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Insulating a Shed, Addition of Eave Light Panels, and a Small Well Building

Today’s Ask the Guru answers reader questions about insulating a shed used for vehicle storage and a “workshop to piddle in,” the addition of eave light panels to a structure, and if it is possible to build a small building to house a well.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Thank you in advance for your time to answer my question! I have a 30×40 x12 pole building that I want to insulate. This will be used to store my vehicles in and to have a workshop to piddle in. Want to have a mini split system to heat or cool only when I’m out in the shop. I have Tyvek between the metal siding and purlins on the walls. I have a ridge vent the entire length of the building with the condensation barrier under the metal roof panels. I just started to frame my walls 16″ OC for batt insulation and was going to put up metal panels on the ceiling and lay batt insulation on that. Is this ok and/or should I add vapor barriers anywhere. What are your thoughts on this? Thanks again MARSHALL in SALISBURY

DEAR MARSHALL: You will need to have an appropriately sized air intake (either eave or gable vents) in order to prevent possible mold and/or mildew in your attic. Use unfaced batts (Rockwool would be my preference, with fiberglass second). Your walls will need a vapor barrier, ceiling will not.

 

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I would like to put in polycarbonate “windows for my eve light on a 36×56 pole barn. The light vents will be on the east side of the pole barn. I would like to do this myself. Do you have a simple how to or a video? These are NOT on the roof. HOLLY in MILACA

HOLLY: We can provide 19 pieces of 3′ net width coverage by 3 feet tall polycarbonate panels, as well as steel “z” flashing needed for your transition from polycarbonate to steel siding and appropriate screws to attach. Along with this, you will get a Chapter from our Construction Manual to detail installation. To save on delivery costs, we can have these all available for you at our Browns Valley, MN facility. Please reach out to Materials@HansenPoleBuildings.com for pricing.

 

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Have residential well, need a small building has this been done? CHRIS in ELMGROVE

DEAR CHRIS: Yes, it has been. Post frame (pole) buildings start to lose economy of scale as footprint dimensions decrease. Below roughly 24 feet square, other forms of construction may prove to be more cost effective. A factor playing into this is most jurisdictions exempt from building permits structures below a minimal square footage.

This entry was posted in Skylights, Lumber, Insulation, Pole Barn Heating, Pole Barn Questions, Barndominium, Pole Barn Design, Pole Barn Planning, Building Interior, Budget and tagged , , , , , , on by .

Can I Turn an Existing Pole Barn into a Barndominium

Can I Turn an Existing Pole Barn into a Barndominium?

Reader MICHELLE in GALLATIN writes:

“Hi Mike, my name is Michelle and I live in Nashville Tennessee. I am under contract on an existing pole barn (30′ x 60′) that I am going to turn into a Barndominium. (Picture attached) Today we had the structural engineer come out because the city tells me I will need a letter from him saying the building is up to codes before they will issue a building permit. The structural engineer is not familiar with Barndominiums and has some questions about the roof sleepers. Everything else checks out OK. Is there any possibility he could call you to pick your brain on this? I am willing to pay you for your time on the phone call. Just so you know I am looking to do the spray foam on the ceiling and walls as per all the discussions I read on the barndominium Facebook page. Please feel free to call me if you’d rather talk this through more on the phone with me before the structural engineer calls you. If you decide you have the time to take his call.”

Mike the Pole Barn Guru says: Because Michelle is so nice, here are my insights, addressed by photo:

Wood entry door in wood jambs should be replaced with an insulated, factory painted, steel door with factory painted steel jambs


Reflective Radiant Barriers (RRB) are only effective at controlling condensation when seams are thoroughly taped together.



Roof trusses are unlikely to have been designed to support a ceiling load – requiring further analysis. Provided they are either adequate, or can be repaired to carry a ceiling load, heels are not deep enough to provide full depth of insulation from wall-to-wall. Design solutions could include (a) remove reflective radiant barrier from roof and use closed cell spray foam insulation to underside of roof deck, or (b) use closed cell spray foam closest to eaves on top of ceiling with blown fiberglass to R-60 in balance of attic area. Spray foam needs to be installed to allow for at least one inch of clear airflow above. Diagonal braces at corners are inadequate to properly transfer shear loads. It is possible to replace screws at top and bottom of each roof and wall panel with 1-1/2″ #12 diaphragm screws, with one each side of every high rib. This should get you to 80-90 pounds per lineal foot of shear resistance.


Eave lights should be removed as they will not transfer shear loads and will be covered with insulation and interior finish materials. Truss carriers (and their connections) should be checked for adequacy to carry concentrated loads from intermediate trusses. As a carrier is on the inside face of columns, an interior set of wall girts will need to be added to support finishes.


Sliding doors will need to be replaced either with solid walls, or an appropriate door or window(s). I would want to see an X brace between the end truss and the next truss at centerline connected to each chord with a Simpson LSTA12 or similar.


Connections between roof purlins and trusses are probably inadequate, particularly at endwalls.



Truss bottom chords should be braced laterally no less than 10′ on center (and probably more like every 6-7′). Ceiling joists would fulfill this requirement.


Remove any current concrete slabs – re-pour four inches thick over no less than four inches of compacted gravel, a 6mil minimum well-sealed vapor barrier and ideally R-10 EPS insulation boards.



If a dead attic space will be created, provide venting at eaves and ridge


Roof steel is showing signs of aging, I would recommend replacing – remove RRB and order roof steel with an Integral Condensation Control factory applied, unless roof assembly is to be insulated only with spray foam insulation.


Perimeter of slab should be insulated with R-10 EPS boards down two feet, then outwards two feet

My recommendation – I would continue to use this building strictly as a barn and erect a new, fully engineered and Code conforming post frame home elsewhere on this property. Bringing this building up to meet Code requirements as a dwelling will cost more in time and labor than building is worth. https://hansenpolebuildings.com/2022/01/why-your-new-barndominium-should-be-post-frame/

This entry was posted in Insulation, Pole Barn Questions, Pole Barn Design, Roofing Materials, Pole Barn Planning, Post Frame Home, Pole Barn Structure, Barndominium, Ventilation, Budget and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on by .

Job Site Storage of Polycarbonate Panels

Polycarbonate panels to be used for eave and/or gable end triangle “lighting” or ridge caps should not be used within living areas of post frame homes and barndominiums. They do often afford a cost effective method of getting natural lighting into accessory areas such as unheated shops and garages, barns and equipment storage buildings.

Recommended storage procedure for Polycarbonate panels (eave or ridge lights):

Store panels horizontally, on flat sturdy pallets, equal or longer than longest panels. Stack short panels on top.

Store polycarbonate panels in a cool and shaded place, avoiding direct sunlight, ideally indoors in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area. Avoid covering panel stack with dark or heat-absorbing materials or objects, to prevent solar heat buildup. When stored on skids, stack panels no more than 250 pieces on a skid. Avoid double stacked skids, or stacking anything atop panels. Prevent moisture from collecting on or between panels.

When necessary to store panels outdoors, cover stack with a white opaque polyethylene sheet, corrugated cardboard or other materials not absorbing or conducting heat. Verify entire stack is covered.

Polycarbonate panels are tough, requiring no special care. We recommend some cautionary steps: avoid stepping on or driving over the panels while on the ground, or folding during handling and installation. Avoid dragging panels on the ground, scraping against structural elements or any other sharp or rough objects, to keep from getting scratched.

Polycarbonate panels are resistant to a variety of chemicals and exhibit limited resistance to a second chemical group. A third chemical group may attack and damage panels. Damage degree and severity depend upon chemical type and exposure duration. Polycarbonate panels will melt down at approximately 400 degrees F.

In today’s as well as most recent four previous articles I have covered how to protect your valuable investment’s materials prior to assembly. All of this information and more is a portion of Hansen Pole Buildings’ Construction Manual – nearly 500 step-by-step pages to guide do-it-yourselfers and construction professionals to successfully completion of every post frame project.

Ready to stop pondering and start your journey to a happy new post frame building? Call Hansen Pole Buildings today 1(866)200-9657 to speak to a Building Designer.

This entry was posted in Pole Barn Planning, Pole Barn Structure, Alternate Siding, Post Frame Home, Barndominium and tagged , , , on by .

Eave Lights, Building Plans, and Foundations

Today Mike answers questions about eave lights, drawing building plans, and foundation plans.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: How to I attach the poly eave lights to the building frame? RUSSELL in BOISE

DEAR RUSSELL: Polycarbonate panels are best predrilled for screw fasteners using a 3/8” bit. Screw pattern for eave lights is same as for sidewall steel.

Drive #10 x 1” white screw fasteners perpendicular to light panel’s surface and tighten moderately. Fastener head and washer/gasket is to sit snugly and fully on panel’s face, without squeezing gasket and distorting washer. Over tightening will distort washer, panel and ruin gasket, causing leaking and panel damage, resulting from undue internal stresses. Tilted fastener insertion will deform washer, damage gasket, cause leakage and originate undue stresses on panel eventually leading to failure. Tighten fasteners by hand or by an adjustable torque power-screwdriver.

Engineer sealed pole barnDEAR POLE BARN GURU: I’m have a question related to the construction of a custom building. I see that you have some sample building plans on your web site. Do you typically produce the plans for the buildings that you construct or do you recommend that a client work with an architect to have plans drawn up before accepting a construction project? If you do recommend that clients provide plans, do you have a list of architects that you prefer to work with?

Thanks in advance, MATTHEW

DEAR MATTHEW: We (Hansen Pole Buildings and our contracted third-party engineers) produce plans for post frame building kit packages we provide. For clients who feel more comfortable working with an architect, we would recommend contracting their services for conceptual work (aesthetics, room layouts and sizes, etc.) and leave structural aspects (permit/construction plans) to our team.

 

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Do you have any experience with anchoring a building to an existing slab?

I talked with you before about door options, but now have ran into the problem that the building I am going with will now sit on the anchor plates that I had installed in the slab. Just curios if you know what my best options could be for anchor bolts. Thanks. MICHAEL

DEAR MICHAEL: All steel buildings usually do not come with engineering for a foundation. You are going to have to consult with your foundation engineer and get a fix from them, as no one else can legally make this change.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This entry was posted in Pole Barn Questions, Concrete, Footings, Professional Engineer, Fasteners and tagged , , , , , on by .

Triple Wall Polycarbonate Panels

There is never a dull moment in the post frame (pole) building industry. Clients are seemingly forever asking for new and different products to incorporate into their structures – which keeps life very, very interesting.

Multiwall PanelsHansen Pole Buildings recently had an inquiry from a client who wants to construct a greenhouse 24’ wide by 30’ long with eight foot sidewalls. The client specified the use of triple wall polycarbonate panels for roofing. Since I was unfamiliar with the product, it was research time.

We already purchase pallets of precut CoverLite® polycarbonate panels for use as eavelights from Amerilux, so my research began with contacting our friendly sales person there – Stephanie. She proved to be a wealth of information.

The brochure on CoverLite® Multiwall Polycarbonate panels can be viewed here: https://www.ameriluxinternational.com/SideBarLinks/Brochures/coverlite_multiwall_brochure.pdf

Now the use of these panels for roofing (or siding) takes a little more thought than applying traditional roll formed steel panels.

To begin with, these panels have no shear strength, they are not designed to be able to withstand the lateral forces applied to a building. This means the building itself must be reinforced to take the loads. The easiest method is to utilize steel strapping in an X pattern between the pole building framing and the triple wall panels. The strapping needs to be sized adequately to withstand tension forces and most importantly – fastened at each end sufficiently.

For information on steel strapping: https://www.strongtie.com/products/CFS/CS-CMST.asp

In the case of this particular client’s building – the dimensions were fairly small (24 feet wide by 30 feet long and an eight foot eave), so the strapping needs were fairly minimal. As building dimensions increase (or wind load forces to be resisted become more extreme) the strapping must be increased in strength. Shear forces are higher as the endwalls are approached, so strapping sizes and fasteners can be adjusted to meet the requirements of each subsequent bay.

The CoverLite® Multiwall Polycarbonate panels are square, so they do not afford an overlap. The seams between each panel must be joined by means of an H profile trim. As the ends of each panel are open, a U trim must be installed at the top and bottom of each panel, to help prevent moisture from accumulating between the layers. The U at the eave side of the panels must have holes strategically placed to allow for any condensation to run out the low end of the panel.

Looking to do a greenhouse pole building roof in style? Then look no further than to have a properly engineered post frame (pole) building with CoverLite® Multiwall Polycarbonate panels.

This entry was posted in Roofing Materials, Skylights and tagged , , , , on by .
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