building pole barns in the sky

-
diymirage

diymirage

HP@idle > hondaHP@redline
Joined
Oct 12, 2012
Messages
34,197
Reaction score
43,304
Location
michigan
pretty excited here

me and the missus bought a new home, that sits on a little ground with enough room to put a pole barn up
she is excited to get my junk out of the garage and be able to use the garage as an entrance into the house, im excited to get a pole barn

BUT...i never had to build/design or even consider one

so, that is where you guys come in
i dont want it too be too large so that the barn is all you see when you pull up to the house, but i want it to be big enough to fit in the following:

21 foot boat
71 duster
as of yet to be determined plowtruck, im hoping on a mid 80s 2 door SUV, like a trailduster, blazer or bronco
and perhaps a few extra feet of work area/storage

the main idea here is to get an idea of what i want, and what it would cost

i havent checked into the layout yet (where the septic system is located and such) but if possible i would like to place it with two overhead doors, so i can pull the boat in, drop it, and pull the truck out the other end

to give you an idea, here a little map, in guessing the two squares i added are 50 by 40 which may be more then i need (maybe not)

right now, im hoping for spot number 1, the dirt road it is on is actually a second driveway which goes to a second attached garage (the red squares are garages, and i drew in roughly where the dirt driveway runs)

so, what are your thoughts, what should i look for and what should i expect to spend?

View attachment 1715001178

map.png
 
Last edited:
Go the biggest size you can fit and afford! You'll never regret that. Siting #1 is where I would put it (based on the limited info you presented). Get it close to the existing driveway but not too tight on the site (like too close to other buildings). Good luck!
 
My 30X40 filled up fast. One consideration on placement would be if you plan a bathroom and relative to where the septic is for hookup.
 
If you get up this way, stop by! I've got a 40x40. Depending on how much stuff you have, it's got a lot of room. I've got my duster and sandrail in there, along with my tractor, lawn mower, and a lot of parts. A lot of my parts are on racks, so they are up off the floor.
 
68gtxman said:
Go the biggest size you can fit and afford! You'll never regret that. Siting #1 is where I would put it (based on the limited info you presented). Get it close to the existing driveway but not too tight on the site (like too close to other buildings). Good luck!
Click to expand...

part of this thread is to figure out cost
we havent set a budget yet, because we never dealt with this before
were hoping to close on the house 1-31-17 so everything is pipedreams for now

gdrill said:
LOL, the wife wanting her garage is exactly how I got my shop!

My hiding place!
Click to expand...

spend a few minutes looking this over, nice
i wonder what the price difference in height would be
i wasnt thinking of putting in a mezzanine but it might not be a bad idea...i wonder though, would it be cheaper to go up higher and add a second floor, or would it be cheaper to expand the footprint?

i understand the two are different types of floorspace but i dont know if putting a mezzanine in would be the best option or not


GeorgeH said:
My 30X40 filled up fast. One consideration on placement would be if you plan a bathroom and relative to where the septic is for hookup.
Click to expand...

i had not thought of that
pretty silly not to, since i will want to be able to wash my hands after working on whatever is in there

pauly said:
If you get up this way, stop by! I've got a 40x40. Depending on how much stuff you have, it's got a lot of room. I've got my duster and sandrail in there, along with my tractor, lawn mower, and a lot of parts. A lot of my parts are on racks, so they are up off the floor.
Click to expand...

man, ive been meaning too
we will be there the weekend of February 17
ill make it a point not to forget this time
 
my buddy just did a 40x80. it filled up real fast, a few machines, mustang, falcon, 2 f100 pickups, a 62 unibody, and his camper.
the pallet racks definitely free up alot of space
 
Mine is 50 x 40 with a 10 foot lean making it 50 x 50 and I would say that is about right for the average guy. I however started farming so it is now too small.
 
I'll add a +1 on building it as big as possible. You just about can't overdo it, and it will fill up faster than you can believe. Mine is 30x40 but has a 10' wide room (fully insulated, heated, with water and drainage) all the way down one of the long sides, reducing the actual shop floor space to 20x40. I'd love to have another 20' or so. Going with tall walls is a very cheap way to gain space. My walls are 12' at the eaves, and I'm planning to add a 4-post lift so I can work under my car, and also store a second vehicle in there by stacking them. Don't forget the beer fridge, sound system, TV, and other creature comforts!

As far as pricing goes, in my part of the world (Pacific Northwest), a pole barn means pressure-treated 6x6 or 8x8 poles, with wood purlins and sheet metal walls/roof. My buddy did a gorgeous 36x48 shop with 13' walls for about $18K, shell only. If money was a consideration, I'd build a large shell and finish it off as additional funding allows.
 
Mine is 40x60 with a man room , office and restroom with shower. 14 ft. high at the eaves. Over the rooms is storage for a lot of the stuff that would normally just take up floor space. By doing that , in effect I have not given up any floor space unless needed for large items. It is still too small, build it as big as you can afford as mentioned above.
Yote
 
Keep in mind that if you put a toilet in there, you will need to heat it well during the winter. I have a heater in mine but don't leave it on all the time to save money. I can get it warm enough to work on things in an hour or so.
 
In the spring I put up a 32x36 Carolina Carport with 12" ceilings. It's a fair amount of space however I also put a lift in which is great but ate up a ton of space and can definitely get in the way. If you are a car guy a lift will really change the way you work on your cars so plan for that. If I could do it over again I would have made it 40' deep because of the lift.

If you are a pack rat there will never be enough space. You have to manage your stuff or so to speak or you will end up cramped....

JW
 
I'd have it where someone would have to drive by my house before they reached my toy bin. To easy to get robbed and have no idea it happened cause they can reach it first and its out of the way from the house. Sure I'm paranoid but ppl don't steal from me for a reason. A lil crazy helps just not Harley quinn crazy but close lol.
Biggest u can afford would be best. A loft up top at least would be great along with a small bathroom. I'd also have have some overhead pallets and find a cheap forklift. U may not use the lift often but when u don't u will be happy u got it.
Don't forget the stripper pole
 
You can never build it too big,,trust me,My first was 24x30,basic 2 car,then 40x40.Then 60x40.The last one was 100x120.Yes 14 foot door opening,If not for your use but for resale value. Cost can be as little as $2500 for a 24x30 doing the work yourself (with a dirt floor). You have a beautiful lot.I doubt it will take anything away from your home/property.
 
I brought my shop build back up with some more pictures. I would say garage doors need to be at least 10' wide. My shop is 36'x40'. I built it for lift so made my trusses for clearance

DSC00337.JPG
 
My small bathroom has the water heater in it and the heat from it is enough to keep it comfortable with the door closed. The bathroom and the man room has no added heat and the office just a portable oil filled heater.
The main shop area has overhead radiant heat. The interior rooms are insulated in ceiling and walls in addition to 9" in main shop walls. Insulate well as you build, you won't regret it. Another great addition because I have heat ,is a shop sink. I would not want to be without it.
Yote
 
If you can swing metal trusses you can keep the entire floor area free of supports. Well worth looking into. Mine has a fiberglass panel strip that goes around the wall a couple feet down from the roof for natural light. You might want to consider slope too if you want a floor drain now or in the future. You are going to have so much fun, and get ready for a lot of company especially on weekends.
 
Thanks for all the insight guys
I would put it behind the house, but I'm afraid that won't fly with the missus (it would kill the landscaping and view)

I had not seriously considered hight, but I will now
 
Figure out how big you want it and make it three times bigger.
 
I poured slab and put 25 anchor bolts around the perimeter and had blocks laid 3 blocks high. I put couplings on the anchor bolts and then all thread up above the blocks. We poured blocks solid with concrete then bolted treated wood plate on top of that. I used 8 ft studs and trusses were built with center 2' higher like a tray ceiling. That gave me over 12' clearance for lift. I have 2" of fall from back to front. I can wash it out and not get wood wet since I have the 3 blocks around it. Joe
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top