I'm hoping to put in a large pole barn next year for aquaculture purposes. Mernards seems to have some decent kits for reasonable prices.

http://www.menards.com/main/projectSubtype.html?typeId=3&subtypeId=11


I'm actually considering the floor to be pea gravel instead of concrete. Is that a mistake?

Edit:

Whoops! I see there is a category for cabin and out buildings. Perhaps I'm in the wrong category. If so mods feel free to move this.

Hey Cecil, ya might want ta try Craigs list, I see some for sale on there occasionally. Ck the farm and garden and materials sections, or do a search. Good luck. Pea gravel will take its toll on your legs(calves especially) if you are on it for several hrs a day but concrete will add to the price considerably. Bob-O

Bob,

Thanks. I'll check it out. Hopefully I wouldn't be on it several hours a day, but you never know. I like the flexibility with the pea gravel if I need to change some tank plumbing, and of course the savings. I know my plumbing can be above ground but I'd like to keep it below ground.

Cecil, we'll talk on Wed. I wish you could make a trip this way. I can show you a 32 x 40 pole barn.

Cecil: Unless you are planning to do most of the work yourself you should consider checking to see if there are any Amish or Mennonite builders in your area. I have had Mennonite carpenters build four pole barns for me in the last ten years and each time they have quoted prices which were considerably under other contractors. The ones I have used have been excellent craftsmen who did great work, clean, neat, on time and always friendly.

Bing

+1

Lots of experience with Amish construction and yes it certainly is an option if I don't do it myself. I live near one of the largest Amish communities in the country. Two of my best friends are Amish taxidermists.

I'll move the pond over to your place temporarily and we can seine it there. Oh wait that won't work!

I'll make it a point to head your way one day when you're free!

Cecil, if you pull the trigger on the pole barn, go with a good concrete slab. You may want to close it in at a later date.

You may be right. Concrete would be nice if I can afford it!

I posted this question on the NRAC list serve. Dr. Miller who runs a commericial RAS down the road has invited me to come over and ask questions about his building. I've been dying to now what kind of system he uses! Now's my chance!

I prefer gravel because it's easier on my feet and consequently the rest of my body. Of course, I don't like getting on my knees in the gravel.

Cecil, my only advise is…..think long term.

food for thought
Is it galvanized or galvalume? Galvalume has a reported longer life, but we are talking the difference of, oh say, maybe 40 yrs vs 50 yrs. Menards is galvanized, but it is G100 (1 oz of zinc per square foot, a very high quantity). Also, galvalume is not recommended for applications housing livestock. I believe there are some other issues with galvalume and wet concrete (it's all based on the aluminum reaction...google "galvanized vs galvalume" for more info).
All the metal stuff I looked at was rated class 4 for hail (highest industry standard), so I think that is going to be a moot point.
Panel thickness is a consideration. Make sure to understand the measurement...is it before or after coatings/paint.
If you are using standing seam on the roof, make sure you understand and are comfortable with the fastening method. Some standing seam roofs use clips to attach the panels. Not that this is bad (and can actually be good if it minimizes expansion popping sounds), but can add time to the installation.
In the end, for our standing seam roofs, I used the Menards products. They were the most competitive and product-worthy. I figger that since John Menard started making his bankroll years ago with metal buildings (before the home center gig), he oughta know what he's doing.

In more ways than one, Brettski knows heavy metal.

Yes for expansion!

Thanks Brettski. I'm being told in the Aquaculture industry to go with a high density spray on foam for the interior to cover moisture issues. We did that in my garage and my dad and mom's upstairs apartment and it seems pretty impressive both structurally and for insulation.

Cecil, I am 100% with you on the gravel floor. Changing plumbing, which will happen, for sure will be much more doable with gravel. Sawing concrete with fish in the building may not even be an option, as the dust could be a major concern to fish health. What about partial pours? Pours under the tanks themselves, and leaving the area in between gravel for a few years. Once the bugs are worked out, and you are set on your plumbing, concrete it in. Or concrete the entire building, and allow chases in the concrete with grates on top, that can later allow you to change or service the plumbing. Also consider this for your posts. http://www.permacolumn.com/?gclid=CO69j8SWg6UCFeTY5wodTG2KNQ
Pole barn posts are a PITA to change out, and I have seen a lot of treated posts rot prematurely. High humidity will certainly not help either.
On metal, a local supplier here offers seconds. Often you can find nothing wrong at all. Usually the paint is off color, or may have an occasional fish eye, or bubble. These runs that are off are offered at substantial discounts.
I have seen many Amish built barns here in Ohio. The construction has been decent, but the materials have been substandard. The metal on these buildings has typically been lighter gauge. They are good craftsmen, but to believe that the Amish have some superior construction skills is simply not true. I think their primary unfair advantage against other contractors is the fact that they do not pay self employment tax (social security) So they had better be 15% cheaper right off the bat. Then I wonder about insurance, workers comp, etc. Though they do have the added expense of paying a driver to cart them around. LOL!

I just bumped into this link that I had tucked away from my metal roofing exploration. It's a good, short summary worth reading if you're getting serious.
Gavlalume 101

Cecil I built a pole barn in 1978 and put in crushed limestone gravel for the floor, thinking I could always come back and pour concrete on it later, but I never did. The only thing I regretted was not having my table saw on a cement slab. Once in a while I did have a critter dig in the floor but it wasn't bad.

If you want to have a concrete floor, there are wet-set brackets (snip)and drill-set brackets (snip) you can use with a thickened concrete edge or stem wall. If you don't want a concrete floor, precast concrete piers (snip) will be the least expensive way to go so posts won't rot.

Welcome to PBF John! Thanks for the info. A pole barn is on my list of things we need.

I put up a Carolina carport and then the next year added doors. Best 14k I've ever spent. 30x50. A group of hard working Mexicans put it up in a day. If you go without door make sure to anchor it into the ground good.

Spend your money on air exchange too. Nothing worse then having a new building full of mold because of the high temp and humidity. The HRV's system is really the best fresh air in has its cool temp exchanged with the hot stale air going out. Humidity is collected and run off.

Cheers Don.

FWIW The building inspector made us install an HRV in our new house when we built it last year. Both my general contractor and HVAC contractor told me it is the first time they had to do that on a house. Best explanation I could get is a minimum number of air exchanges are required per day and our house was built so "tight" we needed it to keep the air from getting stale.

Yes in our new house here we had to do the same thing. The homes are so tight now that with out air exchanging it will get moldy and stale in the home. It is building code now. We put in a simplified system with the HRV on our furnace. It turns on when the furnace runs. The HRV has its own control. Currently I have our HRV set to run 20 minutes every hour and off for 40 minutes every hour.

Cheers Don.