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 […]

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 […]

What Real Life Technical Support Sounds Like Many of us have had situations where we needed to contact a company we have purchased a product from for some technical assistance. I know when I have done so, every once in a while I am thankfully surprised to have the person I am dealing with actually […]

For some reason, I have always liked framing hammers with wooden handles. Always felt far more comfortable in my hand than composites or steel handles. Hickory handles beat synthetic materials for strength, and also have the benefit of less vibration. Wood transfers less vibration than metal. Some hammers have a fiberglass shaft core or a glass […]

I appreciate long time reader Vincent Phelps – Vincent, I know you are reading this and thank you! Vincent appears to be always on the lookout for technology and new and better ways to build bigger mousetraps (buildings). Here was a recent question he sent to me on Facebook (yes, we are Facebook friends): “Titanium […]

I’ve been doing some of my own research on solar power lately, and have found some interesting stuff. The real interesting part of this article is not in the cool solar product – it is on how to solve the problem they do not know they have with the pole barn (post frame) building in […]

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Do your pole barn garage kits come with assembly instructions? CORY IN NORTH LAS VEGAS DEAR CORY: Thank you for your interest in a new Hansen Pole Building. Besides full sized 24″ x 36″ blueprints (usually seven pages or more worth) which are totally specific to exactly your building and show […]

The word “lean” explains a great deal about the goals of Lean Construction. It implies something has been trimmed of excess fat, or, in the case of construction, of waste and inefficiency. Lean takes the “different moving parts” of a project — including concept, design, construction and occupancy — and works to coordinate all those processes together at the beginning of the project […]

However it did not quite get assembled the way we had planned for! We would not even have known about it, other than Ritchie Wallace of Wallace Brothers Construction (https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/find-a-builder/oregon-contractors/portland-or-contractor/) was contacted by the client, who is now interested in adding onto the length of the building. According to a July 2015 article in Time […]

This was the tag line for some PSA commercial on the telly when I was a child. Always figured I could spin it into an article at some point in time. Here is the dilemma: From our client: “Got all the trusses & purlins up & it’s really starting to look like a building.  That’s […]

In 1980 I was working for Lucas Plywood and Lumber in Salem, Oregon. Besides managing their prefabricated metal connector plated roof truss manufacturing facility, I also sold kit packages for pole buildings. The same summer, one of my clients was a gentleman from Portland named Tony Storm, who ordered a garage which he and his […]

Many high schools offer to their students Vocational Education classes. In the case of Logan Elm High School of Circleville, Ohio – instructor Gary Mitchel’s  vocational industrial maintenance class builds pole barns. Mitchel’s students have now completed ten pole buildings for local residents over the past five and a half years. You can read more […]

This is a real life message from one of our clients: “So I went to put in my foam closures today and I don’t have enough. There is a gap on both the top and bottom of the wainscoting. The building dimensions are 24’x24′. So 4 sides at 24′ is 96′ – 12′ garage door […]

My friend Domenick Buonamici is an American expat who lives in Ecuador. He also writes about his experiences in Ecuador. When this one passed by me, I couldn’t help but relate it to common similar mistakes we see here in the United States. I see it all the time here on the coast of Ecuador. […]

A Wind Uplift Story This idiom is most usually associated with trying to revive interest in a hopeless issue. Those of you gentle readers with former spouses in your lives may very well have some understanding of this issue. Well, sometimes there actually IS a dead horse….. Many years ago, my future ex-wife and I […]

“Wanted – Pole Barn Builder, Carpenter, and skilled handyman to help me rebuild this 20+ year old pole barn that was recently taken down. It is 65′ x 100′. I need to lay it out, put in the holes, pour the concrete pole piers, and erect all the superstructure (including 65′ wide trusses), and the […]

When the Stars are Out of Alignment In post frame (pole) building construction, the stars do not have to align in order for all things to work out happily (and easily). Some things DO have to align, and an important one – at least when it comes to getting through screwed steel roofing to work […]

Movin’ On Up! Well Leroy will never be confused with Sherman Hemsley of the iconic TV series “The Jeffersons” but his crew was certainly movin’ on up! Leroy mentioned the man he works for provides neither plans nor a materials list for his crew to build from. They just make the building “work” from 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” […]

New Guides to Wood Construction in High Wind Areas My long time readers will probably recognize the name Dr. Frank Woeste, as he has appeared in a plethora of my articles. When it comes to wood design, and especially post frame buildings, Frank is at the top of the game. For the curious, here is […]

There is a builder in my neck of the woods who advertises as “the only company around that offers…Vertical Flush Walls, for your pole building, shop or garage, which allows you to sheetrock inside your building without having to re-frame the inside!” In the photo with this article, wall girts have been placed “barn” style […]

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 […]

Thin Hair and a Flat Forehead In my most recent past life (a.k.a the 1990’s) I was a post frame (pole) building contractor based in Spokane, Washington. At one time we had as many as 35 crews constructing buildings in six states. Even though I jokingly tell people this is why my hair is thin […]

When it comes to pole buildings, a diaphragm is a structural assembly – including the timber framing (truss chords and purlins), structural sheathing (e.g. plywood, metal cladding), fasteners and fastening patterns – capable of transferring in-plane shear forces through the cladding and framing members. Diaphragm action is the lateral resistance to racking of the building […]

My bride tells me I spend an inordinate amount of time surfing the ‘net. She is probably right, but I surf with a goal in mind – researching topics so there are more satisfied pole building owners! I stumbled across an interesting video on “How to Fix a Sagging Pole Building” today at: https://wn.com/how_to_fix_a_sagging_pole_building Now, […]

Screwing a Pole Building Together In 2001 I was working for a Northern Idaho pole building construction company. One of my clients was a building contractor from Moscow, Idaho. It seems he had a client he was building a home for in California, and needed a 5000 square foot pole building erected on the site, […]

Amish Speed Barn Raising All of us seem to be captivated by “speed building” videos. Heck, I even got into it back in 1996, when my company set a world record for the fastest site built two-car garage: (https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/blog/2011/06/fastest-pole-building-ever-constructed/)!The Mother Nature Network has an Amish barn raising video up, which has become somewhat of an […]

There is absolutely nothing finer than a recommendation from one of our clients on a tool, process or procedure which they have used to make construction of their new Hansen Pole Building kit package easier. A challenge, for many, is having to cut steel panels and trims with various sheet metal cutting tools often being […]

Why are the stick-built and pole-barn businesses so different?  This question was posed to me recently, along with the following commentary:   “Forgive me if this strikes you as a dumb question, but I’m having trouble figuring out why the pole-barn and residential construction businesses are so divided. From what I can tell, companies that […]

50 shades of The Twilight Zone, is The Ghost of Rod Serling Somewhere Nearby? From 1951 to 1955, more than 70 of Rod Serling’s television scripts were produced, garnering both critical and public acclaim. Full-scale success came on Wednesday, Jan. 12, 1955, with the live airing of his Kraft Television Theatre script “Patterns.” Deemed a “creative triumph” […]

DEAR POLE BARN GURU:Currently constructing building and the roof trusses are not built according to engineered plans. Plans call for 2*10 and these trusses are 2*6. Builder has purchased additional materials to reinforce the trusses. Now the steel is going up today and found that the 2 11’10” clay endwall pieces are missing. Builder also […]

What’s Wrong With This Picture? When I was a kid, my mom would buy us educational geared books which had various puzzles in them, designed to challenge our minds. One of my favorites was the one where two drawings are shown which are nearly identical, and it is up to the reader to spot the […]

Tips for Installing Eave Light Panels For those who are not insulating the sidewalls of their pole buildings and are looking for a low cost alternative to windows for getting daylighting into their buildings – polycarbonate eave lights might very well be the answer. I’ve written about them in the past (see: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/blog/2011/09/polycarbonate-eavelights-light-up-my-life/), so I […]

A Baker’s Dozen – The Most Read Articles of 2013 Sometimes, in order to know where to go, it is helpful to see where we’ve been. These are the most read blogs from 2013. #13 Board and Batten Siding https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/blog/2013/03/board-and-batten-siding/ While popular, board and batten siding should be installed considering shear values. Advice on installing […]

I’ve previously expressed concerns about light gauge “carport” type buildings (read more at: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/blog/2013/05/carports/). (My advance apologies for the misleading title, it was used by the complainee below – VersaTube® buildings are NOT pole buildings!!) Whilst doing some ‘net surfing, I recently came across this posting at www.pissedcustomer.com: “I purchased a metal frame building from […]

Simpson Strong-Tie® has a blog dedicated to Structural Engineering. A recent post written by David Finkenbinder addressed gaps where a member is attached to another by use of a structural hanger. Here is an excerpt from the blog: “Have you ever seen this famous sign? You may have seen it while riding the London Underground, to […]

ON SITE IN JAPAN: OBSERVATIONS OF A U.S. FRAMER My cousin Amy was recently visiting Japan and happened to share on her Facebook page an article written by her Dad, my Uncle Neil Momb, written about his adventures in building in Japan. Although my Uncle Neil was the only one of my Father’s siblings who […]

eHow.com: Discover the expert in you Or at least how eHow.com promotes itself on the ‘net. From the eHow.com website: “What do you want to do today? No matter what’s on your list, eHow can help. With more than 30 categories that cover just about everything, eHow is your one-stop online resource for life’s challenges. […]

In the construction of Eric’s new self-storage pole building, my son got to experience first-hand the effects of wane! What exactly is wane? When a log enters a sawmill, it is first cut into boards. Before further processing, most boards cut from the outside edges of the log exhibit wither residual bark or jagged edges […]

Inside Foam Closure Strips to be exact. There are lots of little pieces involved when it comes to the assembly of a pole building, which the average lay person would have little or no knowledge of. Some of them don’t make a difference until the lack of them (or their failure to perform) becomes apparent. […]

My readers will recognize my 19-year-old son Brent’s name from recent articles on the construction of a pole building storage building here in Browns Valley. After two weeks of working together, I have learned something important (yes, 56 year old Dads can learn new things). Growing up, my brother Mark and I worked for Dad […]

Over the years I’ve experienced many various clients who have constructed pole building kits as “bonding” experiences. These have included a couple in their early 80’s, five brothers who built a new shop for their Dad for Father’s Day, and a man and his 14 year old daughter. We’ve built two pole buildings with our […]

Self Storage & Twas the Week Before Brent Landed….. For regular readers – you read yesterday about my son joining our volunteer construction crew on the 5040 square foot self storage building. In the week before Brent’s arrival, we experienced some of the fun things which will endear anyone who has ever constructed their own […]

A prospect client in Michigan wrote to tell me pole buildings were, “too expensive, going with a box beam barn instead.” Two thoughts leaped into my head, first – pole buildings are so efficient it is hard to believe there could be a more economical choice, and secondly – what the heck is a “box […]

My regular “day job” is as Technical Director for Hansen Pole Buildings. This is a fancy title for, “the guy who solves problems when things go astray”. DIYers are frankly hilarious, as they come holding hat-in-hand saying things like, “You wouldn’t believe what I’ve done wrong, it has to be the worst mistake ever!” In […]

I was blessed to have been a member of the then American Society of Agricultural Engineers (ASAE) Structural Committee back in the latter half of the 1980s. Blessed because there were many brilliant engineers on the committee who were very focused on moving what had been “pole barns” into the Code conforming “post frame” buildings. […]

Much of the year I am a “road warrior” – spending two weeks out of every month on planes, trains and automobiles, the next two back at home. Our youngest daughter (now a college sophomore) has threatened more than once to stop by the house when I am away and paste my photo on a […]

I’ve been buying products from Weyerhaeuser since I got out of college in 1977. Weyerhaeuser has always been cutting edge – coming up with unique ideas and products. I know I freaked out the owner of the lumber yard where I managed a prefabricated metal connector plated truss plant for, when in 1980 I ordered […]

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 […]

When I was a freshman in Architecture school at the University of Idaho, we watched video footage of the November 7, 1940 collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge (also known as “Gallopin Gertie”). If you have never seen this amazing footage before, you can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-zczJXSxnw Luckily, most of you will never watch […]

When I was first constructing pole buildings, I found out the hard way why it is essential to have a clause in my agreements which covered the unknown – also known as “what you can’t see below the surface”. In my case, we had contracted to build a 36 foot wide by 60 foot long […]

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” […]

When I was a boy, I used to love it when my Dad would bring home fresh blueprints….I could smell the ammonia before I could see the roll of pages. The smell alone would trigger my senses to alert me to “something was going to get built”! Yes, back in the day, plans graduated from […]

Let’s Waste More Good Farmland It has been awhile since I got off on a good rant. My belief is a person should be able to do whatever they want with their property, as long as the value of your neighbor’s property is not degraded by it. The less government interference, the better. I live […]

On The Road Author’s Note: This is part 2 of a series of blogs written from a 6500+ motorcycle trip from WA to Ohio and back.  See Blog from Oct. 15th for the beginning…and hang on for the ride! In yesterday’s post, I had mentioned all of the old barns I saw falling down. Not […]

What Is The Price Per Square Foot? If one thinks about this question for very long, they might recognize the absurdity of this question. It would be about as practical as going to buy a new car….and asking the price per pound. Or shopping for a new computer….and asking the price per gigabyte of memory. […]

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” […]

I’m always on board (pun intended) for new, interesting and different ideas. This one certainly qualifies! German researchers are working on a quick-setting construction tape which can bond lumber members together. They’ve developed an adhesive tape, which sets in under a minute to reliably and durably bond together individual components. The construction tape doesn’t dry […]

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: With trusses spaced 6 feet on center can you lay 2×4 purlins flat? Curious in Columbus   DEAR CURIOUS: In order to answer your question properly, I will have to make a whole bunch of assumptions. I will assume this is a single truss, code minimum snow load, 4/12 roof slope […]

This story appeared in the Windsor, Ontario, Canada Star June 27, 2013:   “Firefighters had to use a metal cutter and giant airbags Wednesday to rescue a man trapped under a barn collapse. “Upon our arrival, there was one person that was trapped underneath the trusses,” said Essex Fire Chief Ed Pillon.”He was conscious, alert, […]

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 send from a “reply-able” […]

Andy Hinds has been pounding nails into wood ever since he was a kid and gives his father the credit for passing along the carpentry skills. In a recent Atlantic article, Hinds reminisces about helping to build the family cabin in Montana: Dad built walls and sidewalks, installed woodstoves, laid tile, added electrical circuits and plumbing […]

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.  Email all questions to: PoleBarnGuru@HansenPoleBuildings.com DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Will the poles y’all use […]

Taking frequent pictures of a new pole building under construction on is something which just does not happen on a routine basis. These pictures could easily save a world of grief.  I personally believe building owners and contractors should be taking pictures more often than what I usually find is being done. A picture does […]

Steel wrapped poles Hansen Pole Buildings Designer Alan came up with a new client concern recently. His client lost his last barn to a fire, so the client’s idea for his new pole barn is to wrap the poles with light gauge steel, in order to keep them from burning. Of course Alan and I […]

I was once at a get together at a friend’s house. It was crowded, with about twice as many people as the space comfortably fit (must have been a good party). Being as it was a casual event the kitchen became the hub of activity, with food and drink preparation, cooking, chattering and of course, […]

I bet they wished they’d followed the Call 811 rule! I live on lake, in the mountains. My lot, much like those of my neighbors, is narrow and deep, with lots of grade change from lake to back of the lots. Nearly two decades ago, I wanted to construct a pole building on the back […]

The basics of marketing teach us (as suppliers of pole building kit packages) to focus our efforts on those most likely to be a customer. If implemented (which most do) the problem becomes the focus is on direct competitors rather than enlarging the pool of potential clients. Everyone becomes more worried about losing a sale […]

Pole Building Construction We’ve spent the last few days in the capitol city of Quito, Ecuador. If it wasn’t for our daughter having spent her sophomore year of high school here as a Rotary Exchange Student, we probably never would have visited Ecuador.  Once we were here, we were hooked however. The scenery is breathtaking and amazingly […]

DEAR POLE BARN GURU:  I’m using 6″ x 6″ treated posts, do I need to use galvanized nails to attach my girts to the posts, do you recommend 20d galv  ringshanks driven w a palm-nailer vs 3-1/4″ 16d non galv ringshanks  I can shoot with gun? James in Golden, CO DEAR GOLDEN: Any time nails […]

March 3-9 was National Severe Weather Preparedness week, which inspired me to outline some ways to prepare your existing pole building to withstand hurricanes. The ASHRAE Guide for Buildings in Hot and Humid Climates recommends designing and constructing buildings in hurricane-prone areas using the following steps in order of priority: keep the building from blowing […]

I Spoke Too Soon! In yesterday’s blog, I was addressing challenges which seem to occur with professional building contractors, and the challenge to correctly measure eave height. So….up jumps the devil…. Not long after the cited incident from a few months ago, a building owner was out constructing their own pole building kit package and […]

When All Else Fails Read the directions. The Hansen Pole Buildings Productions office had a builder contact them a few months ago, because the endwall steel on the pole building kit package they were constructing was “eight inches too short”. Now the builder DID admit to having framed the building three inches taller then he […]

DEAR POLE BARN GURU:  I have a full size tennis court, we want to put a pole barn on the tennis court (we don’t play tennis) The barn would be 30 x 60 obviously leaving an asphalt perimeter larger than the barn around the barn – how would you seal the edges where the barn […]

Thanks to Hansen Pole Buildings Designer Bob, for his inspiration on this post! Have you ever spent a couple of hours working on a craft project — or a presentation for work — and then fallen in love with the accomplishment? Do the colors picked for the PowerPoint background pop so beautifully you just have […]

The story you are about to read is true, only the names have been changed, to protect the innocent. Now my name isn’t Friday, and today is Thursday. A busy Thursday, just like most, with the phones ringing and everyone scurrying to assist with clients. An incoming caller reported a “crime”. They had purchased a […]

I recently spoke with a prospective client in California. This particular gentleman is an electrical contractor, and fancies himself as being fairly handy. He is considering doing the construction of his new pole building kit himself, however was terrified by the prospect of having to set the building columns. Being honest, we all have our […]

The Strong-Drive® SD Structural-Connector screw is specifically designed for use with Simpson Strong-Tie® connectors (frequently and generically known as joist hangers. Strong Drive Screws preferable to nails! Designed to replace nails in certain hangers, the load-rated SD screw has been tested and approved for use in many popular Simpson Strong-Tie® products. It is the only […]

TECO nails They actually no longer exist. TECO was the name of a company (Timber Engineering Company) which manufactured 10 penny, also known as 10d common nails (0.148 inch diameter) which were 1-1/2 inches in length. The company is now defunct, but the name has stuck. Joist Hanger Nails These nails are also referred to […]

As I write this, the end of the world as we know it (yes, I know it is a 1987 R.E.M. tune) did not happen yesterday, December 21, 2012. What did happen is… it is now officially winter. In Browns Valley, MN this means typical T shirt and shorts weather, highs in the teens and […]

I continue to be baffled as to why it is pole building owners (and pole barn builders) all too frequently lose all sense of reality when it comes to proper pole barn engineering design. Case in point: “I’m adding a loft to a section of our pole barn (which was professionally constructed 10 years ago […]

The post-frame construction market has the potential to grow to $8.9 billion by 2016, up from $6.4 billion in 2011, finds a new report by FMI Corporation, a management consulting firm in Raleigh, NC. The report predicts the residential/suburban and light-commercial markets will be the fastest growing segments of the post-frame market in the next […]

When I built my first few pole buildings, over three decades ago, I was smart – I was the layout man and the other two men on my crew were the ones who got to use the dreaded “two man killer”. I have to admit, the “killer” was a huge improvement over using a two-handled […]

Hansen Buildings Designer Rick shared this with me today: “Had a client call this morning almost in tears. She has decided she wants to order a building from us, however has had a hard time getting the construction quoted. All of the builders in her area, who normally construct our buildings, are too busy. She […]

I read lots of different forums. A poster on one of the board recently wrote: “I have a quick question concerning nails. I just had a builder build me a pole barn and was wondering about the nails. They used galvanized nails for the skirt board on the bottom but then on the 2×4 strapping […]

My confession – I am a baseball fan. In baseball, the tale of the tape is usually in regards to how far a home run has been hit. Ever been to the Mall of America? The mall is built atop of the location of the old Metropolitan Stadium (one time home of the Minnesota Twins). […]

Before any of my readers drop their teeth due to me saying something I don’t exactly extol… is easy….read on! I’ve spent the last few days in Michigan – where I am being told no Building Official would EVER approve of a pole building designed with double trusses spaced 10 or 12 feet on center […]

Many of you are by now familiar with Jim, one of the senior Building Designers at Hansen Pole Buildings. Jim is great – he has an investigative mind, so poses many marvelous questions to me, many of which are incorporated into this blog. Today Jim asked me what I knew about a particular building system […]

I know none of us has ever experienced this condition, but we all know of someone who has had the hurling issue, often after a period of personal discussion with some of the friends of George Thorogood. In this instance, I’m not thinking either of the example above, or the tasty oatmeal raisin cookies my […]

No construction project goes without any hitches at all, Steve’s garage being absolutely typical. If you have just joined my daily construction blog – I have been sharing my daily chronicle this week of constructing a pole barn garage for my oldest step-son’s father-in-law in Happy Valley, Tennessee.  It was probably the hottest days I […]

We are on day 4 of working on a garage for my oldest step-son’s father-in-law in Happy Valley Tennessee.  You might want to skip back to Monday of this week, and skim through to catch on my day by day account of building a garage. – Last I left you, we encountered a problem of […]

This week I am relating a recent day by day account of putting up a pole building for my oldest step-son’s father-in-law in Happy Valley, Tennessee.  Check back to Monday for the beginning of this string. On to day two on the jobsite…another sunny day.  (Read that as “oppressively hot and humid”.) Jake picked up […]

If you did not read last Friday’s blog – go back and catch up.  This one will make more sense! Since the posts for Steve’s new garage were already in place, the worst of the work – playing in the dirt, was out of the way. Even when I have set my own poles, the […]

While most Hansen Buildings clients are looking to construct their own buildings, a fair number don’t want to do the dirty work themselves. They are looking for a builder who can at least construct the building shell for them. I haven’t been a building contractor personally in over a decade. Over the past few years […]

When I was just a little tyke, my Mother used to watch Art Linkletter’s “House Party”. A highlight of his show was the segment, “Kids Say the Darndest Things”. I have my own version, “Potential Building Owners Say the Darndest Things”. Our Building Designer Lauri seems to be a magnet for these lately. Here she […]

Lauri is one of the newer members to the Building Design team at Hansen Pole Buildings. Pole buildings, while having the appearance of being fairly simple, are actually remarkably complex structures and involve the proper interaction of literally thousands of components. Due to this, it is not surprising for a question to come up, which […]

If there is one thing I have learned in three decades plus of providing pole building kits, it is this – the hardest people to please, are builders. This pat on the back, from a builder, was so good we felt the need to share the bruises we have from it. Rachel, our most senior […]

One of our clients is currently constructing his Hansen Pole Buildings kit package, in Colorado. Colorado is one of those unusual geographic locales in the United States where the availability of any pressure treated timbers larger than a 6×6 is pretty much….not at all. It IS possible to get glu-laminated columns, however. In this particular […]

Nearly three decades ago, we were looking at markets to expand our thriving post frame building kit package business into. Having then shipped buildings from the Willamette Valley of Oregon into Arizona and Colorado, Texas did not feel like it would be much of a leap. In doing research, it appeared the number one competition […]