Dan's Workshop: Footer or Piers?

Footer or piers? Footer or piers? The first step to any building is the foundation and this question has been under consideration for some time: piers, a footer, or maybe simply a pole barn like Pa Mac? In the end Dan decided on piers. Here’s why.

If we’d had cedars to work with, a pole barn would have been an excellent option. As it is, we have pine, which especially untreated like ours, will quickly rot in the ground. No good.

A footer would have required digging a trench. Tree roots and heavy clay were a deterrent to doing it by hand, which meant we’d have to rent equipment to dig it.

The next step would have been to build a form for the footer. That would have meant more materials, although some just pour the concrete directly into the trench.

Being able to mix and pour all that concrete was another consideration. Ideally the entire footer should be poured at the same time, but our little mixer wouldn’t be able to do that. The other option would be having someone deliver and pour what we needed.

Piers meant working with smaller, more manageable batches.

With a footer, the entire surface would have to be leveled. With piers, the posts can be cut to the length required.

Because we’re using untreated homegrown, home-milled lumber, Dan wanted to keep it as far from the ground as possible. Moisture and termites do not promote longevity.

This way the posts can be set on top of the pier, but the plywood siding (which is treated) can come closer to the ground.

And of course he had an audience.

Now on to the next step.