Barns are an amazing addition to a property. The utility can range from an event venue to storage to a workshop, and as an added bonus—they look really cool.
As with any other structure, a pole barn requires a well-thought out, planned, and prepared site. This starts with the selection of the location, and the main needs in that respect are proximity to your home site (if desired), surrounding elements, such as trees and water fixtures, and flat terrain that drains well.
Once the land is selected, the process continues with the excavation. As usual, this means the top layer of soil, grass, and debris will need to be removed and discarded of properly. This also includes digging and leveling out all of the land up to 4-feet beyond the perimeter of your planned barn. As with any excavation, you can choose to use hand tools or heavy machinery—as long as you accomplish the goal of a level, graded, and compact foundation.
The excavated soil still has a potential to benefit and contribute to the construction of your barn. It is smart to set it aside throughout the excavation and use it to backfill the land to a proper grade. If the chance arises, that soil can also be used in future building in the local community.
After you have achieved a quality excavation, it’s time to start cementing in the actual “poles” of your pole barn. These need to be carefully spaced and measured in accordance with your structure’s blueprints, and the cement should be prepared to the specifications on the bag. While you may hit some bumps and obstacles along the way as you continue to build up your barn, but the heartache should be significantly lower knowing that you completed a proper excavation and site preparation for a structure that you should be able to enjoy for years to come.
We provide free pole barn grading estimates! Contact us today or call us directly at 616-295-3982.
