This is Wrong in So Many Ways
There is nothing wrong about trying to get the best deal for one’s investment. How do you think wealthy people got wealthy? Most of them didn’t just fall into money, they worked to get the best deals for their money spent.
However, sometimes, it just doesn’t pay.
Recently, in our Facebook group ‘Pole Barns and Buildings’, a new member made this post:
“Anyone here really good at figuring the lumber materials for a pole barn? I’ve already got my trusses and metal will be erecting myself. 40x70x14 with 40×50 of that enclosed with 2 12×12 roll up doors and a 36inx80in man door. 12×70 side shed on both sides.”
This poster is way over his head and here are my reasons for having this opinion:
- Not only does he not have third-party engineer sealed plans to build from (a sin in where I come from), he has no plans at all!
- If he had plans, he could simply count materials needed from his plans. It truly is not so difficult.
- Or, he could take his plans to his nearby lumberyard and they will do a takeoff for him (probably not being overly accurate) as they attempt to get him to buy their lumber package.
- Cart is way ahead of his horse. If I was ‘Joe soon to be new building owner’ and planning to erect my own building, I would at least look to order my materials to follow how I would use them. Hopefully he won’t have to store those materials very long, and if he does he will do them properly so as not to end up with sun tanned warped trusses and/or steel with paint sliding off it or premature rusting due to water sitting in inadequately protected bundles.
Here is how to store trusses on a jobsite: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2019/06/jobsite-storage-of-pole-building-trusses/ and steel roofing and siding: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2019/06/storage-of-steel-roofing-and-siding-panels/.
Piecemealers, like this one, never come out ahead: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2014/03/diy-pole-building/.
