The Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 requires flood insurance to be purchased for properties in SFHA (Special Flood Hazard Areas) prior to the owners receiving any type of direct or indirect federal financing assistance. According to the insurance industry, the term “improved real estate” would be defined as a building with walls and a […]

Yesterday I covered 7 of what I feel are 14 of the most important questions to ask your local building department.  This not only will smooth the way through the permitting process, but also  ensures a solid and safe building structure. Let’s talk about the last seven…. #8 What is the Allowable Soil Bearing Capacity? […]

I Can Build, I Can Build! Whoa there Nellie…..before getting all carried away, there are 14 essential questions to have on your Building Department Checklist, in order to ensure the structural part of the new building process goes off without a hitch.  I will cover the first seven today, finishing up tomorrow, so you have […]

The Strong-Drive® SD Structural-Connector screw is specifically designed for use with Simpson Strong-Tie® connectors (frequently and generically known as joist hangers. Strong Drive Screws preferable to nails! Designed to replace nails in certain hangers, the load-rated SD screw has been tested and approved for use in many popular Simpson Strong-Tie® products. It is the only […]

TECO nails They actually no longer exist. TECO was the name of a company (Timber Engineering Company) which manufactured 10 penny, also known as 10d common nails (0.148 inch diameter) which were 1-1/2 inches in length. The company is now defunct, but the name has stuck. Joist Hanger Nails These nails are also referred to […]

In most parts of the United States, it will be a necessity to acquire a building permit in order to construct a new pole barn. The easy way to find out is to contact the local authorities to find out if indeed this is the case. Whether a structural building permit will be required or […]

According to Procrastinators Anonymous (www.procrastinaors-anonymous.org), procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried. Round Tuit! On the third day of 2013, among the New Year’s Resolutions of many, are to get a round tuit! Now the round tuit, is actually a fairly recent invention, arriving on the scene at the 1964 World’s Fair in […]

This reminds me of, “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways….”? With apologies to Elizabeth Barrett Browning, there are so many reasons pole buildings are the solution to urban garage needs. Most urban lots in the United States are very narrow and of small footprint. More often than not, the typical lot […]

On the first of each year, I tend to get a bit nostalgic, especially for my family, my home, and how my pole building career really took off. Bear with me as I take a step or two back in time. At the ripe old age of 33, I sold my first business in Oregon […]

In the 1980’s one man stood alone when it came to whether City of Portland (basically the same thing as Multnomah County), Oregon homeowners could acquire a Building Permit for a residential accessory building or not. Charles “Chuck” Frazier Now Chuck was a registered Structural Engineer, who took his position very seriously. His expectation was, […]

As I write this, the end of the world as we know it (yes, I know it is a 1987 R.E.M. tune) did not happen yesterday, December 21, 2012. What did happen is… it is now officially winter. In Browns Valley, MN this means typical T shirt and shorts weather, highs in the teens and […]

While doing research for a recent post on pressure treated lumber for pole buildings in Hawaii, I stumbled across a YouTube video entitled, “Think Twice before Using Pressure Treated Lumber for a stairway”. The maker of the video purports to have decades of construction experience and is based in Southern California. The video is specifically […]

Over the past few decades, I’ve been involved in several pole building projects on the Hawaiian Islands, and they all had one thing in common – the use of pressure preservative treated lumber throughout, included the prefabricated wood roof trusses. The use of pressure treated wood has been standard building practice in Hawaii and the […]

Christmas Greetings! As much as possible, if I “reuse” a blog I’ve written previously (a re-run), I do it only a few times a year….like today, when I am spending time with family and friends, which my wish for all of you is as well. It is also a time when I tend to look […]

Lumber grades take into account natural characteristics, including knots, splits, checks, shake, and wane. Lumber design values are assigned to lumber grades to provide a means for using this material in structural applications. These values are published in Design Values for Wood Construction, a supplement to the National Design Specification® (NDS) for Wood Construction. The […]

From a December 6 story by Oxford Hills Sun Journal report Mellisa Seamans: OSSIPEE, NH — “As much as I hate to come to the Commissioners with bad news, the cat’s already out of the bag. We had a problem with the pole barn. It went over on us this weekend. I don’t exactly know […]

I read lots of online forums where people discuss issues with their pole buildings. One all too common complaint is their roofs “drip”. For these people, they saved a few dollars when their buildings were built, by making no provision to control condensation from forming on the underside of the building’s roof steel, only to […]

“I don’t think you know how we do it up here” We supply all of the pole building kit packages for a popular national company. One of their locations in Michigan called wanting to know pole building prices comparison between their quote (the way they used to do it) and our quote. It seems their […]

A client writes: “I recently purchased one of your pole barn kits to use as my home garage.  We have begun construction and have all the framing and the roof on.  I recently contacted my building designer about potentially getting the metal lining material for the ceiling and walls.  My designer told me that I […]

There are some days when I feel as if I have become the “Dear Abby” for everyone else’s pole barn problems. So many of these problems could have been easily avoided, and at a relatively low cost, at time of construction. A reader writes: “I have a Morton pole barn that really sweats this time […]

I recently read this in an online forum and felt compelled to share (misspellings uncorrected from original posts): “Anybody seen this done before? Have more pipe than money. I like the idea of steel poles for longevity, but not sure if they are rigid enough. Planning on 8′ spacing on the poles. 16′ walls. 20′ […]

Alan was a post frame building contractor for years, prior to becoming a Building Designer for Hansen Pole Buildings. If I had to estimate, I’d venture Alan constructed well over 200 of our buildings. Recently, Alan had a client question the thickness of the concrete footings, beneath the columns, used to support the pressure preservative […]

A Nice News Story and Why I Take Issue With It From the Associated Press: “CORINTH, Miss. – A design is in hand for a proposed vegetable shed at the Farmers Market on Fulton Drive. The Daily Corinthian reports Cook Coggin Engineers submitted the design to the Alcorn County Board of Supervisors. Construction bids are […]

A client writes: “Thank you for the expeditious quote. I was wondering if you could sell me just pole barn plans including an itemized list of materials and the step by step instructions. I have access to lumber at cost from a local mill here in the northwest. If so, I would like to edit […]

I recently got this email, and as The Pole Barn Guru, I am happy to respond to building questions which are not from Hansen Building clients, either prior or future.   “Hello  I live in Indiana. I have a pole barn garage. I didn’t build it. It was built when I got the house. It […]