# ground prep for new barn



## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

I would check with your zoning laws about any "base" you plan on doing. Make an inquiry....don't tell them you are doing it or you may open a hornets nest of permits and such needed.. 
Anything "permanent" may sky-rocket your property tax bill again.

My sister lives in N. Jersey and I know she has huge rocks, like boulders just under the surface of the ground so any digging or land altering...well, let us just say they needed near dynamite and huge excavators to put in a lawn and some shrubs...

Good luck with your barn plans... it is _great_ to have the horses in the backyard. 
_There is nothing like having your horse whinny at you when you walk out the door in greeting...sigh!!_


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## PDGx (Mar 24, 2013)

There will be many opinions on this, and all wil have their benefits. 
We have a concrete floor in our stalls, and also use rubber mats, then sawdust for bedding.
Depending on your choice of building supplier, you will either be able to install the concrete before or after construction. They will tell you which way is best depending on their method. 
I did put a drain in each stall and sloped the floor to them. Unfortunately I did not slope it steep enough to get the pee to run underneath the mats. Mats actually inhibit 'flow' as they lay tightly to the floor, so make sure you provide a decent slope in the concrete. On some mats there are grooves on one side. Try to orient them in the direction on the drain. 
Any amount of slope however will make flushing out the stall easier. Just make the slope steep enough to influence the flow in the direction you want. 
Good luck.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## ca4ta (Sep 4, 2011)

Hi - Thanks for the replies already. I should have stated I have already cleared this with my town's zoning people and we have the go ahead. They probably will try to increase my taxes - what else is new. :twisted: However we are good to go from that aspect. 

I like the idea of poured concrete under the building to prevent a total 'mud pit' around the building leading up to the stalls in mud season we have here in New Jersey - but it's quite costly. I was quoted $2400. for that alone, and I still have to pay for the fencing - so looking to save money where I can....where it makes sense. 

Thanks!


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## PDGx (Mar 24, 2013)

I have also installed concrete pads outside each stall to make it easier to shovel clean, and keep from having the mud hole there as well.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Koolio (Apr 7, 2010)

How big and what type of a barn are you having built? $2500 for concrete sounds VERY inexpensive. We built a 36x36' pole barn last summer and spent almost double that just to bring in clay, gravel and to have the spot levelled. Concrete would have run us well over $20,000.

Could you have clay and gravel brought in? Your barn site should be slightly above grade, so you may need to do some filling anyways. Also, if there is any chance that the ground will sink, packed gravel / clay is much easier to fix than broken concrete the ground sinks below it. 

If you are having concrete footers poured and that is already part of your estimated cost, then adding a concrete pad might not be so much more. Regardless of what you choose, it is important to prep the building site properly or it could jeopardize the entire structure.


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## ca4ta (Sep 4, 2011)

The barn is 12x32' for two horses and two goats. So not all that big. It's pre-fab and they will put together onsite once the ground is prepped. No footings are required. 

I may just prep the site, as described and have that nice packed gravel base. Then pour concrete pads out front, as the mud in front of stalls is really no fun.


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## Koolio (Apr 7, 2010)

If you pour concrete after the fact, you will need to make sure the gravel base is a little higher than grade to give you something to dig out when you put in the concrete forms. Were you planning to prep the site yourself, or hire it out? You will need to get a transit to level it a bit.

DH and I were going to level our site ourselves using sticks, string and a level to square it up and level it. The job looked much easier than it was as we thought our site was pretty close to level anyways. Wow, were we wrong! When the contractor came in with survey equipment, it was way out. Our string and stick method was not very reliable at all. In the end we had about 3' of dirt excavated and had 5 yards of clay brought in with an additional 3 yards of gravel. Being a pole building, our structure is more forgiving of a less level site and this is still what it took. Even now that it's done, I have some drainage issues on one end (the entrance) that we have to correct with weeping tile and may still need to excavate some more. When I looked into prefab buildings, the base levelling requirements were even more stringent as these buildings are supported by the ground and if the ground heaves or sags, so does the structure.

That said, we do live where temperatures fluctuate between -40 F in winter and 85 or 90F in summer so the ground moves a lot. We also have a fair amount of annual moisture.


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## ca4ta (Sep 4, 2011)

Hi Koolio, 

If you dont mind me asking, how much $ did it cost to bring in people to level your ground for the barn? 

Thanks for all your pointers and advice.


Cheryl


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## Koolio (Apr 7, 2010)

ca4ta said:


> Hi Koolio,
> 
> If you dont mind me asking, how much $ did it cost to bring in people to level your ground for the barn?
> 
> ...


My first quote was $5000 and I almost choked. We hired a local guy with a bobcat and a dump truck to do the work but it still cost close to the same.
Including 4 dump truck loads of gravel and 3 loads of backfill, we spent about $4500 to have our barn area prepped. The area was about 2-3' out of level from one corner to the other, so the bobcat had to do quite a bit. He also took off the topsoil and replaced it with clay so the base is firm. Clay over topsoil is unstable. It took 1 load of gravel to fill the post holes and 2 loads for inside the barn, so inside we have a solid clay base with about 6" of packed gravel on top. The bobcat guy smoothed and packed the gravel inside the building for us.

Scraping away the topsoil and flattening the site alone would have been around $1000, but it would have left a foundation well below grade.

I hope this helps. As I said before, the integrity of your building depends on a good foundation, so it is important to do what you must.


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