Pole Buildings in Elk, WA: Shops, Machine Sheds, Hay Barns & Horse Barns

Pole buildings in Elk, WA, designed for north Spokane County snow and set below the 24-inch frost line. Raven Buildings designs and builds post-frame shops, garages, machine sheds, hay barns and horse barns around Elk, Milan and the north end of Spokane County, with site prep and concrete from our own crew.

Pole buildings we build around Elk

• Shops and garages: enclosed post-frame buildings with roll-up or sectional doors, walk doors and windows
• Machine sheds and equipment storage: wide openings for tractors, trucks, trailers and implements
• Hay and ag storage: open-sided or fully enclosed barns for acreage and small farms
• Horse and livestock barns: stalls, lean-tos and covered areas
• RV and boat storage: tall sidewalls and wide doors
• Floors: gravel or a poured concrete slab, from the same contractor

Which permit office?

Elk isn't an incorporated city, so a pole building on most parcels there is permitted through Spokane County Building and Planning, at 1026 W. Broadway in Spokane (509-477-3675). We pull your parcel number before we quote so the loads, setbacks and paperwork match your property.

Design loads: check your parcel

• County baseline: Spokane County's residential permit packet lists a 39 psf ground snow load and a basic minimum roof snow load of 30 psf, and the director can require more where local climate or topography calls for it
• Higher in places: the County says some areas carry snow loads as high as 150 psf, and its SCOUT online map has a snow load layer you can look up by parcel. Ground and elevation around Elk vary, so we look up yours before we design the trusses
• Frost depth: 24 inches under the City of Spokane and Spokane County joint frost depth policy, measured to the bottom of the footing
• Wind: the County's residential packet lists a 110 mph design wind speed

Post embedment and footing size come from the building's engineering, not a rule of thumb. Our pole barn post depth guide explains how it's figured.

Do you need a permit?

Almost certainly. Spokane County's permit exemption handout (BP-25) exempts only one-story detached accessory structures up to 200 sq ft, and nearly every pole building is bigger than that. Even an exempt building still has to meet setbacks, critical-area rules, lot coverage and right-of-way rules. A barn or hay shed isn't automatically exempt either; our guide to permits for farm buildings in Washington explains why. Our rural setback guide covers placement on acreage.

Gravel or concrete floor?

A pole building doesn't need a slab to stand up, but most shops and garages get one. We can leave the floor in compacted gravel or pour a slab after the shell is up. Our guide to concrete floors in pole barns compares the options.

What an installed pole building costs

Raven's going rate for an installed pole building is about $60 to $75 per sq ft, roughly the same as an installed pre-engineered metal building in our market. Electrical, plumbing and utility hookups are not included and are extra.

• Always extra: electrical, plumbing and utility hookups
• Varies by site: grading, gravel, road approach and how far power has to run
• Your number: we quote each building from your size, doors and site

Our pole barn cost guide and red iron vs. pole barn comparison go deeper.

Why Elk owners call Raven

• We check your parcel's real loads before we design
• One crew from dirt to roof: site prep, concrete and framing
• Nearby work: we also build metal buildings in Elk, pour concrete in Elk, and build pole buildings in Chattaroy and Deer Park

Get an Elk pole building quote

Call 509-350-2016 or request a free quote with your size, doors and address or parcel number. See our pole building services.

Sources

• Installed pricing: Raven Buildings' current going rate
• Spokane County BP-06, Residential Building Permits (design criteria)
• Spokane County Building FAQ (jurisdiction and snow loads)
• Spokane County BP-25, Permit Exemptions
• Spokane County SCOUT map, Snow Loads layer
• City of Spokane / Spokane County Joint Policy BUILD-07, Official Frost Depth (PDF)