Building a pole barn in Michigan's UP in winter

[RUSSALL]

[quote="

If your neighbor heard Jimmy screaming 4 miles away, I can't imaging how loud it is inside the cab. Those Detroit Diesels are real workhorses. ?[/quote]


That's why Detroits are called diesel converters. They convert diesel fuel into noise.


Russ

[beaconlight]

Well done Bill

[Mike in Louisiana]

Billy,
As always I enjoyed reading your story on the barn project and the pictures are wonderful. I am sure you will really enjoy that barn.

I have one question what does Soo stand for?

Mike

[Bill E Bob]

Billy, great job on the pole building--especially in the great white north in the middle of winter That was one busy 2 weeks Including all the trips into Sault Ste. Marie. Job well done--story well told

[cowboy]

Thank ya kindly BigDog I just love playing outside

Thanks Carl

Ya know I am wearing ear plugs while driving But it is not quite as loud as it may seem. Its really quiet up there. And from time to time I can here a truck running down the highway three miles away. Its a inline 6.

Thanks Bob

Sometimes it all comes together and you can get some real work done. I have been battling equ breakdowns but I was able to keep thing moving along this time. The last two years have been the wettest anyone up there remembers. While it was cold at nite and was taking me about two hours a day to get everything started and warmed up. It was getting muddy and slippery by the end of the day.

Thanks Billy

Thanks Doug

I would suggest you keep the building at least 12" higher than the surrounding ground. So all the water drains away from the barn. Lawn areas build up the soil height. If I remember right its 1" every 3-5 years. If you build it flat to the surrounding ground in ten years the building is sitting in a hole. My friend suggested putting a drain tile in just outside the eves to carry away the water coming off of the roof. When my Uncle built his barn he dug it out and put sand inside sitting on clay without any drainage. In the spring and when it rains hard that sand fills with water and its damp in that barn all year long.

All doors on gable ends. Keeps the water running off of the roof from raining on you. Or snow avalancheing off the roof onto you. At my cousins sutting the entry door was enough to start the snow sliding and it hit his friend and knocked him off of his feet luckily it did not hurt him much. We mounted the sliding door on the inside of the building. So we do not have to shovel snow away from the side of the building to open the door. Don't skimp on the doors get one wider than what you need. Its no fun trying to back a trailer into the barn when you only have a extra foot on each side. With the 14' wide front door I can park the loader infront of it and still have room to drive my four wheeler or cub out without moving the loader. The rear door is 18' wide and I can two pieces of equ open half the door and drive right out.

I would not go less than 30' wide. Its only slightly more $ than 24' wide and is a lot more efficent use of space. You can park three wide in it and still have room for work benches. You may be able to park 3 wide in a 24' but you will not have much room to walk around the it.

Thanks Vince. It will be worth it just from keeping our equ from getting weather damaged. And with that building I can pull the woodmizer inside and cut lumber in the rain

You got that right Russ

Thanks Bill

Have a great day

Thanks Mike

Bill E Bob ansered that question for you Its where the Soo locks are

Thanks Bill E Bob

It wasn't too bad as it is only about 35-40 miles one way

Billy

[Mike in Louisiana]

See you are never too old to learn something new. "SOO"

[Rudi]

Mike:

The Soo is an abreviation and a twist on the anglicized pronounciation of Sault Ste. Marie a pair of communities with the same name on both sides of the river, one in Michigan and one in Ontario. Sault is actually prounounced similar to the word sew. Sault means a rapid as in a river which is what Sault Ste. Marie is named for -- the rapids in the St. Mary River. The Soo Canals were built to go around the rapids.

[JimT]

It was $34,145 materials taxes and built. Or the price of a new pickup truck which is the way we looked at it.

Great looking barn. You made the right choice. Barn vs. new truck, barn wins out every time. It will last longer and the good thing is, it will go up in value.

[cowboy]

Thanks Jim

Just as a side note a lot of times you can get a 10% discount on buildings if you order them in january. Even if they do not build them until latter in the year.

Billy

[JGtools]

wow you have defined "work" at a whole new level., great job! Shed is mighty fine.

My wife and I visit the Ironwood area every summer, is that far from your neck of the woods /eah'
Take care, Jim

[Buzzard Wing]

Nice building. Great job on the photos. Showed em to a few pals and we are all envious of it.

I always thought things were bigger in Texas, but you done my Michigan heritage proud!

[cowboy]

Thanks Jim

I had to look up Ironwood. I have heard the name but did not know exactly where it was. Its all the way across the UP from me. I am 25-30 miles east of I-75 In Pickford MI. I am not much for building I can do some but am slow about it. But I love dirt work and can go from daylight to dark anytime.

Thanks Larry

It was fun but a big relief to get all that done. There is still a lot to do. But now that I have some where to work out of it will make things a lot easier. I can start a project and not have to worry about finishing it in one weekend.

Billy

[cowboy]

Just up dating my pole barn with some of the work I got done in the front last fall. When I got done filling in the barn I had a 5% grade infront of it. I had to build up the parking/entry area 4' with dirt then topped it with 14" of stone.



After filling with dirt



Stoning the parking area.







Finished the pad





Billy

[cowboy]

In November I got back up and built the front drive. I had a pile of logs to clean up that I saved when I cleared the woods to make the building pad. Most of them were too small to cut lumber out of so they were cutup for firewood. The rest went to the saw pile.



Looking down the new drive from the barn.







From the shed





I have a lot of work to do on the side road and back. But it sure is nice when it comes together!

Billy

[Steve K. CALIF]

And what have you been doing in your spare time?