Pole Barn cost is getting crazy....

[tequliagarage]

Asking for input on my building. I'm located in Western New York, Buffalo, and I'm having a 32x48x14built, with a 16x16 wrap around porch, nine windows, two man doors and two 10x12 overhead doors. The posts are laminated 2x6's. It'll be insulated, the ceiling and walls will be installed as well. The floor is 5" concrete, 3500 PSI reinforced with fiberglass. There will be a 10' concrete approach in front of the doors and the porch is also concrete. It's costing around $100k, basically a move in ready building, minus the electric. I'll be doing that myself. Site prep is around $11,500. All in, I'm probably looking at around $115k. Is this on PAR with post frames being built today?

 

[PatY]

Not surprising to me. Prices on everything have gone crazy. I'm also in WNY and just finished my 24x32 pole barn style garage. Three 9x8 overhead doors, one man door and two windows with 18' of approach with insulation and I was just over 50K. That was before electric, heat and drywall.

 

[mike93lx]

About $75 a ft doesn't surprise me

 

[billconner]

About $75 a ft doesn't surprise me

That was my take. I'm sure some posted on GJ are over the $100 SF. Use to be cost of a house - which I think averages over $300 SF now.

Probably about half if you did it all yourself.

 

[WillyBoy]

If the rendition you attached is what it'll look like, that's a good sized building. When it's finally done, you'll be enjoying it.

 

[buzzworth]

Your title states pole barn but your desciption refers to post frame. Difference being how posts are installed to the ground. I would love to build a post frame as I see them as more of a permanant structure , like a house than a "barn".
I follow R&R on YouTube and he builds some killer post frames.

For example:

 

[CombatNinja]

That's $65/sq.ft. for the building with a big porch thrown in. Lots of concrete involved as well. Sadly, this is in the ballpark for these times. This was a $60,000 project before COVID.

 

[rancherbill]

Your title states pole barn but your desciption refers to post frame.

The terms are interchangeable, and are regional in their use. You knew what he was talking about.

 

[Firebrick43]

Asking for input on my building. I'm located in Western New York, Buffalo, and I'm having a 32x48x14built, with a 16x16 wrap around porch, nine windows, two man doors and two 10x12 overhead doors. The posts are laminated 2x6's. It'll be insulated, the ceiling and walls will be installed as well. The floor is 5" concrete, 3500 PSI reinforced with fiberglass. There will be a 10' concrete approach in front of the doors and the porch is also concrete. It's costing around $100k, basically a move in ready building, minus the electric. I'll be doing that myself. Site prep is around $11,500. All in, I'm probably looking at around $115k. Is this on PAR with post frames being built today?

Thats not exactly a "barn" either. You want a lot of fancy options that are not standard fare.

 

[sbarshie]

That actually sounds pretty reasonable. I’m in the Saratoga, NY area and spent about 70k for a 36x40x12 with the overhang and only 4 windows. I did all the site work and got a ludicrous deal on the concrete.

Even with all my time on prep, wiring, heat, installing garage doors (used ones), insulating everything and putting interior siding up. I don’t think you’re getting ripped off at all. I spent months on this project also.

Sign the check!

You could **** around to save some here and there but these guys are fast just get it done before winter then your dried in to finish it at your pace.

 

[gsmith22]

The terms are interchangeable, and are regional in their use. You knew what he was talking about.

you are correct that most people use the names interchangeably but its not really correct technically. There is an actual difference. a "pole barn" doesn't have a foundation - the posts are embedded into the ground and rely on the poles (supporting the roof) to act as a cantilevers out of the ground to resist lateral loading (wind mostly but could be used for lateral earth of earthquake loading). for the "post frame", the poles are typically laminated 2xs but more importantly have a hinged base (not fixed like the embedded pole) and the lateral loading is resisted by the post-to-truss connection ala post frame. they may look the same but function structurally different

 

[rancherbill]

you are correct that most people use the names interchangeably but its not really correct technically.

Please read post Number 1. The OP was talking about cost. You are taking the thread into the weeds. YOu know what he was talking about also.

 

[gsmith22]

he is describing a post-frame building (laminated 2x columns) and the tile says pole barn. there are diferences in cost between the two because pole barns don't have a foundation system (so usually cheaper) and post frames do (so more expensive). the terminiology isn't regional or interchangable as you indicate incorrectly - they structurally function differently and cost different. the fact that they will cost different seems to me to be very much on thread.

 

[sbarshie]

I’m going back to “Just write the check”. I live in upstate NY. Costs are crazy. You have someone that’s willing to do the work at what seems like somewhat “reasonable area cost” do it.

Or you can wait for the best deal…. But he’s booked past fall and can’t start till spring. I hear it constantly.

You loose all winter if you don’t start soon.
Build it. Your only 11k gain is to do the site work now, then show the builders that it’s ready to roll.

Pay the man that can get you a building up with a floor before Thanksgiving. Trust me finagling this late season will leave you disappointed.

 

[CombatNinja]

Good advice^^. Not sure about your age, OP but there comes a point where you just want the thing built so you can get maximum time to enjoy it. You're not going to lament the failure to get 10 quotes to save $10,000 five years from now. At 48 and getting ready to retire from the military, I'm starting to fall into the mentality of just getting what I want because I don't have a lot of time left to enjoy things like a shop. I'm not going to be 70 years old and still doing a bunch of labor, not with what I've put my body through.

 

[tequliagarage]

Thanks for all the feedback. I wanted to be sure it was in the realm of what it should be. They started breaking ground today, I'll post pics as it goes...

 

[mike93lx]

Thanks for all the feedback. I wanted to be sure it was in the realm of what it should be. They started breaking ground today, I'll post pics as it goes...

Congrats. Looks like it will be a nice building

 

[Calypsonotch93]

I called Morton pole barn builders in NC and those fools quoted me 140-160k dollars for a 30x50x16. That's what i paid for my house with more square footage. It looks like 30-40k in materials alone so I'll be doing it myself most likely

 

[mike93lx]

I called Morton pole barn builders in NC and those fools quoted me 140-160k dollars for a 30x50x16. That's what i paid for my house with more square footage. It looks like 30-40k in materials alone so I'll be doing it myself most likely

If that is all in, that price is par for the course. You will definitely save money diy, but can you really build a 1500 sq ft, 16 ft tall shop yourself?

 

[Jakemedic]

Are there any Amish builders there? Here in Iowa, I hired a nice Amish man who brought his crew in and built my post frame (before Covid) building for $2k more than the cost of materials at Menards. Plus I got thicker metal, better windows and a building that was ready for me to install my garage door and finish the interior in a day and a half. Now I am unsure what his cost would have been after Covid, but I am sure it would be less. Mine was much smaller than yours however, but still worth a few phone calls for you to check out. Best of luck with your building!

 

[428PI]

That's why I refurbished my old shed for 16k or so instead of building new.

 

[ybnormal]

I called Morton pole barn builders in NC and those fools quoted me 140-160k dollars for a 30x50x16. That's what i paid for my house with more square footage. It looks like 30-40k in materials alone so I'll be doing it myself most likely

no free reacharound as a bonus?

 

[Doc_Possum]

Morton's came in at $105k for concrete and building on a simple 30x60x14 shop. Talk about sticker shock.

 

[racecougar]

Morton is/has always been at the higher priced end of the spectrum. IIRC, when I was getting bids in 2018, their bid came in at ~250% of the two lowest bids. I ended up choosing a builder that was in the middle of the range and built a better building with more features for half the price of Morton.