As a toddler, I remember watching the 1939 hit “The Wizard of Oz” on television for the first time. It was terrifying; I saw most of it hiding behind our green “leatherette” couch. In the movie, Margaret Hamilton (as the Wicked Witch of the West) has the following lines, as Dorothy watches her melt: “You […]

Perma-columns are manufactured by the same company who produces the Sturdi-Wall brackets. Paraphrased from the company’s information: Perma-Columns are five foot precast concrete columns which are designed to keep wood out of the ground, ensuring a post frame building’s foundation will never rot. They are the first product to combine the economy of post frame construction with […]

Am sure yesterday’s blog posting on moments left a few folks scratching their heads. There actually was a method to my madness, as it leads into today’s topic. Many may have seen various column bases at their local lumberyard or big box store. Manufactured by either Simpson or USP (similar to Simpson CB66), these products […]

As an 18 year old sophomore architecture student at Montana State University, I had my very first exposure to moments. I was working full time daily until 9 p.m., which meant homework got done after I got off work….therefore, the 8 a.m. engineering class and my lack of sleep fog, did not go well together.  […]

I was talking with one of our clients yesterday. His builder was concerned because constructing the new pole building first, then pouring the concrete slab seemed backwards to him. Here is the information I shared with the client: While the preference is to have the building shell completed prior to pouring concrete slabs, at the […]

A frequent question, especially in the case of residential and commercial applications, is how to put pipes and chimneys through steel roofs. Dektite® Pipe Flashing is the original flexible pipe flashing system designed to seal hot or cold flues and pipes on metal roofs. With a tough weather tight seal and a strong flexible base, […]

Justine (a Hansen Buildings Project Coordinator) recently needed to order some glu-laminated columns for a pole building kit package. One of our vendors recommended she instead order Parallam® Plus PSL columns instead, insisting they would be as strong as or stronger than glu-lams. Parallam® is the brand name for an engineered wood product developed by […]

I just could not resist this title. This article is not a plug for the business which actually uses this name in Seattle, it just caused a chuckle. Rather like the hair stylists, Curl Up and Dye. The main purpose of rain gutters is to protect a building’s foundation by channeling water away from its base. […]

My confession – I am a baseball fan. In baseball, the tale of the tape is usually in regards to how far a home run has been hit. Ever been to the Mall of America? The mall is built atop of the location of the old Metropolitan Stadium (one time home of the Minnesota Twins). […]

Hansen Buildings is always looking for new products or techniques which could be incorporated into our pole buildings to offer clients a better product. One resource we utilize is to monitor websites of others who provide post frame buildings, whether constructed or DIY (Do-It-Yourself) building kits. In checking out one of these sites, I found […]

Let Me Out The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City March 25, 1911, was the deadliest industrial disaster in the history of the city of New York and resulted in the fourth highest loss of life from an industrial accident in U.S. history. The fire caused the deaths of 146 garment workers, who […]

Well, gentle reader, if my occasional rants make good reading, or are otherwise entertaining, today should be a treat indeed. A client (from Missouri) sent us the quote he received from a lumberyard in his area for a new 30’ x 40’ x 12’ pole building. Great price – if I was going to purchase […]

Steel roofing has many benefits, some obvious, some not so obvious – until faced with a potential disaster! Besides the ease of installation, it is durable, attractive, energy efficient, lightweight, recyclable and versatile. It will withstand deep snows, high winds and…it is fire resistant. The relevance and importance of fire resistance was recently spotlighted on […]

Hansen Pole Buildings is currently designing a building for a golf course in Washington. While basically a two story storage building, it also includes a meeting room area which can be utilized for gatherings (I believe throwing darts was mentioned). Anyhow – I digress….the real reason behind this article is a discussion of the solution […]

Not all, but many post frame buildings have steel siding. The reality is, steel is going to be the most durable and cost effective siding available. Hands down. When I was first constructing pole buildings, we used standard vinyl windows like those stocked and sold at major lumber retailers and big box stores. In order […]

It isn’t often I come right out and hammer on someone or something by name – but today I am naming names, it just has to be. One of our prospective clients asked us to compare with a building quote provided to them from Bens Do It Best Lumber, in Wisconsin. Their quote was prepared […]

Pole Buildings: Buy Local? My friend Janine recently posted this on Facebook: “I have always been big on shopping local, and when I recently was in the market for a new Garmin 910X, and intended to buy it at xxxxxx, I had several friends tell me “You can get it cheaper online”. Maybe so, but […]

Most of the steel roofed pole buildings supplied by Hansen Buildings include a reflective radiant barrier between the roof purlins and the roof steel to prevent condensation issues. Interested in more information on this product? Visit our page on the reflective radiant barrier difference. Surprisingly (or not surprisingly) very few DIY building owners ever run short of […]

A fair number of Building Officials are readers of my blog. This is not meant to offend any, but is an example of what pole building providers are faced with on a regular basis.  The following is a letter to one of our clients: “Mr. Fxxxxxx, This is the list items that need to be […]

Garage Door Maintenance The garage door is designed to last for years, but routine maintenance is required from time to time to catch minor issues before they develop into a larger problem that could result in a costly repair or even complete replacement of the garage door. In particular the moving parts such as the […]

A client posed this question: “We are planning to build a horse riding arena. We’ve talked with several all steel building companies. They say their buildings are going to be far less expensive than a pole building. Is this true?” Maybe, but probably not. If a very large clearspan (say 100 feet or wider) is […]

Hansen Pole Buildings Designer Bob always is keeping me on my toes. He loves to propose topics for blog discussion. Today it started with: “Real rough blog topic idea… What’s the difference between this pole barn with side sheds and a B2 Bomber?” “In this case… not much. After a couple laughs, the client seems […]

When it comes to low rise structures (loosely defined as having sidewall heights of 50 feet or less), most people consider one of three options – pole buildings, stud wall framed, or all steel. Stud framed (or stick built) structures are how most homes are typically built. Generally they require a great deal of excavation […]

Just like Olympic boxing, in one corner is “pole barn” and in the other “post frame building”. Nothing too amazing about this….until one delves in and finds out they are actually two terms commonly used for the same thing. The original pole barns, utilized round posts – basically trees, old power poles or similar. As […]

Over the years we have provided, to clients, several post frame buildings in a county in California which will remain unnamed in this blog. This particular county has an actual registered building engineer who does the structural plan reviews.  Sometimes this can be a good thing, sometimes a challenge. One of our clients recently submitted […]