New barn not what I paid for!!!!!! OT

Ok so I paid good money to build a 30 x 60x 12 pole barn. So it's been done for a while. Due to weather I could not get the floor in until now. Now that I'm tring to do the floor and run power and water i am not happy with the building. The biulding is 29ft x 58ft x 28.75 ft x 59ft. So not one corner is square and instead of 1800 sq ft igot 1650sq ft. I called the building company they are supposed to get back with me tomorrow. What would you guys do?

It is the width of the metal siding. The panels are 36" wide but with a 1.5" to 2" overlap for each piece will make the dims a little smaller. As for your square building...yup, it does not sound square if your long sides are a foot difference.

You didn't say exactly what you measured, but buildings are measured based on outside dimensions. If you measured inside that's part of the problem. The out-of-square is a whole separate problem, and we expect a lot better quality than was the case 40-50 years ago.

Builder said measure center of post to center of the next I did but the dimensions I posted are out side edge of corner post to corner post so actually it's 6-8 inches smaller than the numbers I posted.

(quoted from post at 22:57:39 05/16/12) It is the width of the metal siding. The panels are 36" wide but with a 1.5" to 2" overlap for each piece will make the dims a little smaller. As for your square building...yup, it does not sound square if your long sides are a foot difference.

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The panels on my building are 37 1/2" wide giving a coverage of 36" when installed. Have the building material suppliers changed to smaller panels?

Normally the outside dimension would the size you wanted before the steel is applied. The steel will be 1 1/2" too short on one end but the corner trim is designed to fit correctly and cover the gap. Depending on how high the ribs are on your steel the total outside dimensions should be 2 - 3 inches larger than the 30' x 60'.

as far as I know, square footage, house, barn, or otherwise is measured on the outside. Out of square is a quality issue in itself.

Have you measured corner-to-corner? It's just another way to check to see how much out of square it is. Check your measurements with a friend helping just to double check, if you haven't already done that. If it is out of square as much as I think it is judging by your measurements, I'd be very-very unhappy with them. That building shouldn't have more than a half inch difference in sidewall length. It should really be exactly the same. If you care enough about this building to spend the money pouring a crete floor you should have a square building. If you put in a ceiling it will be crooked, for instance. If you want to divide it into rooms someday in the future the rooms will be crooked. Last winter I remodeled a 50 year-old cattle shed, dividing it into two rooms, lining the walls and putting in a ceiling. This cattle shed was built by two people, an old carpenter and a rookie helper. The building was perfectly square. The steel ceiling sheets fit like a glove. That's the way yours should be. I hope this company is good to deal with because they just might have to tear it down and rebuild it for you. Let us know how it turns out. Jim

Sounds like they just eyeballed it for square. Should have X measured the corners first when they set the poles. When I build something if it is off more than one thirtysecond of an inch it gets redone. I would make them tear it down and rebuild it.

What is the big deal of being square your tractor wont know the difference little late to change it now. Your specks should have been you wanted the building square inside.

The dimensions for post frame buildings are normally measured from the outside of the purlins. So with 2x4 purlins, the dimensions should be the outside edges of the posts plus three inches (1-1/2" x 2).

It is not easy to get the posts lined up correctly, and by short-cutting the process the builder can save a lot of time and money. I'll bet he deliberately set the posts undersize, since it's easier to trim the siding to fit than it is to stretch it. They can also be much sloppier when they install the siding, since they don't have to worry about running short when they have a foot to spare. (I heard of one builder who ran short on siding, so he drove his pickup lengthwise down a sheet to flatten out the ribs.)

While you're waiting for this so-called builder to show up, check to see if the posts are plumb. They won't be perfect, since most posts are bowed, but they should be close.

I personally wouldn't lose any sleep over it.If you didn't want a foundation under it or a surveyor to lay it out,this is what you get.

JMHO

Vito

Poles barns are by nature "by guess or by golly" That sounds pretty darn close to me. As long as it "looks" square I wouldn't get upset about it.

Sloppy work to be off that far.

I would divide your $ paid per square foot promised, then multiply $ per square foot x what they shorted you, and ask that amount be refunded or we're heading to court. (whether bluffing or not is up to you)

It is dead easy to get a building square, just use the 3-4-5, pythagarus' theory of a right angled triangle on the corners and scale it up. Length of side should also be easy as every hardwarestore sells tape-measures!
Sam

My pole barn was built 9 years ago, 30 X50 and that's is what it mearures. Some one didn't take thetime to check and make sure it was square.Just hope it wasn't a sub-contractor that built it. If it was, don't be suprised if they're no longer in business.

(quoted from post at 19:43:28 05/16/12) Ok so I paid good money to build a 30 x 60x 12 pole barn. So it's been done for a while. Due to weather I could not get the floor in until now. Now that I'm tring to do the floor and run power and water i am not happy with the building. The biulding is 29ft x 58ft x 28.75 ft x 59ft. So not one corner is square and instead of 1800 sq ft igot 1650sq ft. I called the building company they are supposed to get back with me tomorrow. What would you guys do?

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If it's a Morton building, you'll never get any satisfaction from them.

With a job that size, I would have been checking over their sholder often. If I could not be there I would at least have someone checking on the progress.
Also I will do a walk through with the contracter befor I sign the last check.
If it looked good and not out of square I would let it go and move on.

I think another issue is the loss of space here (besides being out of whack and smaller). 150 sqft is a lot of space, some of us have a bedroom that size in our homes. And you can park an extra tractor, theoretically speaking.
Just thinking out loud, Ralph in OK.

Sounds like Jackleg Bldrs Inc. You didn't get what you paid for plain and simple if you pay for 10 gals gas you wouldn't accept 9 1/2 would you?
I'd at least want my $$$ back on the square footage that I was shorted,also would look over the rest of the construction real close.

I have built several pole barns, two houses, lot of other buiding. But thought I would take a break and have my 32x50 shop built by a Builder. IF there will be a next time with a contractor OF ANY KIND they will have a bull ring in their nose, and a lead chain.

A lot depends on how long its been and what the warranty laws are in your state. If the statute has run out Id suck it up and get over it, chalk it up to making real sure I checked stuff over before I paid the check. If it hasnt run out, Id be getting my ducks in a row ASAP. 150 square feet at 60 bucks a square foot is real money. Of course, if its like the last pole barn I had done, using rough lumber, over run metal, and 10 dollar an hour day labor, Id be tickled pink if it was that close, but, it cost 10 bucks a square foot to build too....

Hoosier, I'd have that building torn apart and re-built. Period! If you're going to run a floor and put in power and water, this building is evidently going to be more than just shelter. Get it re-done right. It will cost the builder big time so he will be probably be dragging his feet but you have to live with that thing for a log time. Jim

Your 30x60 building should only be 28.75x58.75 at the most as buildings are sold outside to outside.As far as out of square,X measuring is the only way to tell.You can't really tell outside wall measuring.The way pole buildings go up,you may be lucky because the numbers they are told to build a week.I know it isn't right and wish you luck on what happens.

I asked for a twenty foot door and got nineteen foot five inches. When I complained to the contractor, he said you asked for twenty foot doors and you got them. The opening needs to be seven inches smaller to cover with a twenty foot door. I'm thinking one way and he the other.

Pythagorean Theorem. Sorry Sir, just couldn't help it.

Other thing is just check your diagonals. If the X has equal legs, you are plumb.

My apologies for the candor.

I had mine 30x50x12 with a full length 15' x50 shed (actually a continuation of the roof) built by BCI out of Muskogee, OK. Had a crew of 3 Okies come down here in January '05 and in some of the worst weather built a superb building for me. Their workmanship was stellar.

I felt sorry for them so I cooked a hot lunch for them every day and tipped them nicely.

Company still advertises in the monthly electrical coop magazine so they must still be in business.

I have a Morton building also that was built in 1981. Only problem was the cupola never would quit leaking. Something about the physics air vortexes or something that every time it rained the rain would come in the cupola's louvers.

I'll see if I can dig up a picture of it.

Mark

My 32x70 barn is five inches off on one side. I was going to fire the person that helped me lay it out but decided not to. Then I would have to do my own cooking, laundry, and would need someone to take care of my other needs. All joking on the side it seems like every barn I've built was off a few inches here and there. Although I don't do it for a living either. I think they better have a good explanation or be ready to give a little refund.

He got what was sold to him and paid for(30x60) unless he expresly said he wanted-needed a 1800 sq.ft.space inside.99%of all things you buy by X bye X will be outside measurements(truck beds,Houses,wagons,etc).Volume and square footage are two different things.

You are off square by 3 inches one way and a foot the other.

I disagree with those that say its close enough. You can rent or buy a laser and set everything within probably 1/10 of an inch over 100 foot. A builder should own laser/transit, and they sure ought to know how to read a tape measure.

You paid for a professional job, you should expect professional results, period. You didn't say how you took the measurements, inside, outside, on the poles etc. But you have two issues. 1. Overall dimesions. 2. Lack of square of the building.

Keep us posted.

Rick

Dag nabbit... Now you all have me wondering if my 60'x156'x16' is actually that big..... I never even thought about actually measuring it!

(quoted from post at 09:24:13 05/17/12) first off its by out side, not inside, so your a idiot.

and it you expected it to be perfect, as a pole barn, your a bigger idiot.

Now if your poured a slab and had a "building" build on it, you have a different story.

Too many people assume a 2 by 4 is really a 2x4 and are not educated on the fact its smaller to allow for the finished wall. If a 20 foot door had a 20' opening, the rain would come in and it would not seal.

your lack of knowledge is your stupidity and not the builders.

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Why don't you tell us what you're really thinking.

All the pole barns I see advertised are dimensioned to the outside. So you take the 2 Inch sheeting and then the post width off the width and length. So it would be 1 1/2 x 2= 3 inches. then 5 1/2 x 2 = 11 inches. So the inside cross dimension would be 14 inches under 30 feet or 28 foot 10 inches.

Also I have seen some buildings sold by the over hang dimension. SO if you have a one foot over hang then the building would be that much smaller inside.

I have found that you get what you pay for. You more than likely bought it based on price. It seems it might have been a company that was not local. If you are having a pole barn built then make sure what you are buying. READ the building plans. I also try to use local people if possible. If not then go with a company that has a good reputation. Get some references and CHECK them out.

Myself I will spend a little more on something like this. You are going to hopefully own it for a life time. So a few dollars saved up front is not much per year of ownership.

As for the guys that say Morton does not stand behind their buildings. You must be hard to get along with. I have a total of three Morton buildings. I have had small things on two of them. The company was more than fair and fast in resolving any issues I had. The other building had a major problem. The paint came off the siding. It was thirteen years old. The metal was warrantied for thirty years. They came out and looked at it. Two weeks later I got a call saying a crew would be here the next week. They showed up and removed all the metal, even the roof and trim. They then installed new metal that is one gauge heavier than what I had. The new metal has another thirty year warranty form the installation date not the build date. While they where here I asked the foreman if he could use his lift to repair the eve on another non Morton building I had. I told him I would be more than glad to pay for his time and materials. He removed the damaged eve and I went to town and got the trim and metal to repair it. He finished the repair. ( Side note: It took them three days to get all of the old metal off and the new re-installed. My wife fixed them hot meals the entire time they where on the farm. She is old school and if you work for her/us you get fed a good hot meal) Anyway. The crew foreman did not charge me anything for the other repair. He refused to take any money offered. I took his name and number. Since then that crew has built four other buildings in my area. Everyone of them is a good high quality building. So I maintain that you get what you pay for. The cheapest bid is many times going to be the cheapest quality building. Most of the time you can have good OR cheap but not both.

I guess the question is - did he pay for a professional job?

I put up a 30X40 building 7 years ago. The company that put it up charged the same price that Sutherlands wanted for the kit (I assemble). The crew (three guys and a generator) that put mine up showed up at 4:00 pm one evening and had it built by 5:00 the next night. Its not perfect but I feel I got a lot for the money. If someday I learn its 3" out of square I think I'll live with it.

Also sorry sir, if the X has equal legs, building is square, not necessarily plumb. Plumb is vertical. LOL I question the "loss" of square footage.....buildings are measured by outside, not inside dimensions, but the theory of overhang being part of the measure is new to me.

When having someone build something for You... You now know its best to double check what they are doing, & have done before they pack up to leave. I know a crew that messed up on a poured wall basement recently. one wall is about 4 inches shorter than the opposite wall. The real problem is the person bought a manufactured pre built house. It caused quite a stir when the crane set the house on the basement. Total cost around $200,000 for a new incorrect basement; with a house on it! I've got a bad feeling a judge will be deciding the outcome of that one! As a fellow Hoosier; if You are building a cheap building; then build it yourself. You can get a much better building that way for the same price! Although I dont know your exact situation.

As mentioned by others- building dimensions are exterior measurement . Not clear if you measured inside or out. I imagine if you paid for a certain sq. ft building you may have a good complaint if your measurements are correct. Alot would depend on your original contract and how much time has passed since building was done. I have never heard of including the overhang (eaves) in the measurement as someone mentioned.

Over here, Mark it is theory as I said it, that is what I was taught at school, different country different name, even different spelling sometimes, like we spell it louvres not louvers, but at least you knew what I meant.
LOL...Sam

I guess I shouldn't be surprised at the amount of misinformation in the responses, but I am.

"dimensions are exterior/outside of siding"
Repeated 4 times.
I've put up several all steel and post frame buildings. The dimensions were always to outside of purlins. It would be difficult to adjust for the siding thickness, since the same post frame building kit might be sold with either steel or T1-11 siding, which have different thicknesses. Besides, the kit manufacturer has no incentive to size a building undersize; they normally use standard lumber dimensions, and lumber comes in 2 foot increments. To make a building undersize, they would be throwing away building materials.

"a 20 foot door has an opening that's less than 20 feet"
Repeated twice.
Try this: call up an overhead door company and ask them this: "how big of a door do I need to fit a 10 foot tall by 20 foot wide opening". After they get done laughing, they'll tell you that overhead door dimensions are slightly oversize to cover the specified opening. Same thing with steel and post frame building kits: you specify the OPENING size. Maybe you buy the door at the same place you bought the kit, maybe not; either way it fits.

I really am surprised how many of you seem to think it's acceptable for a builder to cut corners like this. Hopefully you're not all in the building trades. It's very clear the builder did a shoddy job and deliberately set the posts undersize rather than get them as close as possible. Whether Hoosier paid for a quality job we don't know, but it's clear that the level quality he received was lower than whale s**t.

29ft x 58ft should give you a diagonal measurement of 65 ft 4 inches. 28.75ft. x 59ft will give you a diagonal of measurement of 64ft 10-1/8 inches. A difference of 5-7/8 inches but you have to divide that amount by 2 so it is actually 2-15/16 inches out of square. How does the tin on the roof line up on the ends? If it is straight with the eave I wouldn't sweat it. We used to build pole barns with round poles that were tapered. Real tricky making the corners square with them. Had to show a guy one time that you could only level 2 sides of the pole with the taper.

You are correct sir and I apologize for my misuse of vernacular. Plumb has to do with a "plumb bob" hanging and as you said, vertical position with respect to the ground below; square has to do with all the angles being 90 degrees making up the sides and ends of whatever you are measuring.

Mark