Pole Barn vs Stick built - which one ?

[UpstateNY]

Guys,

I have quotes for a 30x40x14 pole barn, and the same structure stick built (2x6 studs 16” oc ). All parameters on both structures are identical except for the type of construction. Obviously the concrete work is more formidable with the stick built (footers etc) as opposed to just a pad with the pole barn. Also, with the pole barn, there is $$$ in the quote so that 16"OC studding is achieved for batt insulation, so again, the structures are essentially equivalent.

The price premium for the stick built is 12 % or about $5,000.

I'm 58, going to retire next year and this will be my shop for working on the toys. I know I'll never get my $$$ out of the stick built as both type of structures will outlive me. I also know that adding such a structure (pole or stick built) may not add any value to the property, it all depends on the future buyer. Even if a future buyer is willing to place a premium because the shop exists, they may not pay more based on the type on construction used to build the shop.

I got the stick built quote knowing it would cost more, the appeal to me is that it's the "right" or "better" way to do it. I have read posts on this site where some guys would never build a pole barn as they view them as "temporary" construction (yea, i know, everything is temporay if viewed through a long enough lens).

Which would you build ? And why ?

Thanks in advance.

 

[bobadame]

I chose to build a stick built structure because I couldn't really figure out an effective way to insulate a pole building without sort of building another structure to support the insulation inside of the pole building. It cost a little more but it's cheap to heat and it stays cool all summer. If I had to do it over the only thing I would do differently would be to make it 8' longer.

 

[UpstateNY]

If I had to do it over the only thing I would do differently would be to make it 8' longer.

What size did you build ?

 

[Dick in Wisconsin]

What size did you build ?

Doesn't matter.

Its always 8 feet too short.

 

[D.J.]

Looks to me if you build a pole barn your still going to have to finish out in between posts for walls, essentially stick building anyhow.

 

[bobadame]

I built mine 40 X 64'. The concrete is a "thickened edge slab" or "Alaskan Slab". I also built it knowing that my income would be less during my retired years and so I spent the money for lots of insulation. It has paid off. It has been in the 90s here during the day and it drops down to the los 60s at night so I leave a couple of windows open and an overhead fan running to capture the cool night air. Today the outside temperature was 87 when I got home and it was 70 inside the shop.

 

[justanengineer]

Whenever I hear "upstate" relevent to NY its always the area immediately outside NYC, the Catskills, and the south side of Albany, "central NY" being everything between Rochester and Albany, "the north country" being the northern tip, and "the southern tier" being the western end of the state. Can I ask what county just for giggles? I grew up in Orange County but have a ton of relatives in the north country, and can attest that an unheated pole building built cheaply in a wet and/or high wind area might not outlive you if youve got 20 years left. Been there, seen that at both ends of the state. Given the choice, stick built is the way to go. Pole buildings are cheaper, but they can be a gamble.

 

[Anglia Guy]

Stick built is probably better built.

 

[Heavy Metal Doctor]

My 2 cents: I like pole barns for cheap bulk storage and they are fine for a rough workshop with no heat. How they are built / longevity of the building has to do with the specific details of it's construction - there' cheap price and quality and there's better ones.
For a nicely finished shop, stick built is probably the better choice overall.

 

[finn]

I built mine a number of years ago. Two contractors told me that there was essentially no difference in cost between a stick built with 2X6 walls and a pole building unless I was looking at a pole building with a stone floor and no insulation, ie. a storage shed, not a shop.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I'd rather have the stick built over the pole building, but I think I would skin the outside with metal siding.

One thing you should seriously consider being retired is your fixed income. Stop by your local tax office and inquire about the taxing on both structures. In my area, a pole building is considered a temp structure and cheaper on property taxes.

 

[Ghost Rider]

I have a 40 year old Morton building, 48X30 and it is still standing and in good shape too. I just had a 24X30 Morton built for a shop close to the house last year. Their energy saver package uses 7-8 ft wide, 6 inch thick(R19) insulating batts in the walls so no need for stud walls. They have a system engineered to hold the batts in place with a vapor barrier and create dead air spaces between vapor barrier and finished wall covering. Takes very little to heat and cool. They may cost a little more than some pole barns but wortyh it in my opinion.

 

[UpstateNY]

Whenever I hear "upstate" relevent to NY its always the area immediately outside NYC, the Catskills, and the south side of Albany, "central NY" being everything between Rochester and Albany, "the north country" being the northern tip, and "the southern tier" being the western end of the state. Can I ask what county just for giggles? I grew up in Orange County but have a ton of relatives in the north country, and can attest that an unheated pole building built cheaply in a wet and/or high wind area might not outlive you if youve got 20 years left. Been there, seen that at both ends of the state. Given the choice, stick built is the way to go. Pole buildings are cheaper, but they can be a gamble.

JAE,

I just updated my profile indicating Rochester, so Central NY. The shop will be built into my woods/forest, the front of it will be parallel to where the lawn starts, the rest of the shop will be tucked into the woods, it is dry relative to the water table - no perk tests but there's never been standing water after hellacious rain, we'll see when we dig for sure.

 

[UpstateNY]

Looks to me if you build a pole barn your still going to have to finish out in between posts for walls, essentially stick building anyhow.

Yes, as I stated above, that's already priced into my quotes. That wasn't the answer I was seeking .

 

[UpstateNY]

Stick built is probably better built.

In the sense that no wood is embedded into soil, yes. And perhaps it's built better overall. But, is it worth the price premium ?

 

[UpstateNY]

I'd rather have the stick built over the pole building, but I think I would skin the outside with metal siding.

One thing you should seriously consider being retired is your fixed income. Stop by your local tax office and inquire about the taxing on both structures. In my area, a pole building is considered a temp structure and cheaper on property taxes.

Nutts,

Either pole or stick built will be vinyl sided to match the house, got to keep momma happy . Good point about the assessor, I need to see if they differentiate between the 2 types of buildings.

 

[UpstateNY]

My 2 cents: I like pole barns for cheap bulk storage and they are fine for a rough workshop with no heat. How they are built / longevity of the building has to do with the specific details of it's construction - there' cheap price and quality and there's better ones.
For a nicely finished shop, stick built is probably the better choice overall.

HMD,

Thanks for the opinion. As far as the pole barn quality, it's high, real high. Special engineered posts that go into the ground, better wet resistance than regular pressure treated etc etc. I've done a road trip to view the pole barns built by the builder, they're all top notch. But, it could be said the best-built pole barn will never equal a well-built stick built.

 

[rburke65]

Stick and with 2"x6" walls. And the two biggest regrets that most everyone on this site has is that they are never big enough or tall enough.

 

[UpstateNY]

Stick and with 2"x6" walls. And the two biggest regrets that most everyone on this site has is that they are never big enough or tall enough.

RB,

Thanks. I've got 14' height for the lift. My plans are a 30' x 40', but then you begin to think why not a 32' x 48', it's like a disease.

 

[mtwaterguy]

If you go pole barn, use commercial girt construction. That will frame inside and outside walls at the same time. The first 60' of mine is finished with insulation and heat. The first 24' is used for my upholstery shop and has a full bath. It, along with the next 36', the auto section, look exactly the same as a stick built shop with out the extra cost.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Nutts,

Either pole or stick built will be vinyl sided to match the house, got to keep momma happy . Good point about the assessor, I need to see if they differentiate between the 2 types of buildings.

If you don't keep her happy, better plan on having a bathroom, fridge, microwave, TV and internet out there.

 

[nolimits76]

I think you already answered your own question. You said from the start, the stick built is what you really want and think is "right".

At the end of the day, it's your money and happiness that matters. If you can splurge on the $5,000 then I would as it's what you want and will ultimately make you most happy.

I say this based on many decisions to take the cheaper route (initially) only to have it bite me in the *** and cost me twice the amount in the end.

 

[UpstateNY]

I think you already answered your own question. You said from the start, the stick built is what you really want and think is "right".

At the end of the day, it's your money and happiness that matters. If you can splurge on the $5,000 then I would as it's what you want and will ultimately make you most happy.

I say this based on many decisions to take the cheaper route (initially) only to have it bite me in the *** and cost me twice the amount in the end.

WF, you're esentially correct, I just wanted to solicit other opinions. I've never been exposed to pole barns, I grew up in the city, I'm now (happily) in the country. Poles buried into the soil freaks me out, I'm only used to "sill plate" type of construction - there's no wood where I can't see it !!! Even though the pole barn will outlast my raggedy ***. I've got this fixation on projects of "doing it right". I can't half-*** something.

As an enginner I'm trained on being both economically and technically efficient. In this case, the pole barn is more economically efficient, but technically it's NOT the best solution.

This has been my biggest struggle so far, every other feature and fixture for the shop I just do research and choose a solution, but the construction choice is so fundamental. And yea, I can over-think things at times, it's both a curse and a blessing.

 

[4AudiQ]

We just bought a home on 5 acres in the country outside Portland, OR with a pole barn. I have been trying to envision ways to make it more workable for my automotive & wood shop. I come up with building another room inside the pole barn with 2 x 6 walls with insulation. So, I am essentially building a stick built shop inside another building.
Go with the stick built shop!

 

[UpstateNY]

We just bought a home on 5 acres in the country outside Portland, OR with a pole barn. I have been trying to envision ways to make it more workable for my automotive & wood shop. I come up with building another room inside the pole barn with 2 x 6 walls with insulation. So, I am essentially building a stick built shop inside another building.
Go with the stick built shop!

4Q,

That is one advantage with stick built, when it's done you're ready for insulation etc. No scerwing around adding internal walls etc. Thanks for that perspective.

 

[Old Moparz]

If you talk to stick built contractors, they will tell you that pole buildings are the worst & they will rot out & cave in by the time they are 3 months old. If you talk to pole building contractors, they will tell you there is nothing wrong with them & they are the same or better than stick built.

My pole building has been up since 1997 & hasn't settled or indicated any signs of a problem. I built it myself & have good drainage all around the building. The ground it sits on is mostly free draining gravel & crushed stone. Can the poles eventually rot? Of course there is a chance, but I have timber, crib wall, retaining walls that I built with pressure treated wood in the late 80's that I had to unearth to install pipe after being buried 20 years & saw absolutely no rot issues. That helped sell me on the pole type construction being okay. This is my first & only pole building I ever did & I'm 50 years old so I don't know if the building or me will last longer....LOL

I planned to build a stick built garage because that's what I knew how to do but the cost of the foundation blew my budget so I redesigned it as a pole barn & saved $5000 to $6000. As far as insulating & finishing the interior walls there are alternate methods that are not rocket science. I've insulated a portion of mine & used rigid foam between the horizontal girts, then vertically between the 2x3 furring strips that are placed vertically so there is two 1-1/2" layers under the drywall. I could have opted to go thicker by building a stud wall between the poles but decided to stay with the plan & budget.

 

[mtwaterguy]

4Q,

That is one advantage with stick built, when it's done you're ready for insulation etc. No scerwing around adding internal walls etc. Thanks for that perspective.

Build the pole barn correctly and there's no need to stick frame anything. My first pole barn, built over thirty years ago in PDX is still there with absolutely no problems.

 

[ringneck]

I really don't understand the fear of pole construction.... Wood in the ground is holding up many schools, hospitals, and other significant structures; and has for many decades (think pilings). Water and dirt don't take out wood, fungus does....

I think the biggest issue is people don't commit to building method. There has to be hundreds of threads on here where people build a pole structure, then resort to stick framing it for whatever reason, as that is what they know. This is completely wasteful, and unnecessary.

Pole buildings are very flexible, and relatively easy to maintain. Stick builds are a bit less flexible, but everyone seems to be familiar with the construction method.

I say build what you know, because that is what you will end up doing to it anyway.

Do not be afraid of a pole structure, it is perfectly sound, as is a stick built. The key is building them right, committing to a direction, and doing the appropriate maintenance.

 

[dbonne]

I'm with Ringneck, I have one of each type, both have their pro's and con's. I'm perfectly happy with both. My pole barn actually has a better warrantee than my stick built. Good Luck!

 

[sands35]

FWIW - I found the main cost driver of pole construction was that the siding and walls where less expensive - and a bit less concrete work (but not as much as you'd expect). If you spec a pole building to look like a stick building (i.e., vinyl siding), they cost about the same. I had ~4-5 pole quotes and 4-5 stick quotes and they basically overlapped with pole only ~2-3k less expensive. (I speced a 26x32 basic free standing garage)

 

[Old Moparz]

The biggest difference in cost for me for pole vs stick, was the foundation. Most of the building itself stayed the same, it still needed plywood sheathing, cedar & vinyl siding, second floor framing, roof, etc. I planned a standard foundation with the footing below the frost line so the cost difference was not paying $1000 for foundation excavation & backfill, & the $4000 to $5000 extra for the footings, footing drains, & the foundation walls. I had 4 estimates on the foundation & floor that were $6500....$8500....$12,000....$16,000.... all more than my budget. The 16 CY floor in my building cost $1300 for the concrete & $700 for the labor to level & float it.

 

[larry_g]

We just bought a home on 5 acres in the country outside Portland, OR with a pole barn. I have been trying to envision ways to make it more workable for my automotive & wood shop. I come up with building another room inside the pole barn with 2 x 6 walls with insulation. So, I am essentially building a stick built shop inside another building.
Go with the stick built shop!

I've found that in this area of the country we tend to build pole buildings a lot lighter than other parts of the country. So to the OP I'll say it depends on the construction style of the pole building. In perusing all the builds on this site there are a wide variety of pole building styles. Some are near stick built, others are like mine with minimal materials used.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[JasonF]

I was sold on pole buildings after seeing my neighbor do an addition to his large barn that was built in the 70s. He had to remove several poles for the addition and when they were pulled from the ground they looked as if they did when they were buried 40+ years ago. This was not in a dry area either, no real standing water but very flat ground built right next to a pond where the water table was very high. Save the money, built it pole style and use the money for finishing the inside.

 

[8nford]

I have seen enough pole buildings heave from frost around here. For me the choice was stick on a floating slab. I like the 2x6 10'high walls.my 2cents

 

[UpstateNY]

I have seen enough pole buildings heave from frost around here. For me the choice was stick on a floating slab. I like the 2x6 10'high walls.my 2cents

8N,

OP here, I'm outside Rochester NY so for sure we get frost. Although if the poles are buried 4 foot into the ground it'd have to get really cold for a long time to heave the pole(s) upward. Thx for the response.