Tag Archives: pole barn quote

Dear Guru: How Do I Get a Pole Building Quote?

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: How much for a 30×40 4/12 pitch sliding door, plus 1 entry door. STEVE IN PERRY, MI

DEAR STEVE: Sorry you haven’t gotten a reply, however you left no contact information.

The easiest way for you or anyone else to get a pole building quote is to request one at: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/freequote.htm

By completing the simple to complete step-by-step format, it allows one of the Hansen Pole Buildings’ Designers to expertly craft a price on your ideal dream building.

Asking for a “ballpark” price is like “what is the price on a 2014 car?”  What make?  Model?  Options??? Whatever price I give you with limited information –will be a disappointment for you.

I also need your site specific loading information – because a building subjected to 120 mph wind is built entirely different from one with 85 wind speed.  Or 25 pound snow load compared to 60 pounds.  Take 15 minutes, fill out our free pole building quote form – and you will get an accurate price…not a wild guess…and it it’s free – no matter how many re-quotes you get!  No obligation to buy.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Is a whole house fan practical in a pole barn to remove heat and help with condensation? HUNTING IN ELKHART

DEAR  HUNTING: A whole house fan is a type of fan, or exhaust system commonly venting into a building’s attic, designed to circulate air in a home or building. It is sometimes confused with a powered attic ventilator, which exhausts hot air from the attic to the outside through an opening in the roof or gable at a low velocity.

A whole house fan pulls air out of a building and forces it into the attic space. This causes a positive pressure differential in the attic forcing air out through the gable and/or soffit vents, while at the same time producing a negative pressure differential inside the living areas which draws air in through open windows.

Powered attic ventilators, by comparison, only serve to remove some hot air from the attic.

In answer to your question – maybe.

Ideally these factors should all be present in order for a whole house fan to work:

1)    Concrete slab throughout, with a good vapor barrier underneath.

2)    No sliding barn doors.

3)    Insulated and well-sealed overhead and entry doors.

4)    Finished interior walls, insulated with a vapor barrier between the insulation and the interior finished surface.

5)    Finished ceiling, with a dead attic space above.

Adequate attic ventilation

 

Dear Guru: Does Spray Foam Insulation Need a Vapor Barrier?

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 need a vapor barrier between steel and spray foam insulation? BUILDING IN BEMIDJI

 DEAR BEMIDJI: Properly installed, spray foam insulation should act as a more than adequate vapor barrier.

 

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: would like a ballpark figure on a pole 100 long 40 wide 1 double door 2 man doors texture 1-11 all walls. JUST JOHN

 DEAR JUST: Hansen Pole Buildings is happy to provide pole building quotes for you, or anyone for this matter in the 48 United States.  On the Hansen Pole Buildings website, is the ability to request a quote, all you need to do is provide the specifics of your building, as in where it will be constructed geographically. Click on the Free Quote button on the left of the home page – and you are there!  All buildings are priced according to your local design criteria. You can fill out as much or as little of it you want, but without your location, any price I give you will be “out of the ballpark”. Ten to fifteen minutes, and you can have an exact price!

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: When ordering directly from you, do you have references for contractors to assemble in our area?  Thanks. PONDERING IN PUEBLO

DEAR PONDERING: Just to make sure we are on the same page, Hansen Pole Buildings is not a contractor in any sense of the word. We do not construct or build buildings (or portions of buildings) anywhere for anyone. Should you need a builder, we do have a list of builders for nearly everywhere in the country.

This is not an endorsement on our part of any particular builder’s skills or lack thereof. As none of them work directly for us, we can’t guarantee the quality of their work. We do have a “one strike and you’re out” rule. Simply, if we receive even one verifiable and legitimate negative complaint about any particular builder, we will no longer give out their name to our clients. While this is not a fail-safe method, it does afford some degree of protection. It is always a good idea to speak with other customers the builder has done work for in the past, to get an idea of the builder’s professionalism. At any time a contractor can hire a crew member unbeknownst to him (or us) who will be “less than expected”.  Even “good” contractors have “bad” days, so whether you hire one of your own choosing or use one from our list, make sure you do your homework BEFORE you hire them.

Building Quote: A Rant and a Haircut

It isn’t often I come right out and hammer on someone or something by name – but today I am naming names, it just has to be.

One of our prospective clients asked us to compare with a building quote provided to them from Bens Do It Best Lumber, in Wisconsin. Their quote was prepared using Construction Maestro® software (a registered trademark of Symun Systems, Inc.®).

I’ve never been in to Bens Do It Best Lumber, but my best guess is, the folks there are probably really nice folks. I also have never used the Construction Maestro software, but my best guess is… it is well intentioned.

Now, off to the rant races….

The building quote provided by Bens – does not list the design load carrying capacities of the building. No ground or roof snow loads, no wind speed or wind exposure, no seismic information or soil bearing pressures. Basically it is a dimensionally outlined box, with features which may or may not meet with the climactic conditions of the area it is to be built in.

If I was an end user – I would perhaps be concerned, but then again maybe not, as these folks should be my experts, right? They have my best interests at hand, or are they just trying to sell me something and place the onus upon me?

This proposed building happens to be in an area with a 70 psf (pounds per square foot) Ground Snow load. Assuming this is a low risk Category I building, the flat roof snow load would calculate to 47.04 psf, provided the building is unheated and the roof is partially exposed to the wind. These assumptions can only be guessed at – as again, no loads are listed on Bens building quote.

The Ben/Construction Maestro quote proposes to utilize single trusses spaced every four feet with 2×4 purlins laid flat on top of them spaced 24 inches on center.

Initially I had a potential “rub” with the roof purlins. Using the assumed loads, factoring in the reduction in roof load for a sloped steel roof, and using every reduction I can imagine, the 2×4 purlins would need to have a fiber stress in bending (Fb) of right around 1100. Now as long as Ben is providing at least a #2 grade 2×4, as opposed to the typical lumber yard Std&btr (standard and better), the purlins are going to be OK……..I just had to know, so I called Ben’s and got…dial 1 for  the Supermarket, 2 for Hardware, 3 for Subway, 4 for Lumber…..

I pushed 4 and did find out, if I was to purchase the correct lengths, they do have #2 graded 2×4. I feel so much better now – and I can get a footlong flatbread sandwich at the same time.

Working down the building quote it features “G-40 Builder’s Series” painted steel. This is a no warranty product, designed primarily for use as liner panels inside of buildings. Without asking specifically, there is no way the average building purchaser would ever be aware of this…at least until the color rapidly fades, or the panels rust through.

The quote includes a three foot wide steel entry door….could be a basic primed steel door in wood jambs, probably is not a commercial grade door with steel jambs and all factory finish painted.

Also included was a 15 foot wide by 11 foot 10 inch tall “double slider”. My best guess…this is a split (or bi-parting) door. All wood framed? Maybe, all metal framed? Probably not.

Long ago I learned if one sells on price alone, there will always be someone who will leave out enough things to be lower in price.

Give me great quality, great service and a fair price and I’m a buyer every time. And give me the buffalo chicken, pepperjack cheese, spinach, jalapenos, sliced green peppers…with extra sauce.  Don’t forget the three oatmeal raisin cookies!