Pole barn

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stryped@hotmail.com - 26 Jun 2005 04:13 GMT

I am in need of building a garage/workshop. It will be across form my
house about 100 feet. Cost is a major concern as I have a new baby but
I also want it to look nice. I plan on using a gravel floor and
concreting later.

I have been thinking of a pole barn style. Can I do this myself?

Cant decide whether to use traditional metal or siilar viyle siding as
is on my 5 year old house.

I thought it might be nice to immitate my roof line of my house since
the building will be next to it. It is a 10/12 pitch.

The barn will be 32 feet. How can I come up with a ridgeboard that
length? I know I will have to somehow tie several shorter lengths
together but what is the best way to do this?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

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Warren Weber - 26 Jun 2005 20:46 GMT

>I am in need of building a garage/workshop. It will be across form my
> house about 100 feet. Cost is a major concern as I have a new baby but
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
>
> Any advice is greatly appreciated!

I needed a 42 foot 3x10 beam for a deck 12 feet above ground. I used 2x10's
and over laped 6 feet. Glued and bolted together every 4 feet. Works for me.
W W

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RicodJour - 26 Jun 2005 22:30 GMT

> I am in need of building a garage/workshop. It will be across form my
> house about 100 feet. Cost is a major concern as I have a new baby but
> I also want it to look nice. I plan on using a gravel floor and
> concreting later.
>
> I have been thinking of a pole barn style. Can I do this myself?

Without further information about your abilities, experience and
resources...how can anyone answer that?

> Cant decide whether to use traditional metal or siilar viyle siding as
> is on my 5 year old house.

You'll make the right choice, I'm sure.

> I thought it might be nice to immitate my roof line of my house since
> the building will be next to it. It is a 10/12 pitch.

See above.

> The barn will be 32 feet. How can I come up with a ridgeboard that
> length? I know I will have to somehow tie several shorter lengths
> together but what is the best way to do this?

I'll give you the same answer that I gave you in your post to
alt.home.repair (crossposted to rec.crafts.metalworking (?!))

Butt the pieces together. The ridge is an alignment piece and doesn't
do any real work. Some people butt them together between the opposed
pair of rafters, others butt them in between pairs of rafters and use a
piece of blocking to tie them together.

> Any advice is greatly appreciated!

You're welcome.

R

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Bob Morrison - 27 Jun 2005 15:54 GMT

In a previous post says...

> I am in need of building a garage/workshop. It will be across form my
> house about 100 feet. Cost is a major concern as I have a new baby but
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> Cant decide whether to use traditional metal or siilar viyle siding as
> is on my 5 year old house.

A typical pole barn uses metal siding for transferring lateral forces
(wind & seismic) into the framing system and then into the poles. If
you use something other than metal, you will need to sheath the building
with OSB or plywood.

> I thought it might be nice to immitate my roof line of my house since
> the building will be next to it. It is a 10/12 pitch.

This is a pretty steep pitch for a pole building, but it probably can be
done.

> The barn will be 32 feet. How can I come up with a ridgeboard that
> length? I know I will have to somehow tie several shorter lengths
> together but what is the best way to do this?

Most pole buildings that I'm familiar with use trusses to span the
entire distance. The trusses are installed in pairs on either side of
the poles, which are usually placed 8 to 12 feet apart, depending on the
building size. 2x6 purlins span between the trusses and support either
metal roofing or sheathing as discussed above.

In most jurisdictions you will need a building permit and probably will
need engineering for this type of structure. Check with your building
official BEFORE you do anything. It is a real pain in the neck to try to
retrofit this type of construction.

Signature

Bob Morrison, PE, SE
R L Morrison Engineering Co
Structural & Civil Engineering
Poulsbo WA

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Homeowner Forum / Construction / June 2005

Pole barn