Service
Building Pad & Pole Barn Pad Preparation in Central Indiana
A cleared, compacted and drained pad for a house, a pole barn or a machine shed, ready before the builder turns up. Based in Greencastle.
The work
What building pad and pole barn pad preparation is
Building pad and pole barn pad preparation is the groundwork that turns a piece of field, yard or woods into a flat, firm, drained base for a building. On Grade LLC builds pads out of Greencastle for houses, pole barns and machine sheds, and for commercial buildings.
A pad is one part of site preparation. It gets its own page because it is the part people ask about most, and the part that is hardest to put right once a building is standing on it.
Step by step
How a building pad gets built
1. Walk the spot
We look at where the building is going, how the ground falls, where water runs now and how trucks will get in. Buried utilities are located through Indiana 811 before anything is dug. That takes two full working days, so allow for it.
2. Clear and grub the footprint
Trees, brush, stumps and roots come out from under the building. Mulching is not enough here, because it leaves the roots in the ground. See land and lot clearing.
3. Strip the topsoil
Topsoil is soft and full of organic matter, so it does not stay under a pad. We pile it to one side and use it at the end for the finish grade and seed.
4. Cut and fill
High ground is cut down and low ground is filled. Fill is placed in layers and each layer is compacted before the next goes on. A soft pocket found under the topsoil is dug out and replaced, not bridged over.
5. Shape it for water
The ground around the pad is graded to fall away from the building. Where water already crosses the site, it gets a swale to follow so it does not end up against a wall.
6. Stone, if the plan calls for it
Where the building gets a concrete floor or apron, stone is brought in, compacted and levelled so the slab is poured at an even thickness. See concrete preparation.
Pole barns
Pole barn pads, and clearing for one
A pole barn usually goes on farm ground or at the back of a rural lot. That brings two things to watch. Old field tile often runs under ground that was farmed, and it is not part of an 811 locate. A wooded corner has to be cleared and grubbed before it can carry a pad.
Tell us who is putting the building up and what they have asked for: the finished height, how level it has to be, and whether they want stone under the floor. We build the pad to that. The pad is our part of the job. The building goes up after we leave.
A barn also needs a way in. We can cut and stone the drive, the apron in front of the doors and a turnaround in the same visit. See driveway installation and finish grading.
The price
What changes the job
There is no price list here, because two pads the same size can be very different jobs. These are the things that move it.
How much the ground falls
A pad on a slope needs more cut on the high side and more compacted fill on the low side than one on level ground.
What is under the topsoil
Firm ground is quick. Soft or wet ground has to be dug out and replaced. In parts of Putnam County limestone sits close to the surface, and that changes how a cut is made.
Where the fill comes from
A pad that balances its own cut and fill needs little trucking. One that needs material hauled in or hauled away costs more.
Access and weather
Trucks need a way in and somewhere to turn. Wet ground slows all of it down.
A compaction standard
If a geotechnical report sets a compaction figure, we build to it and the testing firm checks the layers as they go in.
Size of the disturbed area
A site that disturbs an acre or more comes under Indiana's Rule 5 stormwater requirements. Erosion controls go in before the ground is opened.
Where
Where we build pads
On Grade is based in Greencastle. A pad for a pole barn or a machine shed is everyday work across Putnam County, where the machines sit overnight. We also build pads across Hendricks County and Boone County and east into Indianapolis.
For a larger building, see commercial and industrial sitework. If the spot is wooded and in Putnam County, start with land clearing in Greencastle and Putnam County.
On the ground
Pad work, photographed
Every photograph on this site is a job On Grade did. Nothing is stock and nothing is staged.
FAQ
Building pad questions
Can you build a pad on sloping ground?
Yes. The high side is cut down and the low side is filled in compacted layers until the pad is level. The ground above it is shaped so water runs around the building and not across the pad.
Does the topsoil have to come off first?
Yes. Topsoil is soft and it settles, so it is stripped from under the building and piled to one side. It goes back on at the end for the finish grade and seed.
Can trees just be mulched where a pole barn is going?
No. Mulching leaves the roots in the ground, and roots under a pad rot and let it settle. The footprint has to be cleared and grubbed, and the stump holes filled and compacted. Mulching is fine for the ground around the building.
Do you put in the drive to the building as well?
Yes. The same crew can cut and stone the drive, the apron and a turnaround while the machines are on site.
How do I get a price for a building pad?
Call or text Travis with the address, the size of the building and when the builder is due. Most pads need a look, because the fall of the ground and what is under the topsoil decide the job. Estimates are free.
Related
Site preparation, clearing and areas
Get a number
Pad to build?
Call or text Travis with the address, the building size and when the builder is due.
Sent
Got it — thank you.
Your request is in and Travis will get back to you. If you would rather talk now, call or text (317) 203-8928.