Call them “red iron”, “bolt up” or Pre-Engineered Metal Buildings (PEMB) or a variety of other names and they are great buildings. Where they especially shine is where roofs clear span over 80 feet and where very low slope roofs are desirable (typically less than 3:12). And no, I did not hit my head and […]

This Monday the Pole Barn Guru answers reader questions about wall insulation and moisture barrier choices, New Steel on top of old steel, and advice on how to find an engineer to convert an existing shop into a residence. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I wrapped my post frame with double bubble with silver foil on […]

Answers for Brian’s Barndominium Builder Should you have missed yesterday’s episode, please click back to it using link at bottom of this page – it will make more sense as well as being more entertaining! Hello Brian ~ My Father and his five brothers were all framing contractors, so I was raised in a world […]

Our Builder Has a Few Questions Not a surprising statement, as few stick frame (stud wall) builders are willing to learn a new structural system, and few post frame builders have actually erected barndominiums or shouses (shop/houses). I was a first group member (although willing to learn) and frankly lost my posterior financially erecting my […]

Builder Says, “These designs are the Worse”! Like all good stories begin….. “It was a dark and stormy night” Oops, wrong beginning! Once upon a time I was a post frame building contractor. From 1991 until 1999 my construction company could only have been described as being prolific – at one time we had as […]

Designing a Dream Barndominium Loft Reader BRIAN in PETOSKY writes: “ Hi Mike, Mindi told me to email you my lofted floor question for our project. To avoid messing with truss-support floors, we were planning to build a full 26×60 main barn with scissor trusses the full length. Then on one end, we would make […]

This week the Pole Barn Guru answers reader questions about shrinkage of splash boards installed wet, roof load capacity, and truss spacing for an RV storage building. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I have two questions (related) regarding splash boards and concrete floor top. My splash boards have been in place for quite a while, and […]

Once upon a time I was a post frame building contractor. With as many as 35 crews erecting buildings in six states, we erected thousands upon thousands of buildings. If we would ever have told a client, “Steel roofs are not meant to be weather tight” it might (and should) have been our last job! […]

11 Reasons Why Barndominium Crawl Space Encapsulation is Important Today’s Guest Contributor is Joseph Bryson. Joseph was born in Alberta, raised in NYC and is living in New Zealand. He has been working in 4 different industries and helped numerous businesses grow. Now, he is focused on writing as his next career from home and […]

Reader GEORGE in LOUISVILLE writes: “I am looking to install tin on the ceiling of my 54 X 75 pole shed. I was wondering if 6 mil plastic sheeting with all seams taped would work for a vapor barrier? My concern is not to have it rain in my building after the tin is up […]

Through Screwed Steel Roofing for Post Frame Barndominiums – What Gauge? If I need to have major surgery, I am probably not going to ask for expert opinions on social media. However apparently, when it comes to construction expertise, Facebook is where to go. Always plenty of armchair engineers, semi-educated builders and competing structural systems […]

This Monday’s PBG discusses a “Man Cave” designed with SIP panels, a quote request from Texas, and what our snow loads are for our buildings. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Considering a monitor style pole building with RV storage in center and living quarters on one side (loft in rear of building only) When RV is […]

I Think I Have Made Some Errors! If you are a post frame building kit provider or a builder reading this article – please STOP SELLING ONLY ON A CHEAP PRICE. You are leaving dissatisfied clients in your wake and doing a disservice to our industry. Reader RICK in IDAHO writes: “Hello Sir! I think […]

What Hansen Pole Buildings Offers for Prospective Barndominium Owners If you are considering building a barndominium or shouse (shop/house), whether DIY or with a contractor’s involvement, there is one very important question to ask: “Do you personally live in a barndominium?” If you do not receive a resounding, “YES” for an answer, you may want […]

Thank you to reader KEN in BRECKSVILLE who writes: “How do you secure the posts in the ground when you have a steep slope requiring longer posts in the back?  The rear of a 48′ deep pole barn has about a 6′ drop in ground level from the front end. A retaining wall and 57 […]

Welcome back from Friday’s article. As a fan of long suffering professional sports teams (Vikings, Twins, Mariners) I had the opportunity to watch Randy Johnson’s epic relief appearance in game 5 of 1995’s ALDS. Randy also helped Geico sell some insurance with this snowball (not quite a baseball sized hail chunk): https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=crmas&p=randy+Johnson+throwing+snowball+commercial#id=1&vid=2f0c9212ab8080ee8ad0b4b53361f2a3&action=click Randy was clocked […]

This week the Pole Barn Guru answers questions about building to FEMA Flood Code for a raised wood floor, use of a plywood floor instead of concrete pad, and finding a certified engineer to help with conversion of pole barn to a home. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I have to build according to the current […]

When I first began providing Midwest post frame building kits nearly 20 years ago, I was stymied by Michigan clients who were asking for shingled roofs, instead of steel. Initially, I thought this must be a regional aesthetics thing. My curiosity finally bested me, so I asked about it. Simple answer – fear of steel […]

Today’s blog comes from Don Howe, who is a retired sales executive but has a burning passion for barndominiums. Seven Reasons Why Your Next Barndominium Should Be Pole Frame Construction One of the first design details to consider when building a barndominium is the building process. Most barndominiums are built using a stud frame, steel […]

Minimum Steel Substrate Coating for Residential Steel Roof Panels When it comes to residential buildings – whether your barndominium or shouse (shop/house) is stick frame (stud walls), post frame, PEMB (pre-engineered metal building) or some other structural system with a steel roof, there is one import aspect of this roofing material frequently overlooked. Substrates Most […]

When he was just a tyke (I considered adding in ‘little’ however he was 3’6” tall on his second birthday) my son Brent asked me in all seriousness what it was like to watch space aliens building pyramids. While I am not quite as old as Brent may have thought I was then, it has […]

This week Mike the Pole Barn Guru discusses about insulation options, building plans for a back yard pavilion, and steel gauge for a “swing table.” DEAR POLE BARN GURU: We are well on our way toward breaking ground. Our biggest concerns that we seem to keep going back to are these. We want a tight, […]

Reader TIM from INVER GROVE HEIGHTS, MN has a chilling challenge, he writes: “Fabulous site, congrats.  I have a 40×60 pole barn with 10ft ceiling to the bottom of the rafters.  Last year I put a 150k btu heater in to try and take the chill out a bit.  It didn’t work so well because […]

Arnold puts moratorium on ‘barndominiums’ This article by Tony Krausz appeared in the Jefferson County, MO “Leader” October 25, 2020 An example of a barndominium. The city of Arnold has temporarily prohibited the construction of “barndominiums,” which typically are metal barn-like structures that include living quarters. City Council members voted 5-0 last month to place […]

Being a member of numerous social media discussion groups, I see a plethora of photos of people’s new (or under construction) steel trussed post frame buildings. Most of these buildings are from Southeastern states where it appears structural building permits and plan checks are minimal or non-existent. This results in my receiving emails like this […]