Where is the Top of the Concrete Slab?
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 02/08/2012This is not like Where’s Waldo?, or Where in the World is Carmen San Diego? The relationship of the top of a concrete slab inside your new pole building, to the grade surrounding the building is critical not only during construction, but also in the lifetime of performance of your building. Hansen Pole Buildings services […]
Read more- Categories: Pole Barn Planning, Uncategorized, Pole Building How To Guides
- Tags: Concrete Floor, Screeding Concrete, Splash Plank
- 3 comments
Collateral Loads and Why They Matter
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 02/06/2012Collateral loads are additional dead loads hung from the building, such as sprinkler systems; drop ceilings, HVAC equipment, lighting etc. These are the loads which are most often overlooked or neglected in the design of a new pole building. Many times, it is just no one having made the client aware. Most building sales people […]
Read more- Categories: Pole Barn Planning, Pole Barn Structure, Trusses
- Tags: Roof Dead Load, Roof Loads, Roof System
- 2 comments
Things You Never Wanted to Know About Snow Load
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 02/03/2012Yes I know, it is white (at least it starts out that way). From a design standpoint there are lots of things to know about snow loads. Cautionary Warning: The information contained herein is fairly technical in nature. We use ALL of this information in the design of your new Hansen Pole Building. Some clients […]
Read more- Categories: Uncategorized
- Tags: Flat Roof Snow Load, Ground Snow Load, International Building Code, Wind Exposure
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All Steel Buildings are Better Than Wood Pole Buildings: Really?
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 02/02/2012When considering a new building, end users often debate whether to use an all steel or wood framed pole building. Steel has the perception of strength and endurance. Research and independent studies show pole buildings have several advantages over all steel. Wood is unquestionably the most environmentally friendly building material on earth. It has better […]
Read moreSolar Panels with Metal Roofing
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 02/01/2012With the latest technological advancements, innovations, and commercially viable implementation of thin-film solar roofing technology, we can now benefit from solar roofing products which offer revolutionary simplicity. Thin-film solar panels are light-weight, easy to install and can last a long time, requiring no penetrations to your roof. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. One of the […]
Read moreSolar Panels & Shingles: Not a Marriage Made in Heaven
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 01/31/2012An increasing number of new pole building owners consider installing solar roofing panels in order to harness solar energy and generate electricity for their new buildings. The traditional approach was based on installing heavy crystalline solar panels on top of an asphalt shingle roof. Shingles are an oil based roofing system with a relatively short […]
Read moreSkylights
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 01/30/2012A request we receive frequently is for skylights to be installed in the steel covered roofs of our pole buildings. My first thoughts go back to a building I worked inside of over the winter of 1980-81. About 20 years old, the building had a steel roof with numerous fiberglass (actually Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic or […]
Read moreDesigning for a Bonus Room
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 01/27/2012One of the most asked for and least understood option for a pole building is designing for an attic “bonus room”. A bonus room is exactly what it sounds like – it is extra space, a “bonus”. For sake of simplicity, let’s think about this in the realm of only a gable style roof. A […]
Read more- Categories: Building Styles and Designs, Pole Barn Planning
- Tags: Attic Space, Attic, Loft Space
- 4 comments
The Foundation Design Game
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 01/26/2012Often our clients are comparing the costs of a post frame building against those of an all steel building. Pole (post frame) buildings with pressure preservative treated wood columns embedded in the ground include the design of the foundation in the building plans. Provided engineered building plans have been ordered, no other engineering is needed […]
Read moreRoof Safety: How to Walk on a Steel Roof
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 01/25/2012If I had a nickel for every time a client has asked me the question, “Can I walk on my steel roof”? I would have several rolls of nickels! My initial thought is always one of, why would anyone want to walk on their roof to begin with? But the answer to the question is […]
Read more- Categories: Steel Roofing & Siding
- Tags: Steel Roof Safety, Walking On Steel Roofing
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Why is My Steel Roof Leaking?
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 01/24/2012Yesterday, I was contacted by one of our clients who invested in a new Hansen Pole Building back in 2008. While his inquiry was about re-roofing his building using shingles, the real issue is – his steel roof is leaking! Properly installed, a threw-screwed steel roof should never, ever leak. So, what exactly would be […]
Read moreCan You Buy Local from Hansen Buildings?
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 01/23/2012We’ve all seen the buy local campaigns, but what does it really mean to buy local and what are the benefits? Hansen Pole Buildings, if anything, are logistical wizards. We source the best available products, at competitive prices, with the least amount of transportation possible. This allows you to get the most pole building for […]
Read moreRe-roofing with Shingles
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 01/20/2012One of our clients, who invested in their new Hansen Pole Building in 2008, contacted us today to inquire as to if the building they ordered would support composition shingle roofing. My darling wife (and editor) said to me as she read this, “Haven’t they constructed their building yet, or why do they need to […]
Read more- Categories: Pole Barn Structure
- Tags: Composition Roofing, Re-roofing, Shingled Roof
- 2 comments
Why Steel Roofing?
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 01/19/2012My grandparent’s lake cabin was nearly 75 years old when the cedar shake roof finally gave out in the 1980’s. With the quality of cedar shakes down and the price high (besides the dangers of a wooden roof in a forest) the solution became clear – painted steel. In the woods, the non-combustible feature alone […]
Read morePressure Treating Glulam Columns
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 01/18/2012We recently had one of our engineers specify the use of glulam pressure treated columns to support one of our custom designed pole buildings. The client was concerned about pressure treated glulams in the ground, so it was time for some heavy duty research. According to the American Institute of Timber Construction (AITC), structural glued […]
Read moreTruss Manufacturers Educate for Safety
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 01/17/2012Most every truss company makes sure every jobsite delivery includes a packet of BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative) standards. Usually all truss drawings are included in this packet, with a large orange warning sheet in the cover asking installers to ‘Read the Safety Documents’. Frequently the information is in a big zip-lock bag so it […]
Read more- Categories: Constructing a Pole Building, Pole Barn Structure, Trusses
- Tags: Truss Installation, Truss Safety, Builder Safety
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Southern Yellow Pine
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 01/16/2012I do a lot of research on most everything I blog about. I want you to have the most solid and recent information, along with my advice as to how to put it to best use. I found this recently at www.spib.org: “The Family owned and publicly traded companies that choose to use the SPIB […]
Read more- Categories: Lumber, Pole Barn Structure
- Tags: Pressure Treated Wood, Lumber Strength, Southern Pine Inspection Bureau
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Building with Wood: Do It Now
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 01/13/2012Brookfield Timberlands of Vancouver, B.C., Canada owns over 3800 square miles of forest land in Canada (larger than the land area of Rhode Island and Connecticut combined). They are one of North America’s largest log exporters. One of Brookfield’s partners feels a timber supply “shock” is fast approaching which will lead to significantly higher prices […]
Read more- Categories: Lumber, Pole Barn Planning
- Tags: Brookfield Timberlands, Canadian Wood, Wood Markets
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Nail Gun Do’s and Don’ts
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 01/12/2012As I mentioned yesterday (in case you missed my post), many a person has purchased a nail gun in eager anticipation of using it to save time and effort in construction of their new pole building. Inherent in any tool is the “safety first” concerns it brings along with it. Nail gun work rules and […]
Read moreNail Gun Safety
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 01/11/2012Over the years, I have talked with many do-it-yourself building owners who have used their new pole building kit as a reason to justify a new nail gun purchase. Nail guns are powerful, easy to operate, and boost productivity for nailing tasks. They are also responsible for an estimated 37,000 emergency room visits each year. […]
Read more- Categories: Constructing a Pole Building
- Tags: Contact Trigger Nailers, Nail Gun Injuries
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My Building Official Wants an ICC-ES Number
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 01/09/2012Architects, engineers and contractors can select from a plethora of building materials which often incorporate new technology and manufacturing processes. Some of these materials are formulated from substances only barely understood by scientists and chemical engineers. It was not always so. Life used to be much simpler for engineers and building code officials, back when […]
Read moreJust in Time Deliveries
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 01/06/2012Just in time delivery made Toyota Motors famous two decades ago. The basic premise is to have materials delivered as close to the time needed for assembly. These practices allowed Toyota to more efficiently manage inventories and the costs associated with them. By streamlining processes, they were able to get more work done more efficiently, […]
Read more- Categories: Pole Barn Planning
- Tags: Building Materials Delivery, Inventorying Building Materials
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Post Frame Construction: Knee Braces
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 01/05/2012Coming from a background in the prefabricated roof truss industry, knee braces have always bothered me. What is a knee brace? I’m not talking about the type you wear for a dislocated or arthritic knee joint. A knee brace is an inclined diagonal lumber member connecting to and extending from the sidewall columns, usually several […]
Read moreYour New Building: Can You Build It Yourself?
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 01/04/2012Can you really build your own pole building? In short – of course you can! For those who will look at the plans and read the directions, you will build a far better building than hiring it done. Why? ‘Cause you will follow the instructions and take the time and care with your building! As […]
Read moreOwner Built: Build it Yourself
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 01/03/2012Build your own garage, shop or barn in this economy? With unemployment remaining in the nine percent range and the economy sputtering along, the last few years have been less than perfect. Real estate has continued on an ugly path with no end in sight. There couldn’t have been any Americans crazy enough to act […]
Read more- Categories: Pole Barn Planning, Building Contractor
- Tags: Owner Built Homes, Self-builders, General Contractor
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