barrier roof insulation won't. 30 years and it doesn't show moisture in the insulation.
But... from my understanding the condensation comes from inside the building, if you have a vapor barrier it wont reach the steel and condense. I dunno, I live in the desert. My uninsulated shed will rain on you, but the garage with vapor barrier roof insulation won't. 30 years and it doesn't show moisture in the insulation.
That would be what you'd think.... however since the outer envelope is not sealed and if you see the way they 'wrap' the windows/doors/etc. they literally invite water in We've had quite a few buildings here that I put various insulation's in and they all still get moisture in them.... I know what you're thinking... common denominator..ME... LOL!!! If you could leave a way to vent the walls it probably wouldn't be an issue.. as for the roof vapor barrier 3" rollout stuff I think it can still sweat... have replaced a few roofs and they usually are pretty moist under them... now could be leaking screws??? so not 100percent sure of the actual cause...
Pole barns are simple build.
A mix of steel and wood is easy way to go ( wood framing and metal covering )
If you want all metal buy a kit.
I have work, made pole kits barns when I was in high school, my father was contractor and when was slow we made kits and also put pole barns. They not hard to build and today there a lot of companies building kits.
Watch your wind and snow loads some parts of will under rate the snow load and wind load.
When manufacturing hangar doors I had list of the correct wind loads.
Dave
Originally Posted by Reebs
Pole Barn advice/Tips & Tricks/ Pictures
I want to build a pole barn in 5 or so years (I work on a glacial time scale). The dream is to be at least 3-4 bays, one of which will have a 4 post lift so at least one section will have to have to be ___ feet. I might even want to wall off a small section for an office. I will build it in West Virginia once I retire and buy out mom and dad. I plan to do most of the work and farm out a few things. It has to look good due to its location on the property.
So if anyone has pole barn porn pictures post them and I will use them for reference.
Ha Replying to my own 8 year old thread. I said 5 years or so and I still have not done it. I'm retired and 57 I need to do this.
Get her done... buildings are not getting cheaper to build. I have a pole structure and a quonset that I use for unheated storage. The difference they make in reduced machinery maintenance costs and extending the life of the machine is phenomenal. My heated shop is conventional stud in a converted hog barn that I've been working on for 10 yrs and I love it. Fixing things in a snowbank when it's -40 is no picnic.
If you want a vehicle lift, you will be talking a minimum of 16 to 18 ft walls. If you went with one of those short lifts, you could get away with 14, but they aren't the greatest to work under. If you go with a roll up door the ceiling pretty much needs to be 2 ft. higher than the door, and if your lift is anywhere near the door, you need clearance to the top of the vehicle. A modern pickup with a cap can get over 7', and you want to lift it at least 6' to work under it so there's a minimum of 13'. My 14' doors are not enough clearance for a lot of the newer combines and 4wd's depending on what you plan to work on.
Up here I want a minimum of 6" fiberglass insulation in the walls with vapor barriers, 6" batts in the ceiling and another 4-6" of loosefill on top. Don't skip on insulation or you'll just pay for it in heating costs. Between the 3 structures, I have the most frost heaving/movement on the quonset on concrete footings, followed by the pole structure with the conventional walls moving the least, but being an old hog barn it also has a lot more concrete under it. The movement can be annoying for door adjustments, but not critical for the structures.
250 amp Miller DialArc AC/DC Stick
F-225 amp Forney AC Stick
230 amp Sears AC Stick
Lincoln 180C MIG
Vevor MIG 200A
Victor Medalist 350 O/A
Vevor Cut 50 Plasma
Les
"Where's Stick man????????" - 7A749
"SHHHHHH!! I sent him over to snag that MIC-4 while tbone wasn't looking!" - duaneb55
"I have bought a few of Tbone's things unlike Stick-Man who helps himself" - TozziWelding "Stick-man"
Reply
WeldingWeb Craftsman
whtbaron liked this post
No amount of explaining the construction of a pole barn to the zoning office or the inspector helped. We ended up pouring a "turn down slab" as a suitable solution, even though nothing was constructed on the turn downs. If we knew that before starting (shame on us for not pulling the permit first) it would have been better to stick build on the turn down.
Originally Posted by MinnesotaDave
Any thoughts on a good and cheap way to insulate pole barns? The one on my new property is in dire need of heat.between the vinyl and the metal. about the only good way to do it is spray foam... you can save a bundle and just do sections of it yourself
not that hard... takes a knack to get it looking like a pro but you'd have plenty of experience after the first 100 square feet
and you really don't need 12 inches on it... just a couple inches will make a huge difference in keeping the heat in!!! and go for the closed cell foam it does cost more but the R value is twice as much per inch so it is cheaper per R
even trying to seal all the inside openings with tape... there is so much water generated from condensation it WILL find ways to haunt you
" - duaneb55