DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Is it possible to get a quote from you guys? Do you just deliver material or build too? I am looking to build a house pole barn in Belle Plain MN Do you have to have a 36″ frost wall to build on a concrete slab? JOSHUA in BELLE PLAIN   […]

Oh the misconceptions arm chair engineers have when it comes to what can be done with post frame construction. For the most part – if you can imagine it, we can design it! Here is a case in point shared by our friend Neil: DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I have limited floor plan on my […]

My Wife Does Not Like the Look of Steel Siding DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I hope I’m not taking up too much of your time with this question. BTW, I’m copying Doug (Hansen Pole Buildings Designer) as we’ve briefly discussed this question. My wife does not like the look of steel siding.  However, I’m pretty sure […]

Residential post frame buildings are becoming more and more prevalent as consumers are beginning to realize they can save thousands of dollars in foundation costs and actually build their own beautiful and well insulated barndominium homes. Steve from Northglenn posed this question: DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Now that the “Barndominium” style home is more popular than […]

Interpreting the Mark on Pressure Preservative Treated Lumber Pressure preservative treated lumber is a mystery to most consumers, builders and even building officials. Certainly all of the above parties understand the need for pressure preservative treated lumber when it is embedded in or in contact with the ground or concrete, or in locations where there […]

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: We are planning to build a pole barn in the near future and, I need some advice on the footings. depth width etc. We are planning to use rough cut 6×6 pine for the posts and plan to use anchors. The soil here on the property is very sandy. I’ve set […]

Attic bonus rooms seem to be the rage – Hansen Pole Buildings does more than a few of these and the trend seems to be increasing in popularity. With this comes how to properly insulate an attic bonus room. There are more than a few challenges when it comes to utilization of attic space for […]

I’ve designed a fair number of interesting cantilevers in my time, but they have always been as original construction, not as an “add on” after the fact. Here is a request for a cantilevered roof extension from FRED in BURLINGTON: DEAR POLE BARN GURU: My 30′ x 54′ x 12′ pole barn was constructed in […]

Putting a 14 Foot Tall Overhead Door in a Short Eave Height… I’ve been doing post frame buildings now for a couple of years. Okay, maybe a couple of couple of years, as in 37 (ouch, am I seriously this old?). I’ve learned a certain amount of clients (and builders) are seemingly dimensionally challenged when […]

Understanding the Needs of Load Bearing Finish I sadly hear this story all too often. A brand new post frame building which quite possibly will not meet the load needs of the owner due to lack of due diligence upon the part of whomever sold the building. Here is the story and my response: DEAR […]

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I am building a pole barn with rafters at 16″ OC. We sheeted the roof and sides of it. The building is 16′ wide with and engineered ridge pole. Do I need knee bracing at each of the posts along the walls? Can I skip putting the bracing on the corners? […]

Setting 80 Foot Span Wood Trusses Here is the question asked by CHAD in EVANSVILLE: “What is the best way to hang an 80′ wooden truss? The company I work for is building 80×120 pole barn for one of our customers. The trusses are kicking our butt.” Before you even think about getting started, you […]

The Construction of Pole Barns is Prohibited Seriously? This is directly from the White Bear Lake Township (Minnesota) ordinances related to Building Codes, buried deep in their Ordinance No. 8: 5-34. POLE BUILDINGS. The construction of pole barns/buildings is prohibited in the Town. I found this as a result of an article in the White […]

One of our clients, Matt from Chapel Hill, NC, sent us a few photos showing a concern of “timber checking” to Justine, the Hansen Pole Buildings Productions Wizard (she loves it when I come up with interesting titles for what she does).  Here is what Matt had to say: “Been a while since we spoke. […]

My last article discussed Integral Condensation Control (I.C.C.) solutions for steel roofing. When Hansen Pole Buildings’ Designer Dave Gross constructed his own post frame building, I convinced him to utilize I.C.C. for his roofing. A testimony to how much he liked it – virtually every building his clients have invested in since has I.C.C.!  Reduced […]

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: My name is Wade, I purchased the design and material from Hansen for my pole barn this past year. It is a 64×64 Pole Barn. My question is, what’s the best way to insulate with the wall girts being horizontal and at an odd measurement on center? Thanks WADE in HILLSBORO […]

Integral Condensation Control (I.C.C.) products are manufactured and distributed with trade names such as Condenstop (which I have written about previously: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2014/07/condenstop/) and Dripstop. Here are a few words on Dripstop, recorded live at the NFBA Expo held recently in Nashville, Tennessee: I.C.C. provides drip prevention which is integral to steel roofing and is aimed […]

This is a subject I have had near the top of my list for a considerable time. Along came a faithful reader – Chris – to give me a little poke to inspire me to write about it. Chris wrote: “I am planning on building a 40×56 pole barn and would like to use part […]

I’ve been blessed with being able to have extensive tours of two very sophisticated lumber mills. The first being the Seneca Sawmill in Eugene, Oregon. Seneca Sawmill Company is one of the largest producing single-location sawmills in the United States. Their mills are capable of producing over 650 million board feet per year of premium grade […]

An Alternative to Glossy Paint… Since the advent of pre-painted steel roofing and siding, the finish has always been smooth and high gloss, which generally loses its luster just like my ’66 Chevelle SS did. Well, no more. The Valspar Corporation has a new addition to the WeatherXL product line: WeatherXL Crinkle Finish. Crinkle Finish […]

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Hi: I have a design and will build myself. Do you sell components such as poles and trusses? Or is it possible to purchase one of your kits and leave off certain materials? For example, I want to use corrugated metal siding. If you don’t supply that could it be left […]

I’m a seat of the pants journalist – my training was as editor of the Post Falls High School newspaper back in 1975! This blog is one of several finalists in the 2017 Best Construction Blog competition. In the event you have been entertained or have learned from my articles, your vote would be appreciated […]

Helping you to NOT be like this guy on a ladder… As my father died from a construction fall, I am always a bit sensitive towards safety on jobsites when it comes to possible falls. While Hansen Pole Buildings does not construct anything, we want all of our clients, or their contractors, to live to […]

When Clients get into Panic Mode Most of us have been there with a major purchase – we were all excited about it and then somewhere before it gets delivered we start to second guess ourselves. Here is an example: Dear Mr. Xxxxxx ~ Thank you for your investment into a new Hansen Pole Building. […]

Fall Up, Go Boom What? Sir Isaac Newton pretty much confirmed things do not fall up. Well, this building did not actually “fall” up – it was sucked out of the ground. How would I know this? Look at the ends of the columns which are lying on the ground. There is no concrete attached […]