hand mix CLSM leveling course?

AC,

I am familiar with the precast "cookies" some building supply stores sell. Are these the precast footings you are referring to? or are you talking about the precast piers? Either way, why do you need the leveling course? Shouldn't compacted subgrade/crushed stone be sufficient to provide a level base to set the precast foundation on?

Also if concrete availability is an issue I know there are companies that manufacture composite cookies. Haven't used them myself, but you can try googling FootingPad for more info from the manufacturer.

LuK

LuK, I was thinking either would work. His concern was leveling and compacting the stone in a 4' deep augured hole. It may also be related to the fact he's a biomedical engineer and used to much tighter tolerances than we are.

My glass has a v/c ratio of 0.5

Maybe the tyranny of Murphy is the penalty for hubris. -

AC,

I remember when I was in college that the aerospace majors couldn't believe the safety factors on my foundations homework. The safety factors on their homework made me not want to get in an airplane again.

An augured hole is definitely going to rule out a number of mechanical compaction options. Best to minimize over excavation, and therefore minimize compaction.

I think you are on the right track for a pole barn in a rural area as long as your friend doesn't have unrealistic expectations for a pole barn. I live in an area with a lot of tobacco farms and there are countless barns they hang and dry the tobacco in. Simple, economic structures with dirt floors that they can drive the tractors through at harvest time. End of service life is when the farmer gets uncomfortable with the structure and knocks it down. They do minimal maintenance to get the most life out of them that they can and rebuild a barn every few years on a rotation it seems.

When people want to build a pole barn for non-agricultural purposes I tend to wince a bit. Wood posts cantilevered out of the ground are going to succumb to deterioration at some point. It's one thing to replace a post and rail fence or reconstruct a tobacco barn every few decades, but most people want their garages to last longer.

LuK