I have been in the const business for years,and learned a few shortcuts that qualify for working ''smarter,not harder''.
Concrete trucks are heavy,and best left outside the building. Wheelbarrows will place the 'crete where you want it,but are a lot of work. Try this when pouring a slab inside a pole building.
Set all the poles,and set the skirt board to the height of the finished floor. Cut the wall purlins[girts] to the center of each plumbed pole,while you are at it cut the five or so wall girts and top plates identical length for each pole spacing. If the poles are mis-spaced a little,no big deal. The only spacing that matters is to make up the total building length to the spec building size when you set the last corner poles. Be picky about the perimeter straightness of the wall at the bottom skirt board--that is more important than exact pole spacing. I accomplish this by setting the poles over a dry concrete pad set in a gravel bed to level it. This gives a little ''slide'' to the pole at it's base even after the gravel is packed in. Plumb the poles and simply space the poles the SAME SPACING at the top that they are at the bottom. You have created a paralellogram that,can be pulled or pushed endways --and that will plumb both corners at once to establish straight corners on the LENGTH of th building. Repeat the proceedure for the endwalls of the building. At this point,you will have a building with parallel poles,a straight base at the bottom skirt board,and perhaps a little ''in and out'' at the top of the building. Resist the urge to drive a bunch of stakes around the outside of the building with their attendant exterior braces --trust that your gravel pack will hold them close to plumb [more on this later]Your temporary spacer girt is at the top only ,and is above the level of the concrete chute. Pour that sucker! If the chute bumps a pole or two,you can always get out the come-along and pull it or push it back in place after he is done and the you are waiting for the 'crete to set
Set the top plates [it is easier to mark the truss locations BEFORE you nail'em up]Now for the fun part--Straightening the top plates could not be easier! Simply mark off the entire pile of roof trusses identical to the building width. We usually set one end of the truss on one side of the building,fasten it down,space and brace the tops of all the trusses,and then pull the other side of the building into compliance with a come along[cable winch] or push it with a spring board using the width mark on the truss that you marked previously,After you have thus established an identical width all across the building,set a stringline on one side. Now you can pull or push both side walls at the same time to straighten them. Set braces nailed to the base of the poles near the floor and the bottom chord of the truss. Avoid exterior bracing-- you need access to the exterior at this point Once your siding and roof is installed,the building will remain straight. Since you have set the poles over[not in] a concrete base,they are more free to move a fudge in the gravel pack. Your previously poured concrete floor serves as a fulcrum for this movement
The benefits of pouring the floor first are many. The concrete supplier will like this--time is money. It is easier to finish--you can work the edges of the pour in nicely. If you hire a concrete crew,they will appreciate this. And best of all,there is no unsightly wall splatter from pouring concrete inside your newly sided building. Just do me a favor and don't drop a hammer on a ''green'' concrete floor when you are setting the roof frame
Concrete trucks are heavy,and best left outside the building. Wheelbarrows will place the 'crete where you want it,but are a lot of work. Try this when pouring a slab inside a pole building.
Set all the poles,and set the skirt board to the height of the finished floor. Cut the wall purlins[girts] to the center of each plumbed pole,while you are at it cut the five or so wall girts and top plates identical length for each pole spacing. If the poles are mis-spaced a little,no big deal. The only spacing that matters is to make up the total building length to the spec building size when you set the last corner poles. Be picky about the perimeter straightness of the wall at the bottom skirt board--that is more important than exact pole spacing. I accomplish this by setting the poles over a dry concrete pad set in a gravel bed to level it. This gives a little ''slide'' to the pole at it's base even after the gravel is packed in. Plumb the poles and simply space the poles the SAME SPACING at the top that they are at the bottom. You have created a paralellogram that,can be pulled or pushed endways --and that will plumb both corners at once to establish straight corners on the LENGTH of th building. Repeat the proceedure for the endwalls of the building. At this point,you will have a building with parallel poles,a straight base at the bottom skirt board,and perhaps a little ''in and out'' at the top of the building. Resist the urge to drive a bunch of stakes around the outside of the building with their attendant exterior braces --trust that your gravel pack will hold them close to plumb [more on this later]Your temporary spacer girt is at the top only ,and is above the level of the concrete chute. Pour that sucker! If the chute bumps a pole or two,you can always get out the come-along and pull it or push it back in place after he is done and the you are waiting for the 'crete to set
Set the top plates [it is easier to mark the truss locations BEFORE you nail'em up]Now for the fun part--Straightening the top plates could not be easier! Simply mark off the entire pile of roof trusses identical to the building width. We usually set one end of the truss on one side of the building,fasten it down,space and brace the tops of all the trusses,and then pull the other side of the building into compliance with a come along[cable winch] or push it with a spring board using the width mark on the truss that you marked previously,After you have thus established an identical width all across the building,set a stringline on one side. Now you can pull or push both side walls at the same time to straighten them. Set braces nailed to the base of the poles near the floor and the bottom chord of the truss. Avoid exterior bracing-- you need access to the exterior at this point Once your siding and roof is installed,the building will remain straight. Since you have set the poles over[not in] a concrete base,they are more free to move a fudge in the gravel pack. Your previously poured concrete floor serves as a fulcrum for this movement
The benefits of pouring the floor first are many. The concrete supplier will like this--time is money. It is easier to finish--you can work the edges of the pour in nicely. If you hire a concrete crew,they will appreciate this. And best of all,there is no unsightly wall splatter from pouring concrete inside your newly sided building. Just do me a favor and don't drop a hammer on a ''green'' concrete floor when you are setting the roof frame

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