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” […]

Energy Star and Windows Ever wonder where the whole “Energy Star” thing started from? It seems like it pops up on everything from computers to refrigerators to windows. Well, the Energy Star program was started in 1992. It is a voluntary program, which lets manufacturers put an Energy Star label on specific items if they […]

Why to Verify Design Criteria For those of you who are dedicated long term readers, I thank you. I’ve preached this subject more than once – but the message hasn’t gotten through to everyone yet. I will attempt to avoid boring anyone. There are over 7000 building permit issuing jurisdictions in the United States. A […]

Establishing Fire Resistance Table 601 of the International Building Code (IBC) establishes the required fire resistance of building elements (usually the structural frame, walls, floors and roofs) due to the construction type of the building (most post frame buildings being either Type III or V). Required ratings are given in hours. Fire resistance describes the […]

Last week I started discussing understanding the Building Code – and how it applies to post frame buildings.  Go back to Friday if you want to get caught up – this is part II of a two part blog. Again – this will appear “long” – but hard to break it up, and the tables […]

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” […]

This is part 1 of a two part series – I know it’s long, but bear with me – this is too important to divide it up into too many “pieces”.  Good stuff here – read on: The information below is excerpted from the International Building Code (IBC) and based upon information provided by the […]

Back in 2006  Daniel Huang and Shawn Dougherty began the business mStation, making speakers and cases for iPods and mp3 players. Initially located in southern California, they decided to reduce their company’s real estate costs by setting up shop in Dougherty’s pole barn back in Kalamazoo, Michigan. This would allow them to make the best […]

Decked Out Pole Buildings A fair number of post frame buildings end up with decks attached to them. We’ve designed some unique ones over the years, including a building which had a ten foot cantilevered deck across the entire end of a 36 foot wide building. My own pole building at home, has a five […]

Let’s Waste More Good Farmland It has been awhile since I got off on a good rant. My belief is a person should be able to do whatever they want with their property, as long as the value of your neighbor’s property is not degraded by it. The less government interference, the better. I live […]

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” […]

NOTE: Today’s blog is part III of a 3 part series – back up two days for the beginning! For those who wish to skip parts I and II, a simple typographical error on the Internet got me to “hansonsteel.com” (Hanson versus Hansen-which is the company I work for) where I found an interesting page […]

Yesterday I started a 3 part series. A simple typographical error on the Internet got me to “hansonsteel.com” (Hanson versus Hansen-which is the company I work for) where I found an interesting page on “Steel vs. Pole Buildings”. To continue the story…. (For sake of ease of reading, words in italics are those from the […]

A simple typographical error on the Internet got me to “hansonsteel.com” (Hanson versus Hansen-which is the company I work for) where I found an interesting page on “Steel vs. Pole Buildings”. Let me deflate their ego, by blowing holes in their misinformation. For sake of ease of reading, words in bold italics are those from […]

In yesterday’s posting, I quoted Harris Hyman, an engineer from Portland, Oregon, who appears to know his stuff when it comes to preventing frost heave. In a July 1994 article, in the Journal of Light Construction he listed some methods which don’t work to prevent frost heave: “Another method for dealing with frost involves wrapping […]

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” […]

Coulomb Theory As I have probably mentioned a few times, I learn new stuff every day. Sometimes, what I learn causes me to rethink my prior positions on subjects. I’d like to believe this is a good thing, as it keeps me from being so rigid. I’ve always had a bad attitude toward the use […]

Plywood or OSB; OSB or Plywood? Oriented strand board (OSB) long ago became the market leader, in relationship to plywood. As much as 75% of all sheathing is now OSB, thanks mostly to cost conscious buyers. OSB versus Plywood Prices Prices for commodities like structural panels are notoriously volatile, and plywood can often be nearly […]

Author’s Note: This is part 10 of a series of blogs written from a 6500+ motorcycle trip from WA to Ohio and back.  See Blog from Oct. 15th for the beginning…and hang on for the ride! Nebraska on the Motorcycle: Classic Vehicle Storage Day ten, I was on the last leg of my motorcycle journey […]

Author’s Note: This is part 9 of a series of blogs written from a 6500+ motorcycle trip from WA to Ohio and back.  See Blog from Oct. 15th for the beginning…and hang on for the ride! It IS a Small World As my “Zen” motorcycle trip approached the home stretch, I was enjoying glorious beautiful […]

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” […]

The Rumors One Hears Author’s Note: This is part 8 of a series of blogs written from a 6500+ motorcycle trip from WA to Ohio and back.  See Blog from Oct. 15th for the beginning…and hang on for the ride! I suppose not every customer walks into a lumberyard fully dressed in leathers. I have […]

Finding Stuff on the Road Author’s Note: This is part 7 of a series of blogs written from a 6500+ motorcycle trip from WA to Ohio and back.  See Blog from Oct. 15th for the beginning…and hang on for the ride! There are many Building Departments who offer nifty little handouts to property owners who […]

Biking On Down the Highway Author’s Note: This is part 6 of a series of blogs written from a 6500+ motorcycle trip from WA to Ohio and back.  See Blog from Oct. 15th for the beginning…and hang on for the ride! Time for another lumber yard visit. They are in Michigan (I am really not […]

Author’s Note: This is part 5 of a series of blogs written from a 6500+ motorcycle trip from WA to Ohio and back.  See Blog from Oct. 15th for the beginning…and hang on for the ride! Still in Wisconsin and I get into a discussion with a former builder. He tries to tell me the […]