Welcome to Ask the Pole Barn Guru – where you can ask questions about building topics, with answers posted on Mondays.  With many questions to answer, please be patient to watch for yours to come up on a future Monday or Saturday segment.  If you want a quick answer, please be sure to answer with a “reply-able” email address.

Email all questions to: PoleBarnGuru@HansenPoleBuildings.com

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Can you supply buildings with perma-columns? Our soil conditions will not be a good combination with standard poles. Could I add that to a quote request if they are available?

Thanks. THOMAS

DEAR THOMAS: We can, yes – however they still require a poured concrete footing beneath. Our normal design back fills the bottom portion of the hole with poured concrete as well – providing the same bearing area as the perma-columns would.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I use my barn as a dog kennel. I have 4 dog runs. My male urinates on the exterior wall which has caused rust on about the bottom 3-4 inches. What can I do to cover this and prevent? Is there a synthetic PVC panel that will fit over my tin that will cover the rust spot and prevent future rust? I have seen roofing sheets that are plastic and clear. Would one of these in color work? Do they make them? I only need to cover about 2-3 feet high since he can’t hike his leg higher than that!

Or would old fashioned galvanized be better? With no paint. Not sure how much more rust resistant it would be. ORNERY IN OHIO

DEAR ORNERY: It sounds like you need to either remove the dog from where he can get

at the panels, or replace the portion of the panels he is urinating on.

There are polycarbonate panels which should do the trick, they are opaque white, come in three foot lengths and match the profile of the wall steel. These will also require a flashing to be dded between them and the wall steel above.

Plain galvanized is going to rust also – and it does not have the added protection afforded by the paint