Old Fiberglass Skylights Reader JEAN in HARRISON writes: “My Wayne pole building built 80’s the skylights are full of hole. Wayne is no longer in business and can’t find the pattern of ridges to match now by beams are showing water damage.” Oh joys of old fiberglass skylights – sadly not. Skylights in steel roofs […]

Will I Have Issues With Post Frame Closed Cell Spray Foam Insulation? Reader HEATH in NACOGDOCHES writes: “I am building a pole barn that I do not plan to heat or cool initially, but would like to insulate due to condensation issues and our hot humid climate. Have there been issues with closed cell spf […]

Thru Screwed Steel Screws – Pull-Over and Pull-Out Hi, my name is Mike, and I am addicted to watching engineering disaster videos. No, there is not yet a 12 step program for this addiction. I have learned a few things from my addiction. When it comes to construction failures, most of them come down to […]

What Does JS 1000® Screw Plating Mean to You? Most post frame buildings have threw screwed steel roofing and siding. Industry standard #9 or #10 diameter screws are zinc plated and should resist 80 to 100 hours to red rust under salt spray. In other words, expect these screws to prematurely rust, compromising structural integrity […]

Disclaimer – this and subsequent articles on this subject are not intended to be legal advice, merely an example for discussions between you and your legal advisor. Please keep in mind, many of these terms are applicable towards post frame building kits and would require edits for cases where a builder is providing erection services […]

Proper Screw Location for Post Frame Steel Cladding It was a pleasant October evening back in 1985 in Blacksburg, Virginia. My friend Dr. Frank Woeste was then a College of Agricultural and Life Sciences professor at Virginia Tech (officially Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University) and he had invited me to teach one of his […]

On Facebook I am a member of a discussion group for Pole and Post frame building professionals only. Recently one of our group members posed a question, “What are the extras you do to set yourself apart”? It was only then I realized there are some significant differences between a Hansen Pole Building and other […]

Solving Steel Roofing Leaks Nothing much more frustrating than finding your post frame building’s new steel roofing has a leak (or two) – however they can be solved! Reader (and client) BRYAN from MECHANICSVILLE writes: “I’m really loving my pole barn. With all of the rain we’ve had, I’ve noticed two leaks, I believe they […]

Master Seal® Flow Cone Washers Master Seal® washers are assembled to a wide variety of Leland Industries fasteners, including diaphragm screws utilized in Hansen Pole Buildings. Flow Cone Washers (US Patent #4292876) utilize vulcanized Grey or Black EPDM (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer) to special dished dome galvanized washers. This EPDM flows up into a cone […]

Skylights Leaking Reader DIANA writes,  ”skylights leaking in 40 year old barn. Is it possible to replace the sky lights with metal.” Skylights in steel roofs are problematic, and not just due to them eventually leaking. You will certainly want to read this article: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2016/01/one-more-reason-to-not-use-skylights-in-steel-roofs/. Now, considering your entire roof is 40 years old – […]

Leaking Steel Roofing Properly installed, there is truthfully no reason for a through screwed steel roof to leak. The key being “properly installed”. Here is a report from a less than totally satisfied with his builder’s installation client: “Sorry to report I have numerous leaks in the steel roof of my Hansen pole building.  In […]

One of our clients is preparing his site in order to dig the holes for his new post frame building kit. He happens to live in an area of Washington State, east of the crest of the Cascade Mountains, which would be best classified as being high desert. He has encountered the bane of excavators […]

Well, maybe not exactly the same building. Yesterday I ran a beginning list of comparison’s between a Hansen Building quote and a quote by one of our competitors espoused to be “exactly the same” by a client of ours. The saga continues: Powder coated diaphragm screws vs. #10 diameter painted screws . Those who are […]

The photo you are witnessing happens to be an example of a poor installation job done by a “professional” builder. I use the term professional here in quotes, because anyone who is being paid a sum of money (or perhaps receiving a horse in trade) in exchange for providing a service could be deemed as […]

Help! My Roof Screws are Loosening! Our office gets all sorts of phone calls. Besides those clients who are potential investors in new post frame buildings, there are those who have made mistakes (or had builders make them on their behalf) and are looking for fixes.     One call came in earlier this year […]

One of our prospective clients recently contacted me with a list of features being promoted by a builder he was considering investing in a post frame building kit with. One of the features happened to be the use of stainless steel screws to attach the steel roofing and siding. My quick, off the cuff, response […]

Here is an excerpt from Chapter 16 of the Hansen Pole Buildings’ Construction Manual: Use sheeting screws ONLY on one side of each high rib (See Figure 16-2) with the following exception: Roof – each high rib side at Eave Girt and Ridge Purlin (as well as at any end over end splices). Figure 16-2 […]

Over 50% of all Hansen Pole Buildings kit packages are constructed by the building owners themselves. If you are amongst these stalwart folks, kudos! Odds are your new post frame building will have a far superior end resultant than what you could or would have paid your hard earned dollars to have a builder do […]

When it comes to steel, we talk a lot about galvanization. Many post frame building products are galvanized to prevent premature decay. These include fasteners (screws , nails, nuts, bolts and washers), engineered steel hangers, the pressed in steel connector plates for trusses and components for sliding, overhead and entry doors. Every year, steel corrosion […]

When I was in grade school, I had a history book which featured drawings of World War I airplanes. My friends and I grew up in relatively modest neighborhoods and could not afford fancy treats such as model airplanes, however we did have the resources of toothpicks, typewriter paper and Elmer’s ® Glue. We combined […]

Being the person who intercepts a great number of the Technical Support inquiries at Hansen Pole Buildings, I’ve heard this statement more than once – weirdly enough, it is close to 100% of the time from builders. Those who are doing their own work, somehow don’t have this challenge. Building owners are more likely to […]

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, […]

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” […]

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” […]

In the early 1980s steel covered pole buildings started to make the move from the steel panels being fastened with nails, to being fastened with screws. At the time I owned M&W Building Supply Company, in Oregon and Farmland Structures (owned by Jim Betonte) provided erection services for the clients of ours who needed to […]

When I was a “newbie” to the pole building industry, pretty much everyone was nailing steel roofing and siding using ring shank nails with a neoprene washer beneath the head. In theory it was all great and wonderful. In reality there were some issues: No matter how expert the hammer swinger was, there is no […]

Getting Screwed, a Powder Coated Screw Story Thank you to our Guest Blogger today-from our Boss –   Eric Graff  – owner of Hansen Buildings Hansen Buildings is very proud that we are one of very few pole building kit suppliers offering our customers powder coated screws. There is nothing more unsightly to me than a […]

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” […]

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 […]

What Type of Screws Should I Use? Email all questions to: PoleBarnGuru@HansenPoleBuildings.com DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Screws.  I have used the common hex-head with steel/neoprene washer many times in the past.  I have had some of them rust, and over the 16 years one building has stood many of them now appear loose, washers not […]

Just in case I have never mentioned how much I appreciate the questions posed to me by Bob, one of the Hansen Pole Buildings’ Designers, I will do so here. Bob writes, “I got into a discussion with a gentleman in Kansas that liked our design approach (post spacing, double interior trusses, purlins on edge, […]

I’ve decided I rather like the sound of the word “lobular”. Say it a few times and it rather rolls of one’s tongue! As a prolific pole building contractor in the 1990’s (yeah, way back in the pre-Y2K days), I ran as many as 35 pole building crews in six states. We built a LOT […]