Minimizing Excavation In Combination With Post-Frame Frost Protected Shallow Foundations Regular readers of this column recognize a groundswell movement towards energy efficient post frame building design. Reader (and Mechanical Engineer) DAVID in CONNECTICUT had some thoughts (after reading a volume of my article pages) in regards to FPSF (Frost Protected Shallow Foundations) and radiant in […]

Minimizing post frame ice dams November 1996 in Northern Idaho will probably forever be known as “Ice Storm”.  About six weeks prior to this event, my construction company had completed a post frame building just south of Sandpoint. When massive snow and ice storms hit, our client kept his new building warm by use of […]

Unvented Post Frame Attics Energy efficiency concerns have literally become a “hot” (pun intended) topic in new construction, and post frame construction methods are no exception to inclusion. Traditionally buildings have had insulation placed or blown into dead attic spaces, directly above a ceiling. Unvented attics have entered fray as an alternative.   To construct […]

A Case for Minimum Post Frame Truss Loads Portions of this article were written specifically for Component Advertiser, a monthly truss industry publication. However I feel strongly enough about this subject to use my column to pitch it to both my employers and other post frame building kit suppliers and contractors. In my career I […]

How to Properly Apply Post Frame Building Concrete Sealant Condensation in post frame buildings can be problematic. In order to reduce condensation probabilities, minimizing water vapor sources proves to be paramount. Concrete slabs, especially if no vapor barrier was placed beneath them, are a prime source of water vapor. Proper application of sealant can greatly […]

How to Reduce Condensation in Post Frame Buildings Condensation occurs when excessive atmospheric water vapor comes into contact with a cold surface. Post frame building condensation will be particularly common in winter time, in regions where temperatures reach dramatic lows, and also in spring and early summer when ground temperatures are still cool but humidity […]

Today the Pole barn Guru discusses crawlspace skirting, adding spray foam, and building with rafters instead of trusses. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I am planning on building a post frame home with a standard wood framed floor structure. It will have a crawlspace below but will not have concrete stem walls. The building site slopes […]

Dear Building Officials I have met (either in person, via phone or technology) more than just a few Building Officials, Inspectors and Plans Examiners over my nearly four decades of post frame buildings. I have even been privileged to be a guest speaker for several groups of these fine folks, regarding Code conforming post frame […]

BUILDING DEPARTMENT CHECKLIST 2019 PART II Yesterday I covered seven of what I feel are 14 most important questions to ask your local building department.  This not only will smooth your way through permitting processes, but also  ensures a solid and safe building structure. Let’s talk about these last seven…. #8 What is accepted Allowable […]

BUILDING DEPARTMENT CHECKLIST 2019 PART I I Can Build, I Can Build! (First published six years ago, it was more than past time to update to reflect current code requirements!) Whoa there Nellie…..before getting all carried away, there are 14 essential questions to have on your Building Department Checklist, in order to ensure structural portions […]

Build Safe in Winter Weather Post frame building construction lends itself well to winter weather building, as concrete pours are minimized to just a minimal amount around building columns. Once columns are poured, time for full speed ahead – or as much full speed ahead as can be garnered in frigid weather. Prior to my […]

Concrete Apron Around A Pole Barn My lovely bride and I live in a post frame (pole barn) home along South Dakota’s Lake Traverse. Long time loyal readers of this column have seen photos of it more than once. For those who have missed out, our home was featured on NFBA’s (National Frame Building Association) […]

We Put Up a Competitor’s Shed Sadly not everyone does adequate research to realize how outstanding of a value added a Hansen Pole Buildings’ post frame building kit package truly will be. Long time readers of these blog articles (nearly 1600) and questions answered in Monday’s “Ask the Pole Barn Guru™” column (around 1000) have […]

Some Pole Barns Deserve a Proper Burial Reader STEPHAN in OGDENSBURG writes: “Dear Pole Barn Guru, I have a 30ish year old 32 by 54 feet horse pole barn where half the poles heaved some for more than 1 foot over the years. I need to fix it this year because I am afraid that […]

Building Has Metal Building Insulation Hansen Pole Buildings’ Designer Rachel received an inquiry from a client whose existing post frame (pole) building has metal building insulation. Rachel sent this to me: “STEVE would like some advice on insulating.  He has a Cleary Building which has blanket insulation in the walls and roof and he would […]

Net Zero Post Frame Homes Energy efficiency has become a huge focus in every type of home construction. Post frame homes can be net zero, just as well as stick frame. Our environmental commitment allows us to design post frame homes to reduce environmental impact. High performance design and advanced engineering make it easier and […]

Today the Pole Barn Guru answers questions about custom trusses for a horse barn, a face lift for a pole barn and where to use double trusses. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Hi,  I am looking to build a horse barn next spring, and had a question on the trusses that you offer. The barn will […]

Simpson Strong-Drive® SDWS Timber Screw In yesterday’s article I discussed attachment of roof trusses in post frame building construction. In most cases, Hansen Pole Buildings utilizes Simpson Strong-Drive® SDWS Timber screws. It was more than twenty years ago Simpson Strong-Tie changed fastening world with introduction of a heavy-duty structural connector screw used in wood construction […]

Wall Girts Are Not Sexy Thought I had forgotten about Features and Benefits? Guess again! My 1990’s salesman Jerry was proud of his ability to rattle off a litany of features, without explaining to clients benefits of any of them. This one feature I can imagine meant little or nothing to clients, as wall girts […]

Do I Need Any Additional Vapor Barrier? Reader TOM in NEW LONDON writes: “Have a 40 x 60 pole barn which I have poured a 20 X 60 6″ concrete floor with radiant heat. I have installed 1 1/2″ R 7.5 rigid pink board between the 2 X 6 side boards against the steel. I […]

This weeks PBG discusses a bottom chord dead load, installing sliding barn doors, and truss spacing. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Ok, just to make sure I understand that 10lb psf dead load rating would cover the bottom chords supporting ducts either resting on or suspended from them inside the conditioned space? My thinking is if […]

Post Frame Columns Without Ups or Downs Once post frame building columns are placed into those holes in ground, there needs to be (or sure should be) a solid plan to keep them from being sucked out of ground, or sinking down into it. FEATURE: Pre-mix concrete bottom collars attached to columns with pounded in […]

Avoiding Pulling a Building Permit? You have a densely treed rural location or have no neighbors, so you have made a decision to avoid pulling a building permit for your new post frame building. Think again – YOU. WILL. BE. CAUGHT. All too often we hear from clients who invested in Hansen Pole Building kits […]

Reader CHRISTI in INOLA writes: “Is it standard practice to pour concrete above the base trim of the building? In the attached photos you can see the red chalk line where the concrete will come up to. Help! They are coming this week to pour.” Gentle inquirers, if you want a relatively quickly (or in […]

Customers Didn’t Care When I originally dove into pole barn kit package sales in 1980 it appeared customers didn’t care about features or benefits of our buildings. If they did, they certainly were not asking me! Advertising was simple – newsprint (regional farm paper and free shoppers). Our ads listed dimensions (width, length and eave […]

Do you own a piece of technology which has amazing features which you don’t begin to use (or understand) much more than a small portion of? I know I do. Technology has bombarded us with devices such as cellular telephones, which have outpaced most users’ needs. Unless a feature actually does something I can use, […]

Insulating a Steel Truss Building Reader JONATHAN in MISSISSIPPI has been planning a building using steel trusses and has insulating questions. He writes: “I have recently found your blog and I have to say I am on good information overload.  I’ve read your posts on insulation and air barrier more than twice maybe more.  I […]

Importance of Constrained Posts In structural design of post frame (pole) buildings, an ability to transfer wind shear loads from roof to endwalls to ground becomes a key to cost effective design success. When sidewall columns are in a properly constrained condition (usually by attachment to a concrete slab-on-grade) shear forces are reduced by 25%. […]

Siloxa-Tek 8505 Concrete Sealant Recently I received a question from a reader who was having condensation issues in his post frame (pole) building. Amongst my suggestions was using a concrete floor sealant, if there was not a well-sealed vapor barrier underneath the slab. Following this conversation, my reader did his research and determined a silane […]

How to Obtain a Post Frame Home Mortgage Post frame (pole barn) buildings are becoming more and more popular as homes. Savvy home owners have realized benefits of post frame construction – they can build it themselves, post frame buildings are readily adaptable to a plethora of possible building sites, huge foundation cost savings, energy […]

Swaying Roof Only Pole Barn Yes indeed folks, as probably every owner of a roof only post frame (pole barn) building can and will attest, they sway with the wind. Reader MIKE in ORLANDO was concerned about his new (not from Hansen Pole Buildings) roof only pole barn moving just from his installing steel roofing […]

Today the Pole Barn Guru answers questions about plans for a residential pole barn, lumber going missing, and to building an existing slab. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Hello, I’m looking to build a residential pole barn. I would need enough space for 3 bedroom 2 bath. How big of a pole barn would I need? […]

You want a new pole barn, so you put together some plans, order up some materials, have them delivered and start building. In all of this excitement something was overlooked – acquiring a Building Permit! Reader SHELBY in COLORADO writes: “Hello, My name is Shelby, my father and I are trying to build a pole […]

Foundations – Post Frame Keeps It Simple Post frame (pole building) construction affords a plethora of savings for a new building owner, chief amongst these are foundation simplicity. I’ve previously expounded upon foundation savings in post frame construction as compared to stick frame buildings: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2011/10/buildings-why-not-stick-frame-construction/. Today I will add some graphics to reinforce (pun intended) […]

Animal Control Shelter Pole Buildings Pole (post frame) buildings are ideal structures for animal control shelters. They can be constructed with a minimal financial outlay as compared to other building systems. They can be assembled by volunteers and ready for occupancy in a short time frame. Wide clearspans allow for total flexibility of interior spaces […]

Gordon Miller photo Pole Barn Ignorance After spending pretty well my entire adult life in some facet of my industry, it becomes amazing to me to find pole barn ignorance. Other than recent immigrants to our country, and maybe those who have never traveled outside of urban areas most everyone should have some inkling as […]

Post Frame Roof Top Decks Question: Can decks be constructed upon a post frame roof top? Answer: Yes, and it may prove far simpler than one might expect. Our typical request from clients generally revolves around having a very slightly sloping roof and to use EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer) rubber as roofing over plywood. […]

500 Year Storm and wind exposure. Allstate® Insurance has a TV commercial featuring actor Dennis Haysbert. Haysbert sits in an open field and questions why there have been 26 “once in 500 years storms” in last decade, when term alone implies they should only happen every 500 years. View Allstate® commercial here: https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=crmas&p=Allstate+once+in+500+years+storm+commercial#id=1&vid=b134fa05aba0ff046debaea22891c23d&action=click IBC (International […]

Ceiling Vapor Barriers in Post Frame Construction A ceiling vapor barrier or no, in post frame (pole building) construction? Good question. For most of my life I have lived where it tends to get chilly in winter. Here in Northeast South Dakota it can not only be chilly, but downright frigid. It has been drummed […]

The Pole Barn Guru assists with questions about pole size, the “right” sized building, and a picture is worth a thousand words. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I have a question on a pole barn.  I’m thinking of 50 by 60 and about 14ft high or so.  On the 4/4 poles, how far apart should they […]

Moisture from condensation can be a major issue in initially poorly thought out pole barns. Reader MATT in SHAKOPEE writes: “Hi. I am having issues with moisture in my pole barn. It is getting to the point that mold is starting to show up on the walls and cement floor. The barn is about 28 […]

Mortarless Masonry Exterior Options for Pole Buildings Today’s guest blogger is Jim Weidner, Commercial Project Manager for Rochester Concrete Products. Throughout the years, pole (post frame) buildings have evolved. At one time, pole buildings were constructed for a person’s shop, garage, or just a storage building. Those uses still remain, but now pole buildings are […]

Lean To, Or Not to Lean To? Over my post frame building career I have seen a plethora of buildings designed with an enclosed clearspan enclosed space plus a shed roof (or lean to) for one or both sides. Most often just a roof, a lean to provides shade and not much else for whatever […]

Oklahoma, Is It OK? Last weekend my lovely bride and I attended an event hosted by her first husband’s sister and her husband. Event purpose was to celebrate this couple’s upcoming 40th wedding anniversary. Adding to this fun, at least for me, was a new Hansen Pole Building being erected onsite (D.I.Y. husband doing some […]

Planning a Building – guest blog by J.A.Hansen I am the principle owner and CEO of Hansen Buildings – offering to give Mike a day off from writing a blog. Over the years I’ve done just about everything at Hansen Buildings, including shipping (setting up the original shipping department), ordering materials, writing parts of the […]

Why Most People Should Not Order Trusses These posts are a part of what I do, to advise people so they will hopefully avoid making costly (or even fatal) errors. Now prefabricated trusses are great and wonderful things. However, most people lack expertise necessary to know right from wrong when purchasing highly engineered components. As […]

Fairgrounds Pole Buildings (Photo by Patricia Guthrie/Whidbey News Group) A new position, Island County Fairgrounds’ director, was created by Port of South Whidbey since it assumed fairgrounds ownership in March 2017. This directorship position was subsequently filled by Larry Lehtonen. Island County Fairgrounds’ original structure, a pole building, was built in 1937. Lehtonen takes a […]

One More Reason to Avoid Metal Building Insulation   Photo isn’t showing the inside of a Hansen Pole Building. This view happens to be inside of an eave sidewall looking up underneath a post frame building roof. White vinyl facing happens to be underside of a product commonly known as Metal Building Insulation, having actual […]

Planning Your Equestrian Facility   Those of you loyal readers who actually read links in this article are going to see our daughter Bailey Momb’s name frequently. 2018 Tennessee Walking Horse Celebration made for me being a proud dad with Bailey riding to a World Grand Championship (link has results): https://twhnc.com/content/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/RESULTS-TUESDAY-EVENING-8-28-18.pdf.   Moving forward, reader […]

Post Frame Cold Storage for Fruits and Vegetables Hansen Pole Buildings’ Designer Rachel passed along this: “Have a client call in asking if we have experience in designing a building for cold storage.  Confused I said yes, many building are used for cold storage and are not insulated or heated.  He said no I mean […]

Domestic Cat Pole Barns I know my loyal, long time column readers think I am stretching way out there when I start writing about domestic cat barns. Reality being stranger than fiction, one of them exists! Now neither our mom, nor any of our grandmothers were crazy cat ladies with housefuls of feline friends. Even […]

Post Frame Gun Range A few years ago a Hansen Pole Building became a gun range for U.S. Marine Corps at Camp Pendleton, California. It was easy for us, as we were merely given dimensions to provide and only afterwards were we clued in to actual building use. Reader DIANE in FORSYTH writes: “Hello, I […]

Avoiding Using Pressure Treated Wood Pressure preservative treated wood remains a mainstay in modern wood construction. United States’ manufacturing and sales of pressure treated wood has become a multi-billion dollar industry. Even with all of this, there are some skeptics. Reader DIANE in MORGANTOWN writes in: “ I want to avoid pressure treated wood. Even […]

Building Within Height Restrictions From small towns to large metropolitan areas, most have restrictions upon heights of buildings. Most restrictive of all are typically those placed upon residential accessory buildings (think garages and shops). In urban planning there are a lot of cases where cities are for and against height restrictions. Mostly because some communities […]

Roof Slope Dang, up jumped an altogether conspicuous term included as a part of every building, and I totally neglected – roof slope. Growing up in low-middle income level suburbia, I had never given much thought to slope of roofs. This oversight existed even though my father and his five brothers (as well as their […]

Elevating to Avoid Flood Level Building in flood zones can be problematic, with one solution being to elevate to get usable spaces above high water mark. Typically jurisdictions and insurance companies want to get structures above 100 year occurrence flood level, however to error towards caution’s side can prove advantageous. Today’s article has been sparked […]

A Sad Pole Barn Tale I so like happy ending stories, however this sad pole barn tale doesn’t appear to have an immediate happy ending – although over  20 years some victims might see some or all of their hard earned money returned. I’ve previously written about this case, however it has grown exponentially since […]

Besides being a semi-regular contributor to Rural Builder magazine, I have also had articles published in several other lumber and wood truss periodicals. I’ve been asked to write an article for The Advertiser (https://www.componentadvertiser.com/), which I share with you below: Increase Your Post Frame Sales Nearly every U.S. and Canadian metal plate connected wood truss […]

Why Your Church May Be Too Small Your church too small? Maybe you just don’t know it? More and more congregations are looking towards post frame (pole) buildings as a design solution to their growing membership. Post frame buildings offer more space for dollars invested and, let’s face it congregants like to see their contributions […]

Minimum Design Loads and Risk Model Building Codes, such as IBC (International Building Code), offer minimum design loads for climactic forces such as snow and wind. As building permit issuing agencies adopt codes, within their scope they can establish minimum values for their particular jurisdiction. Key word here “minimum” – least values a building may […]

When All Things Apparently Go Wrong Hansen Pole Buildings’ Designer Rachel was contacted by one of her clients, who has had his building delivered and has begun erecting it. Client inquired about adding sheetrock to his building. As with many things, there existed a Paul Harvey (younger readers can Google Paul Harvey). You can read […]

Mike the Pole Barn Guru’s World When I began this blog back in June of 2011, I surmised getting to a total of 100 articles would be a stretch, but yet a worthy goal. Well, I have surprised even myself… welcome to article number 1500! What amazes even me – how many possible topics have […]

Pole Barns and Tornados (Excerpts from a July 21, 2018 Jeffersonville, Indiana News and Tribune article by Jenna Esarey are incorporated in this article) “NEW MIDDLETOWN — With Bobcats, ATVs and chainsaws, many residents of New Middletown spent their Saturday cleaning up after an EF-1 tornado cut a swath through homes, barns and cornfields Friday […]

Why Build the Roof Before Walls? Sometimes I can get so deep into a forest I cannot see trees – I miss things which should be otherwise obvious. For whatever reason a client contacted his Hansen Pole Buildings’ Designer, rather than first contacting Technical Support. Building Designer Gregg aptly forwarded client’s request directly to our […]

Brick Ledge on a Post Frame (Pole) Building Whilst it would not be my personal preference for finish on a post frame building, there are instances when either aesthetics (trying to match other existing structures), local Planning Departments or HOAs (Home Owner Associations) mandate use of brick or stone exteriors. Whether for a wainscot or […]

Insulating a Room in an Unheated Pole Barn Regular readers of this column recognize insulation as being a hot (pun intended) topic of discussion – not just entire buildings, but also of a room or rooms in an unheated pole barn. Reader RICHARD in WOODSTOCK writes: “I have a 50 x 75 pole barn with […]

Poor Pole Barn Plans Lead to Poor Results There are a plethora of places people can go to buy a pole barn kit package with plans – Hansen Pole Buildings (I’d like to believe there is a reason we are the industry’s leader), a few online resellers, nearly every lumberyard in America, as well as […]

Single-Pane Windows When I was first in the post frame (pole barn) building industry almost 40 years ago windows were hardly ever a chosen option, and when they were, they were always single-pane windows. Why? Because the buildings were probably never going to be climate controlled and the single-pane windows were cheap. And, as we […]

Decks and Exterior Balconies of Post Frame Buildings Post frame buildings and residential construction have finally met and the marriage happily looks to be a long term one! Along with this marriage, post frame has to familiarize itself with structural areas which were previously unfamiliar. Amongst these are decks and exterior balconies. The 2018 IBC […]

What to Do With an Old Dollar General® Pole Barn In the fall of 2016 the town of Reading, MI purchased the pole barn which had previously been the home of a Dollar General® store. The original plan was to convert the pole barn into a new city hall, but, after seeing the estimated price […]

Continued from yesterday’s Part I on overhead door R-values… Are the reported R-values even accurate? There’s another potential problem with the R-values reported by garage-door manufacturers: even if one accepts the fact the advertised R-values represent center-of-panel values rather than whole-door values, the numbers are still higher than most insulation experts believe are possible. Several manufacturers report […]

Today the Pole Barn Guru answers questions about frost protected shallow foundations, repainting metal buildings and a kit in Hawaii. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: What type of frost foundation would you use if planning on doing a finished space in part of the building? ERIC in WINTERSET DEAR ERIC: I’d do a Frost Protected Shallow […]

What Size Posts Does My Building Need and How Deep Should They Be? Reader ANONYMOUS in BENTON writes: “1. If my building has 16 posts and posts are 12 feet apart do I need 4×6’s or 6×6’s? 2. If the plan shows 16 feet above grade how much do I need underground? 3. If the […]

A Real Life Case for Pole Barn Bollards My long-time readers will remember my expounding upon why bollards should be strategically placed around post frame (pole barn) buildings where big things might hit them and go boom. In the event my earlier article did not thoroughly sink in, here is a real life example of […]

Today’s blog discusses double skirt boards, siding options and foundation plans. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: The pole building garage at the house I bought has two skirt boards. Can I remove the interior board to remove the dirt easier and put quikrete in its place. There is a 5” gap between the wall and the […]

Why It Is Essential to Supervise Professional Installers In an ideal dream world, one would be able to hire a professional installer and know the job would be done right, without the need for hands on supervision. RYAN in ELLENSBURG recently contracted out the roof steel installation of his new Hansen Pole Building kit package […]

Isolating Pole Barn Poles From Concrete Slabs The fear factor – comes up again and again in construction. Today’s fear is a concrete slab being poured against the poles (columns) of an existing pole barn will cause the columns to decay. “We have a 25 year old pole barn with 12 main 8×8 poles sunk […]

Post Frame Homes Proliferate Post frame homes have been a well-kept secret for decades. Well, not only is the bag the cat was in open, but the cat has also leaped out and is running rampantly! Here at Hansen Pole Buildings, we have noticed a significant surge in requests for quotes, as well as general […]

Today’s blog discusses a Garage Idea, Barn Doors, and Another Eave Height Question. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: 30’ wide x32’ deep garage 6×6 posts spaced 10’ apart except one side 16’ span. 2×8 headers doubled 2×6 side walls supporters on slab. 2×6 rafters with on 2’ centers with 2×6 connectors between rafters also on 2’ […]

Installing Joist Hangers on Opposite Sides of a Double Truss My friend and loyal reader LONNIE in COLORADO SPRINGS is one Hansen Pole Buildings’ client who truly puts thought into the assembly of his new post frame building. Lonnie writes: “I’ve been pondering and pondering this and I may have a solution that I want […]

Conditioned Post Frame Crawl Space Recently I had a reader ask about Conditioned Post-Frame Crawl Spaces, a subject I quickly did an internet search on, and found nothing. Dear gentle readers: In the event you should Google any post frame related information and cannot find the answer you are searching for, please drop me an […]

To continue from last Friday’s blog on adding a lean-to onto an existing pole building… Moving onto the design of the lean-to itself: The lean-to can be placed to either begin at the same height of the existing building eave, or the high side can be placed lower along the original building wall. If the […]

Adding a Lean-to on a Pole Barn In six years and nearly 1500 articles written it is hard for me to believe I have actually overlooked the topic of a lean-to being added to a pole barn! For the biblical readers amongst you, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find” […]

Geothermal Heating/Cooling for Post Frame Buildings I’ve opined upon geothermal heating and cooling for post frame buildings in the past (https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2016/12/modern-post-frame-buildings-geothermal/). Reader STEVE in BOYNE CITY had some further questions and writes: “You said you pump (approx.) 55 degree liquid through pex in ”wells” in the ground (I think is how you put it) through […]

Tread Softly When Subdivision Covenants Meet Your New Pole Building I’m on the Libertarian side with my beliefs people should have the right to do with their own property as they best see fit. However in the situation below, the new pole building owner invested in a piece of property fully aware of the restrictions […]

Cardboard (or Plastic, Foam, Metal) Eave Baffles The model building codes (IBC and IRC – International Building Code and International Residential Code) require enclosed attic spaces, in most cases, to have ventilation. The most efficient ventilation design solution is to have enclosed vented soffits at the eaves as an air intake, and a vented ridge […]

Today the PBG attempts to assist with finding some instructions, the correct frost depth, and nailing schedule for OSB. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: A friend of mine gave me a cannonball track and hardware setup for my pole barn garage. I have looked everywhere for INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS. I cannot find anything on line. Can you […]

Continued from yesterday’s blog: (1) Storage – if you ever believe anyone might ever in the future desire to climate control then provision should be made for making it easiest to make future upgrades. At the very least a reflective radiant barrier (single cell rather than wasting the money for the extra approximately 0.5 R […]

Pole Barn Insulation, Oh So Confusing How to best insulate any building can be confusing – with pole barns being right there with any other structural system. “Best” also has to include a balance between the upfront investment and the long term savings, throwing in the wild guess as to what future costs of heating […]

Plastic Under Roof Steel? Reader Loren is persistent, he wanted to ask a question in regards to placing plastic under roof steel to prevent condensation, however the wonderful world of technology was making it a challenge. Thinking – Loren emailed me directly. Here are Loren’s own words: “I’ve been trying to submit a question to […]

Beware of Your Neighbors When Planning a New Post Frame Building Even though your new post frame building may be entirely legal within the parameters established by your permit issuing authority, sharing planning with your neighbors might avoid upset neighbors and legal costs. From a May 8, 2018 story by Mike McKnight at www.wowt.com: “A […]

Today Mike advises on the Post Frame construction of Roof Only Hay Barns, and the need to use a Registered Design Professional. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: You have a page showing roof only hay barns. There are two photos, one which shows a partially enclosed hay barn. I am very interested in this for my […]

Please Let Me Engineer Your Post Frame Building For Free Because I am not a Registered Design Professional, I can’t engineer your new post frame building for you. And, if I was, I most certainly would not be doing it for free. Typically an engineer should be compensated somewhere in the area of 8 to […]

My Cousin Did Not Buy a Building From Me I truly love my cousin Randy. In the past few years he and his lovely bride have had a home and a post frame shop constructed on their farm southwest of Spokane, WA. Through a set of unfortunate circumstances Randy did not get a Hansen Pole […]

Trump’s Tariffs Driving Up Pole Building Costs (Includes information from an April 24, 2018 article at www.villages-news.com Florida by Marv Balousek) “Federal tariffs on steel and aluminum imposed several weeks ago by the Trump Administration already are having an impact in Wildwood. The tariffs were blamed Monday night for increasing the cost of a steel pole barn […]

Hopefully most, if not all, of my loyal readers are those who have concerns when it comes to investing in a new post frame building (I do know some of you just enjoy my slightly skewed sense of humor, or find my writings otherwise entertaining). For those of you who are avid kit shoppers, I […]

Ways You Can Integrate Cost-Effective Heating Into a Self-Build Thank you to today’s guest blogger is Chrissy Nicholson Only 65% of homeowners in America have mortgages and with an average down-payment of just under $13,000, it’s not surprising consumers are looking for alternate ways to own their own homes. One of the most cost-effective ways of owning […]

Construction Marketing Ideas Reviews This Column Construction Marketing Ideas holds an annual competition for the best blog in the construction industry, world-wide. This column happens to be one of only 17 selected to compete – win or lose, it affirms the message is being shared effectively. My thanks to Mark Buckshon for his review, which […]

Manure Storage Pole Barns Here is a combination which seems doomed from the get go: young man, girl 60 miles away from said young man’s home, late night darkness, a crotch rocket, slow speed zones, Idaho Highway patrol and unfamiliar roads. After our youngest son had surgery to repair his broken hip, Dad had very […]

Mike answers questions about spray foam releasing agents, Going up instead of out, and a Post Frame Basketball Court. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Thank you for this blog of informative words on the world of post frame construction. I am a confirmed fan of spray foam insulation. What are your thoughts on the use of […]