How to Set Posts for a Pole Barn
Build a pole barn in a rural or city setting and use it for commercial, industrial or residential needs. Pole barns are great for housing livestock, parking motor homes and vehicles. Save money by building a pole barn yourself. Once you have cleared and prepared the land, it's time to set the posts. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Power auger
- Treated posts
- 90-lb. bags of concrete
- Wheelbarrow
- Garden or cement mixing hoe
- Water hose
Instructions
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Choose 4-by-6 inch posts or 6-by-6 inch posts for your pole barn depending on the size of the structure. Build a foundation for the pole barn by setting the posts vertically into the ground.
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Space the poles 8 feet on center (oc) along the exterior walls and rear walls. You will measure from the center of one post to the center of the next post.
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Dig the hole with a power earth auger, and drill 12-inch holes that are 4 feet deep. You could use a hand held posthole digger, but the depth you need to dig would be very difficult work.
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Mix the bag of cement in the wheelbarrow according to directions.
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Pour 4 inches of concrete at the bottom of each hole to form a slab. Make sure you get all of the slabs level with each other.
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Set the post into the concrete pad and back fill the rest of the hole with concrete. Allow the cement to cure completely before you continue with the pole barn construction.
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Mount posts on a ground level footing or slab as an alternative to digging the postholes. If you want a dirt or gravel floor in your pole barn, use the posthole method.
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Tips & Warnings
Warning: Set footings below the frost line if you live in an area where the ground freezes.
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Comments
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Many people would say that it's bad to set these posts in concrete and that you should use fine gravel instead. Setting the posts in concrete locks moisture in, whereas gravel allows moisture to wick away from the posts.
