Glu-laminated columns are a laminated composite product manufactured from high-strength lumber. By using multiple plies of materials, natural defects are randomized creating greater column strength and a higher degree of reliability. Hansen Pole Buildings provides glulam columns manufactured by several different companies, so there are some slight variations. This article will speak more to the […]

Largely excerpted from an article in “Metal Roofing” on March 13, 2013 by Jim Austin Roofing battles Mother Nature’s most physical and visual weapon    Metal roofing stands up to the forces of nature as well as or better than any type of roofing material. When it comes to roofing, Mother Nature doesn’t play favorites when she unleashes […]

Most people who have ever considered construction of  any type of building in the United States have had to deal with their local jurisdiction’s Planning Department. Most of those same people may report this as being less than a fun experience. We Americans are fiercely independent, we value the ability to have the freedom to […]

Pole Building Construction We’ve spent the last few days in the capitol city of Quito, Ecuador. If it wasn’t for our daughter having spent her sophomore year of high school here as a Rotary Exchange Student, we probably never would have visited Ecuador.  Once we were here, we were hooked however. The scenery is breathtaking and amazingly […]

DEAR POLE BARN GURU:  Can these pole barn kits be placed on a basement foundation? MOTIVATED IN MEXICO MISSOURI DEAR MOTIVATED: I happen to live on a lake, which is nestled into a mountain valley. For the most part, the parcels of land around the lake tend to be very narrow and very steep (only […]

In Robert J. Hoyle, Jr. and Frank Woeste’s 1989 textbook “Wood Technology in the Design of Structures”, in Chapter 21 (Post-Frame Building Design) on Page 336 is the following: “Concrete encasement of the post in the ground contact area enlarges the friction surface and can generally be credit with a wood-to-concrete bond strength of 30 […]

And he huffed and he puffed and… Ok – couldn’t help myself when I thought about writing about straw houses! For years I’ve been fielding inquiries from people who are interested in integrating basic pole barn design, with straw bale infills, to use as residential structures. During a recent visit to a Home Depot in […]

Got Wood? While very few consumers visit retail lumberyards or big box home improvement centers nearly as often as I do, if it has been over a year since your last visit, prepare for some serious sticker shock. The sheet of 7/16” osb (oriented strand board) which retailed for a five spot and change last […]

This is Why Pole Barns Should be Engineered A line of strong thunderstorms moved through North Central Florida Saturday March 23, prompting severe thunderstorm warnings and a tornado warning. The photograph is of the remains of a pole barn, which is suspected to have been hit by a tornado. No other structures in the area […]

DEAR POLE BARN GURU:  I’m using 6″ x 6″ treated posts, do I need to use galvanized nails to attach my girts to the posts, do you recommend 20d galv  ringshanks driven w a palm-nailer vs 3-1/4″ 16d non galv ringshanks  I can shoot with gun? James in Golden, CO DEAR GOLDEN: Any time nails […]

March 3-9 was National Severe Weather Preparedness week, which inspired me to outline some ways to prepare your existing pole building to withstand hurricanes. The ASHRAE Guide for Buildings in Hot and Humid Climates recommends designing and constructing buildings in hurricane-prone areas using the following steps in order of priority: keep the building from blowing […]

I Spoke Too Soon! In yesterday’s blog, I was addressing challenges which seem to occur with professional building contractors, and the challenge to correctly measure eave height. So….up jumps the devil…. Not long after the cited incident from a few months ago, a building owner was out constructing their own pole building kit package and […]

When All Else Fails Read the directions. The Hansen Pole Buildings Productions office had a builder contact them a few months ago, because the endwall steel on the pole building kit package they were constructing was “eight inches too short”. Now the builder DID admit to having framed the building three inches taller then he […]

It isn’t very often I really go out of my way to say nice things about products I have never tried, but this is going to be an exception. I have a steel roof on my house (surprise, I know). It is a gabled roof with a “T” off one side, and two full hipped […]

Welcome to our newest feature: 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.  Email all questions to: PoleBarnGuru@HansenPoleBuildings.com DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Which is […]

I’ve been in the prefabricated roof truss industry in one fashion or another (sawyer, salesman, truss builder, forklift operator, crane truck driver, truss designer, general manager and owner) for 36 years. Yes, it is a very long time. Over this time span, the roof truss industry has evolved from trusses which were pretty much designed […]

Truss Plates for Column Uplift The uplift of column in post frame (pole buildings) is a factor which is seemingly all too often overlooked in building design. Several methods for resisting uplift forces are utilized.  However the most popular option which historically has been used seems to be to pretend uplift doesn’t exist! Sadly, the […]

My first exposure to Galvalume ® was when ASC Pacific introduced “twice-the-life” Zincalume in the 1980s. They were marketing the product in its bare (unpainted) form as an alternative to the more familiar bare galvanized sheet steel. It looks similar to galvanized steel, but the visible crystals (or spangle) are smaller and close together, giving it […]

Coriolis Affect on Lumber My oldest step-son, Jake is a very smart lad and teaches high school physics. He does his part to keep students involved, including having created a Facebook page “Mr. Roarks Science Group”. In a recent post he wrote: “One of the science “facts” I always hear is that water spins down […]

Welcome to our newest feature: 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 blog. Email all questions to: PoleBarnGuru@HansenPoleBuildings.com DEAR POLE BARN GURU:  I have […]

Ceiling Loads Considering a new pole building? An important question to ask is, “What will the cost be to upgrade the roof trusses to support the weight of a ceiling”? Most post frame (pole) building trusses are not designed to support the dead weight (things which are permanently attached to the building) of anything other […]

When I was a teenager, I worked summers for my Dad and Uncles, who were the largest framing contractors in the Spokane, WA area. One of their frequent clients was a developer named Terry Lettic. I remember Terry and my Dad discussing the pros and cons of apartments built with concrete slabs versus over crawl […]

Zip-UP Ceiling® is the first ceiling product of its kind which has addressed what consumers want out of a ceiling system; aesthetics partnered with functionality. This is a grid free ceiling made from PVC which saves headroom, has unprecedented access to plumbing and wiring, as well as boasting an impervious to water and moisture warranty. […]

Roof Truss Repair A builder writes: “The previous owner of a pole building I’m working on cut out several internal webs from three consecutive roof trusses to create storage space in the attic. There’s no sign that this has caused any structural problems so far, but I’d like to replace the missing members and fasten […]

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I have read much debate about setting the poles in concrete with no “footing” beneath them vs. setting the poles on a concrete footing and back filling with gravel and earth. Seems to be an issue of rot.  What do you recommend? MYSTIFIED IN MAGNOIA DEAR MYSTIFIED: It seems you and […]