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: I am considering building a pole barn house and wont have much time do to my job to do any of the work myself. We have looked in to buying a modular home but prices are rather high and my property taxes would be high as well im afraid. With this in mind what would my benefits be to going with a pole barn house? And how would I go about finding a reputable contractor to do the job right and in a timely manner? I already own the Land and the Electric / Septic is completed just has to be ran to the house. Thanks PERPLEXED IN PITTSFIELD
DEAR PERPLEXED: There are numerous benefits of post frame construction for residential purposes. Cost is going to be one – the savings in foundation costs alone will be huge. This blog article may prove helpful: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/blog/2011/10/buildings-why-not-stick-frame-construction/
As to finding a reputable contractor who will do the job right and in a timely fashion – there are three factors involved in a contractor – price, service and quality. You are going to get only two of these, at the most, so (in my mind) you have picked the best two: service and quality. My blog articles cover many aspects of hiring a contractor, this one may be especially appropriate:
https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/blog/2013/07/contractor-6/
DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I am placing my poles for a pole barn and want to know what would be the best spacing on center for my poles. I am going to purchase horse stall kits through you and need to know what spacing to place my poles at to accommodate your horse stall and paddock kits. I would like flexability to have 12 by 12 stalls or 12 by 24 stalls. CORRALLED IN CALIFORNIA
DEAR CORRALLED: Overall dimensions should be a multiple of 12′ from outside of column, to outside of column. You have chosen the ideal size for stalls. Anything smaller means you’d be cleaning those stalls twice a day, instead of once a day.
Along the length and width, columns should measure 12′ from building line to center of first column, then 12′ on center for subsequent columns.
