Can't say that painting the interior of the barn/garage is too important to me. Even if I were to finish the garage, I would like to keep the barn look to it with stained wood as oppose to drywall.
Yes, which I mentioned at the start of the thread, but I am open to hearing other ideas. I was hoping to hear from people that built garages and pole barns before and what some of the challenges are and if there were any tips or good tutorials that people used.
Truthfully both are relatively simple...keep as square and plumb as possible and you should be alright. As far as monolithic slabs and or footings go, that is more than I would want to tackle on my own. I have a pole barn with a dirt floor and it suits my needs. Good luck BrowningBar, sounds like you will be busy this Spring.
I've built both, no special skills needed for one or the other... With stick built you need some help to lift long sections of wall but you can build shorter sections and lift them yourself. Pole barn poles are hard to manage by yourself, a tractor comes in handy to lift them in place. Once you get the walls up then it's pretty much the same process to get the roof and siding done. To me the difference comes down to if you want a slab or gravel floor. If you want a slab I don't see much cost saving for a pole barn -- might as well pour a floating slab first and keep any wood out of the ground. It kind of sounds like you might like a timber frame if you like the 'barn' look.
I've built both, both ways. Neither one is easier than the other, just different. If you've never done one yourself before the best advice I can give is to talk to local builders who are familiar with the local codes, etc. It may also be worth asking how much they would charge to set the posts and install the roof system. You might be surprised at how cheap it is and you could do the rest (siding, roofing, whatever). Many home centers also offer kits with material lists and drawings...for free. That's a good way to go too. As others have said, the most important thing with a pole building is the poles...make sure they are nice and plumb, space correctly, and adequately braced. If that's messed up the rest of the building will be a challenge. If they are installed properly the rest is pretty easy. Think ahead on where you want your doors. There will be a post required on both sides of any door opening. I wouldn't bother building your own trusses. It takes a lot of time and they can be hard to lay out if you've never done it before.
As far as trusses, call around to local lumber yards and see if they have any sitting in the yard that haven't been picked up. Mine were dirt cheap, but I had to let the truss set the width of my building. 28' with an 8:12 pitch!!
Built my 28x32 pole barn type structure with 10 or 11:12 pitch (to match the house) and vinyl siding and shingles again to match the house. With that pitch I went with an open attic type truss(only about 8-9 hundred more) that gives me a 28x16 room above with stairway access! Me and my two sons 8 and 11 at the time set the trusses with a come-along and a tractor with no bucket!! Only thing to remember is that you can never build it big enough! If you have no building experience maybe you can hire somebody to help you that has built something like what you are thinking. I will try to find some pics. Gary
Sorry, but no idea on the cost as that is what the boss lady wanted so we did not even price anything else. I would think wood might be cheaper and maybe easier, a lumber yard could probably tell you real easy. Gary
I had a pole building put up 5 years ago and had the cement done a year later with no problems. My SIL is in the business and like some one stated, if you are going to insulate it a stud frame is not any more expensive (to speak of) then a pole shed. I am going to start insulating mine in the spring early summer.
My son in law now (after adding on to his other building) has a 60 x 100, 60 x 40 is cold storage and the rest is insulated and heated.
I've built a few homes, buildings and sheds over the years. I agree with all the above who've suggested prepping the area first … putting in a gravel base (make sure it sits at least 6" higher than the finish ground level around the building, keeps water out)… then a 6"-7" thick concrete slab on top, installed by a reputable company. If you're concerned about frost, many will go to the added expense of frost walls that ultimately carry the weight of the building. Where you were going to do a pole building and add a concrete floor later, just a slab on a well done gravel pad is how most garages are done here in Maine. You will not be disappointed that you spent the money on a decent foundation… ever. Then… build your building any way you want on top, even a pole type building on a sill, and in phases if you want. Have a ball. It's very rewarding…
What is the intended use of said building? This will make a HUGE difference in what & how to build. If you ever plan on sitting/laying on the floor, by all means, insulate under the slab with XPS and vapor barrier. Also, when you get the wood for framing, plan on framing it up soon there after, as the wood will twist and bend fairly quickly. The bulk of the cost and work will be framing it and getting it under roof, plan on having the money and time together for that. You can prep the site, excavate, bore holes/lay chips and dust, at your leisure. This is the time to ditch witch and lay plumbing & or electrical. Keep in mind, there are many right ways and many wrong ways to do this, and you can spend years researching the right way, but there is not one definitive right way to do this. Don't get paralysis from analysis. Pole construction is faster, much easier to build tall and cheaper. Cost may break even if it's only going to be garage size (ie. 8 ft walls) However, stick built is not recommended unless you are first pouring a footer or monolith slab.
We live in our pole barn. 48 x 78 x 16. 200o sq. ft of living space and a 4 car garage. 6x6 poles, 6" concrete with moisture barrier. 2 x 6 walls with r19.
