Need Help and Advice Building Pole Barn on steep slope

[ddonhauser]

I am in process of hiring contractor to build a Pole Barn, 24x24 to be used as a garage by myself..I want it close to house , there is a 4 foot sloping hill, so the front of pole barn would be on high side..Contractor says he will just bring in gravel, damp down to level up area and then set poles and build...do I not need a retaining wall or something to keep the gravel from washing out??
Update+
So the slope was actually 7.5 foot..the Contractor said no problem, was "supposed to bring in gravel/dirt mix and compact after each 6" lift, as is code.. He instead had 2 dump trucks dump sand push it around with a bobcat and build on top..2 years later lots of erosion and floor is sinking . I had to hire another contractor to come, dig out front and do properly, then one side and back, hauling away as much sand as they could and then doing proper gravel, stone soil lifts.Cost me $14000!! Now original contractor is suing me as he only got 8000 from me and I still owed him 14500 I am glad I held back the completion funds..Now , we are waiting until spring to have floor jacked up and done properly as they didn't do that right either, it has sung in one area and sweats and wter pools inside the build..NIGHTMARE! Can provide photos and name of contractor

 

[kd3pc]

find a new contractor, now.

Location?

Sorry to be blunt on your first post, but there are horror stories/pictures here and elsewhere that started with almost the exact words you present.

With that much slope, you need to take off the topsoil at least 8-12" and stack that up out of the way.

Now he needs to pick the best spot, to level an area 20-40% bigger than your desired slab. Level that - either by scraping the high to the low and compacting that or simply excavate and haul off. The compaction of any moved soil is paramount. Were it me, I would make sure that the soil is of the correct type to compact and still support the slab/footer/foundation.

Once the site is prepped, then you can bring in the appropriate stone, compact, if needed, vapor barrier laid, if needed and then and only then pour your slab.

Depending on where you are and the weather you have had...this may take weeks, if not months to do correctly. We have had inches of rain over the past several months and many contractors are stalled waiting to ....move mud right now.

Given your experience, you might want to seek out an architect and soils engineer - or a contractor that knows something about soil and foundations.


Do it once, and do it right.

bests

 

[theoldwizard1]

find a new contractor, now.

CONCUR !

4 foot does not sound like a lot, but if you want it to remain STABLE for 50 years, just dumping gravel is not going to work.

You WILL need a retaining wall with a FOUNDATION. The foundation needs to be as deep as the frost line or at least 2-3' and about twice as wide as the wall that will be built above. Horizontal and vertical rebar is required to reinforce the foundation and connect it to the wall. When the wall is built (do NOT use hollow block) it needs to have tie backs into the hill. If it is poured, rebar is required.

As for settling the fill, it can be done with vibratory machinery, but it must be done in "lifts".

Do it once, and do it right.

Good words !

 

[HOTFR8]

Welcome. Up dating your location in your profile would be of great help to you.

 

[drivesitfar]

DD: can you take and post a few pictures of your land so we can see the layout. what the guys have said so far makes sense but it would be nice to see the lay of the land.

what is the contractor charging you and what is included in that price? are you doing or responsible for doing any of the work and what?

welcome to GJ and there are lots of pole built shop threads you might want to take a look at and ask questions on those thread to see what those members did about the leveling and foundations.

cheers

 

[ddonhauser]

Thanks for all the great advice..I live in Adirondacks NYS..Have been hearing that would take years for gravel and crusher run to "settle" before building onto. Looks like I should listen to boyfriend and put in front of home on flat level property..ARG!

 

[dadsEH]

So its a 4ft slope....dig out the high side 2 ft and transfer the fill to the low side. Build 2ft retaining wall on both sides and....bingo. Robert's yer mother's brother.
oh, and find a competent contractor.

 

[drivesitfar]

DD: take and post a few pictures of your land so maybe a few of us might be able to help you solve your problem. if you can put the garage behind the house it might look better and be more secure which will ultimately be worth more so if it costs more you might still be able to do it where you want it.

here's a thread where a member had a slope in the back of his home that he had to cut into which might not be similar to yours but he had to deal with slope and extra foundation costs and was able to build his garage/RV/Mancave like he wanted to. here's the link:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=277122&highlight=revamped

 

[HOTFR8]

.I live in Adirondacks NYS..

Please update your profile with that information.