The Advantages of Post Frame Construction
My friend Randy Chaffee wrote this and it is deserving of being shared.
Let’s dive into post frame (Pole Barn) construction. It’s a game-changer when it comes to durability, cost-effectiveness and speed. Forget the old days of just housing livestock or farm equipment. Today’s post frame structures are the go-to for workshops, retail spaces, horse and hobby barns, commercial and industrial…. and don’t forget the increasingly popular Barndominium.
So, why is everyone raving about it? First off, it’s fast. These buildings historically go up much quicker than traditional stick-built which can lead to savings on time and labor costs. And the design flexibility? It’s incredible! Without those pesky interior load-bearing walls, you can tweak and customize the space to your heart’s content.
You want to talk strength? Well today’s Post-Frame buildings are rock solid. When properly engineered, using treated solid sawn posts or engineered laminated columns, you can rest assured your building will meet the demands of both snow and wind loads. Today we have so many alternative foundation options for consideration that it’s easy to find the right combination of quality and price to fit your needs and budget.
So we can build strong, quickly and at an advantageous cost, but can we have an aesthetically pleasing building as well? That my friends is a resounding YES!
Porches and dormers are so easily accomplished. Decorative garage doors or beautiful Cross Buck sliders with or without windows create an amazing look. Add a cupola or two or three….. Spectacular! Horse barn? Line the sides with Dutch Doors to complete the look.
…and windows! Many options to let the light shine in. What about the newest craze…transoms up high between the poles! Such a unique look.
What about roofing options. Never in my 4+ decades have we seen the explosion of options as we have seen over the past few short years. So many patterns to choose from. Long life paint systems in standard or textured finish combined with long life fasteners make for a beautiful and sustainable building for decades. Standing seam, painted or stone coated shingles? So many options. Don’t worry about moisture… add a high quality synthetic underlayment or bubble foil for added protection.
Don’t forget siding. We now have board and baton, Dutch lap and so much more. It’s almost limitless what we can come up with. Dream it and a quality builder can likely make it happen.
Like the 1988 “this is not your father’s Oldsmobile” commercials, we are in an era where we can say “this is not your father’s pole barn”.
Let’s build Post-Frame my friends!
DEAR BRIAN: While pre-painted ribbed steel siding is the most durable and cost effective siding available, some jurisdictions just do not ‘get it’ and demand (as is their right) alternative sidings. When we engineer using commercial bookshelf wall girts, we limit deflection to what sheetrock will withstand, so they are effective with any type of external siding materials. No changes to structural system will need to be made, other than vertical blocking between wall girts every 4′ (in order to provide a nailing surface for edges of OSB). If you use vinyl siding, then 7/16″ OSB and a Weather Resistant barrier will be necessary. Typical nailing will be 8d common nails at 3″ on center along panel edges.
DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Can a pole barn building have a basement? CLARK in HILLSBORO 
DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I’m building a 36x64x16 8′ truss spacing . We want exposed truss and ceiling cavity without the use of drop ceiling or blown in bat. My question is it smart to use 2×6 purlins instead of 2×4 to allow for room for faced 6″ insulation to get a R19 value, besides spray foam what are some other options. Thanks. ZACH in LAUREL 
Post frame buildings which use real wood log siding can cost a lot more money than other siding options and be a lot of upkeep as well. An alternative may be vinyl log siding. While it will still be fairly expensive, it will be far less than real wood.
