Progress Report 11 – 30×48′ Pole Barn build


We have concrete, time to take off the blankets and check it out! Also we get the garage door installed and start getting ready for the next steps.

We left off part 10 with some freshly poured concrete. Now that it has cured we get to move on to adding the finishing touches.

Keeping the concrete warm

Right after the concrete was poured we had the infamous ‘Polar Vortex’ in the Midwest that brought 0* for about a week. It was challenging to keep the concrete above freezing. The concrete guys said I would be fine with just blankets but my OCD wouldn’t leave well enough alone. I ended up intermittently running a heater in there for about 6 days.

For the first next 6 days after the pour I kept a diesel fired heater in there on a smart socket that kicked on about every half hour. Went though a lot of diesel but it was worth it to me in ‘feel good’ factor.
I kept close eye on the temps to make sure the slab didn’t go below freezing for the first couple of days
Because I am super nerdy, I put my raspberry pi temperature and humidity logger out there that way I could monitor air temp remotely
About a week later, the crew showed up and rolled up the blankets. Had the weather been better this would have been much sooner but better safe than sorry.

Cutting the concrete lines

They then got out the chalk line and started marking for the cut lines

Note: I made sure I micro managed this part a little bit. I knew exactly where I had made the 2 post lift pads so I drew a square around each in kids chalk so they wouldn’t put a cut line through it. I also came out and double checked the chalk lines before they started cutting.

If you go for a project like this make sure you ask for what you want / need. I was very nice and respectful but firm in making sure the end results were what I wanted. Be involved, but also be nice.

Floor fully marked with chalk line. Notice the section at the front is extra large because I didn’t want them cutting where the 2 post lift would be.
Dust disaster!
After all the dust settled. Concrete crew is now done with this job
This is literally the only part I regret a little. I didn’t go OCD on the pipes after the plumbers left and now some of the tubes (the ones in foam) are really close to where the bathroom wall will be. Too late now so I will have to figure it out later.
Steps to building a pole barn
That night I mopped the entire floor with a tiny 12″ wide mop… and loved every minute of it.

Garage door installation

Finally we get the garage door installed and I can use the inside. This is a pretty big door at 18′ wide by 12′ tall. It is also a 90mph wind rated door that has a bunch of extra ribs on the inside.

The pour was right before the super long arctic blast in the Midwest. So I am glad I had the plastic up over the door.
A couple of days later the garage door guys called and said they were on their way. So much for advance notice… so I ran outside and started taking down the plastic. There was a pretty significant layer of ice across the whole thing.
Hey, daylight!
The guys were making good progress. We decided to put in door lites (windows) a week or two before they installed it. Turns out they could just cut holes and install them in their shop before bringing the door out. A little expensive but now that it is up, they were totally worth it. I had them put it at eye level so I can see out which is nice.
Garage door up! Now they are working on the opener
We made a booboo in planning. Should have put one more scissor truss to make room for the opener. I brainstormed with the guys and we ended up moving the front mount forward about 5 inches. This gave us about 2″ of clearance at the rear before the truss as you see in the pic above. It fit, but just barely.
Steps to building a pole barn
Mmmmm…. Steak. Valentines dinner with Wifey. Quite delicious.
PJ is spoiled and had to be the first in the shop again
More work to do here soon!

That wraps it up for the responsibilities of the pole barn builder. They did a phenomenal job on everything even despite the extra scheduling challenges and lumber shortages. I would totally do business with Farm & Home again in the future.

The rest is up to me to finish and hire out what I can’t do. It is nice being able to use the shop now that it has a garage door. Next up, framing the bathroom and prepping for electric!

Thanks for following along. Now YOU, go outside and work on something!

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