New shop! (was: Multiple buildings, ...)

[rabler]

Construction of the new shop started today. Crew showed up along with a semi-truck of building materials. Unfortunately a dusting of snow had the crew quitting at lunch time, but they got all of the poles set in concrete before leaving.


I've also finished up enough of the new 400A distribution/service disconnect panel that I called the power co. Wednesday and told them to proceed with trenching the lines from the power pole to that panel. Lots of little flags showed up all over the yard yesterday.

 

[woodchucker]

Construction of the new shop started today. Crew showed up along with a semi-truck of building materials. Unfortunately a dusting of snow had the crew quitting at lunch time, but they got all of the poles set in concrete before leaving.
View attachment 394099View attachment 394100

I've also finished up enough of the new 400A distribution/service disconnect panel that I called the power co. Wednesday and told them to proceed with trenching the lines from the power pole to that panel. Lots of little flags showed up all over the yard yesterday.

Randal, are the poles going into the concrete, or are they using simpson ties?
if not simpson ties, did they add any protection to the poles? Creosote, tar?

 

[rabler]

This is as far as they got yesterday. They’ll be back wednesday, apparently they had another job to finish up and just wanted to get the posts set. I think that’s the story anyway, it may be they were trying to also meet the promise of starting by the end of January.

 

[rabler]

Randal, are the poles going into the concrete, or are they using simpson ties?
if not simpson ties, did they add any protection to the poles? Creosote, tar?

Jeff,
The posts are sitting on a concrete "cookie", basically a 18" round precast concrete disk about 5" thick. That cookie is put in the bottom of the 4' hole after they auger it. Then the hole is filled with some bagged concrete, and the hole is refilled with gravel. The poles are fabricated from multiple 2" x 6" that are finger jointed and laminated together in a staggered configuration (so the finger joints don't all line up). The lower section is ground contact treated wood, upper section is not. They are not otherwise creosoted, etc. Yes, I could see the bottom of the posts rotting out after some time. As long as it lasts 20-25 years I'll get my use out of it. The one thing I did to improve overall longevity of the building is to put some serious work into drainage under the building. The uphill side and the two long sides of the building have a 2' deep x 2' wide trench dug around it, with a perforated 3" pipe laid in gravel and covered with geotextile cloth. The base for the concrete is only a few inches of gravel on the uphill side, tapering to about 3' of gravel on the low end. The gravel on the low end extends about 8' beyond the building, along the same grade as a drainage path. So that water will not sit under the slab. Once the building is done I'll use the tractor and excavator to finish the final grade to make sure surface drainage is away from the building. My feeling is that this moisture control is one of the key factors in overall building longevity, as it also significantly reduces any issues with frost heaving and the gravel gives a good base for the concrete. The native soil here is very much a clay, so it is non-porous and not good at load bearing. Hopefully this is sufficient. Ultimately a few cracks in the concrete are to be expected, as long as I don't get large gaps that interfere with moving machines I'm not too worried.

 

[matthewsx]

Standard pole building construction. I had a 40x60 built like that. Should last longer than I will.

John

 

[7milesup]

As long as it lasts 20-25 years I'll get my use out of it.

If it has been treated for ground contact it should be rated to 40 years. It sounds like you did everything you could in regards to water abatement so I would think that you would be on the higher end of the wood lifespan specifications.

 

[matthewsx]

Ground prep is super important for these buildings.

I got lucky, a local farmer who also runs an excavating business really wanted the black dirt I had on the lot. I traded him for all the prep and only had to put for the sand, saved a ton of money.

There are times I miss that place but not now with the cold and snow.

John

 

[rabler]

Here is a pic from the downhill side. Got the electrical panel invthe foreground finished today, so I’m just waiting for the local utility co-op to get it trenched out to the pole. 200a disconnect for the new shop, 200a for the house and misc.

 

[rabler]

Patience is not my strong point. A whole week, and no progress. Rain, and freezing rain, and then snow. The town is shutdown.

 

[extropic]

Silver lining: The crew will be well rested and anxious to get on with it, when the weather allows.