Deciding on a stick or pole barn and was wandering about how to do a pole barn on a slope and be able to poor the slab. For stick built you would do your block and then frame of that but a pole barn your using the poles as your starting point. It would be about 30' long and maybe 10"-12" difference front to back and thought about building it up with dirt but is that solid enough to slab over top of? Any ideas or pics of your setups would be great.
Pole barn on a slope?
- Thread starter 188slo50
- Start date
camarotoolman
Banned
Yes build it up with dirt or better gravel, then compact the **** out of it.
PAToyota
Well-known member
Typically you'd level and compact an area for the pole barn, then put in the holes for the poles.
I've seen situations where they've used longer poles on the downhill side, put in some sort of retaining wall, and then fill inside the pole barn once it is built. But it is a heck of a lot easier to grade the fill and compact it when you aren't working under/around a structure.
I've seen situations where they've used longer poles on the downhill side, put in some sort of retaining wall, and then fill inside the pole barn once it is built. But it is a heck of a lot easier to grade the fill and compact it when you aren't working under/around a structure.
The definition of 'somehow' is to build up a level pad a little higher than the slope
Are we talking about driving over with the skid steer as I raise it something more for packing it? Ill try to get a pic when the lights good to show the slope.
My whole property is a steady slope.
krooser
Well-known member
I had about 2' of exposed poles on the backside of my shop... we just came in with a bobcat and filled and leveled the floor. The concrete contractor compacted the fill and we poured over that... did this around 1995 and no problems since.
I guess one question is will you intend to enter from the uphill side or the down hill side? If your entering from the downhill side then you dig in, if you enter from the uphill side then fill. So traffic pattern will have something to do with this.
lg
no neat sig line
lg
no neat sig line
wdrumheller
Well-known member
There are methods of compaction and grading that can be followed to get you a good level base.
If you have someone bring in clay-type dirt that compacts well using a large vibratory roller back and forth after every 6" of fill added, you can get a very level building surface that is compacted and won't settle.
I ended up with lots of compaction for the pad, but I ended up with footers on original ground, very deep, and then compacted below the pad,and around the pad, and all went well.
It's a job for a construction guy who knows how to do it.
If you have someone bring in clay-type dirt that compacts well using a large vibratory roller back and forth after every 6" of fill added, you can get a very level building surface that is compacted and won't settle.
I ended up with lots of compaction for the pad, but I ended up with footers on original ground, very deep, and then compacted below the pad,and around the pad, and all went well.
It's a job for a construction guy who knows how to do it.
PAToyota
Well-known member
Best situation is to have a pad that is higher than the surrounding ground to shed water. If that cannot be done, put a french drain in around the sides that are higher and drain it to daylight.
If you want to risk future settlement, yes. But as wdrumheller says, you really want to get a vibratory roller in there - sheepsfoot if it is any appreciable amount of fill - and grade and compact in lifts.
Mine shouldnt be that bad.
It will be the uphill side I enter from. Ill have to find someone who can fill and level it for me,just another expense to take in.
Highbeam
Well-known member
I had the same issue with my 60 long barn and about a 2.5 foot fill. Used a 3.5 ton vibratory roller and beat the hell out of it. I beat it so hard that when I put in conduit and plumbing runs I would break through the fill and into the relatively soft native soil.
If you just fill you'll end up with a cheese wedge shape of fill which is not good so scraping the whole pad down to level and then raising to grade in lifts is ideal even if this means that the first earthwork you do is to flop material from the high side to the low side.
If you just fill you'll end up with a cheese wedge shape of fill which is not good so scraping the whole pad down to level and then raising to grade in lifts is ideal even if this means that the first earthwork you do is to flop material from the high side to the low side.
PAToyota
Well-known member
Hate to say it, but if that is the case you did it wrong. No way should you have softer soil under the compacted soil. It will eventually settle.
Daniel Dudley
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2009
- Messages
- 3,546
Not if it is fully compacted or virgin soil.
PAToyota
Well-known member
First step before adding fill is to make sure you have adequate bearing on the underlying soil. If you're compacting the fill over top of that to the point that you can notice a difference, I'd be concerned about the state of the underlying soil.
bczygan
Well-known member
Since you are entering on the uphill side, you need to do a cut down to firm, undisturbed earth, of adequate bearing capacity, under the entire area of the building and paving. Then you need to fill to a level high enough, so that on the uphill side, it provides for adequate drainage away from the structure. The cut and fill needs to extend out and away from the building a distance that will allow a slope gradual enough for the compaction of the fill material to be uniform. This will mean the higher the fill, from existing grade, the longer the sloped material (Unless you install a properly engineered retaining wall. As mentioned above, it may be easier to install the posts on the down slope area before fill is placed. The compacted fill is there to support the slab.
Last edited:
theoldwizard1
Well-known member
I can't believe no one has mentioned DRAINAGE !
You need to dig a ditch on the uphill side of the structure, about 3-5' away from the where the posts will be. The ditch needs to be about 1-2' wide and at least 2-3' deep. Lay in a couple of inches of 3/4" crushed stone and level. Add 4" drainage pipe covered with a nylon sock. The ends of the pipe should go past the sides of the structure and then downhill and come out below the structure. Backfill with 3/4" crushed stone and compact.
If you want grass on top, put down about 6" of top soil and seed..
I would do the same even if I was putting asphalt or concrete down on the up hill side of the garage.
You need to dig a ditch on the uphill side of the structure, about 3-5' away from the where the posts will be. The ditch needs to be about 1-2' wide and at least 2-3' deep. Lay in a couple of inches of 3/4" crushed stone and level. Add 4" drainage pipe covered with a nylon sock. The ends of the pipe should go past the sides of the structure and then downhill and come out below the structure. Backfill with 3/4" crushed stone and compact.
If you want grass on top, put down about 6" of top soil and seed..
I would do the same even if I was putting asphalt or concrete down on the up hill side of the garage.
mdkingsley
Well-known member
I used the dirt from the back to fill the front and make it level and ramp up to the front of the shop. While it is not 10 or 12 feet it was around 5. I sloped the grade behind the shop and dug a footer then had a retaining wall built, with drainage out to both sides. I would use as much of the upside to level the down side but with that much slope I dont think you are going to do it without a retaining wall and with a lot of well planned slope drainage.
PWC Repair
Well-known member
I think you misread that. He said 10-12 inches. Since you will be entering from the uphill side, your best bet is to haul in clay and rock fill to make a level pad first. My yard is about 3 ft difference but I will be entering the downhill side so I will be digging into the hill to level out.Also as stated you need some type of drainage or "ditch" so a heavy rain doesn't just come pouring in through your front door. Trust me on that.
PAToyota
Well-known member
Hi Larry I'm Jill from CT, also, building a pole barn on a slope! May I please see pics and Information on how you built yours?
Thanks so much,
Appreciated!
Jill
jives
Well-known member
My slope was about 3-4' from front to back, across 32'. Our excavation guy took off all the topsoil and then backfilled the **** out of the pad, running a huge vibrating roller for every 6-7" lifts. The backfill was standard bank run gravel. Given that the pad was placed about 8" above grade to allow runoff, there were places of a solid 4' of fill, plus about a foot of crusher run. The scraped off topsoil was used to grade the slope. Poles, with permacolumns, were placed down about 5'.
5" thick slab placed on the crusher run (with some pea gravel to do some final leveling. 5 years, not a single crack, not a single bit of evidence of the slab sinking, lifing, tilting. Of course, the job cost $8K, which was twice our budget. The key was the massive road roller used by the guys who do large commercial jobs. I think they may have taken my job because I live just around the corner from them. My build is here:
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/barn-garage-shop-gym-party-pavilion.287155/#post-4837301
5" thick slab placed on the crusher run (with some pea gravel to do some final leveling. 5 years, not a single crack, not a single bit of evidence of the slab sinking, lifing, tilting. Of course, the job cost $8K, which was twice our budget. The key was the massive road roller used by the guys who do large commercial jobs. I think they may have taken my job because I live just around the corner from them. My build is here:
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/barn-garage-shop-gym-party-pavilion.287155/#post-4837301
Jill
In my signature is a link to my build thread that is full of pictures.
Also here https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/larry_gs-shop-build.76641/
lg
no neat sig line
manwithtools
ALLIANCE MEMBER
11 year old thread resurrection 
Best of luck Jill!
Best of luck Jill!