Indiana pole barn project

[bleazenb]

Starting a 40x56x12 pole barn project 1st week in October. I will be building it myself with a experienced builder to guide me along the way. 1st thing is site prep, this is where I need help! Build site is central Indiana farm pasture with a healthy stand of alfalfa and orchard grass. Needing ideas on best way to remove topsoil? I have a 5 ft tiller, 5ft box blade and a FEL ratchet rake to use. Would it benefit me to kill off grasses 1st or just remove all with topsoil? 1st thoughts would be to mow area low as possible, till area 3-4" and scrape off loose soil? Pics to follow as build site progresses. Thanks!

 

[BeezFun]

Is it going to be a concrete floor or something like limestone? If it's concrete you need to scrape it enough to get 5-6" of gravel underneath the concrete. If you're just using limestone, I put mine right over the topsoil and it works fine, but we have very sandy, gravely soil that drains well.

If your tractor has enough punch, I'd just excavate the soil as is and pile it up somewhere out of the way. If your tractor isn't big enough, tilling would probably work and you could take it off in a few cuts. If you plan to spread the soil on a field or something you might want to burn it off first so you don't spread the weed seeds. But if it's just going to be backfill, I'd just dig it up.

 

[lhfarm]

I'm near Columbus and had a barn built about 5 years ago. Had a concrete floor poured and glad I did. The builders just dumped the dirt behind the site and it is still there waiting for me to relocate.

I think if you use the search feature here you will find lots of threads. Just entire something like pole barn site and you will find several hours of fun and useful reading. One of the best things about TBN is that you can draw on years of experience and successes, failures and I-wish-I-had-done-that advice from a great bunch of people.

Look forward to seeing pictures.

 

[wedge40]

Just my 2 cents.. I wouldn't remove the top soil.. Just kill off the vegitation and make sure you have 10' or or so bigger around the barn. If you're going to do cement then maybe leave the the bottom board up off the ground a few inches to allow for gravel or what ever base you're going to use. I live out by Bloomington and had some fill dirt brought in. Fill dirt out by me is another term for CLAY.
Once the spring rain quit and things dried up that stuff was rock solid.
I had mine built and was glad I did, because there is no way I would have done the same quality build as they did.


Wedge

 

[SPIKER]

my barn project has finally taken off again, it started in 2002 and I JUST got the concrete into it.

BARN photos pictures by WPSPIKER - Photobucket

this link it to the early photos of the barn. I have to load some of the concrete photos and I have to get a lot more photos taken. I etched the concrete this week and have abunch of stain for the inside floor. they didnt have enough sealer so I'm on hold for a while to get that down/done until I have all the materials...
mark

 

[Alan Davis]

Spiker,

Your barn design is exactly what I 've been thinking about. Could you share some details such as deminsions, is there a loft, what type of siding, trusses or not, etc.

I'm planing on starting mine in a couple of weeks.

Did you have blueprints?

Great Barn!

 

[bleazenb]

My barn project has begun, started peeling sod/pasture today and have deceided to peel down 3-4 inches, backfill with enough stone to keep worksite some what mud free.. Then will set poles, trench in water line and drains to building to building and then set grade boards and backfill to final floor level.

 

[MotorSeven]

Looks good, I would have removed the top soil too and done it the same way. That's a nice level site..something that is kinda hard to find here in E TN.

 

[tony Cecil]

You might consider a higher roof and door...Surprising how tall some tractors etc. can be Tony

 

[wedge40]

These guys did quality work.
Here is a link to the build process.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/projects/210149-finally-barn-3.html

I have attic trusses so the barn is a little beefier then they would have done other wise. I learned the hard way to get thing as level as possible before hand so when it come time to put cement down you wont have much work to do.

Wedge

 

[bleazenb]

Well my barn project is underway! This is a pic after day one! 3 of us and and good hard 8 hours later we have something to show for it. More pics to come.

 

[bearcreek paul]

That was a great day 24 posts done! If you keep that pace up you will be done in a few days.Looks good.

 

[bleazenb]

More barn updates! End of Day 2 and end of day 3 pics

 

[bleazenb]

Barn build updates

 

[bleazenb]

End of day pics for build day 4.

 

[KennyG]

I like the two tone siding. Is it a single piece with different coating or two separate vertical pieces lapped?

 

[crbr]

Nice looking barn....

 

[Luremaker]

I like the two tone siding. Is it a single piece with different coating or two separate vertical pieces lapped?

If you take a close look at the last photo posted you can see there are two separate vertical pieces of steel siding.

 

[bleazenb]

Yes the two tone black is a 36" piece of seperate steel on the bottom. I've posted pics of the shell which is now complete. Now on to roughing in floor drains and bathroom. Any thoughts on what to use to close in bottom of building from bottom of grade board to ground, I need something to hold in the fill, 2 feet needed in back half! Hate to pay for treated tongue and groove all way to ground! I will have topsoil on outside up against building at some point. Thanks!

 

[wedge40]

Yes the two tone black is a 36" piece of seperate steel on the bottom. I've posted pics of the shell which is now complete. Now on to roughing in floor drains and bathroom. Any thoughts on what to use to close in bottom of building from bottom of grade board to ground, I need something to hold in the fill, 2 feet needed in back half! Hate to pay for treated tongue and groove all way to ground! I will have topsoil on outside up against building at some point. Thanks!

I'll be curious to see the drain and bathroom layout. And how you trench it. As far as keeping the fill in I'd say for temp purposes you could use some cheap particle board if you plan to back fill in a reasonable time. How do you plan to heat the building? Yours is the same size as mine. But unlike you I made the mistake of putting the bottom boards too close to the ground and need to get about 2" of soil out before I can start getting ready to pour cement. I plan on heating with radient floor heat. So there is 7"-9" of room needed.

Wedge