From time-to-time our potential clients will send us a quote from another provider to compare.  Often it includes a materials list. Typically this happens when Brand X is “thousands” of dollars less expensive for what is supposed to be (but rarely is) the same building size, quality and features. One such company, provides only a […]

As new homes have shrunk in size, so have the lots the homes are constructed on. With this the space available for detached accessory buildings (primarily garages and workshops) has shrunk with them.  When you have a 40-foot wide lot, there’s only so much room for another building. But this doesn’t mean homeowners are willing […]

“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” – Steve Jobs When it comes to creating breakthrough products and services, corporate innovators can be great at designing ideas because in many ways, the creation process is the more exciting part of innovation. But a lot of hard […]

Sometimes a client will put forth a statement which says more than anything I could ever write. Bob, one of the Hansen Pole Buildings Building Designers, was talking on the phone with one of his clients this morning. Bob shared this with me: “Competitor was trying to tell my client that more posts and trusses […]

If you are knee deep in water with wetlands issues, there is one more avenue to explore before you give up your building plans, or move to dryer land.  My blogs of the past two days explore the background of wetlands, which might be good to review before reading my final thoughts on wetlands, and […]

I know of some who have taken some drastic measures to avoid having their property classified as wetlands. This includes those who have done things such as soaking up mud puddles, after a heavy rainstorm, with towels so as to not have an inspection adversely affect how their property was used. If you have not […]

In the past year I have written about some fairly diverse construction issues. Today I will be discussing one which frankly, my prior knowledge of, was limited. Having provided thousands of buildings in Western Washington, I have listened to decades of prospective clients singing the blues about “wetlands” issues. Washington seems to be extremely sensitive […]

The NAHB (National Association of Home Builders) recently published an article to provide advice on the causes of structural issues. The article, “Lessons Learned From 10,000 Structural Claims”, was developed from a presentation given to the NAHB Building Product Issues Committee last September by its author, Walt Keaveny. There was some information in the article which […]

A client from Florida and I have been discussing wind speeds. The data we show in our system for his county was for the design wind speed to be 120 mph. Now where do we get our data? In many cases, direct from Building Departments. In other cases, we use the wind speed maps published […]

The goal of post frame (pole building) construction is to be able to get the most building, for the dollars invested. When a general contractor is hired to provide a constructed building, normally about 25% of the cost is going to the general contractor, who never lifts a tool or picks up a board at […]

During the first year Hansen Buildings was providing pole building kit packages, we provided the building plans and materials for a significantly large horse riding arena in western Washington. One evening, the builder called (I could be mistaken and hate to make assumptions, but I believe he may have been significantly lubricated when he dialed) […]

This is a popular question posed not only by many potential building owners who are considering doing the work themselves, but also by contractors who are considering erecting a building for others. Before the question of construction time can be addressed, let’s eliminate the one crucial variable – the dirt. The amount of time it […]

Winter before last, a large Midwest post frame building construction company invited us to visit their offices. This was an opportunity too good to pass up, especially as one of their offerings (at the time) was a precut DIY pole building kit package. Having spent three decades involved in the design and sales of over […]

 Yesterday’s blog featured a discussion of the various foam board products with application for your new pole building.  Used correctly, they provide good thermal resistance. Applied incorrectly can create a huge structural problem with pole buildings, along with safety issues. Protect all types of foam  insulation from direct sunlight. Over time, the sun’s ultraviolet rays […]

Foam boards—rigid insulation boards—can be used to insulate almost any part of your pole barn, from the roof down to the foundation. They provide good thermal resistance. Foam board insulation sheathing reduces heat conduction through structural elements, such as wood wall girts and roof purlins. There are some who would feel the best application of […]

One of my favorites is when new clients want to climate control their building and also choose to use sliding barn doors. If you are unfamiliar with sliding doors, they are typically made from 1-1/2” thick steel or aluminum members which are screwed together at joints and then sheathed with steel siding. The doors are […]

A reflective radiant barrier inhibits heat transfer by thermal radiation. It does not necessarily protect against heat transfer by conduction or convection.  Why do you need to know about reflective radiant barriers?  It could mean thousands of dollars saved over the years for heating/cooling, in what you choose for not only roofing materials, but more […]

For clients who are concerned about column rot, decay or insect attack of pressure preservative treated wood columns there are some solutions. One of them is a product patented in 1994 by Homework Design, Inc., called Plasti-sleeve®. Now in use in tens of thousands of buildings nationwide, Plasti-sleeves® are the original wood column protection beyond […]

When I first entered the post frame industry over three decades ago, most pole buildings were barns. Having a climate controlled building  (heating and cooling) was rarely a consideration. Modern pole buildings, serve a plethora of purposes from homes to offices, retail space to churches and everything in between. HVAC (heating, ventilating and air condition) […]

Bonus Points Steep roof slopes on many homes of the past decade have brought about a resurgence in designing for a bonus room. With a steep enough roof slope, a “room” can be created in the middle of the attic.  The height must be tall enough to be able to make the minimum ceiling height […]

Strive for a higher standing in life? For many people the way to stand taller is to include a loft in their new building. What exactly is a loft? It is a building upper story or floor directly under the roof. In many cases it is roughly synonymous with “attic”, however an attic typically constitutes […]

If you had a chance to think over the weekend of why we don’t check Design Criteria for you (see Friday’s Blog), the obvious reason would be “we just don’t know where your building site is”.  This is the “down and dirty” answer. Ultimately the more specific question clients ask me is, “will you pull […]

Last October Mr. W of Park County Colorado ordered a new pole building kit package from Hansen Buildings. Just like every quotation or Invoice we prepare, it lists specifically the “Design Criteria” for his specific building. Included in this were: The Building Code and edition (every three years a new edition of the code is […]

I recently posted a blog entitled, “Why a Materials List is Usually Not a Good Thing”. One of the senior Building Designers at Hansen Buildings, Jim, wrote to me this response: “Love this Blog, but you must do a follow up…cover the language “as needed” on the HPB quote and what that means in the […]

Back in the day (ok I will date myself – 1984), I was what I pleasantly referred to as a slum lord. While far from actually being a slum, I owned a four-plex in a nice neighborhood in Salem, Oregon. While out of state on a much needed vacation, I received a call from my […]