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Pole Barn Dreaming

Doc

Bottoms Up
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
We have a 30 x 70 pole barn for family boats and my tractor and implements. Still some things have to sit outside because I do not have enough room in the barn. So I'm hoping to add another pole barn.

I have to decide on location and cost will play a big part of the decision. Pics below show aerial view of our house and pole barn. I have sloppily added potential sites A and B and things that need to be considered if I use those sites.

I was going to go with B. It's semi level. Nothing buried below to worry about when doing site prep, so I could concrete the floor of the pole barn. But I do not care for how I think it would look on the property. It would be long ways like the house with one side of the roof facing the road. Garage doors on each end ...knowing I still could not pull my boat straight through because there is not enough room on the house of of the site for truck with the boat hooked on due to shape of driveway.

Site A would have to be very close to the existing pole barn and is fairly level but slopes some towards the back of the property. Slope gets worse the further back we go. Gas line is buried underground also.

Power for either location would come from the 200 amp service I have in the 30 x 70 pole barn.

Site A would not be concrete floor. it would be gravel / dirt like my current pole barn. If I went this route I would then plan to concrete the current 30 x 70 pole barn floor once the 2nd pole barn was up. I could xfer the 'stuff' from the current barn to the new pole barn while the concrete work was being done. I really want at least one of the pole barns to be a concrete floor...if I can afford it.

I do not have any estimates yet but looking input on things I probably have over looked that might help make this project easier or better or cheaper.

These locations are not locked in. I do have room on the right side of the house but currently no driveway over that direction.

Thoughts welcome.
 

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wakeupcall

Member
GOLD Site Supporter
Doc, I cant see a difference in the two locations as far as cost goes, personally i would do site A with a decent space between buildings. I think this would be more pleasing to look at. And gives you the access to back boat in as pulling through does not appear to work with A or B sites. I have two 40x60 metal frame shops set up like plan A, one with concrete slab the other with 3/4 screened rock for floor. Both work great. Sorry for not having any great advice. Good luck!
 

Doc

Bottoms Up
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Input like yours is exactly what I'm hoping for Wakeupcall. Thanks. :tiphat:

The spot for A also slopes to the right so that to build a 30 x 50 or 30 x 60 itwould have to be as close as possible to the existing pole barn. I considered combining the two with a lean to type of structure but to have the height I want (12 ft) ...same as existing pole barn I could not get enough slope.
 

bczoom

Super Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
In your last picture, is that your land to the left of your existing pole barn (between your building and the horse trailer)?

I highly recommend concrete. When I stone floor, I had a lot of problems with moisture and everything getting rusty. Once I put in concrete, no more issues (except when the concrete gets shocked due to extreme temp changes and gets moisture on it). If/when you do decide on concrete, post a new thread or whatever so we can provide thoughts on that as well.
 

Bamby

New member
You asked so......

AirialViewHouse.jpg

If there were any possible way it would be here. Both close enough and far away to be practical. I would likely add an additional 10 or 12' apron to the driveway to the new building.
 

Jim_S

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
I like the “A” site best. Looks better and would be more convenient.

What about removing the gas line and reterminating in the new building? Then extend it to the old building after construction is complete? You would get your concrete floor without having the hassle of moving everything and would have the later option of concreting the old building floor.
 

300 H and H

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
Just an observation from another human being....

We are all part squirrels IMHO... We keep gathering nuts until were ever we are hiding them is full, until no more will fit....

If you build a new pole barn, expect to spend years trying to fill that sucker!!!

I mean if you have the space, don't let it go to waste! :yum:

Yea, I am guilty as well.... :unsure:

Regards, Kirk
 

XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq

Master of Distraction
Staff member
SUPER Site Supporter
I need to build a shop too but it's such a big project that I have no time to even seriously consider it. I agree with what BC said on the concrete floor - much nicer.

Post lots of pictures of the process if you do get it started.
 

EastTexFrank

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
Of the two choices I'd pick site "A". It's a personal preference that I don't want barns and ag building that close to the house. I think that it detracts from the look of the house. I trust that those are the only two sites available.

When I built my barn a few years ago I put in a concrete floor and never regretted it. Well, I did when I had to pay for it but never since. Darn, concrete is expensive. If I remember correctly, it was a major part of the construction cost.

Kirk is right. I built mine to have a home for tractors, mowers, Gators and implements and get them away from the house. It's full, not overflowing but definitely full. Filling your new barn is a challenge that I'm sure you're up to. :thumbup:
 

bczoom

Super Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
If you build a new pole barn, expect to spend years trying to fill that sucker!!!
Years???

I built my first out-building at 32x48' and when I put my "stuff" in it that I had at the time, it didn't put a dent in the space. The next year, I had to add onto it because I ran out of space. A year later, another building went up. Sure enough, the year after that, I built yet another. I just looked outside and there's 9 trailers, 6 tractor implements and other things still sitting outside. I have enough to fill another building sitting down in the bunker.
 

bczoom

Super Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Well, since we're talking floors and concrete in this thread, here's a couple thoughts I have.

Definitely put in floor drains. When you put them in, put them under where you expect to park things (e.g. if you have a a bay to hold 2 vehicles, don't put the drain between the vehicles, put a drain under each). When you put a drain them between, your drain is in the area you walk and then you'll be walking on a wet, muddy, slushy area. When under the car, you won't have that issue.

Do not connect your floor drains to the same drainage pipes as your gutters. If you do, it'll work "most of the time" but if there's any blockage in that drain or the drain can't handle the amount of rain being dumped at the time, it'll come up through your floor drains and flood your building.

For concrete, you get 2 guarantees. It will get hard and it will eventually crack. To manage cracks, you'll need joints to try and control where it cracks. Look into "concrete zip strips" as they're much cleaner than either a saw cut or tooled joint (basically, they're hidden so you don't have an exposed joint that collects dirt or whatever.

A lot of the cost of putting in concrete is when you use rebar for strength. Instead of rebar, consider getting fiber reinforced concrete. When you order the concrete, you request it and it's mixed right in when they're making the concrete.
https://theconstructor.org/concrete/fiber-reinforced-concrete/150/

After your concrete is finished, and before you put anything on it, it's best to seal it. Get the best sealer you can afford. There's a few types but IIRC, the stuff I used was something like $150 for a 5-gallon bucket (and that was 20 years ago).

For floor finish, personally I like smooth as it's easiest to clean but broomed finish is better for traction. For easiest cleaning, I use a leaf blower. When using a leaf blower, be careful of powerful it is and what you point it at. Most of the time, I use a handheld 110v blower but if I use my big backpack blower, I must be careful to keep it pointed at the floor at all times as it'll blow most everything off shelves.
 

Doc

Bottoms Up
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
In your last picture, is that your land to the left of your existing pole barn (between your building and the horse trailer)?

I highly recommend concrete. When I stone floor, I had a lot of problems with moisture and everything getting rusty. Once I put in concrete, no more issues (except when the concrete gets shocked due to extreme temp changes and gets moisture on it). If/when you do decide on concrete, post a new thread or whatever so we can provide thoughts on that as well.

Yes that is my land up to about 3 ft from the horse trailer. That is the main road to our river lot. It was built before we bought here as an access road to the oil well.

I hope I can do concrete. Expense will play a part in whether or not I can do it from the get go or not. In Aug of 2017 got an 8300 dollar estimate to prep and put concrete in the current pole barn. I'm using that as ballpark for concrete cost.

To concrete site A there is a lot of slope so that prep for that would probably be 4 or 5k before the price of the concrete. Plus, I'd have to move the gas line. Hoping to avoid that but the further I get into this the more likely it seems it will have to be done. I don't want to setting and put one in location B ....just to save the expense and work involved in moving the gas line. It is my line from the well on the back of the property so that would all be on me or whatever contractor I hired for the job.

As for filling the new barn, I already can see some overflow that might not fit in there. My poor truck might still be stuck out in the weather. LOL I currently have three trailers (one is junk and should be trashed due to weather exposure and rot) and one implement sitting out. Son and two son in laws boats are squeezed in with the tractor, other implements and mower. Barely room to walk through it now.

Surprisingly moisture has not been a problem with the dirt / gravel floor in the current barn. Lucky on that I guess.

Bamby, that would be a good location but the power pole is on the far side of your drawing, away from the house and the power line runs directly under your drawing but the biggest issue is the huge slope there. Pic does not show it but I'd guess a 20 degree slope that gets worse the further back you go.

Contractor will be here sometime early April to discuss and get an estimate for one or two potential locations. I appreciate the thoughts and brainstorming on this. It makes me think and look at things I might have overlooked or not considered.
 

Doc

Bottoms Up
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
A little more detail on the gas line. It was laid on top of the ground for 2500ft from the well to close to the house. Represented by the blueish line.
The yellow portion of the line shows where it was buried. The pole barn was built after the line was put in so the line simply goes under that building. No gas service. My free hookup entails one hookup only so that would be our house.
The orange line represents the route if we moved the line.
 

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Jim_S

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
A little more detail on the gas line. It was laid on top of the ground for 2500ft from the well to close to the house. Represented by the blueish line.
The yellow portion of the line shows where it was buried. The pole barn was built after the line was put in so the line simply goes under that building. No gas service. My free hookup entails one hookup only so that would be our house.
The orange line represents the route if we moved the line.

oops, I forgot you had your own well connection. I was assuming the gas line was service to the barn. :hide: rerouting the line is a good idea. Get it out of the way of both barns.
 

bczoom

Super Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Doc - how sloped is the area where the words "if we" in your previous pic? Have you considered a smaller footprint, 2-story building on a sloped area?

Put the building towards the back (where I put the black box). The red lines would go to the lower door out the back at ground level and the blue line goes out the upper level at ground level.
 

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Doc

Bottoms Up
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Brian, that area is even more slopped. Here is a couple pis attempting to show the slope. I would love to be able to put one back there but it would take a lot of site prep.
 

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bczoom

Super Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
I was thinking of something like what's pictured below. Have what's on the right side of the pic facing the road, the left side of the pic goes down the hill.
Dig out part of the hill and have a lower level.
HillsideFarmLargeGambrelBarn.jpg
 

Doc

Bottoms Up
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
I was thinking of something like what's pictured below. Have what's on the right side of the pic facing the road, the left side of the pic goes down the hill.
Dig out part of the hill and have a lower level.
HillsideFarmLargeGambrelBarn.jpg
I do like that. The design could work but ... my finances could not swing it Dang it.
I'm looking at 22 to 23k price. If I can't do it for that I will procrastinate or do a smaller version than I'm hoping for. Minimum target was 30 x 40. I think a 30 x 50 would fit in the B location without a lot of site prep.
 

Jim_S

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
Brian, that area is even more slopped. Here is a couple pis attempting to show the slope. I would love to be able to put one back there but it would take a lot of site prep.

I was thinking of something like what's pictured below. Have what's on the right side of the pic facing the road, the left side of the pic goes down the hill.
Dig out part of the hill and have a lower level.
HillsideFarmLargeGambrelBarn.jpg


Known as a bank barn.
 
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