# Building an Inexpensive Buildings for storage of equipment & hay



## Richardin52

Hay talk needs to section where people can talk about buildings, barns and hay storage.

I have built several buildings in the last few years, the last was a Farmteck hoop roof building with 6 foot side walls that measured 38 x 60.

I'm now starting to plan for another building to be used for additional machine storage and a place for a small wood shop. 
Based on the location I want to put it, I'm thinking of something like a 24 x 60 or 80 building.

What I have in mind for the back and side walls is using 6x6 posts every 8 feet with 2x6's running horizontally between the posts. Then have an open front facing southeast made up of posts and headers.

For the roof I was thinking of building fink or "W" type truss's out of full dimension 2x6 and putting them 4 foot on center using 2 by's for strapping then covering the whole thing with painted steel. With heavy trusses 4 feet on center I will only need 16 trusses to go 60 feet and 21 to go 80 feet. The walls should go up pretty quick too.

If anybody has built a building that went up quick and was cheap to build I would love to hear about it.


----------



## urednecku

I haven't built one yet, and the money to do so is still a ways off. But I did find some interesting plans a while back and bookmarked it.
Agricultural Building and Equipment Plan List
From the University of Tennessee, "The Agricultural Building and Equipment Plan List."


----------



## mlappin

I have four of them, same place you got yours for quick and cheap, Farmtek. In my county hoop buildings are tax exempt. Took me less than 5 days total on my last building which is a 42x96 to set grade, set the 2'x2'x6' cement blocks and erect the building. Had less than 15K in it including the cement blocks, stainless steel anchors and the custom 5 foot roll up sides.


----------



## NCSteveH

All I'm going to say is to make sure you have enough pitch on the roof so that snow and ice don't build up. When I bought my farm in 96 we got hit with a pretty bad ice storm, ended up having to rebuild part of a barn that the rafters cracked on.

Last year was the last year that I used that barn, I'm going to put up a steel building on its slab next spring. Also going to put up a 34x60 hoop building on a pad that has been empty for a few years.


----------



## swmnhay

NCSteveH said:


> All I'm going to say is to make sure you have enough pitch on the roof so that snow and ice don't build up. When I bought my farm in 96 we got hit with a pretty bad ice storm, ended up having to rebuild part of a barn that the rafters cracked on.
> 
> Last year was the last year that I used that barn, I'm going to put up a steel building on its slab next spring. Also going to put up a 34x60 hoop building on a pad that has been empty for a few years.


Just put up machine shed.Went with a building with 55 lb snow load.Code here is 28 lb.Alot of buildings caved in here a couple of yrs ago that were just built to code.

60 ft wide pole shed with poles 6' apart.

Insurance man that came and took pictures and said it was built well.I asked if I got a cheaper rate then?Nope!


----------



## downtownjr

Richardin52 said:


> Hay talk needs to section where people can talk about buildings, barns and hay storage.


There you go buddy, a new forum for buildings. Thanks for the input, it helps us make things better. We really appreciate it.


----------



## Richardin52

Also going to put up a 34x60 hoop building on a pad that has been empty for a few years.[/QUOTE]

Code calls for 70 lb. Snow load here. The hoop roof I got from farmtek used 4 inch pipe and I went with a spacing of 4 foot on center. The guys at FSA & NRCS told me several hoop barns had come down in the area and did not recommend me putting one up. The first year mine moved a little too, snow tends to set on the peak where it's almost flat. I ended up building a plywood box beam under the peak using just one post in the middle of the barn. It has not moved one inch since I put that in.

I think anybody can go with the truss type hoops they sell and pay more for the building or go with a cheaper pipe style and use a beam and save a chunk of money. If I put up another one I will go with a pipe spacing of 6 feet on center and use a beam.


----------



## robert23239

Yeah I think that's a great idea, most of us put up a building sooner or later. So what is the life of a hoop building anyway ? Who makes the better one ? 
The biggest question is how will the light getting through affect the hay?


----------



## NewBerlinBaler

Timely discussion, I've also been looking at hoop buildings from FarmTek. They seem like a very cost effective way to put lots of square footage under "roof" but... What about the fabric that covers the hoops. How durable is this stuff? How long does it last? What about high winds? If a tree branch falls on it, will that tear it up? If it needs to be replaced, how expensive it that?


----------



## Fowllife

Richardin52 said:


> Hay talk needs to section where people can talk about buildings, barns and hay storage.
> 
> What I have in mind for the back and side walls is using 6x6 posts every 8 feet with 2x6's running horizontally between the posts. Then have an open front facing southeast made up of posts and headers.
> 
> For the roof I was thinking of building fink or "W" type truss's out of full dimension 2x6 and putting them 4 foot on center using 2 by's for strapping then covering the whole thing with painted steel. With heavy trusses 4 feet on center I will only need 16 trusses to go 60 feet and 21 to go 80 feet. The walls should go up pretty quick too.
> 
> If anybody has built a building that went up quick and was cheap to build I would love to hear about it.


For a 70lbs snow load a 2x6 isn't going to work, not even on only a 24' span. What you would need for low & high side headers would depend on what your roof pitch is. "Here" we have a 30lb ground snow load and we use 2 2x10's for a 4/12 pitch roof for most spans, but you may be able to cheat a little for a smaller span.


----------



## Richardin52

NewBerlinBaler said:


> What about the fabric that covers the hoops. How durable is this stuff? How long does it last? What about high winds? If a tree branch falls on it, will that tear it up? If it needs to be replaced, how expensive it that?


I got the basic silver fabric cover, they also have a white cover they sell for more money. Mine has been up for 2 1/2 years so far so good. The fabric is just basic good quality tarp. Mine had a way to stretch it length ways on the gable ends and downward on the eves. I think if they were not tight and cavitated in the wind they would be gone in one season but if they stay tight no problem. They say the cover is guaranteed for 15 years but when I got to opening up boxes when I got the site work done I found a little folder. Inside it said in order for the warranty to be in effect the structure has to be up within 60 days and you also have to take a bunch of pictures and send them in. I did not get mine up in 60 days from the date I purchased it. As far as wind goes I get a fair amount and it does not seam to bother. If a branch fell on the cover it would most likely need to be replaced so clean out around the barn. As far as cost of a replacement tarp they said up to about 40% of the cost of the building.

To get the hoops on top of my 6 foot high walls I rented a cherry picker rested the center of the hoop on the basket and held it while I lifted it up. I had one guy on each of the ends that guided it into place and then lag screwed it into a 2x6 double top plate. It took a little longer than I thought it would to put it all together, still 38 x 60 is a big building.


----------



## mlappin

From Farmtek/Clearspan the covers have a 15 year pro-rated guarantee. Our first two buildings have the translucent covers and have been up for almost ten years and show very little signs of degrading. They don't offer the translucent covers anymore as they feel they don't last long enough.

Definitely top out any nearby trees before erecting, or if possible place structure away from any trees.

We used a boom we clamp to our loader bucket to place the hoops. The boom has a large slip hook on the end of it, we use a V belt as a sling, once the hoop is in place and fastened by simply lowering the bucket the belt is stiff enough it comes out of the slip hook on its own and falls to the ground. Last one we put up we had a guy on each end of teh hoop to guide it and father was in the boomlift installing purlins.


----------



## mlappin

robert23239 said:


> Yeah I think that's a great idea, most of us put up a building sooner or later. So what is the life of a hoop building anyway ? Who makes the better one ?
> The biggest question is how will the light getting through affect the hay?


At the worst just the outside of the bales get bleached a little, no deeper than a 1/8 of a inch. We've had hay bleach as well when we stored small squares in old bank barns, if theirs a window any where it's gonna bleach some hay. Most folks that know hay won't even think twice about a little bleaching of one side of a bale. If they do they are either VERY picky or know nothing about hay, in the long run usually best if they just leave and don't buy any as they usually turn into a big pain in the butt.


----------



## Teslan

Our hay always bleaches in the hay barn even with the doors completely closed. It's called oxidation. In our area really nothing will stop it. Maybe if I tarped the hay within the building, but that would just be silly just to impress the extra picky hay buyers. I leave the doors open for nearly all of summer just to have some air flow over the stacks of hay in case there are some bales that might be slightly damp. I've wondered about these farmtek hoop buildings and how well they stand up to hail. Denver International airport has similar, but I'm sure much much higher quality stuff on it and this summer it got ripped due to hail. We get a fair amount of hail in my area every year. A neighbor put one up and it seems to have weathered this last summer ok.


----------



## Richardin52

Last winter I put 60 round bales under a white hay tarp from Missouri Hay Tarps. I used another tarp under the hay and the whole thing was set on a gravel pad that helped the water to run off. On each end I stuck a 16 foot 2x4 under the tarp on the peak then left the top open. I must say when I unwrapped the bunk the hay looked better then the hay in the barn. No complaints from any hay customers either and horse people will complain. I have 2 bunks set up that way this year.

They tax my farmtek barn here but they don't tax tarps..... yet.


----------



## NewBerlinBaler

Thank you Richardin52 and mlappin for answering all of my questions!


----------



## rjmoses

The Farmtek building I put up a 1 1/2 years ago was 42x60 with 4" pipes on 4' centers. Built it on a 5' pony wall using 4x6" every 4' feet interspersed with 6x6's at the corners, every 4th post and the back wall. The building cost about $12,000 from Farmtek. Total costs ran about $18,000 including dirt work, rock, posts, siding, hired labor and beer.

I have also used ADM Hay tarps (I have some that I would be interested in getting rid of now) and they work great when you put them on correctly. Bales come out looking just like they did when put away. Trick is to allow them to sweat a week or so before stacking and to leave the ends of the tarps kinda open so they can breathe. I must admit they are a hassle when covered with 1' of snow.

Ralph


----------



## mlappin

rjmoses said:


> I have also used ADM Hay tarps (I have some that I would be interested in getting rid of now) and they work great when you put them on correctly. Bales come out looking just like they did when put away. Trick is to allow them to sweat a week or so before stacking and to leave the ends of the tarps kinda open so they can breathe. I must admit they are a hassle when covered with 1' of snow.
> 
> Ralph


Been there done that, or windy as well they can be a hassle to manage.

It never fails when I cover hay with a tarp that day it's either:

(A) 107 degrees out with the humidity and zero breeze

(







windier than h*ll and we end up putting the same tarp on at least twice

(C) hearing thunder in the distance. The wife and I once stood in a downpour holding the edge down that wasn't fastened yet. Think we got 3/4" in like 6 minutes. She wasn't happy.

(D) any of the above but dealing with it by myself.


----------



## robert23239

It all sounds great using rocks for a floor but coming in with muddy tires doesnt the rock get picked up and spread all over the place? Mine will be on the edge of a hay field. Yes I know something is needed for the floor but dont want rocks all over the pasture either.


----------



## mlappin

We use railroad ballast from the section of tracks we bought. Has enough fines, cinders and a little clay in once you drive it down it ain't moving.


----------



## mlappin

Richardin52 said:


> The first year mine moved a little too, snow tends to set on the peak where it's almost flat. I ended up building a plywood box beam under the peak using just one post in the middle of the barn. It has not moved one inch since I put that in.
> .


Query, what direction does your hoop building run?

Here we installed them all running east and west and any wind scours the snow off the buildings. My stacks of hay run north and south and the snow just piles up on the tarps and stays there.


----------



## Richardin52

I set my 38x60 Farmtek barn so the gable end that has a large roll way door in it faces southeast. I also set it in a spot that is partly protected by trees. The rest of the farm gets a lot of wind.









We have three large (30x100) greenhouses up higher that run so the long side faces southeast. They hold up pretty well so long as we run two layers of plastic and keep them inflated between the layers.


----------



## mlappin

Could be the trees block the wind just enough so the snow piles up and sits there. I've sold a lot of buildings for Clearspan the last 5 or 10 years and the guys that can install then east-west usually have no problems with snow buildup, the ones that run north-south is a different story, not sure if I've had anybody install them northwest-southeast.


----------



## man of steel

mlappin said:


> Could be the trees block the wind just enough so the snow piles up and sits there. I've sold a lot of buildings for Clearspan the last 5 or 10 years and the guys that can install then east-west usually have no problems with snow buildup, the ones that run north-south is a different story, not sure if I've had anybody install them northwest-southeast.


Didn't have a problem with snow so much on my north/south 34x72, but the wind took her down in early June this year


----------



## mlappin

man of steel said:


> Didn't have a problem with snow so much on my north/south 34x72, but the wind took her down in early June this year


Was this the older building with the 2 3/8" pipes? Our older two 38x72's use the small pipe, one thing we did do though was goto TSC and buy some 4" x 36" ground anchors for the ends. The reasoning being that if the ends stayed put, so would the rest.


----------



## man of steel

It was the 2.375 pipe and they still use that according to Farmtex's website.

I had it sitting on 6' tall 6x6 end poles and 4x6 pole every 4'. Wind storm collapsed the whole west side inward buckling it at the connections of the pipes. Also broke the first five pole off at ground level. I had siding on the outside running horizontal, a 2x4 nailed to the face of every post for the siding. A 2x6 laying on top of the poles with 4 lags screwed through the 2x6 and into the poles. That held the feet of each hoop. Then a 2x8 along the face at the top nailed to the to the 2x6 and poles. And to top it all off I had a 3 rib guardrail running full length lagged to every pole with the bottom starting about 30" off the ground.

That wind also uprooted a 3' dia oak 1/8mile straight west and sheared two 20" round white pines just above the roof of my house which is straight east of the hoop barn 1/8 mile away

Mine was open on both ends. If it would have had hay stacked in it the stake would have held it up.

I could send you some pics if you wish


----------



## mlappin

WOW!!! That's a hell of a wind. Worst I know ours made it thru (according to the NWS at least) was a 82mph gust. But, it may not actually have been that strong here since I know the nearest station is like 5 miles away.


----------



## man of steel

Yup!

I had a gravity box with a roof of pole barn steel and a wood frame. It ripped the roof off and flew it about 300' NE. The trees tipped and sheared over about E by NE. I had a crate on the SE corner of the hoop with 60 empty soybean bags in it. They scattered about from almost straight N all the way around to SSE.

Mini rotation or straight line? Who knows.

I'm going to replace the corner 6x6 that broke and two others at 8' and 16' then attach(nail/screw/bolt) 2x6x16s up the sides of the post up to a header then trusses. Like a stud wall attached to the poles. I'll call it my studly pole barn.









Prices went up too much on the Clearspans since I bought mine in '05.


----------



## mlappin

man of steel said:


> Prices went up too much on the Clearspans since I bought mine in '05.


No doubt, I told the representative that is assigned to me more than once if they don't lower prices they are going to kill their own market, also told em with the crash in the housing market lumber is cheap now and with all the un employed carpenters around they cut one another throats on the price of a pole barn.

But what do I know?


----------



## man of steel

They actually did lower the price since June. At least on my building.

In '05 I purchased it for just $5800 delivered. When I showed the website to my insurance adjuster last June, I think it was listed for somewhere around $9300 plus whatever the delivery would be. The materials for this barn, steel, lumber, and trusses, should be around $9000 depending on how much extra they will charge for an oddball truss length. Add fasteners and some more trim and I think I can do it for under $11,000. Labor will be additional though I should walk away from this for under $15,000 and will be able to store 36 more bales than before


----------



## BryanM

Richard i have a question for you. i too plan on building a machine shed/hay shed. i am going too build a 24x ? not sure of length yet. It is going to be a 3 sided building but i want my opening to be 16 ft openings on eve side so I can back in 2 wagons in a bay. have you thought about how wide your opening will be.

the reason I ask is i am concerned about the header that should be used, what size I mean? 16ft is pretty far apart, i will be using 6x6 posts and the roof out of tin. does anyone have any advice on what size header I can use? thanks


----------



## man of steel

not Richard but...

Standard here in SW MI is to notch the 6x6 on top to fit a 2x12 flush with the poles then scab another 2x12 to that so you have 4 2x12s for a header.

But you might have a little problem backing in 2 8' wide wagons into a 16' wide opening. 20' would be better and with only a 24' wide building I would think 4 2x12x20 would do the trick.


----------



## BryanM

thanks for the reply Man O steel, I am sorry wagons are 7ft wide i had on my mind 8 ft centers! thanks. could you go 20ft wide with for 2x12,s?


----------



## man of steel

I'm thinking yes. I would also check on laminated beams and my favorite.....*steel beams or rectangle tubing*..... so it never sags. But it is more money.


----------



## Mike120

Why not use steel? All of my sheds are 3-sided using drill pipe for the posts; receiver channels and cee profiles for the frame and PBR panels for the skin. Last one I put up had four 18' X 18' bays and cost less than $5K to put up. I don't put in slabs, just crushed concrete for a floor. Fortunately I don't have to worry about snow loading, but I have had 85-90 mph winds when the occasional hurricane passes by.


----------



## Tyler B

Between -40 in winter, +40 in summer, heavy snow and high winds, the covers just don't hold up here. Check auctions for poles & building materials, you can cut your material costs in half for a tin hay or equipment shed. We're starting a 40x60 shed in spring, with lean-too's on either side for storing hay. Half the materials are bought at auctions or surplus.


----------



## Mike120

Tyler B said:


> Between -40 in winter, +40 in summer


I used to believe that -40 number until I spent a couple of weeks at Fort Mac in a February and realized that mercury freezes at -39. I think it gets a lot colder than that.


----------



## Texasmark

My building was purchased. They use treated full 5" square posts on 10' centers. The side boards are 2x4 #3 southern pine on 2' centers. The bottom one is 2x6 treated and makes a nice form for your concrete when you do the floor....I did 5" with #3 rebar on 18" centers back in '05 and it is supporting my 4230 Deere and one tone pallets of fertilizer and feed nicely.

The trusses are single W, 2x6 tops and bottoms with 2x4 making the w, 3/12 slope....makes for a nice shed on this size building. They sit on dual 2x6's running down the barn on both sides of the posts. Between every post is a 5x5 block attached to the 2x6 runners to support the interim truss giving you a 5' spacing. My barn is 30x50x12 with a 15x50 shed which is a continuation of the roof slope and is made from 2x8's.

The purlins are the same wood as the side rails and also on 2' centers. The sides and top are one piece in length, for quick assembly and the roof overhangs the sides 6". I used self starting screws which seem to stay put much better than ribbed shank insulated nails. As compared to the corrugated, galvanized, pole barns I built when first on the property, it makes a beautiful building and has maintained it's looks very well.

I installed a 10' double door in the end, centered, rather than a single door that mounted on one side and opened across the end of the building. On the side that the shed was mounted, I had another 10' double door centered. One last door was a passage door deliberately located on the side under the shed near the end of the building for protection from the elements. I put 7ea 3x3 windows in it.

I had the roof insulated to prevent condensation drips, 2 10' ridge vents, and used heavy duty (1/8"x4') plastic sleeves for the building posts (not the outer row of shed posts) to sit in thus isolating them from the environment. ($25 each). I have a Morton building that I had erected in '81 with treated posts and they were heavily treated, but have since pretty much rotted away. This way I won't have the problem and if the shed poles fail, they are no problem to replace.

Have no regrets and works great for me. The company also has a 40x60 which is popular but I didn't need that much building. BCI is the name of the company and they are in Muskogee, OK. and travel all over. Their contractors are excellent and the company sends you a satisfaction questionnaire when they are finished asking how you were treated, quality of workmanship, and how you liked the finished product. You and I both know this is how you maintain your customer base.

HTH,

Mark


----------



## Texasmark

BryanM said:


> thanks for the reply Man O steel, I am sorry wagons are 7ft wide i had on my mind 8 ft centers! thanks. could you go 20ft wide with for 2x12,s?


I got here 30+ years ago and knew nothing but treated posts on 8' centers and shed roofs, and board supports and corrugated galvanized sheet metal.

Well a few buildings/years later, I prefer 2 7/8 (used)drill pipe concreted into a 3' x 12" hole and the centers depend. Other than the building I mentioned that I had fabricated and wanted the wood framework for a particular reason, I do not do sheds nor carports with anything other than steel.

I built a carport for my JD 4230 and JD 530 baler and it was clear span. The sheet metal dimensions were 22x24 and the posts were on 20w x24L dimensions.

The posts (4 total for the shed....clear span F-R and S-S) were 2 7/8 used oil field drill pipe and I used steel purlins for the purlins, available at Mueller Building materials (steel) and other farm suppliers have them too.

I wanted the water to run off the side so I put the main support across the entrance/rear. It was a standard 10" purlin.....1 ea. front and 1 ea at the rear, vertically mounted. I welded angle iron to the post and welded the purlins to the angle iron.

Going front to rear, I put 8" purlins on 4' centers (on end...vertical also) and welded to the top of the 10" purlins. The tin was Mueller's R panel as I recall....this is important to span the 4' centers and not collapse at mid span (between the purlins). The panel I am describing is 36" wide and about every 10" it has a (roughly) 2"wide raised area that is about 1 3/4" high. Between each of these are several small raised ribs....You can test the material at your building site and see for yourself (don't take it from me...if you choose) what it can withstand in terms of spacing of purlins to support the tin.

On each corner post I put a pair of wind braces at 45 degrees made from the same angle iron I used to weld the purlins to the posts.

THERE IS NO DETECTABLE SAG (DEFLECTION) IN ANY OF MY PURLINS and for what you are getting they are extremely light and durable, very easily constructed as well, as compared to wood. Also, the purlins are primed (paint if you wish; I didn;t need to) and now have developed a protective oxide coating on them, as has the oil field pipes (no wood to rot, rust is just surface deep) and the tin is painted.....they have galvanized also with a clear coat applied if you choose....I think they call it Galvaume or something like that. Cheaper but the painted tin has a longer guarantee/expected life.

I have built several of these around the place since early '05 and have seen some bad weather including a few inches of snow. If you are in a high snow area, you might want to support the tin with maybe a 3' spacing on your purlins.

Mine is just an implement cover and obviously if you want to build a 3 sided shed, you will put more poles in the ground to support the side walls, but you can still have your free span.

You absolutely cannot compare this type of construction to wood framing in terms of deflection vs load and span for the amount of material it takes to do the job. You will realize that in building your first one and probably never go back to the old ways. Also, you probably will find it cheaper, faster to assemble, and sturdier...also steel doesn't warp nor have split ends, nor knots, et.al.

Mueller has a www and they also have people to help you to do just what you want to do...the service is no charge and it's just customer service to help you be successful and ensure that you get all the materials of the correct dimensions that you need. If you don't have one in your area there are other companies, I'm sure, that are local to you and do the same service to the community.

HTH,

Mark


----------



## Richardin52

BryanM said:


> Richard i have a question for you. i too plan on building a machine shed/hay shed. i am going too build a 24x ? not sure of length yet. It is going to be a 3 sided building but i want my opening to be 16 ft openings on eve side so I can back in 2 wagons in a bay. have you thought about how wide your opening will be.
> 
> the reason I ask is i am concerned about the header that should be used, what size I mean? 16ft is pretty far apart, i will be using 6x6 posts and the roof out of tin. does anyone have any advice on what size header I can use? thanks


BryanM

Sorry I have not been on this site as of late. Winter being what it is, not much going on with regard to haying and buildings.

Anyway you asked about a header that will span a 16 ft. opening in a 24 foot wide building. (one story supporting a ceiling) The IBC has very little with regard to wood headers (they refer to them as girders.) The IRC deals more with wood girders but table R502.5(1) only gives a spans of 7 ft. 11 in. for 4-2x12's in a 30 lb snow load area. and 7 ft. 8 in. in a 70 lb. snow load area.

That said if you look at wood PSL headers (Parallel strand lumber) The table I have shows a 3 1/2 in. by 18 in. PSL is good for a 16 foot opening in a 24ft wide building with a 40 lb. snow load. You could buy them or make them out of OSB using const. adhesive and nails or screws or you can make the same span with a hollow box beam of the same depth using 2x4s and 1/2 in. plywood.

Hope this helps

PS. The code calls for 2 jack studs on each end to hold a beam with this span.


----------



## tnwalkingred

I just had a 40 x 60 barn built that has 16' clear. It is was built using 6 by 6 posts on 12' centers with metal trusses and 2 by 6 purlins. They put a 40 year warranty number 1 metal on the roof and also did the same on the west side that I had fully enclosed. I had a friend build it and the total for all materials and labor was $9100. I still need some gravel put in it which will be a extra cost but I was very happy with the product. I will try and post some pictures later on.

--Kyle


----------



## Richardin52

Where did you get your metal trusses?


----------



## tnwalkingred

All the materials were brought it by the guy who built it so I don't know where the trusses came from.

--Kyle


----------



## Mike120

I've seen a number of ads for folks selling metal trusses in Fastline. 40' seems to be the max because of transport costs and they often split them to go wider. They are not that difficult to build.


----------



## hayward

I bought a poultry farm 2yrs ago 4 32x500 broiler houses on 73 ac, didn't have a hay or equip barn so I started planning on building one, put up prefab commercial building for bout ten yrs, so I've built a few diff sizes. Ended up building one outa of chicken house trusses that I bought for 50$ set Thea barn is 32 x150 ft 12 ft eve. Took suna tubes to make 12" piers with a plate in concrete, then took an welded 5 ft pc of 8" channel iron in welded it to plate n set trusses on top of channel, actually truss sit down into channel about 7" . Trusses have clips on them bout 2' aperture for 2x4 purlins, I skipped every other clip n went with 4" metal purlins. Also used used tin from chicken house , coulda put new on for 3k more , used saved alittle money n works fine. Took same roof tin an cut it n half for sidewall sheeting, has bout 9' sheets on sidewall, this gives 3 foot opening on top foot on bottom for air. Ended up costing 8000$, 1000 paying one guy to help me stand trusses an put tin on. 7000 in materials altogether, it will hold 600 4x5 round bales


----------



## cwright

tnwalkingred said:


> I just had a 40 x 60 barn built that has 16' clear. It is was built using 6 by 6 posts on 12' centers with metal trusses and 2 by 6 purlins. They put a 40 year warranty number 1 metal on the roof and also did the same on the west side that I had fully enclosed. I had a friend build it and the total for all materials and labor was $9100. I still need some gravel put in it which will be a extra cost but I was very happy with the product. I will try and post some pictures later on.
> 
> --Kyle


That is a darn good deal


----------



## bluefarmer

Hayward,what was the reason for using the channell iron vs.tall concrete pillar


----------



## hayward

To me that would have been a lot more work, as I mixed sackcrete (around 9000ibs) to pour piers ranging from 6 to 24 in . Ground was 4' out of level, I got it down to two feet out of level. Had to stop because I was starting to get high end down below ground surface. Shoulda used concrete truck to pour, but was worried they hit my forms r get stuck. Another reason if I were to hit it tractor r other equip it ( channel) would be easier to replace. Sure it could b done with tall concrete pier


----------



## slowzuki

They make concrete telephone poles somewhere around here, they would make a heck of a pole barn I would think.


----------



## bluefarmer

thanks hayward I understand


----------



## slowzuki

I've been pricing building materials the last few days and CCA treated poles 18 ft long are about 60$ a piece here.

The 7 ft concrete pilaster/pad precast units are 110$ each or so delivered but need additional post on top. Hemlock is about 25$ per post so total about 135 per.


----------



## slowzuki

Working up more info, priced treated sawn posts at 110$-170$ per post. I think I'll stick with poles!

Waiting on truss pricing to come back.

I've been trying to find the manufacturer of a common green painted agricultural steel truss used in a lot of sheds here. They are a pair of open web steel joists butted at the peak with a big hunk of 3/4 threaded rod as the collar tie giving a nice high ceiling. Used with 8-10 ft spacing so you don't need many of them. I though "Houle" the manure company made them but I can't find reference to them.



slowzuki said:


> I've been pricing building materials the last few days and CCA treated poles 18 ft long are about 60$ a piece here.
> 
> The 7 ft concrete pilaster/pad precast units are 110$ each or so delivered but need additional post on top. Hemlock is about 25$ per post so total about 135 per.


----------



## Richardin52

slowzuki said:


> Waiting on truss pricing to come back.


Anybody interested in learning how to make trusses really easy?

When I was in high school I worked for an old guy that was a he!! of a good carpenter. He always made his own trusses and I have always made mine ever since.

I'm sure you have all seen pictures of braces placed on a floor and parts placed into the braces and then gusseted together. Well forget that, too much work and too slow.

First figure out how many trusses you need. Then figure out how many gussets you need. Each truss except the end trusses will have gussets on both sides of the truss. Most of your gussets will measure 19 inches long by 9 1/2 inches wide. Cut this way you will have almost no waist from a 4x8 sheet of 1/2 plywood advanteck etc.
All you gussets can be ripped this way and then trimmed as needed to fit the peak or tails etc. of the truss.

Now look over you lumber and pick out the straightest pieces you can find, lay them on the ground and layout your truss using these members. After you have the truss layed out and the members marked for cutting make all the cuts and place them back together to check that everything fits, If they do put a "P" on them because they are your pattern. Use these to mark and cut the all the rest of pieces you will need for all your trusses.

Now take your pattern pieces and lay them back down on the ground and nail them together using gussets on just one side of the truss using 6 penny nails if you are using 1/2 inch gussets, use 4 penny if you are using 3/8 thick gussets. Do not use 8 penny because they will stick out way too far on the back side. A nail gun is almost a must nailing gussets.

As a general rule nails should be about kept 3/4 inch in from the edge and one inch on center over any contact areas on the gusset.

After you have your first truss nailed with a gusset on just one side flip it over and you have you patter and base to build every other truss on. When placing members on the pattern tack them down with 16 D nails with the heads left up about 1/2 inch, if you have a piece that is not strait just nail it to the patter and then bow it back into the correct position before putting on the gusset.

After the second truss is gusseted on one side pull any 16D nails and flip it over off the pattern then nail the second gusset on. Then start the third truss the same way and so on till all trusses are made.

A couple notes;
Make sure you put a mark on the right side of each truss so they all go on the building with that mark same side of the building and you do not flip one end to end by mistake.

If pieces are not strait it is always best to put the crown up even though you bend them back strait.

If you need a pattern to go by and do not trust yourself to design a truss you can go to your local lumber company and get a sketch of a truss the size you want with the snow load you want to go by.

If you cut the wood on your own property you can build trusses for the price of the nails and gussets material.

If you have to buy your lumber check around and compare the price of the material to a pre built truss. Once you have the material you can, depending on the size, build 50 trusses a day easy.


----------



## slowzuki

My price came back - 30 ft trusses for 60 ft building - 32" centres, shed roof though, roughly 3500$. Ouch, about 150$ a piece.


----------



## triabordofarm

I have been checking out Farmtek's hoop buildings and they look great. I have my doubts if it will work for me though as I get around 150-200" of snow, and being almost 400' above Lake Michigan, I get a lot of wind. Farmtek hoops are about 30-40% less than conventional pole buildings. Anyone here have any comments on wheather the hoop style would work for me?


----------



## Richardin52

I put up a farmtek hoop barn on 6 foot walls. We are in a 70 lb. Per square ft. Snow load area. Barn is 36 by 60. The one I put up uses 4 inch pipes. I would not put one up in a snow area without this modification. Build a 2 by 6 plywood box beam 2 feet deep and 30 feet long and put it under the peak to support the center of the roof. I have a post supporting the beams in the center and have never had a problem. Box beams are easy and cheap to build.


----------



## Fowllife

triabordofarm said:


> I have been checking out Farmtek's hoop buildings and they look great. I have my doubts if it will work for me though as I get around 150-200" of snow, and being almost 400' above Lake Michigan, I get a lot of wind. Farmtek hoops are about 30-40% less than conventional pole buildings. Anyone here have any comments on wheather the hoop style would work for me?


Does that 30-40% less include the foundation cost for the hoop building, and everything else you would need for it (end walls?)

In my area there is very little difference between the 2 when all cost are considered, especially if you need to modify for a heavy snow load.

In my opinion, if there is no tax saving, and you don't plan on moving it soon you are better off with a pole building. Well, unless you are talking a truss span over 65' or so. That 65'-70' span is where pole barns start to get pricey, and hoop building start getting cheaper. It's also the range where traditional pre engineered metal building start to become more cost effective.


----------



## slowzuki

Worked with truss supplier a bit. Moving to 48" centres and eliminating overhangs - 30 x 96 building - 2500$ for trusses. Much better, putting them in the running against tarp building.



slowzuki said:


> My price came back - 30 ft trusses for 60 ft building - 32" centres, shed roof though, roughly 3500$. Ouch, about 150$ a piece.


----------



## Chessiedog

[


----------



## swmnhay

Mike120 said:


> I've seen a number of ads for folks selling metal trusses in Fastline. 40' seems to be the max because of transport costs and they often split them to go wider. They are not that difficult to build.


My cattle shed has 50' steel trusses.The longer you get the heavier they need to be so price increases.


----------



## swmnhay

slowzuki said:


> Worked with truss supplier a bit. Moving to 48" centres and eliminating overhangs - 30 x 96 building - 2500$ for trusses. Much better, putting them in the running against tarp building.


Price from 2009 cattle shed.

50' long 30" deep bar joists were $540 each. X 20 = $10800

Total materials =$25230

The bar joists were 40% of the material cost of the building


----------



## slowzuki

I have to price wider soon, I think after 32 ft the price per ft2 starts to climb here due to the snow load.
My numbers for 30 x96 are:
Trusses: 2500
18 ft Posts (PT): 26 x 60$ each = 1560
Steel: Approx 4500$ for 3 sides + roof + trim
Purlins/Strapping: 2080
Truss headers: 700
Cement: haven't priced yet, its been going up and down 30% seasonally here.
Total:11340$ plus labour, plus cement + hardware.

The 30 ft straight wall tarp buildings are pricing at 8000$ for the same width/length.


----------



## GawasFarm

slowzuki said:


> I have to price wider soon, I think after 32 ft the price per ft2 starts to climb here due to the snow load.
> My numbers for 30 x96 are:
> Trusses: 2500
> 18 ft Posts (PT): 26 x 60$ each = 1560
> Steel: Approx 4500$ for 3 sides + roof + trim
> Purlins/Strapping: 2080
> Truss headers: 700
> Cement: haven't priced yet, its been going up and down 30% seasonally here.
> Total:11340$ plus labour, plus cement + hardware.
> 
> The 30 ft straight wall tarp buildings are pricing at 8000$ for the same width/length.


Lower cost initially yes but what about long term cost. Steel will last a lot longer than tarps! For the extra 5000 or so now you will have a better building in the long run but I like over engineered things anyways. Of course that's in a perfect world and sometimes that extra 5000+ just isn't sitting around with no purpose.


----------



## slowzuki

I had a bit more info, the single tube tarp building has no official snow load rating so any machinery inside isn't going to be insured for collapse. The twin tube truss models can be had with sealed drawings with proper snowload but price is double.


----------



## slowzuki

Back to figuring buildings again! My pad area available is 80 ft wide by 120 ft but access around and into will limit building to about 60 ft wide by 100 long max. Not a chance buying 60 ft trusses, way too expensive.

Trying to figure out the layout for parking haywagons. I'm allowing 10 ft width for parking 8 ft wagons, so 4 abreast in the 40 ft. This needs good approaches to straighten out the wagon as I deliver to folks with 10 ft doors on their barn and its tight. Trying to figure on pulling through with double hitched 24 ft wagons as backing in wagons in a hurry always sucks. I could put a front hitch on the loader to back them in tight I guess but it isn't fast with rain coming.

What do you guys do with long skinny barns? I'm trying to save the lean-to's for parking balers mowers etc with the long face so nothing gets blocked in.


----------



## azmike

Last week I got a price of $11,000 for a 40x60x18 DuroSpan "culvert" style steel building. We have no snow load (ha ha!) and anything built on farm ground is out of the county's reach.


----------

