In today’s marketplace, most pole buildings are roofed and sided with silicon-modified polyester paint or SMP. SMPs create a middle ground between PVDFs (Polyvinylidene Fluorides) and polyesters. Also known as silicone-protected and siliconized polyesters, SMPs use polymerized silicone to improve polyester’s chalk performance and gloss retention. Companies initially experimented with varying levels of silicone, and […]

Red, white, blue, green, gold, beige and brown. When I was first in the pole building industry, these were the color choices. While they may sound rather limited, given the palette of availabilities today – it was a huge improvement over the original color – bare galvanized! These early colors had a commonality – they […]

Thermal Insulation for Wood-finish Look Ceilings New from Prodex® Construction Solutions is a rustic style insulation for interior decoration. One of the fastest and safest ways to add a touch of seduction to pole buildings of any type or style using interior decoration involves adding comfortable environments, new textures and contrasts. Rustic decoration elements are […]

Government Gone Wild It never ceases to amaze me how politics does (or does not) work. Here is an ongoing, real life story involving a Hansen Pole Buildings client in Illinois. From an article by Sarah Hayden in the April 22, 2014 Moline, Illinois Dispatch/Argus: “Trustees on Monday also took an emergency vote an unauthorized […]

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I’m very interested in doing business with you, I just have a few questions. I originally asked for a quote of a pole barn of 200×50 I believe it was, my question is, can your buildings be added on to? Would we be able to start with something much smaller and […]

I have a serious case of “like” for The Home Depot®. When my children were little, every time we got near one, they would start to chant (in unison), “Home Depot…..Home Depot”. Yesterday morning I was in The Home Depot® at Grand Junction, Colorado. It was a special moment, when a gentleman came up to […]

I woke up this morning in El Paso, Texas and this evening I am in Montrose, Colorado. It was a long drive and I am certain the rental car company will appreciate all of the miles I am putting on their car. Interesting trip today – some great scenery, especially North of Durango, Colorado. Just […]

Every once in a while I surprise people and actually pass out some worthwhile real life scenario information. Today it is going to be a “how-to”: trimming an overhead door. Here is the picture – the client hired a contractor to construct their building and ended up completing the building themselves. The new pole building […]

In researching the paint systems applied to steel roofing and siding used on pole buildings, I came up with some interesting information. From an August 2003 story in Metal Roofing Magazine: “There are dozens of criteria and tests paints are subject to, including falling sand erosion tests, acid tests, adhesion after impact and bending, and […]

New!  The Pole Barn Guru’s mailbox is overflowing with questions.  Due to high demand, he is answering questions on Saturdays as well as Mondays. 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 […]

New!  The Pole Barn Guru’s mailbox is overflowing with questions.  Due to high demand, he is answering questions on Saturdays as well as Mondays. 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 […]

When I went off to architecture school at the University of Idaho in 1975, I needed a vehicle which would be a little better suited to the weekly commute from Post Falls to Moscow. My 1964 Datsun pickup (they were really tiny then) had been OK for motoring around town in high school – but […]

I had built 100 units for a customer who had his financing collapse – and I ended up becoming the unwilling owner. In the early 1990’s I became the owner of a self-storage facility, which was the last thing I wanted to do at the time. One thing which made ownership even less enjoyable was […]

From February 7-23 I was among millions of Americans who spent their evenings glued to their televisions to watch the 2014 Winter Olympics (officially known as the XXII Olympic Winter Games). Held in Sochi, Russia, a total of 98 events were held during the games. I inadvertently became a fan of men’s freestyle skiing, when […]

I believe in as little government interference in what a person constructs on their own property, as possible. The physical size of the state and the bigger-than-life attitude of some of its inhabitants has led to the saying “Everything is bigger in Texas.” Among things which appear to be bigger in Texas are the size […]

Martin Holladay recently wrote an article for GreenBuildingAdvisor.com entitled, “Stay Away from Foil-Faced Bubble Wrap”. Note that for the purposes of this blog, my comments are heretofore in bold. I have no issues at all with a Reflective Radiant Barrier, as long as it is sold for what it is, and not wrongly represented. In […]

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” […]

Several years ago, I had the experience of touring a steel coil coating facility in the Midwest. For folks like me who love a magic show, coil coating ranks right up there for entertainment value. Steel coil coating is a continuous and highly automated process for coating steel before fabrication. As a coil of steel […]

Before Steel Coil Can Be Coated  I think far too often we take for granted the many processes companies spend lots of time and resources (not to mention money) to give us products with features we come to take for granted.  Like making sure metal such as steel does not rust and corrode after years […]

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” […]

New!  The Pole Barn Guru’s mailbox is overflowing with questions.  Due to high demand, he is answering questions on Saturdays as well as Mondays. 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 […]

Where Pre-painted Steel Coil Comes From At the National Frame Building Association (NFBA) 2014 Frame Building Expo were several exhibitors who paint steel coil. These coils are used by steel roll formers to create siding and roofing panels, as well as trims for pole buildings. Among these companies were AkzoNobel, Dura Coat Products, Precoat Metals, […]

As my loyal readers know, I recently attended the NFBA (National Frame Building Association) 2014 Expo in Nashville, TN.  The NFBA (https://www.nfba.org) is the only national trade association which represents post-frame industry professionals. The association is the country’s primary source of post-frame building resources, research, networking, news and education. This is Part II on a […]

Nationwide® Insurance and Common Pole Building Failures As my loyal readers know, I recently attended the NFBA (National Frame Building Association) 2014 Expo in Nashville, TN.  The NFBA (https://www.nfba.org) is the only national trade association which represents post-frame industry professionals. The association is the country’s primary source of post-frame building resources, research, networking, news and […]

Timber Technologies Titan Timbers vs. Littfin Truss Nail-lam Columns – The battle continues One of the exhibitors at the 2014 NFBA Expo was Timber Technologies, LLC of Colfax, WI. Timber Technologies is a full-line glulam manufacturer of Titan Timber columns and beams for post-frame buildings. Their Titan Timbers are straight, strong, reliable, easy to cut, […]