pole barns

[diyfrank]

I'm putting together a plan for a Small pole barn to store wood, tools a shower composting toilet and battery's and hang my panels on.
I'm thinking around let say 8'-10' wide and maybe 16'-20' long.
Any suggestions on the size and placement of posts and beams. Sizes? Rafters?

To start, 4  6"x6" treated post for the corners and sunk in the ground 3' then maybe 2 more mid way to support the center.
then what would a good size be to lay on top the posts?
And rafters, 2x6 or 2x10?
I picked up a couple pickup truck loads of 2x6 car decking the other day. Would you use it for walls and nail to the posts or use for something else?

If there are pole barn plans floating around for the taking could you post a link please.

[John Raabe]

See if this is helpful... It's a little bigger than your thinking. (Plans for a 12x36 pole barn)

http://www.pdfgarageplans.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/g398-wick-8002-55-12-x-36-pole-barn-plans-blueprints-sample.pdf

[diyfrank]

Yes, Its a place to start. I'm thinking a roof with a 33 degree slope or so for the solar panels to sit on and be in proper position. probably a gable rather than a shed but shed isn't ruled out yet.

[AK fisherman]

sheldon designs
homestead designs
Cadplans

Try those sites out!

[Shawn B]

Frank, My father, uncle and myself build pole barns. We space the poles 8' apart on the eve side of the building, spacing changes to allow for garage doors. The gable ends the same. We use trusses and perlins, and most small to medium size building 4 x 6 pole. For a building as narrow as you are considering rafters might be the better choice. Then again you won't need many trusses.


This is industry standard here in the midwest, you migh/need to adjust for Washington snow loads.

[diyfrank]

AK fisherman , Thanks for the suggestions. They have some nice looking buildings. Nicer than what I'm planning.

Shawn B , I think I'm heading into that very direction on a pole barn.

Glenn K posted a pretty good link full of various different free plans. It included a number of pole barn plans.
http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=9614.0

I'm now trying to work it to where I can build it using materials I already have.

[Pine Cone]

Lots of plans here courtesy of Univ. of Tennessee

http://bioengr.ag.utk.edu/extension/extpubs/PlanList97.htm#General%20Barn%20and%20Utility%20Shed%20Plans

The first one of these is a 12x16 pole building
http://bioengr.ag.utk.edu/extension/extpubs/Plans/6086.pdf

[glenn kangiser]

No plan here but this is a pole structure for my solar panels using poles as posts and girders then 3x6's at 4 foot centers with 2x4 purlins over them - all nailed together with 60d spikes using a palm nailer then sheeting over the top.  Appx 12x24



I set the two tall ones in the ground then leveled the tops , carved a bit of a saddle with the chainsaw and set the poles with the crane.  About a 4/12 pitch to get a bit of angle for solar.  Could have been better but I was in a hurry and wanted to use stuff I had.  - about $150 in poles and nails - rest was scrap I had.

[diyfrank]

Glenn, the pictures and description of your roof helps a lot.

I'm thinking of 6 6x6 sunk in ground. 3 on each side 8' apart and the 2 rows spaced 10' apart.
4x6 on top going from each post down the sides and 4x8 or 4x10 on top of the gable end.
A 6x6 king post at each end holding up a 6x12x16 lami. a roof section similar to the one posted above and a 8' barn door at one gable end, a man door at the other. 2x6 car decking for walls. Dirt flooring. I have some odd sized windows that would fit nicely in there somewhere.

If my thinking here is bad, stop me before I get too far and obligate myself to finish. 

[Don_P]

Your load path is a 16' lam ridge beam supported by a post at each end, which sits at midspan on a 4x8 or 4x10, which is supported at each end by 6x6 posts? Just trying to visualize, I think that technically is a "crown post" if my understanding above is right. If so the weak link is probably the 4x gable beams.

[diyfrank]

OK, What would you suggest. It's a 10' span that supports the ridge beam. I could go light on the ridge beam if that makes a difference.

[glenn kangiser]

Glad I could help.  I had reasons for doing it that way to get a clear span for my big reach lift if putting things in the back of the shop on the right- no room for a post.  I use rule of thumb to be relatively safe.  Don is the pro at this stuff and gets into the correct figures and design much more than me. 

[Don_P]

Not a pro, still just a carpenter. I've just bumped into the problems enough to have learned how to figure some of it. Here is the way I look at a problem like that,
10x16? The ridge would be supporting 5' wide x 18' long (with 1' overhangs), 90 square feet. multiply that by the snow(?)+dead load (10psf) to get the total load on the ridge. With that info find the smallest ridgebeam. Half that load would be bearing on each crown post. The gable beam would then be checked for that point load at midspan. The side 4x6 plates should also be checked as beams similarly. I can't really say with the information at this point but it looks like there might be some parts much stronger than others. Doesn't mean the weaker parts aren't up to your loads on this building, I just try to work from knowing what is needed and then add if desired from there.

There are other options as well. If you can stand a level ceiling no ridgebeam is needed. I was also engaging in more than semantics, to help explain a little about roof design. Early roofs were built with crown posts bearing on beams like you described. Later as spans increased the kingpost or as some called it the kingrod truss evolved. Think of 2 rafters pinned together at the top with each of their feet on roller skates. Add a load and the feet go out. Tie a rope between the feet and it is the simplest truss, the bottom chord in tension. This can support a ridgebeam with no post as long as the connections and materials are sized right. The next problem is that the bottom chord got long enough to start sagging. The kingrod is essentially another rope, tied from the ridge to the bottom chord to keep it from sagging. The construction can totally reverse the load in that post and its purpose... kinda neat.