In your opinion, what is the single most disruptive force in construction today? This question was recently posted to the Building Products Professionals group on LinkedIn.  The most appropriate response (in my estimation) was, “The usual comment of the purchaser, “keep the quality with you, give me the lowest price”.” Regardless of their use, post […]

The National Frame Building Association (NFBA) commissioned a report, which was produced in May 2010, to illustrate point of heat transfer in different types of buildings using thermographic images. Both builders and registered design professionals (architects and engineers) familiar with post frame buildings know these buildings use fewer structural components to create an exceptionally economical, […]

Typically post frame (pole) buildings have a pressure treated board at the base of all enclosed walls. Known also as a Bottom Girt, Grade Girt, Skirt Board or Splash Plank, it is a decay and corrosion resistant girt which is in soil contact or located near the soil surface. It remains visible from the building […]

One of our clients purchased two pole building kits from Hansen Pole Buildings last year. He has the first one completed (he constructed it himself), and decided to hire a contractor to complete the second one for him. The Hansen Pole Buildings Designer, Rachel, contacted him recently, to see how it was progressing. The client […]

DEAR POLE BARN GURU:  I have a few questions that you might be able to easily answer. I have a metal pole building wood framed. Most of it has the standard Condensation/insulation blanket in it however some of it got damaged by mice and had to be ripped out. We are now trying to finish […]

Particulate (micronized or dispersed) copper preservative technology has recently been introduced in the USA and Europe. In these systems, the copper is ground to micro sized particles and suspended in water rather than being dissolved in a chemical reaction as is the case with other copper products such as ACQ and Copper Azole. There are […]

Most of us – both those who specify wood treating and those who use it, look upon the litany of possible wood treatments like alphabet soup. Or maybe more like Scrabble – where my 19 year old daughter always seems to either draw the right letters, or make otherwise incomprehensible words (to her Dad anyway) […]

Nail It Up, Call It a Problem Eric, one of the owners of Hansen Pole Buildings, was contacted by a prefabricated roof truss manufacturer recently. They weren’t interested in selling just trusses; they wanted to provide their nail-laminated posts as well. Among their selling points were the columns were, “stronger than even the glu-laminated columns”. […]

In the iconic 1984 movie Footloose, Kevin Bacon’s character has moved to the small fictional town of Bomont. As a result of the efforts of a local minister (played by John Lithgow), dancing and rock music have been banned. How outraged the viewing public was when the rights of freedom of expression had been taken […]

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” […]

I believe in the use of engineered connectors, wherever they can be prudently used in post frame (pole building construction). The average consumer who has visited a lumber yard, or a big-box home improvement center has probably seen many of them, but may not have given them more than a passing thought. About two decades […]

In many parts of the country, a popular ceiling is to use steel liner panels. Generally the liner panels are the same rib configuration as steel roofing and siding, the difference being the panels themselves generally have little or no warranty on either the paint, or the steel themselves. As the paint is not exposed […]

I’ve been in the post frame (pole barn) industry for over three decades now, and I’ve never seen the “pole barn” used as a metaphor for anything by the mainstream media. Well, knock me over with a feather, here it is!! Now IMHO (in my humble opinion), the author doesn’t have a true grasp of […]

I ran across the title of this event on the ‘net and being the pole barn curious guy I am, had to find out more. This event combines several all-American things – Independence Day, a fireworks show, dancing and of course – the pole barn! Luckily very few people (as my lovely bride will attest […]

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” […]

Latest in post frame design To my loyal readers – thank you very much, your support is greatly appreciated. Many of you may be familiar with my journeys to Ecuador. For those who are new subscribers, our now 19 year old daughter was a Rotary youth exchange student in Portoviejo, Ecuador her sophomore year of […]

While the inspiration for this posting came from an article written about a 4-H Barn at a Minnesota county fairgrounds, it could speak for hundreds, or even thousands of similar livestock barns scattered in fairgrounds across America. “The century-old red wood barn stood bent with age, its rotted walls crumbling and its fractured roof ready […]

From time to time Hansen Pole Buildings is contacted by individuals who are looking for a “price break” for being charitable organizations. Popular examples are for helping military veterans, terminally ill children or animal rescue shelters. While the great majority of these requests seemingly are for good causes, there are so many requests and, in […]

There was a time when all barns were sided with wood. A drive around any rural countryside will confirm this; old wood covered barns are seemingly everywhere (although not necessarily in great condition, as wood requires maintenance). As galvanized corrugated steel became more readily available, as well as affordable, the pendulum swung away from the […]

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: With trusses spaced 6 feet on center can you lay 2×4 purlins flat? Curious in Columbus   DEAR CURIOUS: In order to answer your question properly, I will have to make a whole bunch of assumptions. I will assume this is a single truss, code minimum snow load, 4/12 roof slope […]

This story appeared in the Windsor, Ontario, Canada Star June 27, 2013:   “Firefighters had to use a metal cutter and giant airbags Wednesday to rescue a man trapped under a barn collapse. “Upon our arrival, there was one person that was trapped underneath the trusses,” said Essex Fire Chief Ed Pillon.”He was conscious, alert, […]

Things Which Scare the Pooh Out of Me And we are not talking about things which go bump in the night or hide in closets waiting to jump out. Hansen Buildings’ Designer Rick recently ran up against an interesting situation. One of the responsibilities of clients is to verify the code information with their Building […]

Thanks to a High School Student My eldest step-son Jake, started a Facebook Group for students where he taught Physics at Lenore City in Tennessee. One of his students shared this with the group: “Three professionals, a mathematician, a physicist and an engineer, took their final test for their job. The sole question in the […]

Well, It Sounded Good Anyhow On an Internet Forum, was being discussed insulation and condensation control of pole buildings. “Dave” posted: “If you spray foam the interior, for insulation and moisture barrier, there is a polyurethane foam that is rated for fire retardant qualities… and it stops air infiltration….” Dave sent me the link to […]

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 send from a “reply-able” […]