24 x 60 Build in Virginia

[JCook5003]

24 x 60 Pole Barn Build in Virginia

Hey Guys-

The day is finally here, I've started construction of my new shop. I'm tearing down an 80 year old 20' x 80' pole shed and rebuild back a 24' x 50' x 12' sidewall building. It will contain a 24' x 30' shop and 24' x 20' farm equipment storage area.

Here are some light plans I quickly drew up today of the building.



Foundation:




I've built several pole barns for people and never have been a fan of placing wood in the ground. I use perma-columns on a prior build and without equipment found them hard to set with just two guys. I've decided this time around to monolith pour the floor and 2' x 2' x 2' footings under each post and use dry set brackets anchored to the floor. I will then be using steel trusses on 10' post centers with vertical 2x6 purlins. This photo should clear it up.



Here is the existing building that will be torn down. Having a friend bring his backhoe down to help with this process.





I'm confident in my ability to build a strong building, but I've never insulated a pole building before. I'm still trying to decide the best way to insulate the roof to prevent "rain". I'm thinking of using that bubble radiant barrier over the purlins, then install the metal over that. I'm also considering house wrapping the entire shop before I install the wall purlins. Then insulate the walls later down the road. Opinions? Thoughts?

Should be fun guys, stick around and watch me work really hard in the dog days of summer. Thanks for checking it out.

 

[JCook5003]

Got the metal siding off the shed over the weekend. Found some Oak boards under it that was used as board and batten siding. 1" thick some as wide as 22", I will definitely be saving those for some woodworking projects.

I've also decided to add one more open bay to the building and go 24x60. I was worried about future space.

I should be ready to call the backhoe in to demolish this building later this week.

Here are some more pics:







I cant believe I packed my whole garage into this......



Another interesting point, the fiberglass insulation in this building is about 20 years old. It had rodent blocking, was house wrapped and covered tightly on both side the insect damage alone was huge. I definitely will be rethinking the use of fiberglass insulation in my building.

 

[oldironfarmer]

Welcome to GJ!

Looks like you'll have a nice building. It is wise to build a big as you can.

What was wrong with the old building? It looks pretty nice to me. Needed a little touch up. It definitely had a lot of storage space.

Just about anything under the metal stops the rain. With a pole barn you just about have to build a stud wall to insulate inside. I'd still use fiberglass.

 

[JCook5003]

Progress is finally moving forward now. Got a guy with a backhoe to come in and tear down the old building. We should finish up tonight. It's pretty amazing to watch him strip each piece of tin off the roof before he pulls that rafter down.

Here's a pic of some of the really wide boards, about 22" wide rough sawn oak, 1" thick. I saved a couple of these for future projects.



Here you can see some of the problems of the existing barn. This beam had about 6" of deflection in it. Plus the roof was so worn out, the purlins were rotting in places.



And here's a view of the typical construction used in the barn. Dont worry we saved that old mill.....now I just need a hit and miss engine to run it.




Now to the fun stuff, tearing stuff up.






The barn was half down last night, should get the rest this evening, blew the packing out of one of the outrigger pistons last night. Should be ready to finish it up tonight. Then tear the old concrete pads out later in the week and prep the site for concrete.

Stay tuned.

 

[JCook5003]

I can say I've gotten quite a few observations about wood posts in the ground now. The old shed was nearly 65 years old. The posts were hand peeled cedar. I noticed posts in 3 different states.

The posts at the front of the barn exposed to rain fall we all universally about half rotten through at ground level.

Posts that were embedded with concrete slabs around them even though they were under roof were rotten completely rotted in two, always level with the floor height.

The posts just in dirt that were under cover protected from rainfall were all SOLID, no noticeable decay to 1/4" at max.

Again untreated cedar logs. Just food for though as there is ton of argument about pole barns and the best way to install posts. This is real world data from a moderate climate with 4 true seasons and average rainfall.

 

[oldironfarmer]

I can say I've gotten quite a few observations about wood posts in the ground now. The old shed was nearly 65 years old. The posts were hand peeled cedar. I noticed posts in 3 different states.

The posts at the front of the barn exposed to rain fall we all universally about half rotten through at ground level.

Posts that were embedded with concrete slabs around them even though they were under roof were rotten completely rotted in two, always level with the floor height.

The posts just in dirt that were under cover protected from rainfall were all SOLID, no noticeable decay to 1/4" at max.

Again untreated cedar logs. Just food for though as there is ton of argument about pole barns and the best way to install posts. This is real world data from a moderate climate with 4 true seasons and average rainfall.

Great observation about the cedar posts!

And it is great to be getting on with the project! (I would have saved all the old lumber and had no place to put it)

An old tractor with a belt pulley would run the mill just fine, too. Looks like it might be in good shape. Can you keep it under cover?

 

[JCook5003]

Great observation about the cedar posts!

And it is great to be getting on with the project! (I would have saved all the old lumber and had no place to put it)

An old tractor with a belt pulley would run the mill just fine, too. Looks like it might be in good shape. Can you keep it under cover?

Yeah there actually was a PTO driven belt pulley on laying on the ground beside. So I should be able to figure it out and run it with my Ford Tractor. Best as I can tell from a book I have, it's a Williams 400 pound mill. I'm probably going to restore it and take it to the local Community farm and grind stuff for folks. My great grandfather worked in the local quarry that created those mill stones. Little piece of local and family history. I've got it under cover now.

That's got to go after finishing the shop......and my KZ......and my gas pump......and....

 

[JCook5003]

Hit a big milestone last night, finished the tear down. Had a little drama at the very end trying to keep the building from hinging back onto the generator. We got it though. Time to bust some concrete and start the site prep.









Hopefully some more significant updates coming if I can work between the rain showers.

 

[captain14]

I am going to follow your build.

Blacksburg is in a beautiful area. How much land do you have?

 

[JCook5003]

I am going to follow your build.

Blacksburg is in a beautiful area. How much land do you have?

I've traveled all over, and I keep coming back.

There are 52 acres of the family farm now. I plan to keep it that way.

 

[JCook5003]

Finally dried up enough to remove the last of the concrete. When it dries up a little more, we will excavate the top soil and start working the drainage out. The original concrete appears to have been poured directly over topsoil with no rebar. None of it ever cracked.......strange.

 

[astroracer]

just asking about the 24' width.... That's pretty narrow in my book. Any chance of opening that up to 28 or 30 feet?
Mark

 

[JCook5003]

just asking about the 24' width.... That's pretty narrow in my book. Any chance of opening that up to 28 or 30 feet?
Mark

Actually yes, the project has been scaled up to 30x50. a 30x30 shop and a covered 30x20 equipment storage area.

For the minimal increase in cost I think it will make a great deal of difference in the final product.

 

[astroracer]

Actually yes, the project has been scaled up to 30x50. a 30x30 shop and a covered 30x20 equipment storage area.

For the minimal increase in cost I think it will make a great deal of difference in the final product.

Perfect! You will like this MUCH better!
Mark

 

[captain14]

How much rain have you had down there? I'm about 5 hours away in the DC area and it's been pretty dry here. I know the mountains keep the fronts away but we could use some up here. Everything is dry and brown

The increase is size will make you happy including the covered area. Keeps it dry but you can work outside if needed and weather permits it

 

[JCook5003]

How much rain have you had down there? I'm about 5 hours away in the DC area and it's been pretty dry here. I know the mountains keep the fronts away but we could use some up here. Everything is dry and brown

The increase is size will make you happy including the covered area. Keeps it dry but you can work outside if needed and weather permits it

It rained every three days reliably all summer long. This week has finally dried up.

 

[JCook5003]

So, as in life plans change. I'm going to be using perma-colums rather than brackets on a poured pad.

Does anyone have a suggestion on how to level each perma column? If they were all placed on the same grade, the posts could be cut on the ground and installed. I imagine a laser transit would do the job, but once I auger the hold, how do I level them? Stone? Quarry Dust?

 

[astroracer]

Stick a 2 x 4 in the hole with your height marked on it. Hit it with the transit and work the hole till the depth is correct. THEN set your columns...
Mark

 

[theoldwizard1]

The original concrete appears to have been poured directly over topsoil with no rebar. None of it ever cracked.......strange.

The "topsoil" must have had a lot of sand in it. Usually the decay organic matter in topsoil or water getting under a slab is what causes cracks.

Wire mesh is a lot cheaper than rebar and it you do get a crack, it will prevent further shifting.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Re: 24 x 60 Pole Barn Build in Virginia

I will then be using steel trusses on 10' post centers with vertical 2x6 purlins. This photo should clear it up.

Why the steel trusses and 2x6 purlins ? Heavy snow load ?

 

[JCook5003]

Re: 24 x 60 Pole Barn Build in Virginia

Why the steel trusses and 2x6 purlins ? Heavy snow load ?

The steel trusses are engineered for our wind and snow load here, 30 PSF and 90 MPH winds. I went with the steel trusses because they were cheaper than traditional trusses and a double header.

Also less work than "pole barn trusses" and install the purlins upright myself.

For me it came down to the decision that it's a well thought out product at a very nice price point that should give a nice result and save some time.

 

[JCook5003]

I'll be picking up my Perma-Columns next week and the trusses on Sunday.

I do have a question about vapor barrier in concrete floors. Pro's, Con's, what are people using. Anything special to consider?

 

[JCook5003]

First I'd like to give a big shout out to the guys at Stoneburner Inc. in Harrisonburg VA, they are post frame specialists and went well out of their way getting me my Perma-Columns and stayed after work for an hour so I could pick them up after my normal work day. http://www.stoneburnerinc.com/

Here are the Perma-Columns loaded up to come home, I'm very impressed already with these products. I chose the 3 ply glu-lam model so I can use super straight and white Glu-Lam columns.





After a long day picking up trusses last Sunday also I owe another shout out to Build-A-Barn LLC in Danville WV. They offer a very nice product at a very nice price and were also super easy to work with about picking up the trusses on a Sunday. http://www.buildabarnllcwv.com/

Here's a pic of the first couple of trusses assembled. and stacked against the fence. You can see my new GSD puppy having a little fun at the expense of a piece of strap.




I will be laying out my batter boards today to get ready to cut the pad area down to the subsoil. To get ready to install the Perma-Columns and have the floor poured. My concrete contractor and I agreed on I would set the form boards around the bottom of the Perma-Columns and have the gravel dumped in the pad location. Probably will wind up with 10-12" of #57's. He will level the gravel and compact them, place remesh and pour a 30' x 30' x 5" thick pad of 4000 PSI concrete for $3000. I thought the price was very fair. I will be photo documenting that process as well.

It's all starting to come together now, stay tuned.

 

[JCook5003]

Got the pad site leveled, skirt boards installed and braced and 36 tons of gravel spread. Concrete guys will be here today to prep for their pour tomorrow! Exciting times on this end.

I'll be attaching photos of the pour process tomorrow if I manage to sneak out of work on time.

 

[JCook5003]

Fill finished, screet poles in places, fill compacted and remesh in place. Should be pouring as I'm typing.

 

[64coupedeluxe]

Hi, how did this turn out?