Actually considering building a "true" pole house....where the poles are integral to the structure. The treated poles are located so they are exposed to the exterior but covered by the interior finish. The floor is up off the ground by a couple of feet, so will definately need to be insulated. Otherwise a fairly straightforward square floorplan with cantilevered hip roof....the corner roof joists tag into the poles. Understand the benefits to concrete, including thermal mass, hydronic heat and all that, just reluctant to spend as much money as it will take to get our roads and access "concrete truck friendly", so we're exploring alternatives.
I bought a book several years ago on pole building construction. Surprisingly, a good bit of the book is devoted to houses, not barns. Here it is on Amazon. There are several other books available that talk about pole house construction. Good luck [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
I would get the round forms and pour concrete footings,at least every other pole.If you do put your floor very close to the ground, 2 1/2" or 3" styrafoam between your floor joist will give good insulation and help with moisture.One way to cut down on feild mice is to flashing your house at the bottom.use the roll type alluminum and burry it 10".I think it comes in 2' and 3' rolls.
as far as concrete pumping trucks, i checked back when we poured my slab, and they were only about 250-300 bucks a day.....just something to think about, definately not a deal killer if you can get within a 150 ft or so....
I think they socked me about $500.00 extra for the pump truck on my job, but that was 4 poured walls, 3 of which were 12 feet tall. And, the charge was from the contractors, not the cement provider, so it may have included a bit of profit.