# How to handle the floor in new addition to barn.



## Josh in WNY (Sep 7, 2010)

I'm getting ready to put an addition on the side of our existing barn to use for storing hay as well as equipment. I've got the building itself lined up with a local Amish builder, but I am on the hook for doing the floor myself. The addition will be a "lean-to" on the side of our existing barn and will be 20 feet wide, 72 feet long and have a clearance of 15 to 16 feet inside. The back wall and side of the addition will be enclosed, but the front will be left open for now. I figure I can hang a tarp for the time being if I really need to. The ground is fairly level with a slight slope towards the back of the barn and is clay soil. I know I would like to get gravel in there for the floor, but I wanted to get the advice of all of you before I pull the trigger. I'm thinking of getting screened gravel that is a mix of 2 inch stone on down to sand so that it will drain well, but will also pack down nicely. Is this good or should I look at other stuff too?

For this winter, I'm only going to be storing some round bales and equipment in the addition and I don't think I have to have the floor in right away for that. The round bales have been sitting on the field for just over a week, so I'm not too worried about getting the floor put in just for them. Next summer, I plan on using this addition with my NH stacker wagon and bale grab to make haying a lot easier, so I'll definitely want the floor in by then.

I do have a big sheet of plastic that I bought for our greenhouse roof (supplier ended up cutting it a few feet too short) that I can use under the gravel, but if I put the gravel in now, I think it would be harder to get the plastic turned up at the sides and back of the barn when the walls go in. The up side to this approach is that I won't have the building in my way when the gravel is delivered or when I'm getting it spread out. The other thing that worries me about this approach is that the plastic will act like a big bucket until the building is put up and I'll have a bunch of trapped water in the gravel.

I could also wait and put the gravel in after the building is up, but that makes dumping and spreading it a bit more tricky.

Thanks in advance for all of your help. I know this is kind of a rambling bunch of information.

Josh


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## ARD Farm (Jul 12, 2012)

sand base with screenings on top. Drains well and packs down nicely.


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## Josh in WNY (Sep 7, 2010)

ARD Farm said:


> sand base with screenings on top. Drains well and packs down nicely.


Would you still put plastic under it?


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## ARD Farm (Jul 12, 2012)

My preference would be no becaust the plastic makes a vapor barrier and if not graded on an incline, will collect water and will cause the sand/screenings to be damp and damp is bad.

When I did my last truss arch, the grade had to be reformed, that is, I erected it on a slope. I had an excavation company come in with a dozer equipped with a laser leveling system. They struck the grade level minus 3 percent (for drainage, backfilled with sand to level the slope and topped with screenings to a 4" depth. Before they did the work, I erected a rtaining wall at the lower end of the slope 6 feet from the edge of the building made from 6x6 40 retention marine grade timbers with 2x12 planks between the posts so when they struck the grade, they brought it to the retaining wall. I added PVC perforated drainage pipes through the wall and laid on grade prior to levelling, every 6 feet.

It's dry as a bone inside. No plastic anywhere underneath. You want the moisture to wick down into the scrrening/sand, not be restrained by plastic sheeting.

Hope that helps.


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## ARD Farm (Jul 12, 2012)

My intent was a poured concrete floor but it's worked so well, I took the concrete money and went hunting instead.


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

This is here info, but we have similar climate, I have a lean-to on my shop with one end open with clay and 6-12" gravel on top. It always stays wet enough the gravel sticks to your shoes and tracks inside. There is a 4 ft curtain drain under the exterior wall and under the interior wall.

Near my shop wall the foam extends 4 feet into the lean-too, the first 2 feet or so from the shop stays dry.

I'm quite sure its acting as a vapour barrier. Our other machine shed on clay is always wet inside too so we put down plastic and pallets before hay.

I'd try the plastic. I'd put it and gravel in after building, not that long to bucket loads in and you'll have a grade board to work to.


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## HayMike (Mar 22, 2011)

Gravel or crushed concrete, then asphalt. We have done it with 2 barns in the last 5 years for stack wagon, haven't lost a bale. Easy to clean, too.


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## Josh in WNY (Sep 7, 2010)

HayMike said:


> Gravel or crushed concrete, then asphalt. We have done it with 2 barns in the last 5 years for stack wagon, haven't lost a bale. Easy to clean, too.


I might consider asphalt in the future, but for now I want to do just the gravel. Did you put plastic in under the gravel? Would you if you do another floor?

The nice thing is, this addition will be used for hay for now but in the future we plan on having a separate (and bigger) barn for all the hay storage. At that point, this addition will be used for equipment storage and possibly for overflow hay.

(By the way, if you put your location in your profile, it helps others out as far as geographical/climate differences.)


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## HayMike (Mar 22, 2011)

No plastic, it seemed to hold moisture when we tried it. I thought the location was in the profile, thanks.

Mike


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## Richardin52 (Aug 14, 2011)

Plastic will not let water through but it will let the ground temp. Through. Think about a glass of ice water on a hot day. Water forms on the outside of the glass but it didn't come from inside the glass but rather condenced from the moisture in the warm air around the glass. Warm air is able to hold more mosture than cold air so when the temp. Drops around the glass the warm are releases it's moisture. The same thing will happen with ground on a hot day. If you put styrofoam down you will have a dry floor because you will insulate the cold ground and stop the condinsation. Asphalt tends to do the same. Concrete is not a good insulator so will have condinsation form on top of it.


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