How thick should a pole barn floor be?

Six inches of thickness should be more than adequate for areas where heavy equipment will be driven and parked. For lesser loads, four inches. Now let's talk about the perimeter.

hansenpolebuildings.com - Concrete Floor Thickness for Heavy Equipment - Hansen Pole Buildings

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Concrete Floor Thickness for Heavy Equipment

“Dear Guru,

My husband and I are getting ready to construct a pole barn 40 x 80. He wants 2 x 14′ doors, 1 x 10′ and a service door. It will be used for heavy equipment storage and workshop/florist shop to keep critters out. We had a contractor recommend a 6″ floor and 4 ft cement walls which I’m guessing drives the price up substantially. My husband thinks the floor should be more like 10″. An excavator, track loader, 9n tractor, and UTV/ATV will be stored.

We will want to heat the 2 workshops.

I don’t even know where to begin. What do you recommend?

Thanks”

Mike the Pole Barn Guru responds:

Unless there is far more to this than I am seeing, there would be no practical reason to have a four foot high concrete wall. Perhaps he is thinking of a foundation (below grade) wall, rather than an above grade wall. Starting with floor thickness….to give a perspective 60% of the U.S. Interstate Highway system has 11 inch thick concrete. From the PE (Professional Engineer) Civil Exam, in Basics of Concrete Pavement Thickness Design, the thickness depends upon traffic load, subgrade and climate, but city streets, secondary roads and small airports are typically four to seven inch thicknesses). This leads one to believe a 10″ thick slab would be perhaps excessive. What is going to make the biggest difference in the success of your concrete floor will be the gradework which is done underneath. You will want to read this series of articles, which begins with https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2011/11/site-preparation/. I’d invest my dollars in the preparation of the site, rather than pouring lots of dollars into an overly thick slab which is over a poorly prepared subgrade. Six inches of thickness should be more than adequate for areas where heavy equipment will be driven and parked. For lesser loads, four inches. Now let’s talk about the perimeter. If a foundation stem wall is being considered, I’d recommend using the Frost-Protected Shallow Foundation design, which you can get details on here: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2016/11/frost-protected-shallow-foundations/. Using this eliminates the need for foundation walls, plus provides an energy efficient insulation solution, while reducing the possibility of frost heaves. For heating, you should consider radiant floor heat – at the least have PEX tubing placed in the floors: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2016/08/pex-tubing/. Please take the time to browse our website for more articles on the design of energy efficient post frame building walls and roof systems.

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How much money can I have in the bank and still claim Centrelink?

You and your partner must have no more than $5,000 in combined readily available funds. This includes any liquid assets you can sell. Liquid assets include cash you have on hand, money you have in the bank and financial investments you have.

servicesaustralia.gov.au - Income and assets test for Special Benefit - Services Australia

We use income and assets tests to check if you can get Special Benefit. We also use these to work out how much you can get.

Income test

To assess if you can get Special Benefit we’ll look at all income you get. If you’re partnered, we’ll also look at your partner’s income. For every $1 of gross income you get, the amount of Special Benefit you can get reduces by $1. We’ll also look at any other support you get, including:

food

accommodation

utilities

other goods and services.

If your income and other support is equal to, or more than the maximum rate of Special Benefit you can’t get the payment.

Assets test

To assess if you can get Special Benefit we’ll look at all the assets you have. If you’re partnered, we’ll also look at your partner’s assets. Your limits are higher if you get Rent Assistance with your allowance. Your payment will cancel when your assets are more than the following amounts. The income limit still applies. Your situation Homeowner Non-homeowner Single $280,000 $504,500 A couple, combined $419,000 $643,500 A couple, 1 partner eligible, combined $419,000 $643,500