Need some base and concrete pointers please

[SMOKEEATERFF]

Looking to build a pole barn later this year or early January in lower Alabama. Looking at either a 40x48 or 40x60 fully enclosed with 2 or 3 roll up doors on the eaves for pull in bays and concrete slab 4-6". Anyways my site is fairly level but will need some work. So my questions are:

-Go ahead and dig down my site first, compact the clay soil, bring up with compacted gravel or crushed limestone etc then set poles in the ground?

-What thickness vapor barrier?

-Specs for rebar as far as size, spacing etc. I know I will need chairs

-May epoxy the floor so no fiber due to "hairs" correct?

-PSI on concrete?

-Saw cuts every 10 ft? When should they be cut?

I'm sure I'll have more questions for you guys.

 

[Toomanytools?]

I prepped site, then crew brought in bobcat and dug holes, if they can work around the perimeter it keeps your gravel prep cleaner.
I used the heaviest Lowes had 6 mil, specs call for 15 mil, taped seams with a good duct tape or Tyvek tape. You have to be very careful on it the gravel will poke holes in it.
#4 rebar, 12"-48" grid depends what you have going in.
You can use fiberglass and burn tops off with propane torch. I used fiber only found like 2 fibers poking up.
I went with 5 1/2 sack can't remember if that was 5000 psi
Saw cut, 10-12' grid cut next day, sooner the better.

 

[rburke65]

Well in my opinion, yes....do your site preperation first. Make sure the finished elevation will be well above the extreme water level. That extra 4" of elevation can make a big difference between wet and being dry! VB thickness..?... I don't think I'd go any less than 6mil. Getting pretty thin there. 10mil. Going to depend on what you are laying down the VB. My base was clay compacted in layers n it was kinda smooth. Ya don't want holes in the VB. Rebar? No well versed on rebar patterns. Some folks install every 4' each way. Some 3'....every 2'. I did wire mesh and rebar in and around my lift area. It's insurance ....how much money do you have n how lucky do you feel. PSI ? ....4,000 psi is plenty, and I had my 32'x56' floor cut every 10' the same day as it was placed. As soon as they could walk in the floor, cut it. They poured, power trowel, sprayed sealer, and then cut it. My driveway wasn't cut til the next day and I had 3 cracks by then. Good luck.

 

[Siteman25]

Saw cuts should be done as soon as possible, but no more than 24 hours after the pour, you want any potential shrinkage cracking to happen in the cuts not the surface of the slab. Cuts should be slab thickness/4 deep, maximum area between the cuts of 225 sq. ft. , which equates to 15x15, I typically use 10x10. Reinforcement will depend on your slab loading, subgrade quality, and if you have a lift the lift manufacturers requirements.

 

[SMOKEEATERFF]

Heaviest thing I have is a 55 hp Ford tractor ag the moment. Not sure if it will go in the shop or not. I do plan to get a lift when I get the shop built.

 

[SunsetsAndFriends]

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[SMOKEEATERFF]

Stupid question if I go ahead and dig down and bring it up with stone etc how do i keep it all contained? As in where I will dig for post holes and my general area of where the building will be.

 

[Toomanytools?]

I just marked out my building footprint and placed my gravel slightly outside the building outline. With a pole building you don't really have a perimeter with forms, until the holes get dug and post set then the bottom girt gets set. Once that is done you can add gravel where needed and recompact the slab. Make sure you have the building up for drainage. My was a little different I went with metal brackets so no posts in ground same basic principle as yours though.