Two Level Pole Building

[Iowa Jim]

My wife and I bought an acreage several years ago and we finally have the budget to fix up the 30' x 50' Morton pole building. When the shed was built back in the 70's they put it on a side hill lengthwise so there is about 2' of slope in the gravel floor inside. There are two 9' garage doors on one end and a 14' sliding door on the lower end.

I want to make the upper end the heated side and the lower end would be cold storage. There will be an insulated wall separating them. I'll concrete both sides and lay down foam and pex as long as I'm pouring. Has anyone finished out a two level shed like this? I'm wondering if the vertical portion of the concrete will have to extend down below the frost level?

Thanks!

 

[larry_g]

Welcome to the group. Can you get a couple of pictures of the building up on here. I would particularly have to know is the lower skirt board level, stepped, or follow the ground slope? A lot of pole buildings are structured to be filled in later to level the inside for the finished floor. Is yours so built?

If your doing pictures you can host them here. Personally I find it easiest to create an album onsite and link those pictures into posts.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[Iowa Jim]

Thanks Larry! I'll get some pictures if it's still light out when I get home tomorrow.

 

[Iowa Jim]

So this is what I am looking at. The pictures show the pole building and the side hill. The slope of the floor is the same inside. The skirt board is only on the outside and stepped along the slope but it is buried slightly so there are no open spots. My thought is that the "upper" level would take about 2/3rds of the building and be level with the bottom of the garage doors. The concrete on the "lower" 1/3 of the building would be even with the slider.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=6159&pictureid=79569


https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/album.php?albumid=6159&pictureid=79568

 

[2oolhound]

Just to clarify, are you saying the floor is sloped inside or is it 2 level sections with a few steps 1/3 the way in?

 

[Iowa Jim]

Just to clarify, are you saying the floor is sloped inside or is it 2 level sections with a few steps 1/3 the way in?

Currently the floor is gravel and sloped over the entire length of the building. I want to concrete it with two level sections.

 

[lakeroadster]

Let's get the photo's here where folks can see them....

I don't see any issue with your plan of having 2 levels. I also like dividing the space into heated / unheated and storage / work areas.

Only issue I can see is the inconvience of moving stuff between those two areas due to the different heights.

The wood we see on the lower section... is it in good shape?

 

[matt_i]

I think, form it up, dig it out so you have 2 levels, compact any fill added, set reinforcing steel and pour.

 

[2oolhound]

Currently the floor is gravel and sloped over the entire length of the building. I want to concrete it with two level sections.

That's great. My 40' garage is built on a sloped driveway and it's been a huge pain because of the slope. The drill press, lathe tool boxes, everything needed to be levelled. Wish I would have made a level floor before bringing in all the equipment but then I just kind of grew into the space. I didn't want to see anyone else make the same mistake.

There is another 40' behind that that is level and I've thought if I ever haul everything out of the front and pour a level floor I'd pour a 4' wide sloped lane between the 2 levels so I could roll any wheeled equipment through.