Machine Shed / Pole Barn recommendations

[ga adkins]

If in the budget go with a cement floor.

[Wrangler]

When I built my pole building, I installed a gravel floor. Money was the issue. The plus side is that the gravel is needed under concrete, and concrete can be added at any time.

[mefly2]

Tujeeze-

We went with road mix / gravel floor for the first year - until our budget / savings totaled enough for a proper concrete / rebar / finish could be justified. This had the added bonus of allowing moisture to leave the base and a year of compaction by traffic as well as the plate compactor before the pour. We think that the end product was worth the wait.

Pictured below; what do you think?

The finished floor was ~ 22% of the total cost. Hint... Be sure to lay down some cross building electrical conduit before the pour - for the projects that you have not yet begun ... ... LOL.

[OTRA15]

Nice!

[Bigventure]

Is that an epoxy coating?

[tujeeze]

Awesome floor! Thanks for sharing. My main concern was the addition of more "fill" in our area of the country. I was assuming that pouring a slab would in some small part be adding to the flooding problems that are already occurring inland from my location.
It is true that the cost of pouring a slab is not much more than having gravel delivered and spread since there are not that many quarries located this close to the ocean.

[nryn]

Fantastic.

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by mefly2

Tujeeze-

We went with road mix / gravel floor for the first year - until our budget / savings totaled enough for a proper concrete / rebar / finish could be justified. This had the added bonus of allowing moisture to leave the base and a year of compaction by traffic as well as the plate compactor before the pour. We think that the end product was worth the wait.

Pictured below; what do you think?

The finished floor was ~ 22% of the total cost. Hint... Be sure to lay down some cross building electrical conduit before the pour - for the projects that you have not yet begun ... ... LOL.

Very nice..pole barn? My neighbor just did a big one in Lincoln same way...your floor looks great. Are you going to insulate?

[nryn]

Mefly2–very nice. Did you bother with any climate control? Also, what size door did you go with?

[mefly2]

Originally Posted by Bigventure

Is that an epoxy coating?

Yes, epoxy two part gray with colored "sprinkles" for traction and then another two part epoxy clear.

We went with a 12' high / 12' wide dual sliding door to allow the AS to be angled to one side in the barn. 24' x 32' x 12' inside height allows our EB25 to have a nice walk area on both the front and rear of the inside area. We are on a sloped area; so, we added about 4" to the height of the floor base at the highest point allowing for super drainage in the spring thaws...entry ramp bottom is about 10-12 inches below the sliding door threshold.

We purposely left the LED lighting on flexible drop lines closer to the floor to allow for varied positioning of the AS in the barn - we have still not settled on a layout; a new mower has changed the floor layout somewhat.Two sides have insulated windows - and the doors and one long side are window-less to allow for inside storage development. We couldn't yet afford anything for climate control (small retirement budget ) - other than insulating the roof as it was being built... we live in MT; so, humidity is not an issue - just the sometimes bitter cold ! We are also concerned with "critters"; so, there is a place for a cat to patrol the inside of the structure (he has climate control). It is really easing to the mind to no longer worry about mice ...

We are considering wheel dollies to allow easier positioning inside of the "barn".
Our cat is loving the dual shelves for him to stand guard ...

[Magnet18]

Originally Posted by jdalrymple

We went the barndominium route, and love it.

I built a 60' x 80' red iron building and lumber framed a living space over a 4 car garage. It left a 50'x 60' Airstream hanger.

The building company we used told me 60' wide was the break-over point on width. Any wider and cost went up exponentially.

60' is deep enough to leave the TV and 27FC hitch and close the door.

Full hook-ups are plumbed and the space is heated so no more winterizing!

It has been the right thing for us.


Regards,


JD

I spy a motorhome back there!

My wife and I are thinking barndominium in a couple years, 60' deep is the easy limit, I'll remember that!

[KelloggKid]

We had a 24' X 24' steel pole barn built with a 12' plate height. Cement floor with epoxy finish.

[nryn]

@KelloggKid, @JDalrymple—did you have these built by a local outfit or did you use one of the national companies (e.g. Morton)?

[Slimpockets]

I had a 50x60 pole barn built at my house. I live on a runway. Be sure to insulate the roof or you can get condensation dripping on your stuff. Also be careful of cheap low solids epoxy floors. They will lift under your tires so parking on a carpet pad is a good idea. Finish the concrete smooth or dirt and dust will get stuck in all the crannies. I used a clear finish on my floor like you see in grocery stores. One more thing. You can never build big enough.

[dmslawson]

Our 14x30 www.SteelmasterUSA.com serves us well in “climate controlled” coastal Southern California.

[Slimpockets]

I used a local contractor build my pole barn. He built my house 10 years earlier and I knew I had a good guy to work with. Others in my neighborhood used Morton.

[Dingo Girl]

I had a 24 x 24 pole barn with concrete floor put up for a 67 Caravel, 17 foot.
It fits the trailer & an F150. There's not a lot of extra room but at least they are inside.
I do enjoy having all the tools right there with it, instead of having to get them out every time I worked on it.
It has 10 foot side walls so it could have 2- 10 x 10 doors. They put white bubble insulation next to the steel roof.
They said that it would stop the condensation dripping. It does..
In northern Michigan we get rapid temp changes & plenty of condensation.
I'm not sure where the condensation goes & probably don't want to know.
I've enjoyed my building immensely. You won't regret a shelter for your trailer.

[Daquenzer]

I built a Cleary Building 18x36 with a 12'x12' door and cement floor 14' sidewalls. I had the excavation already done. Total Cost without excavation was about 22,500. I haven't' gotten my electrician bill yet. But I had to dig power to it and they put in the lights and a few outlets. You will definitely want that so you can plug it in and keep the battery charged etc. You won't need 30 amp though. Just get a 20 amp adapter. I could have gone 20' wide. But this works just fine. Make sure you go with 12' door. I called an RV place and they have 13' doors. That way if you sell the place another RV would be able to get in. Most non Airstreams travel trailers are about 11'6" high. 5th wheels are a different story.

It's not insulated, but that's pretty inexpensive to do. Make sure whatever you do to put vents on the ridge and soffit, plus windows in so that you can get air movement. I have 2 windows on either side I can open up.

Good idea above on clear coating the cement. Easier to clean up.

By the way I went 36' just in case I went to a 30' AS. You never know.

Also make sure to put in 12' wide door. Much easier to back in!

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by Daquenzer

I built a Cleary Building 18x36 with a 12'x12' door and cement floor 14' sidewalls. I had the excavation already done. Total Cost without excavation was about 22,500. I haven't' gotten my electrician bill yet. But I had to dig power to it and they put in the lights and a few outlets. You will definitely want that so you can plug it in and keep the battery charged etc. You won't need 30 amp though. Just get a 20 amp adapter. I could have gone 20' wide. But this works just fine. Make sure you go with 12' door. I called an RV place and they have 13' doors. That way if you sell the place another RV would be able to get in. Most non Airstreams travel trailers are about 11'6" high. 5th wheels are a different story.

It's not insulated, but that's pretty inexpensive to do. Make sure whatever you do to put vents on the ridge and soffit, plus windows in so that you can get air movement. I have 2 windows on either side I can open up.

Good idea above on clear coating the cement. Easier to clean up.

By the way I went 36' just in case I went to a 30' AS. You never know.

Also make sure to put in 12' wide door. Much easier to back in!

Pictures? Can you share some pictures? We are thinking about adding one to our place in MT and also in Austin.

We are thinking 30' Classic in the future also...extremely nice inside especially like the lounge! But, I want to wait till they get all these kinks worked out the 30' crowd is posting about...seems there are still a few QC areas they need to fix at AS.

[KelloggKid]

Originally Posted by nryn

@KelloggKid, @JDalrymple—did you have these built by a local outfit or did you use one of the national companies (e.g. Morton)?

We used a contractor local to the N Idaho / E Washington area.