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 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: Who is the Pole barn guru… His last name please. I ask, because I may know him…thanks. DAVE IN BIGFORK
DEAR DAVE: I’ve been fortunate in my journeys to meet so many wonderful people all over the country, it is very possible you are one of them – especially if you are in the construction industry. My last name is Momb (yep, anyone with the same last name is a relative of some sort).
You can read my story starting here: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2011/06/before-the-pole-barn-guru/
DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Sealing roof ridge cap not happy with foam, can I use expandable foam good or bad idea? DUANE IN CENTRALIA
DEAR DUANE: Lots of post frame (pole) building providers cheap out and either leave the closure strips out from under the ridge cap, or use inexpensive rolls of open cell foam. The open cell closures are not resistant to UV rays, and are pretty much guaranteed to deteriorate within about five years.
Expandable foam – probably not the best idea, as it would be prone to buckle the ridge caps between screw fasteners. It also could very well potentially “leak” out from under the ridge caps creating an aesthetic problem.
The very best solution would be closed cell form fitted closures, either solid or vented.
Read here about vented closure strips: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2014/12/ridge-vent/
DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I’m using Sturdiwall brackets on a 6” slab with integral frost wall. If I put trusses on 4′ centers and use hurricane braces, then skin with 29 gauge steel 2×4 purlins and grits on 2 foot centers plus longitudinal and diagonal bracing in the trusses, can I expect sufficient wind stability?
b: First a bit of background reading material: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2011/12/lateral-wind-loads/ and https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2015/01/diaphragm/
Now, in direct answer to your question – the only way to assure your building will adequately carry wind loads, is to have the design reviewed by a registered design professional (RDP – engineer or architect), who can run the structural calculations to make those determinations.
The “how” of the guts of the building has far less to do with the end resultant, than does the number, size and locations of door openings, and is mostly about how you attach the steel skin. Read more here: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2012/08/this-is-a-test-steel-strength/
