# Pole Barn vs. Stick Built Garage?



## PorkChopsMmm

Can you all give me advice on the differences between a pole barn vs. a stick built garage?

We have built our 24x32 cabin and will be moving out there at the end of May. I would like to have a garage built by next winter and I am trying to see if it is feasible to build either structure by then. 

Here are a few questions/comments:
- My wife doesn't like the look of metal siding on a pole barn and prefers vinyl siding -- any benefit to the metal?

- This will be located within ~60 feet of the cabin pictured below... I am trying to think of a way to build the polebarn out of steel (my preference) with it either looking similar to or looking different enough where having two different structures that close to each other doesn't look weird.

- Is there a way to build a lofted space in a pole barn? I would like to use the space if we went with a higher side wall (like 12 feet) but I guessing I would need to build the loft and support it entirely separate from the pole barn structure itself. True?

- Is there a preference for metal or wood posts? Or on a concrete pad or gravel base?

Thanks in advance!


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## jwal10

IF you want a concrete slab or stem wall building, I would stud from there. IF you want vinyl siding I would stud up. IF you want a loft I would stud up. Pole barns are great and a cheaper alternative but IF you want to remodel or vary the plan, it is cheaper to build stud from the start. IF you want to insulate, cheaper with studs using bats. For what you are talking I would pour a footer, stem wall and then a slab floor, but here, your cabin would have been on a stem wall foundation, also....James


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## Roadking

I prefer stick build. Actually just got back from the township building to pick up permits.
Aslo prefer foundation with slab.
Mine is to be 24' x 24' with loft, skylights, etc for a small-ish greenhouse.
As for plans to be similar or different enough, here is a site I reference often; it's the N. Dakota Ag Extension pages for old blueprints (BE WARNED, YOU MAY LOSE A LOT OF TIME ENJOYING THE MANY PLANS!!!)
http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/extension-aben/buildingplans

Matt


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## dirtman

It appears that your cabin is built on posts. Therefore the codes in your area must not be really rigid. Therefore you could just dig a footing trench, fill it with stone and pour a slab with an extra 4 inches of concrete with two #4 rods at the perimeter. I have built many garages like this. Your footings will not heave. Depending on how wide your garage is to be, you can span 24 foot with an 12 inch tji which is a engineered floor joist available any where but you won't be able to use engineered trusses at a 12 ft sidewall height. A gambrel ( barn type) roof would work for you and look right next to your house or if you didn't need a clear span interior you could duplicate the look of your house. The loft will jack up the cost of your garage alot compared to just a simple garage with roof trusses. Also I'd just sheath the garage in t-11 plywood and when I got the money cover that with the same siding as you have on the cabin. If you are not a carpenter then building a roof with rafters can be a little tricky especially if you have to deal with any significant snow loads.


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## RonM

Nice cabin, would love to have that in the mountains somewhere, where is it located? RonM


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## PorkChopsMmm

All, thank you for the helpful information. Sounds like you guys are leaning more to the stick built garage and with some good reasons. Darn... I was hoping to get away with a cheaper pole barn but it doesn't look like it is a good path to go down. 

Our cabin foundation is post/pier due to many factors, some being that is how some cabins are done in the area, high water table, lower costs, we found a builder who preferred this over concrete slab, etc. Not sure if I like it or not but it is what it is. 

RonM, thank you for the compliments! It appears I am near dirtman -- in North West Michigan!

dirtman -- you've got a PM! Ironically I was planning on the garage being 24' wide and 32' or longer. Our contractor used pre-built trusses that gave us the loft on the cabin that spanned 24' feet. I guess I could use those again but our cabin cost $27k to shell in. I was hoping to stay sub $15k shelled in for the garage but that is starting to not sound like a possibility.


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## homemaid

Go with a stick built. We went the pole barn type. Then had it spray foamed had to use the sheets of foam next to the steel. More cost there. Now we finished off the inside and had to stud it in. More cost there. Just my opinion but I wish we would have gone stick build.


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## richmond1273

i have a buddy who had a metal pole barn built a couple of years ago by some Mennonites here in Indiana. it was a 40x60 with 2-24x10 slider doors and 2 man doors with 6" concrete on one half. cost him around $16k.

as far as looks it obviously will cost more to make it look like your cabin. both construction methods will work, it depends on how concerned you are about looks. in my opinion metal siding on a barn looks better next to a wood cabin than a barn with vinyl siding.......


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## RonM

I would prefer the pole barn, you can get metal siding in most any ccolor ...I had one built a couple years ago with concrete floor for less that 11 grand 24x20 , stayed small due to County rules....


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## dirtman

RonM 

I'm in Cedar in Leelanau county. How close are you?


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## dirtman

I got confused about who I was speaking to. It was PorkchopsMmm that live in NW Mich not RonM


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## greg273

Hey, cool looking cabin. Looks real similar to my place. I built my house on concrete post/pier foundations, mostly because it was cheap and I was young, inexperienced and generally broke. I improved the appearance, as well as the insulating value, by building low rock walls around the perimeter, just up to about an inch below the rim joists. Keeps large critters, as well as the winter wind, out, too. Gives it a nice rustic look. Any semi-flat rocks would do! 


Far as the garage, I just built a 24X24 garage on a concrete slab with stud-framed walls, and it went up very easily. You can still use metal siding. Like others have said here, the stud framing makes it that much easier to 'finish' and insulate.
The concrete slab is a worthwhile investment, too. Much better than just gravel alone, if its in the budget of course. 

15K for a garage??? I'd say thats very doable.


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## greg273

richmond1273 said:


> . in my opinion metal siding on a barn looks better next to a wood cabin than a barn with vinyl siding.......


 Yeah, I'd definitely agree there.


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## RonM

I am in Delaware ,I am about 50 miles S of Phillie..


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## Bentley

A stick built shop is easier for most "do it yourselfers", but unless you have help, it will take a while. My pole barn went up super fast. Another distinction is that the concrete slab supports a stickbuilt building. For a pole barn, the slab is poured after the barn shell is complete. 

I have built many stick buildings, and always had small cracks in the slab. My home even has small stress cracks, and I poured extra wide footers along with 12' deep poured pilings beneath the footers. In my pole barn, there is not a single crack after five years. This is only a problem if you use ceramic tile, where the slab crack may break the tiles.

My home is red brick with a vinyl trim. My PB has tan sides with green roof very similar to yours. They sit very well together on our land. The PB is behind and to the side of our home. The further apart they are, the less they might contrast.

There is not a hard and fast rule about which is best. It mostly depends on how you will use it, and how you will finish it on the inside. 
Incrementally, the PB gets cheaper, the bigger you build it, more so than a stick.

There are many pro's and con's to both types. Think it through carefully, then, don't look back.

B


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## PorkChopsMmm

richmond1273 said:


> i have a buddy who had a metal pole barn built a couple of years ago by some Mennonites here in Indiana. it was a 40x60 with 2-24x10 slider doors and 2 man doors with 6" concrete on one half. cost him around $16k.
> 
> as far as looks it obviously will cost more to make it look like your cabin. both construction methods will work, it depends on how concerned you are about looks. in my opinion metal siding on a barn looks better next to a wood cabin than a barn with vinyl siding.......


Good info. Thank you.



RonM said:


> I would prefer the pole barn, you can get metal siding in most any ccolor ...I had one built a couple years ago with concrete floor for less that 11 grand 24x20 , stayed small due to County rules....





dirtman said:


> RonM
> 
> I'm in Cedar in Leelanau county. How close are you?


Baldwin area -- straight south of you. Know of any plumbers or good carpenters (for a butcher block countertop) nearby? Seriously? 



greg273 said:


> Hey, cool looking cabin. Looks real similar to my place. I built my house on concrete post/pier foundations, mostly because it was cheap and I was young, inexperienced and generally broke. I improved the appearance, as well as the insulating value, by building low rock walls around the perimeter, just up to about an inch below the rim joists. Keeps large critters, as well as the winter wind, out, too. Gives it a nice rustic look. Any semi-flat rocks would do!
> 
> 
> Far as the garage, I just built a 24X24 garage on a concrete slab with stud-framed walls, and it went up very easily. You can still use metal siding. Like others have said here, the stud framing makes it that much easier to 'finish' and insulate.
> The concrete slab is a worthwhile investment, too. Much better than just gravel alone, if its in the budget of course.
> 
> 15K for a garage??? I'd say thats very doable.


That's great info. My plan was to use some sort of aluminum flash and backing it with rigid foam to close in and insulate the bottom. The flat stones are interesting -- do you know how much this cost?

Also, how much did your concrete foundation cost? I figure I can swing doing the concrete slab this Fall and doing the garage the next Spring or Summer.



Bentley said:


> A stick built shop is easier for most "do it yourselfers", but unless you have help, it will take a while. My pole barn went up super fast. Another distinction is that the concrete slab supports a stickbuilt building. For a pole barn, the slab is poured after the barn shell is complete.
> 
> I have built many stick buildings, and always had small cracks in the slab. My home even has small stress cracks, and I poured extra wide footers along with 12' deep poured pilings beneath the footers. In my pole barn, there is not a single crack after five years. This is only a problem if you use ceramic tile, where the slab crack may break the tiles.
> 
> My home is red brick with a vinyl trim. My PB has tan sides with green roof very similar to yours. They sit very well together on our land. The PB is behind and to the side of our home. The further apart they are, the less they might contrast.
> 
> There is not a hard and fast rule about which is best. It mostly depends on how you will use it, and how you will finish it on the inside.
> Incrementally, the PB gets cheaper, the bigger you build it, more so than a stick.
> 
> There are many pro's and con's to both types. Think it through carefully, then, don't look back.
> 
> B


Good advice about the distance of the pole barn from the cabin. I think I could have it ~50 to 100 feet away. Can't do more than that however. My wife is the boss on this matter, although ironically she is pulling for the pole barn.


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## NorthernMich

I have BOTH

garage is easier to heat and has a loft

Pole barn is 30 x 60 and I can park an RV in and close the door.

Figure out the uses first!


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## farminghandyman

the tin siding is part of what hold up a pole barn, unless your going to sheet it with ply wood or sheet materials, 
I think that cost wise that a stick built is no more expensive for the lumber part of the building,

a pole barn has no foundation, no sheeting. only framing and sheet tin.

a stick built has framing, (note by the time one makes a post out of three 2x6' you have 6 to 8 foot of 2x4 walls in conventenal framing, or about the same lumber, and you have to ring the building for sheet tin attachment,
the basic difference is the sheeting and the footers, but if you want a concrete floor the foundation is not hardly a consideration, as in cost.

If your wanting insulaton and possibly a diffrnet siding other than tin, I would sugest convental framing over pole barn.


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