I have an existing 20'x25' pole barn that I'm going to tear down and
rebuild. The previous owner built it with a hode-podge of techniques. I
have a concrete footer poured to grade with 4 course of cinder blocks
on one and a half walls, and no footer around the rest of the barn that
has the siding nailed to the horizontal studs. I have a few questions..

1.) Would it be better to finish the rest of the footer and have one
course of cinder blocks as my foundation?
2.) Would it be best to sink my poles in concrete below the frost line
or just sink them in dirt? It seems like if I have 4" of 57's as the
base for drainage, I could pour the concrete around the poles?..I'm
worried about eventual rot.
3.) Should I pour a 4" footer then build up the foundation to 6" above
grade with cinder blocks or just pour the entire footer to grade then
add one row of blocks?
4.) Is it ok to pour the entire footer and 4" slab at the same time?
5.) Would you recommend adding the fiber stuff to the cement mix for a
stronger slab, use wire mesh to help hold it together, or both?

Thanks, Dennis

I am no concrete expert (struggling with my own design at the moment),
but...

It is possible to pour footer and slab in one go, using a "monolitic"
slab technique, or "thickened edge" or "floating slab" (all the same
thing). The whole structure (slab+footer) floats on the dirt, and moves
up and down with frost action as a single unit. In this case, your
footer around the edge would only go down about 12 - 16 inches
(regardless of frost line). In fact, there would be an issue (I think)
with tying it into your deeper existing footer, because that thing
would not move with the rest of the floating slab.

Second, I don't see why you would ever do a footer, then a slab, then a
row of blocks. Just bring your footer up 6'' with poured concrete, and
skip the row of blocks. Maybe the cost of blocks is that much cheaper
than concrete, but seems like the labor & complication of the blocks
would negate any cost savings.

wrote:
I have an existing 20'x25' pole barn that I'm going to tear down and
rebuild. The previous owner built it with a hode-podge of techniques. I
have a concrete footer poured to grade with 4 course of cinder blocks
on one and a half walls, and no footer around the rest of the barn that
has the siding nailed to the horizontal studs. I have a few questions..

1.) Would it be better to finish the rest of the footer and have one
course of cinder blocks as my foundation?
2.) Would it be best to sink my poles in concrete below the frost line
or just sink them in dirt? It seems like if I have 4" of 57's as the
base for drainage, I could pour the concrete around the poles?..I'm
worried about eventual rot.
3.) Should I pour a 4" footer then build up the foundation to 6" above
grade with cinder blocks or just pour the entire footer to grade then
add one row of blocks?
4.) Is it ok to pour the entire footer and 4" slab at the same time?
5.) Would you recommend adding the fiber stuff to the cement mix for a
stronger slab, use wire mesh to help hold it together, or both?

Thanks, Dennis

On 5 Jul 2006 19:48:52 -0700, "
wrote:

I have an existing 20'x25' pole barn that I'm going to tear down and
rebuild. The previous owner built it with a hode-podge of techniques. I
have a concrete footer poured to grade with 4 course of cinder blocks
on one and a half walls, and no footer around the rest of the barn that
has the siding nailed to the horizontal studs. I have a few questions..

1.) Would it be better to finish the rest of the footer and have one
course of cinder blocks as my foundation?
2.) Would it be best to sink my poles in concrete below the frost line
or just sink them in dirt? It seems like if I have 4" of 57's as the
base for drainage, I could pour the concrete around the poles?..I'm
worried about eventual rot.
3.) Should I pour a 4" footer then build up the foundation to 6" above
grade with cinder blocks or just pour the entire footer to grade then
add one row of blocks?
4.) Is it ok to pour the entire footer and 4" slab at the same time?
5.) Would you recommend adding the fiber stuff to the cement mix for a
stronger slab, use wire mesh to help hold it together, or both?

Thanks, Dennis

Why would you want to tear it down and rebuild. Just fix it. If the
poles are rotten in the ground, pour concrete around them, place heavy
metal brackets into the cement (2 sides of post), and bolt the metal
to the wood posts. A "POLE barn" has poles in the ground. If you are
putting a foundation, then it's no longer a pole barn. Not that it
really matters, but that's a fact.

wrote in message
...
On 5 Jul 2006 19:48:52 -0700, "
wrote:

I have an existing 20'x25' pole barn that I'm going to tear down and
rebuild. The previous owner built it with a hode-podge of techniques. I
have a concrete footer poured to grade with 4 course of cinder blocks
on one and a half walls, and no footer around the rest of the barn that
has the siding nailed to the horizontal studs. I have a few questions..

1.) Would it be better to finish the rest of the footer and have one
course of cinder blocks as my foundation?
2.) Would it be best to sink my poles in concrete below the frost line
or just sink them in dirt? It seems like if I have 4" of 57's as the
base for drainage, I could pour the concrete around the poles?..I'm
worried about eventual rot.
3.) Should I pour a 4" footer then build up the foundation to 6" above
grade with cinder blocks or just pour the entire footer to grade then
add one row of blocks?
4.) Is it ok to pour the entire footer and 4" slab at the same time?
5.) Would you recommend adding the fiber stuff to the cement mix for a
stronger slab, use wire mesh to help hold it together, or both?

Thanks, Dennis

Why would you want to tear it down and rebuild. Just fix it. If the
poles are rotten in the ground, pour concrete around them, place heavy
metal brackets into the cement (2 sides of post), and bolt the metal
to the wood posts. A "POLE barn" has poles in the ground. If you are
putting a foundation, then it's no longer a pole barn. Not that it
really matters, but that's a fact.
A pole barn does not depend on any bracing for the walls and roof to
withstand the wind load. Without the strength of the poles imbedded deeply
in the ground, something else has to prevent the walls from blowing over in
a high wind. It is pretty easy to make it strong enough to not settle but
not so easy to keep it from blowing over. A few inches of concrete and
cinder blocks will have very little sideways twisting strength. Better have
someone with experience evaluate your structure on site.

Don Young