OT: Tips/ideas for pole barn, do's/dont's.

Planning to purchase a storage building here in Central Ohio to be installed in Spring.

I value your advice and wondering if there are any do's or dont's that you may have learned from your experience. I'm on a budget of $12,000....I'd like at least a 36 ft x 40 ft, but if possible could squeeze a bit more $ to get a 40 x 60.

Some questions:

Do I go with basic/cheaper building that is larger or a smaller better quality building, overhangs, windows, etc?
Morton is out of the question due to price?

I heard of lumber companies that seem to be cheaper than Lester, Morton, Cleary, etc....they install themselves...some names from Ohio are Flaig Lumber and Keim Lumber. Anybody have experience with them?

Any reason why I cant concrete 1/4 - 1/2 now (workshop area) and then leave the rest stone for later concrete work?

How about metal quality, strength and bad ones out there?

Just looking for your advice.

Thanks!

I found lumber yards (exept the Menard's kit) were nearly as high as Morton. I found Lester and Champion as high and when I made Cleary meet a good roof load rating their price was on the high side too. The local contractor who assembles Menard's didn't return my phone calls.

I boiled it down to Astro, Wyck, and Northland. I was looking at a 50 x 70 with 14' clearance in the doors. Watch out, practically every salesman quoted 14' eaves instead of 14' CLEAR the first time. Gets a better price but a 13'6" implement or combine won't go in!

Astro made screws and steel framed doors an extra cost option, Wyck included them in the basic quote and Northland had to use diagonal braces a couple feet down the wall posts because they didn't bolt the trusses to the posts, but just nailed them. There prices were all in a $1000 range around $25,000. Steel has gone up drastically since then but you can often get a winter discount. The crew that built mine last winter had diamond tips on the auger so frost wasn't a big problem.

I went with the Wyck. Its construction using screws for the tin and steel frames for the split sliding door seemed as good as any and the cost was very competitive.

Doing it yourself isn't easy because the trusses for 10' spacing are heavy and hard to hand without the right tools like a crane.

I put in the overhead door myself at extra cost.

Gerald J.

In my case, I'm not home enough (weekends only) to put up a 40x60, so am having someone else put it up. Cost for labor is cost of materials. $12,000 in materials + $12,000 in labor = $24,000.

As a matter of fact, guys are supposed to be starting on it today. But then again, have been hearing next Monday for weeks now. Was warm a few Mondays ago, top soil is frozen now, and my tractors are setting out and won't start. I sure hope those guys have got an auger, my tractors aint startin nothing right now.

Good luck, Mark.

Markss, I agree with Marlowe, end doors only .

Also I didn't see any answer to your question

about overhang ,I built one building with 6"

on the sides and none on the ends , seems that

was the great idea at the time 30plus years ago.

I will never do that again , 6 years ago we built

the overhang for that building(2 ft) and put it up .

Overhang is the best thing you can do for your

doors.

All the other buildings had at least a foot on the

ends and 2 ft on the sides , all block buildings.

george

THanks for the info..