DEAR POLE BARN GURU: If I wanted a pool table in 2nd floor I’d assume we might be pushing the floor limit at 40psf? NEIL in CLEVELAND

DEAR NEIL: As a general rule of thumb, a slate pool table is going to add a dead load of roughly 100 pounds per foot of length. On a 24 foot wide building, this is only four pounds per square foot, so is probably negligible in the global scope of life. We have a pool table on our 48 foot clearspan floor and I can’t say as there is any greater deflection in this area of the floor than any other (although the floor does seem to have a little less ‘bounce’ in the pool table area). One nice thing about prefabricated floor trusses, you can easily increase the depth of the truss (along with the load carrying capacity) for little or no extra cost – it certainly wouldn’t hurt to go to 50 psf live, or to limit the deflection to L/480 or stiffer, rather than the code minimum of L/360.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Can I glue foam board insulation directly to the metal sides and then cover with plywood? Thank you TOM in HUNLOCK CREEK

DEAR TOM: This is one of those CAN vs. SHOULD questions. Foam board insulation will glue to the inside of metal siding. In the event you ever need to replace a sheet of wall steel, it will be a pain. Unless you are totally able to seal all seams between panels of foam board, or against framing, there should be a vapor barrier on the inside of the insulation.

Your Building Official may require you to have an inflammable barrier on the inside of the insulation board.

The minimal net system R-value gain from what you propose may not be worth the investment of time and money.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Looking for a 3 sided barn 30’ x 36’ that would be open on the 30′ wall. Might want to add 3 overhead doors eventually but it’s not in our finances at this time. CRAIG in RUSHVILLE

DEAR CRAIG: Your heart is in the right place, however the reality is three sided buildings come at a premium due to the structural considerations. You can find out more about it here: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2014/03/three-sided-building/

Anyone who tries to tell you different does not understand how buildings work from an engineering standpoint and should be avoided as a possible choice.

You CAN get the building you truly want, by financing some or all of it. There is no cost or obligation to apply: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/financing/