Personally I would never put a roof on any building I own other than steel. Here is my take: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/blog/2012/01/steel-roofing-2/ Some folks have the mistaken idea shingled roofs are a better solution in the event of extreme hail events. Here is the truth: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/blog/2013/04/metal-roofing/ For those who are still not convinced and seriously still think […]

What? Have I gone out of my mind? No, not at all. We’ve always had a good relationship with Morton Buildings. They are the largest post frame (pole) builder in America, but all they do is build. We’ve had them refer clients to us who are looking only for building kits. I ‘net surf a lot […]

Welcome to Ask the Pole Barn Guru – where you can ask questions about building topics, with answers posted on Mondays.  With many questions to answer, please be patient to watch for yours to come up on a future Monday segment.  If you want a quick answer, please be sure to answer with a “reply-able” […]

We Don’t Always Do Things Perfect, But We Do Listen Part IV Last summer Hansen Pole Buildings Supplied a pole building kit package to a client who experienced a few challenges and took the time to address them. Here is the last portion of the email I was responding to (the past three days’ blogs […]

We Don’t Always Do Things Perfect, But We Do Listen Part III Last summer Hansen Pole Buildings Supplied a pole building kit package to a client who experienced a few challenges and took the time to address them. Here is the email I was responding to: (Items #1-3 were addressed on the last two days’ […]

We Don’t Always Do Things Perfect, But We Do Listen Part II Last summer Hansen Pole Buildings Supplied a pole building kit package to a client who experienced a few challenges and took the time to address them. Here is a portion of the email I was responding to: “On the design flaws, and other […]

We Don’t Always Do Things Perfectly, But We Do Listen Last summer Hansen Pole Buildings Supplied a pole building kit package to a client who experienced a few challenges and I took the time to address each one of them. This is Part I of a four part response. First – here is my initial […]

Welcome to Ask the Pole Barn Guru – where you can ask questions about building topics, with answers posted on Mondays.  With many questions to answer, please be patient to watch for yours to come up on a future Monday segment.  If you want a quick answer, please be sure to answer with a “reply-able” […]

My wife, not so much – because she says I manage to pick out things which are wrong in nearly every one of them. Weirdly enough, when I do find errors, it is nearly always on buildings which have been constructed by “professional” barn builders. More often than not, when our clients do the work […]

Along with this photo came the message: “The Contractor I hired to put up the building will be sending you video from his cell phone sometime today. In the meantime I have taken two photos: one of the gable end and the other of the side wall. The side wall panels are perfect and the […]

Hansen Pole Buildings Designer Rick and I were having a discussion about the amount of headroom needed for a horse riding arena which would be for hunter/jumpers. I referred him to a previous article I had written on the subject: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/blog/2014/02/riding-arenas/ Rick used to play some serious polo, against folks like the Busch brothers (yes, […]

There are a certain percentage of folks who live in a dream world where hiring a Building Contractor to “turnkey” their pole building project makes life all good and happy. They hire a contractor to provide the materials, as well as the labor. Back in my early days of owning M & W Building Supply, […]

Welcome to Ask the Pole Barn Guru – where you can ask questions about building topics, with answers posted on Mondays.  With many questions to answer, please be patient to watch for yours to come up on a future Monday segment.  If you want a quick answer, please be sure to answer with a “reply-able” […]

What if the Golden Gate Bridge Had Been Hot-Dip Galvanized? For those of you who are reading my articles for the first time, I will warn you – I am a little bit of a structures nut. I really want to know about how things work and are assembled, and why. Besides being a structures […]

Post-Frame Building Design Manual Back in 2000 the then National Frame Builders Association (now National Frame Building Association – NFBA www.nfba.org) published the ground breaking first edition of the Post-Frame Building Design Manual. In the foreword, then NFBA President James T. Knight so aptly wrote: “The movement of the post-frame building into the commercial marketplace […]

Upgraded Building at No Additional Cost If you seriously believe this drop me a note – I have some swampland for sale! There are three parts to anything being invested in – price, quality and service. The tough part is, the purchaser is only going to get two of the three. Here is an actual […]

A couple of years ago Hansen Pole Buildings Designer Rick and I had a discussion about interesting people I had done pole building projects for. (Read more about them at: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/blog/2013/03/pole-building-11/). One person I had left off my previous list was famous Pacific Northwest sculptor and artist Harold Balazs. While most folks outside of the […]

Welcome to Ask the Pole Barn Guru – where you can ask questions about building topics, with answers posted on Mondays.  With many questions to answer, please be patient to watch for yours to come up on a future Monday segment.  If you want a quick answer, please be sure to answer with a “reply-able” […]

What I get to do every day is nothing short of fun. My life is full of interesting questions from many different angles. Today’s opportunity is compliments of Hansen Pole Buildings Designer Rachel who writes, “Guy called asking on the vapor barrier.  I know we have discussed this before but I want to make sure […]

Available Space, Budget and Imagination I’ve always said these three things – available space, budget and imagination are the only limitations when it comes to pole building design. Available space – I’ve now been personally involved in around 16,000 pole buildings. Yes, for those who are curious, it is a lot of pole buildings. After […]

My first exposure to tongue and groove lumber was when I managed the prefabricated metal plate connected wood truss manufacturing facility at Lucas Plywood and Lumber back in 1979. I’d relocated from Northern Idaho to Salem, Oregon to take the position. (Read more about Lucas Plywood and Lumber here: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/blog/2011/06/theres-no-education-like-real-life-business-experience/) The most common method of […]

A Tape Measure Idea The design upon which most modern spring tape measures are built was patented by Alvin J. Fellows in 1868. But even a better mousetrap doesn’t always catch on immediately. In 1922 Hiram Farrand received another patent and within a few years the Farrand Rapid Rule was being mass produced and was […]

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: What’s more energy efficient when building a house with steel siding versus Hardieboard siding? QUESTIONING IN QUEBEC DEAR QUESTIONING: Hardiepanel® is a registered trademark and product of the James Hardie Company. It has an R value of 0.34 per 1/2 inch of thickness. Steel siding panels have a negligible R value, so […]

Exterior Landings for Egress Entry Doors Picture this….. From inside of your new pole building, you open an entry door (person/man or similar descriptor) door and step out onto…..mud? Sorry, but this scenario is not going to meet with the requirements of the Building Codes. From the 2012 IBC (International Building Code): 1008.1.5 Floor elevation.  […]

Regardless of what side of the climate change argument one is on – it has been snowing in Massachusetts this winter. A lot. Late January’s Winter Storm Juno alone brought up to 36 inches of snow in some parts of Massachusetts. https://www.weather.com/storms/winter/news/winter-storm-juno-snow-totals-wind-gusts As if Juno wasn’t enough, another storm followed – leaving so much snow […]