Today’s Pole Barn Guru addresses questions regarding structural screws for bearing blocks, the strength of pine vs spruce, and adding more windows than plans indicate. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: How many structural screws should I use in a bearing block for supporting a 2×12 rafter? KENT in OTIS ORCHARDS DEAR KENT: In case you were […]

Building with concrete involves many steps to achieve best results, including grading, forming, placing and finishing. One crucial step is placing reinforcing bars (rebar) correctly. An engineer should do technical design work and provide specific information regarding sizes, configuration and placement of rebar. Slabs-on-grade for post frame buildings do not usually carry building loads, these […]

Flashing Wires and Pipes Through Steel Siding There are some things one just does not give a lot of thought about and this subject is one where I am entirely negligent. My post frame buildings outside of Spokane are both sided with 1×8 Cedar channel. While it looks great, I would never do it against […]

Pole Barn Guru’s Ultimate Guide to Post Frame Building Insulation When it comes to insulating any building (not just post frame ones – like barndominiums) there is a certain point of diminishing returns – one can spend so much they will never, in their lifetimes, recoup their investment. Here my ultimate guide to post frame […]

Roof truss spacing seems to be a topic with no consensus. Most Americans live in traditional stick framed houses, apartments or condominiums, where roof trusses (if they were utilized, rather than using dimensional lumber rafters) are most typically spaced every two feet. Reader CHARLIE writes: “Dear Hansen Pole Buildings, May I ask how far apart […]

This Monday the Pole Barn Guru answers questions about placement of overheads doors to accommodate an exercise pool, the cost differences of building a single story building or adding a 2nd floor, and a post frame wedding venue. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I want a two car garage on a concrete slab adjacent to driveway […]

Reader DARRELL in LUCEVILLE asked this question and included photo below. While this photo is not of a Hansen Pole Building, I can comment upon it. Featured in this building photo are glulaminated columns – they are a great product, high strength to weight ratio, straight, highly resistant to warp and twist. They are strong […]

Performance Bonds for Post Frame Buildings and Barndominiums Don’t get me wrong, most post frame and barndominium building contractors are honest folks who just love to make their clients happy. I, for one, get tired of reading horror stories of folks who have been ripped off by those who are not so scrupulous. And every […]

In an attempt to preserve “pristineness” of neighborhoods, Planning Departments can come up with some interesting requirements. Amongst these are often restrictions upon building heights. Sometimes restrictions for detached accessory buildings (garages or shops) are related to primary dwelling heights, sometimes they appear entirely arbitrary. In the case of our “shouse” (shop/house) in South Dakota, […]

Common questions we hear from barndominium, shouse (shop/house) and post frame home owners are, “Why are my new windows leaking?” or “Why do I have condensation inside of my windows?” In fact, many new barndominium owners think their windows are defective and need to be replaced in an effort to cure this problem. To answer […]

Today the Pole Barn Guru answers questions about contact information to build a structure, whether or not to use a moisture barrier in a non-conditioned attic, and guidance to insulate a post frame building. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Hello, I have a quick question, do you have any regional contact information for people to build […]

I read and hear more and more tales of woe from people unable to find qualified building contractors. I am currently one of them – while I live in Northeast South Dakota, I also still own a lakefront home on Newman Lake, in Washington. My step-daughter Lindsay is living there currently and it needs a […]

Post frame (pole) buildings are a Code conforming building system. In my humble opinion, jurisdictions can legally restrict a building’s aesthetics, however restrictions upon a proven structural system appear to be a restriction of fair trade. It would be fair for a jurisdiction to prohibit a certain type(s) or even color of building skin (roofing […]

Recently I had posted an article on closing tops of corner trims (https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2018/10/closing-top-of-corner-trims/). Reader MATT in CINCINNATI has opted to go with a light gauge steel framed building, rather than a post frame building, however he had questioned my original article: “Thanks for all of your informative posts, they have been quite useful in my […]

Back in my 1990’s post frame building contractor days, we constructed a shop for a client near Moscow, Idaho. We probably didn’t ask enough questions up front and our client didn’t provide enough information to adequately prevent what was initially quite a challenge. After we had completed construction of this building’s shell, our client poured […]

This Monday the Pole Barn Guru answers questions about use of faced or unfaced insulation, the correct screw pattern, and viability of connecting two buildings together. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Should I use faced or unfaced insulation in my pole barn attic w/ ridge vent? DAINE in PALMER DEAR DAINE: In order for your ridge […]

A Contractor for Your Barndominium (Part III) Miscellaneous Topics: Do Not Change Your Plan Once your plans have been permitted, do not make changes. This allows openings for expensive “Change Orders,” and will have an allowable timeline effect. In cases, this will require you to resubmit to your local jurisdiction and could involve months of […]

A Contractor for Your Barndominium (Part II) Liquidated Damages For most people, you are financing your barndominium and have logistical issues prior to being able to occupy. Negotiate a hard date for project completion, using a start date based upon Building Permit approval. After this completion date, you will assess builder a monetary penalty for […]

A Contractor for Your Barndominium (Part I) I have done my best to be a member of any barndominium, shouse (shop/house) or post frame house discussion group on Facebook with any sort of activity. If I had a quarter for every post from people looking for a building contractor, I could head to a casino […]

Today’s guest blogger is Alan Wood.  Alan Wood is the founder of Weekend Gardener. He has a strong passion for plants and gardens. Alan spent his life long to research and test new techniques in this field. With the aid of his son and three other associates who aren’t just fond of but are titled […]

Today’s Pole Barn Guru answers questions about the chance Hansen Buildings will “tear down pole barns and move them for people, too?…”, stitching the overlap on steel roofing, and what happens to foundations when adding a second floor to a “Barndo.”  DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Do you tear down pole barns and move them for […]

Winch Boxes – Episode V Hey if George Lucas can have his second Star Wars movie be Episode V, why not me? Back on task, with winch boxes. Most of you have Googled them overnight. I can hear you nodding your heads. Thought you could Google anything and get an answer, didn’t you? Me too, […]

Winch Boxes – a Post Frame Miracle Back in my M & W Building Supply days we had provided a pole barn kit package to a client in Woodburn, Oregon. One of Jim Betonte’s Farmland Structures post frame building crews was doing erection in our client’s back yard. Our office received a hostile phone call […]

Checks and Splits in Post Frame Timbers Checks and splits in post frame timbers (wall columns) are often misunderstood when assessing a structure’s condition. There are two means where checks and splits can form in wood elements: during seasoning, or drying, and during manufacture. Development of checks and splits after installation occurs after wall columns […]

Properly Placing Post Frame Building Purlins Overhanging Lowered End Truss Even professional post frame building erectors have challenges with concepts like properly placing purlins when they overhang a lowered end truss.  What could be so difficult, one might ask, you just space them the same as all other purlins, right? Well, sort of. End trusses, […]