Opinions on Pole Barns

[Nissan197]

I have been doing lots of research and will hopefully be having a pole barn built in the near future. I just do not have the time to do it myself. I am looking at a 40' X 50' with 12 - 15' lean-to. It will have two 10 X 10 garage doors, two walk-doors, 12" overhangs and two single hung windows. I am getting insulation also, but have been told by some to just have the roof done because the insulation for the sides won't be much as in R factor and the cost payback just is not there. What are your opinions on insulating the sides on a pole barn? I will use this building for a wood shop, garage, and to store the tractor and I am sure tons of other things. Livestock under the lean-to is a possibility for the future also. I have talked with the following companies but I think I will stay local with the known companies - ESH, Lester, Morton, Astro, BCI, A and C, USA Barn, Durabilt, and Rob-bilt. Most of the companies from BCI and after are located in Oklahoma and the others have offices and salesman close to me.I am also waiting on a bid from a local guy who builds them himself. I have had bids from 18K - 30K. Some say their metal is better. Others say they use grade 1 wood, whereas the majority say they use #2. The cheaper bids say they use #3 and will not use concrete in the post holes. So much to look over, but I am sure I want to stay with at least grade 2 and have the post in the ground with concrete. So far the name brand companies are winning in terms of customer service, but obviously their prices are the highest and I don't know if their product is any better than several of the others. Any opinions to help me with my decision would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Erik_in_Hoyt]

if you're in NE Ks, call or email axtell lumber up by Marysville - they gave me a great price on materials and could likely recommend someone to assemble it for you.
you might also check the Mennonite guys in Lyndon to see what kind of price they quote.
I found Morton and Lester to be overpriced.
go with the 26ga metal.
insulate the sides if you're going to use it as a shop, even if you only use a salamander or wood burner to heat it, you'll appreciate the sound insulation.

good luck

 

[smfcpacfp]

I have a 30 by 50 pole building being built right now. I am going to use 1/4 of it as a shop. Because it gets very cold here (- 20F is not unusual for us) I am going to insulate the shop section of the building (side walls and ceiling), putting in a pretty high R factor's worth of insulation. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to use it much during our 5 months of winter. The rest will be cold storage for my tractor, implements and other things.

I could not imagine putting some kind of footing in a building, at least not here. The purpose of the footing is to keep the building from moving due to many things (frost heaving, etc). The footings here, in my county have to be 5 feet deep and must be 22" in diameter and 6" thick.

 

[RickB]

Your doors are too narrow for my taste, at least one should be 12'. Either insulate it all or not at all.

 

[Duffster]

I have been doing lots of research and will hopefully be having a pole barn built in the near future. I just do not have the time to do it myself. I am looking at a 40' X 50' with 12 - 15' lean-to. It will have two 10 X 10 garage doors, two walk-doors, 12" overhangs and two single hung windows. I am getting insulation also, but have been told by some to just have the roof done because the insulation for the sides won't be much as in R factor and the cost payback just is not there. What are your opinions on insulating the sides on a pole barn? I will use this building for a wood shop, garage, and to store the tractor and I am sure tons of other things. Livestock under the lean-to is a possibility for the future also. I have talked with the following companies but I think I will stay local with the known companies - ESH, Lester, Morton, Astro, BCI, A and C, USA Barn, Durabilt, and Rob-bilt. Most of the companies from BCI and after are located in Oklahoma and the others have offices and salesman close to me.I am also waiting on a bid from a local guy who builds them himself. I have had bids from 18K - 30K. Some say their metal is better. Others say they use grade 1 wood, whereas the majority say they use #2. The cheaper bids say they use #3 and will not use concrete in the post holes. So much to look over, but I am sure I want to stay with at least grade 3 and have the post in the ground with concrete. So far the name brand companies are winning in terms of customer service, but obviously their prices are the highest and I don't know if their product is any better than several of the others. Any opinions to help me with my decision would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Basically take three things into consideration.

1. The wood. Quality, Load Specs and Level of treatment.

2. The steel. Check the tensile strength, The level of galvanizing(or galvalume), and the type of paint. IMO 29ga is more than adequate for a wood frame building. Kynar paint is a must for a new building and while I agree that Morton is overrated they are one of the few that use Kynar paint.

3. Fit and finish.

Get reference lists and go out and look at buildings that they have built. Try to look for buildings that they have built that are not on their reference lists, they will tell the real story.

 

[Kays Supply]

In my area I have heard of the posts going bad because of how they were treated. I don't know the details but I went with a footing and foundation and had it stick built and then metal attached. It only took a few extra studs. Here they take three 2x6 studs and put them together to make the poles. Space them on 24" centers and one more is all it took to frame it. I plan on insulating and finishing it out so the studs worked out better for me. I wrapped the whole building with bubble wrap insulation so it won't sweat, until I can finish it out.

 

[Steve C]

I have been doing lots of research and will hopefully be having a pole barn built in the near future. I just do not have the time to do it myself. I am looking at a 40' X 50' with 12 - 15' lean-to. It will have two 10 X 10 garage doors, two walk-doors, 12" overhangs and two single hung windows. I am getting insulation also, but have been told by some to just have the roof done because the insulation for the sides won't be much as in R factor and the cost payback just is not there. What are your opinions on insulating the sides on a pole barn? I will use this building for a wood shop, garage, and to store the tractor and I am sure tons of other things. Livestock under the lean-to is a possibility for the future also. I have talked with the following companies but I think I will stay local with the known companies - ESH, Lester, Morton, Astro, BCI, A and C, USA Barn, Durabilt, and Rob-bilt. Most of the companies from BCI and after are located in Oklahoma and the others have offices and salesman close to me.I am also waiting on a bid from a local guy who builds them himself. I have had bids from 18K - 30K. Some say their metal is better. Others say they use grade 1 wood, whereas the majority say they use #2. The cheaper bids say they use #3 and will not use concrete in the post holes. So much to look over, but I am sure I want to stay with at least grade 2 and have the post in the ground with concrete. So far the name brand companies are winning in terms of customer service, but obviously their prices are the highest and I don't know if their product is any better than several of the others. Any opinions to help me with my decision would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

My first barn was 34 x 48 x 10, it came with a house I bought. I had to use my garden tractor to get my boat in there because it was to tall when hitched to a normal vehicle. My motor home had to sit outside and be serviced outside....

12 foot tall should be a minimum, my new barn is 40 x 60 and has 14 foot side walls. I have never heard anyone say "I wish my barn was shorter" but I have heard many people say that they wished their barn was taller. Going up is the cheapest way to get a lot more cubic foot of building for very little money. I plan on building a wood shop area in my barn with a 7 foot ceiling. The area above the shop will be used for storage, and with the 14 foot side walls the storage loft will still have 6'-4" headroom. I am only going to heat and insulate the shop area so the lower ceiling will help keep the heat down where I am rather than having it go up and out my ridge vent.

Doors do yourself a huge favor......

Get good quality insulated roll up doors with good weather strips. Make one of the doors at least 12 foot wide, 14 or 16 is even better and 13 foot high. I would rather have one 12 foot wide door than 3-10 foot wide doors. Backing up a 8 foot wide boat or trailer through a 10 foot wide door is hard enough in broad daylight with a straight approach, but try it on a dark night when it is raining and your mirrors are covered with rain drops and you back window is fogged up and perhaps you aren't lined up perfectly straight with the door and you won't like it very much. You will wish for a 20 foot wide door. I can't stress this enough.

The crew that built my barn used concrete pole barn biscuts in the bottom of the holes. They claim that putting concrete around the poles just holds the moisture against the wood and causes premature rot. They have been building barns for 30 years so I hope they know what they are talking about.
My barn is built with full size 6 x 6 treated poles.

 

[Nissan197]

Just met with the Morton salesman. Very friendly and helpful. His price for a 40 X 50 with a 13' lean to came in at almost 27K. That included insulation,12" boxed overhangs, 4 X 3 window and a walk door. Two framed openings for a 12 X 12 garage door and a 9 X 8. Another local company which I have heard good things about is ESH. They quoted me a little over 23K for the same except the door openings would be 10 X 10 and the lean to is 15' and the barn would have two windows which are 3 X 3. Morton had all the neat brochures and the salesman had a laptop where he was able to show me the barn and gave me a price right then and there. Very friendly, but in my opinion not worth the extra 3,600 dollars. From a warranty standpoint they were pretty similar with Morton being a tad better. I should have a bid from Lester and an individual who builds barns himself by tomorrow. Never heard back from Cleary and National Barn. I should have a decision by late tomorrow or early next week. Lead time is the beginning of the year to start construction.

 

[bpsooner]

I have been doing lots of research and will hopefully be having a pole barn built in the near future. I just do not have the time to do it myself. I am looking at a 40' X 50' with 12 - 15' lean-to. It will have two 10 X 10 garage doors, two walk-doors, 12" overhangs and two single hung windows. I am getting insulation also, but have been told by some to just have the roof done because the insulation for the sides won't be much as in R factor and the cost payback just is not there. What are your opinions on insulating the sides on a pole barn? I will use this building for a wood shop, garage, and to store the tractor and I am sure tons of other things. Livestock under the lean-to is a possibility for the future also. I have talked with the following companies but I think I will stay local with the known companies - ESH, Lester, Morton, Astro, BCI, A and C, USA Barn, Durabilt, and Rob-bilt. Most of the companies from BCI and after are located in Oklahoma and the others have offices and salesman close to me.I am also waiting on a bid from a local guy who builds them himself. I have had bids from 18K - 30K. Some say their metal is better. Others say they use grade 1 wood, whereas the majority say they use #2. The cheaper bids say they use #3 and will not use concrete in the post holes. So much to look over, but I am sure I want to stay with at least grade 2 and have the post in the ground with concrete. So far the name brand companies are winning in terms of customer service, but obviously their prices are the highest and I don't know if their product is any better than several of the others. Any opinions to help me with my decision would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Nissan,
I just had two pole barns built by a company here in Oklahoma (Diamond H Construction). They did me an excellent job and beat everyone other companies price by a considerable amount. My father in law also had them build him a barn. I had a 30x50x10 with a 20 ft split slider and a 12 ft split slider for less than $10,000. I also had a custom built 36x36x10 built for livestock. I know for a fact they do build barns in Kansas. You might give them a look. They did a great job for me....

Welcome to GotBarns.Com - Others may beat our price, but NEVER our quality!!!

 

[ultrarunner]

Never heard back from Cleary and National Barn. I should have a decision by late tomorrow or early next week. Lead time is the beginning of the year to start construction.

It's only been a few days... but I have not heard back from Cleary either... business must be good...

 

[Nissan197]

I think I have settled on an ESH. I just have to decide on door placement. I will have a 12' wide X 10' high insulated door on the front end with a walk door and window next to it. I will either place another 12 X 10 on the other end or was thinking of putting a 9' X 8' on the east side which would lead out under the lean-to. The lean-to will have 8' clearance that is why I sized the door that way. Any opinions? The lean-to will probably have my implements stored under it and in the future used for livestock. I am going to get the reflective insulation on the roof and sides and 12" soffits all around. From the building I have seen it appears ESH is a very good company and is very familiar with codes in the county where I live.

 

[MarkV]

Nissan does your price include a concrete floor? Sorry if I missed earlier.

MarkV

 

[Steve C]

I think I have settled on an ESH. I just have to decide on door placement. I will have a 12' wide X 10' high insulated door on the front end with a walk door and window next to it. I will either place another 12 X 10 on the other end or was thinking of putting a 9' X 8' on the east side which would lead out under the lean-to. The lean-to will have 8' clearance that is why I sized the door that way. Any opinions? The lean-to will probably have my implements stored under it and in the future used for livestock. I am going to get the reflective insulation on the roof and sides and 12" soffits all around. From the building I have seen it appears ESH is a very good company and is very familiar with codes in the county where I live.

My old 34 x 48 x 10 barn had 14 foot wide doors on each end. They were on the north and south 34 foot gable end walls. It was great for keeping it cool in the summer, the prevailing winds out of the south west did a great job of evacuating the heat when the doors were open at both ends of the barn. Even when the breeze was very light it was always nice to work in there.

The photo shows the barn, north is "up" barn is on the north west corner of my 3 acre parcel

 

[Nissan197]

Nissan,
I just had two pole barns built by a company here in Oklahoma (Diamond H Construction). They did me an excellent job and beat everyone other companies price by a considerable amount. My father in law also had them build him a barn. I had a 30x50x10 with a 20 ft split slider and a 12 ft split slider for less than $10,000. I also had a custom built 36x36x10 built for livestock. I know for a fact they do build barns in Kansas. You might give them a look. They did a great job for me....

Welcome to GotBarns.Com - Others may beat our price, but NEVER our quality!!!

I called that company and they seemed really friendly. They took all of my information and said they would call me back with a bid. I did not hear from them and when I called back I got no answer.
It seems like there are a number of barn builders from Oklahoma. If I hired any of them I would have to list myself as the builder since companies need to be licensed in the county where I live in order to build. No big deal, but I have noticed that several of them will not put concrete in the holes and will use lower grade wood. May not be a big deal but I just feel more comfortable using someone who is closer.

MarkV - Unfortunately that price does not include a concrete floor.

 

[Steve C]

I called that company and they seemed really friendly. They took all of my information and said they would call me back with a bid. I did not hear from them and when I called back I got no answer.
It seems like there are a number of barn builders from Oklahoma. If I hired any of them I would have to list myself as the builder since companies need to be licensed in the county where I live in order to build. No big deal, but I have noticed that several of them will not put concrete in the holes and will use lower grade wood. May not be a big deal but I just feel more comfortable using someone who is closer.

MarkV - Unfortunately that price does not include a concrete floor.

They will all do whatever you ask them to do. To be fair you have to ask them to build the exact same building. They are just a bunch of guys trying to make a living. It is your responsibility as a consumer to specify exactly what you want. If you want solid 6 x 6 treated poles imbeded in concrete you have to tell them. They will do it. But you must make sure that everyone is bidding on the same project with the same materials. If somebody comes up with a cost saving design and it sounds reasonable to you, tell the other bidders that you want it and have them adjust their price.

The people who build pole barns for a living are some of the hardest working and most productive people I have ever met. They just flat get it done. The crew that built my barn was incredible.

 

[Mike Costello]

Whatever you do, insulate your barn top and sides. It's a cheap investment and you will enjoy your barn more on a year around basis. Plus, one advantage I noticed right away by insulating my shop was better humidity control. Now my tools and woodworking equipment aren't collecting rust and moisture. It's also easy to heat and cool.
Other than that, like everyone else suggested, height and big entry doors will make life alot easier. My shop is 1 year old this month. It's 30X60 with 12' sidewalls. Doors are 10x16 with one walk in door at a full 36". Total of 3 windows with one at each end to catch the summer breezes.

 

[Nissan197]

Well I signed the contract today and put 20% down for a 40 X 50 with 15' lean-to ESH barn. They will start sometime the last part of December. Now I have to get the grading done. Talked with my concrete guy and he said a pad would not be over 7K and that would be for a 5" pour. I still have to get a few other bids and the pour would not take place until after the barn is up. Any opinions on the advantages of going with a 5" pour compared to a 4" pour?

 

[Steve C]

Well I signed the contract today and put 20% down for a 40 X 50 with 15' lean-to ESH barn. They will start sometime the last part of December. Now I have to get the grading done. Talked with my concrete guy and he said a pad would not be over 7K and that would be for a 5" pour. I still have to get a few other bids and the pour would not take place until after the barn is up. Any opinions on the advantages of going with a 5" pour compared to a 4" pour?

More is better than less, but the prep under the concrete is the most important part of the installation. 4" is enough under good conditions. If you are building ove an old land fill then you will need a lot more. It doesn't take any more work to finish a 5" slab than it does a 4 inch slab so the 20% more material cost is all it will cost you to go to 5 inches.

 

[Duffster]

More is better than less, but the prep under the concrete is the most important part of the installation. 4" is enough under good conditions. If you are building ove an old land fill then you will need a lot more. It doesn't take any more work to finish a 5" slab than it does a 4 inch slab so the 20% more material cost is all it will cost you to go to 5 inches.

Ummmmm...What if it has to be wheel barreled or pumped or raked?

 

[Steve C]

Ummmmm...What if it has to be wheel barreled or pumped or raked?

then they should have built a taller barn..........they would have got the extra height for free
The money saved on concrete labor by permitting the truck to drive inside could offset the extra cost of a couple more feet of siding...

two things I have never been told...I wish my barn was shorter....I wish I had my tractor had less power