Pole Barn Slab And Other Questions

[jumbo61]

Hi. I'm trying to get prices for a pole barn type garage. So one guy calls me back and we talk. He says that a pole barn is NOT the way to go because the floor will heave and crack. Of course, he wants to build me a full foundation stick built garage. The questions are, has anybody in the north land ever had their slab heave? Or crack where your vehicle enters the building? I'm planning doing 6" of concrete on sandy soil with compacted base. This guy is talking $30k+ for a 24x24x12 building with vinyl and shingles. Pole buildings are coming in ~20k installed and slab. Should I worry about the slab like this guy says? Thanks in advance. Tony

 

[kbs2244]

Pole barns depend on the friction of the pole against the dirt sides of the hole for their stability.
This is something not understood by many builders even though they drive by thousands of power poles every day.
And it is why a good pole barn builder will spend a lot of time tamping around each pole.

The most common way to do a concrete floor in a pole barn is to have the boarder boards of the slab INSIDE the posts all around. The concrete is done the same as a free floating slab for a stick built building.
This lets it expand and contract as well as “float” up and down independent of the poles.
(Poles set 4 to 5 feet down won’t float vertically at all.)
But it does give you a border of gravel the thickness of the posts all around the building.

If you want your floor all the way to the outside of the poles be sure to ring each pole with fiberboard to provide a “slip ring” so the floor doesn’t grab an lift the pole.

BTW:
This means you are doing the floor after the building is up.
Something the concrete guys love because it means they can work in bad weather.

http://www.easybuildings.com/

Is a good place to get the basic ideas.

I think you need to fine a guy with pole barn construction experience.

 

[JC23]

Thanks for that very good info, kbs. I, too, am looking into the differences.

 

[tdkkart]

Find somebody else, this one's full of ****. I've seen, worked in,worked on etc a bazzillion pole buildings, including owning one, theonly ones that have problems with the slab are the ones that were done wrong. If done right as suggested above it will be fine.
Since I did radiant heat in my pole building, instead of inside boarder boards I ran my 2" insulation around the inside of the poles and used it as my forms.

 

[RPH]

Check out DIY polebarns out of Ohio. They service the NY area. I got mine from them and was very well served. Free online quote builder.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I'm planning doing 6" of concrete on sandy soil with compacted base.

Sounds pretty good to me. Check with some other concrete contractors in the area.

Heaving is caused by water getting under the slab and freezing. With sandy soil you are not likely to have this happen. Make certain that the slab is a bit above grade and water will drain away from the slab.

 

[Sarki]

I'm in your neck fo the woods and used CB Structures out of Liverpool, NY to build my 26' X 32' pole barn. I dealt w/Dominick who was a total pleasure to work with. They built the structure and I handled the 4" slab. No problem as long as you do your prep work and have a solid site. Full foundation will cost big $$$ and isn't necessary.
Do your homeowrk when selecting a pole barn builder and hire a company with experience and references, it makes a difference!

 

[jumbo61]

Thanks to all for the info.