Pole Barn Floors

[s1120]

BTW, The hills not that big. Heres a picture of my Jeep on it...... hill

[Gatorboy]

Paul,

I'm kinda in the same boat as you. I am putting my pole barn on a slope as well. Here is a picture of my pad, showing the slope, and where I cut into it to get the pad to grade. The stakes are kind of tough to see, but currently there is about 20' from the stake to the slope.

I am going to cut into the slope about 15 more feet, and will attempt to cut it down below my grade to create a swale. I am sure when it rains hard, it will not suffice, so I plan on digging a trench which gets slightly deeper from the middle to the ends, and putting in some type of drain tube with holes in it, and covering it with some rock (like a french drain), and allowing the water to drain to daylight on each end.

[chevdog]

Anytime you have a higher elevation adjacent to a structure you will have to accommodate not only the direct flow of rainwater, but also the slow seepage that will find its way to lower ground.
Even a gradual slope will mean a lot of surface area/runoff.

I would suggest that you install some type of drainage system to draw that water away from your building [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] A gravel filled french drain sloped to either end is easy enough to do now while you have good access.

[buck]

DeereHunter,

I have got a poured floor and with my tractor coming in and out, it does get quite dirty. While I would still prefer a poured floor, I would consider the alternatives very carefully in light of this.

Buck

[Bayrat]

That is the best solution, plan good drainage into the project. When I purchased my house, I did not realize there was a sump pump hidden under the steps (it is a raised ranch) until the first time we had a good two day rain. I heard it running and could not believe they installed that thing instead of draining the lot. I hired a backhoe and we dug along the driveway edge where the water pooled, to the house and then across the front of the house and garage and over the hill into the woods. This house was on high ground, but the water table would build with enough rain to flood me out if that pump failed [img]/forums/images/icons/mad.gif[/img] . We used perfurated PE pipe with a base and covering of stone, and plenty of it. I installed two catch basins while I was at it to boot. The whole project cost me less than a thousand dollars with me as the laborer and restoration contractor [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]. The only water in that pit now is from my dehumidifyer in the summer months, otherwise it is so dry the spiders try to reside there. When I built my barn, the drainage is the first thing I looked at after reflecting back on my first small barn project. I had always intended to build a cement gutter across the front of that building and drain it out the back over the hill by installing tile under the floor prior to pouring one, but I never completed it before we moved. The lack of land and proximity to property lines dictated where it was to be built, I had no choice. You can fill quite a bit to obtain the results you are looking for once you install the drainage, that will ensure the water will not rise into the building. Gravel can be purchased fairly cheap here in NY, many private pits. In other areas of the country there is an assortment of fill materials that are suitable as well. I have seen the blacktop that was milled from a road project given away for just that purpose as well.

[Argee]

Dave,
Why don't you just bring in some fill and raise the the area where your going to locate slab. Probably a lot cheaper than digging in drains, etc.

[Gatorboy]

Argee,

Bringing in fill to get it above the slope would cause about a 6 foot drop on the low side of the barn.

I am not putting in a slab, so digging a trench and putting in a drain tube w/rock will be pretty darn cheap. I'll use my tree spade to dig the trench. This should take me all but a couple hours to complete the job.

[Argee]

Darn..........Gatorboy....you got some real nice toys [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] can I come over and play...... [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[zuiko]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
I used to treat the dirt floor with the sodium chloride treatment that the county used on the dirt roads near our house. This stuff was great - it came in bags, you spread it out on the ground, and then wet it down with a hose (you can even smooth out the floor first and then do it so you get an even result). Once it dried, the floor was like concrete and the dust problem was pretty much gone. The county uses it on the dirt roads and treats the areas in front of the houses to keep the dust down.

[/ QUOTE ]

Isn't sodium chloride salt? Or is this something else?

I have dust problems in two buildings with dirt floors... no drainage problems really but the dust problem is bad because the dirt hasn't been wet for many years.

[GERARD]

<font color="blue">I used to treat the dirt floor with the sodium chloride </font color>
THINK he meant calcium choride. Sodium choride IS salt and CaCl is what they use on roads and parking lots to keep the dust down as well as fill tires.