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” email address.
Email all questions to: PoleBarnGuru@HansenPoleBuildings.com
DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Do you recommend perma columns vs. treated posts? John in Shelbyville, IN DEAR JOHN: I just do not see the practicality in shipping a heavy chunk of concrete, with a bracket embedded into it, across the country. Plus, once it arrives, it has to be manhandled and properly placed into the hole.
Me – I will stick with pressure preservative treated columns embedded in the ground – and then do a mono-pour around them. Concrete has a binding value to compacted native soil as a bonus.
Mike the Pole Barn Guru
DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Is it possible to build a pole building over a full basement and what special precautions would that entail? Beverly in Wayne, NE
DEAR BEVERLY: I happen to live on a lake, which is nestled into a mountain valley. For the most part, the parcels of land around the lake tend to be very narrow and very steep (only so much lake frontage exists, therefore the narrow lots). In my case, the lot gains well over 100 feet of elevation from lake to back, over the 250 feet of depth.
With the lake as my “front” yard, on the back of my lot is a pole building upon which the site had 12 feet of grade change in 40 feet. The solution was to excavate to the lowest point, then construct a foundation on the “high” sides. In my case, we used eight inch insulated Styrofoam blocks, poured with concrete – one wall being 12 feet tall, and the other sides appropriately steeped to match the land contours. Steel brackets engineered to withstand moment (bending) forces were poured into the top of the walls to attach the pole building columns.
The direct answer to your question is – yes. Whether a full basement, partial basement, or daylight basement (the last being closest to my particular case), pole buildings can be attached to any adequately designed foundation wall. We prefer to use wet set brackets (those embedded in the concrete wall at time of pour) as opposed to dry set brackets (those attached to the concrete wall with bolts) for a sturdier connection, but either one can be used.
DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I live in Ottawa, Canada and I am interested in one of your building kits. On your site it states that I would have to pick up the kit at a distribution location in the US or Canada. Can you tell me where these distribution locations are and what size vehicle I would need to pick a kit up? JEFF
DEAR JEFF: Thank you very much for your interest in a new Hansen Pole Building. In all likelihood the closest pickup point would be at Messina, NY. Vehicle size and capacity will depend upon the dimensions of the building which would best fit your needs. Once you get a quote on the building you would like to have, I would better be able to let you know what type of trucking is needed.
Mike the Pole Barn Guru
