Just Another Reason to Love Builders

Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/23/2016
Just Another Reason to Love Builders

Please keep in mind, I was a post frame (pole) building contractor in a past life. With as many as 35 crews erecting buildings in six states – if something could possibly go awry, one of my crews would find a way to achieve it! Seriously. Some of them were creative in methods which I […]

Read more

Dear Pole Barn Guru: Average Building Cost

Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/22/2016
Dear Pole Barn Guru: Average Building Cost

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: LVL beams, 24 ft bay width, telephone/power poles as verticals. Should I sit the LVL on top of the poles, or bolt them to the sides? GEORGE IN WAKE FOREST DEAR GEORGE: You asked for my advice, so here it comes. I have to tell you this is wrong in so […]

Read more

An Engineer Didn’t Design This Building

Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/19/2016
An Engineer Didn’t Design This Building

If an Engineer Didn’t Structurally Design This Building, Then Who Did? Many of you have been reading the ongoing and sad saga of Jimmy’s building…..here is the next installment: Jimmy: “You should go buy a lottery ticket, I asked the builder, he told me only on industrial buildings do they use engineering plans. There is […]

Read more

Why Pole Barn Columns Settle

Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/18/2016
Why Pole Barn Columns Settle

Don't be Like Jimmy's Parents A new post frame (pole) building or barn is an investment, a very permanent investment. Readers have been following a couple of articles involving Jimmy's new building, which is NOT a Hansen Pole Building and Jimmy is not very happy. This is how the building was purchased (in Jimmy's words): […]

Read more

Pole Barns Make Poor Runways

Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/17/2016
Pole Barns Make Poor Runways

From a recent The Associated Press article:  CARDINGTON, OHIO The state Highway Patrol says a pilot injured his arm when his single engine airplane struck a barn and crashed in a pasture. Sixty-year-old Joe Dreyer, of Cardington, was piloting a Cessna 180 aircraft when he lost power attempting to land at his farm. Authorities say […]

Read more

When the Loft Design Seems Inadequate

Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/16/2016
When the Loft Design Seems Inadequate

One of the great things about post frame (pole) building construction is the ability to add interior raised spaces (think lofts, mezzanines and second stories). One of the most overlooked things about adding such space is proper engineering design. In general I have found them to be inadequate to support the loads. This can result […]

Read more

Dear Pole Barn Guru: Service Area

Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/15/2016
Dear Pole Barn Guru: Service Area

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Do you folks do business in Canada? Thanks JOANN IN THE GREAT WHITE NORTH DEAR JOANN: We do not ship to Canada, however you and our other Canadian friends can pickup buildings at any of our distribution points along the southern side of the border. All of our buildings will be […]

Read more

Pole Barn Gone Awry with Building Contractor

Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/12/2016
Pole Barn Gone Awry with Building Contractor

When things appear to be going from bad to worse The original question was posed by the reader, Jimmy, as to the adequacy of materials supplied to construct his new pole barn (by a builder, not a Hansen Pole Building). His story first appeared in my column just a few days ago. Here is Round […]

Read more

When Everything Doesn’t Go Perfect Part II

Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/11/2016
When Everything Doesn’t Go Perfect Part II

When Everything Doesn’t Go Perfect (and the sky falls) Part II To refresh your memory a bit, we had a client recently email us a letter outlining some of his challenge in getting his building project going. Read yesterday’s blog for Part I of this client’s challenges with his building project. Nothing but problems seemingly […]

Read more

When Everything Doesn’t Go Perfect Part I

Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/10/2016
When Everything Doesn’t Go Perfect Part I

When Everything Doesn’t Go Perfect (and the sky falls) The key to any successful construction project is not necessarily how everything went perfect, but instead it is how the things which did not go perfect were resolved. When one considers the average post frame building kit package materials have been touched by in excess of […]

Read more

Will 4×6 Columns Carry the Load?

Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/09/2016
Will 4×6 Columns Carry the Load?

Another excellent question from a soon to be new post frame (pole building) owner. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: The materials just arrived for my pole barn and construction is to start on Monday. The building will be 30×40 with attic trusses with an 8/12 pitch, 24 inches on center with a 1ft overhang (there is […]

Read more

Dear Pole Barn Guru: Pole Building Foundations

Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/08/2016
Dear Pole Barn Guru: Pole Building Foundations

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Planning on building a 24′ x 48′ structure in central southern Pennsylvania What type of foundation would be required? MIKE IN ERIE DEAR MIKE: Thank you very much for your question.  Here is some background from the Hansen Buildings Learning Center: Pole Building Foundations   The most practical and cost effective […]

Read more

PEX Tubing

Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/05/2016
PEX Tubing

I’ve espoused previously on the joys of hydronic radiant floor heating (https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2012/08/radiant-floor-heating/) and would encourage anyone who is going to install a concrete slab on grade in their new (or existing) post frame (pole) building to consider at least making a provision for it in the future. As we all realize, once a concrete floor […]

Read more

F Channel and Enclosed Soffits

Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/04/2016
F Channel and Enclosed Soffits

My early days of post frame (pole) buildings came in the Pacific Northwest. In the early years, rarely did buildings have any overhangs…at least not beyond a few inches of roof steel extending past the siding. When building did have overhangs, they were always “open”. Open, in this sense, did not mean birds and other […]

Read more

16 Foot Eave Height and Lofts

Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/03/2016
16 Foot Eave Height and Lofts

We get a few requests for quotes from clients every day – actually more like a few hundred. With this volume of inquiries, it goes to figure we see and hear a broad variety of ideas. One of the more popular ones is clients who want a 16 foot tall eave height and a loft […]

Read more

Four Foot Entry Doors

Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/02/2016
Four Foot Entry Doors

One Foot And it isn’t the left or the right one! Actually the one foot I have in mind is the difference in width between a standard 36 inch width entry door and a 48 inch wide one. Oh what a difference the extra foot makes! And most of the difference is not in cost. […]

Read more

Dear Pole Barn Guru: Bi-Parting Sliding Doors

Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/01/2016
Dear Pole Barn Guru: Bi-Parting Sliding Doors

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Hello, I have a steel shop (30×50) that I need to have the existing roll up door (10×12) removed and a rolling steel barn door to replace it so that I can get 13.8ft of clearance to get my 5th wheel in to it. It appears you sell these doors (picture […]

Read more

History of a National Design Standard

Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 07/29/2016
History of a National Design Standard

History of the Development of a National Standard of Practice for Wood Design From time-to-time you might see the term NDS® (National Design Specification® for Wood Construction appear in my blogs, and it is referenced on every set of Hansen Pole Buildings plans, as well as within the International Building Codes. Me, being the curious […]

Read more

Cutting Trusses

Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 07/28/2016
Cutting Trusses

Don’t Cut Trusses! In regards to cutting trusses, an excerpt from the NDS® (National Design Specification for Lumber®) is quoted in the Hansen Pole Buildings’ Construction Manual: “Cutting and altering of trusses is not permitted. If any truss should become broken, damaged, or altered, written concurrence and approval by a licensed design professional is required.” […]

Read more

Adding Steel Ceiling Liner Panels

Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 07/27/2016
Adding Steel Ceiling Liner Panels

I Want to Add a Steel Ceiling This must be my week for receipt of good questions which require lengthy answers in order to do justice to the subject. Here is another one: DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I have a 42 x 60 with insulation in walls and roof, 26 gauge metal, wood trusses, 10 […]

Read more

Bi-parting Doors on Airplane Hangars

Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 07/26/2016
Bi-parting Doors on Airplane Hangars

Double Bi-parting Sliding Doors for an Airplane Hangar Every once in a while I get asked a Dear Pole Barn Guru question which just demands its own space in order to do the subject topic true justice. This happens to be one of them. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I want to build a 50x40x16 for […]

Read more

Dear Pole Barn Guru: Replacing Skylight Panels

Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 07/25/2016
Dear Pole Barn Guru: Replacing Skylight Panels

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: What is the minimum height of a RV garage and which size overhead door is needed to store a 5th wheel travel trailer or class A motor-home? JOHN IN COUPEVILLE DEAR JOHN: If you want to insure you do the job right and have the clear space you will need for […]

Read more

Let’s Dig a Big Hole

Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 07/21/2016
Let’s Dig a Big Hole

Let’s dig a Big Hole … and plant a post-frame building in it! Part I of two parts. This article (written by yours truly) appeared in this month’s Rural Builder magazine. If you prefer to read it online, here is the link: https://www.constructionmagnet.com/rural-builder/lets-dig-a-big-hole-and-plant-a-post-frame-building-in-it: I’ve now surprisingly (especially to me) spent my entire adult life in […]

Read more

Fabric Covered Hoop Barns

Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 07/20/2016
Fabric Covered Hoop Barns

South Dakota Department of Transportation Fabric Covered Hoop Barn I’ve been in South Dakota all but a few days in 2016, I figure another 50-60 years or so and I might even be considered to be a “local”. Last Saturday I was a participant in a 5k “fun run” in conjunction with Sisseton’s Horse and […]

Read more

How to Build a Sliding Door – Part III

Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 07/19/2016
How to Build a Sliding Door – Part III

Part III of three in how to build a Sliding Door(Part I posted July 13 and Part II July 14): Door Pull From experience, for opening ease, it is best mounted vertically onto door “end” – on a Vertical Side Rail face. If one-piece sliding doors, skip next section. Bi-Parting Doors With a few exceptions […]

Read more