Concrete floor before or after?

[Highbeam]

I've done them both ways. Well sorta. I've been inside a finished barn and poured the floor troubles are:

1) Getting the mud to the floor. Since the pole barn may not be tall enough for the concrete truck you'll need pumps or wheelbarrows.
2) Floating it. With walls in the way you can't just use the long poles to float the floor as easily.
3) Access. The guys will be tripping over each other, the chute, the screed has to be set on something. etc.

Advantage is it can be poured as money allows. Might never need it. Might like the fact that oil drips sort of go away, etc.

The last one I poured was done after the poles were set up since the slab is poured around the poles you need to at least have the poles in. It was much easier without walls and having the slab installed made building the rest of the barn more pleasant since we used one of those genie scissor lifts and it rolled around easily on the slab.

A pole barn structure is pretty cheap. Skipping the slab means a quick shop can be built on the cheap.

 

[LBrown59]

I have never built a pole barn. I just assumed that the floor was poured before the walls etc were completed.
Bob

I have never seen one built where the floor was poured first.

 

[Doc_Bob]

I have never seen one built where the floor was poured first.

I learn something every day.
Bob

 

[chh]

Most of the builders in this area recommend pouring the floor after the posts are set. The bottom boards are your form. It is easier if the metal is not on if it is a long barn. A few builders will do the floor first if requested, but anchors need to be set usually to connect to. On mine, I could not get the concrete crew in before the metal was on, so they did it after it was finished,(don't wait too long long or there will be lots of "stuff" to move). The building was not quite tall enough to get the truck in so they used extension chutes and "shot" it to the center from each end. The floor came out very nice and the crew was careful so I only ended up with very minimal splattering on the interior of the metal.
I had the barn crew build sliding doors for my barn instead of using garage style doors. They made the doors 4" lower than the planned floor height and it made a very good seal at the bottom. The concrete buffer on the approach side keeps the doors from blowing out in the wind.(I don't think this approach would work in snow country, it is not a major concern here).
Most of the barn builders here build to recommended codes, no permits or inspection required though, but we had better get things on the property tax rolls or the assesors office gets grumbly.

 

[scorpian5]

The only way to build a pole shed that will last and look good forever is to pour the floor first. The treat post rot out in about 10-15 years if they are in the ground. pour the walls put the post on the cement floor and it will last forever.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Haven't poured my floor yet, and now it's full.

Pole barns the floor is last. Steel buildings the floor is poured first with anchors bolts at the column locations. You can use anchors with poles, but you normally install a regular footer system if you go this route.