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NEW Hansen Pole Buildings’ Ceiling Joists

NEW Hansen Pole Buildings’ Ceiling Joists

Because Hansen Pole Buildings provides true double trusses to eliminate possibilities of a single truss failing due to loads beyond design (read more about double trusses here: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2018/09/true-double-trusses/), for ceiling applications, joists must be placed between roof truss bottom chords.

For those of you who question reliability of widely spaced double trusses, please see: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2011/06/pole-barn-truss-spacing/

Installing a ceilingWhen buildings have no endwall overhangs, all roof trusses are placed with bottom chords at same height. Ceiling joists can be placed with bottom of joists and bottom of trusses at same height and connected with joist hangers.

However when end overhangs are present those roof purlins in end bays cantilever over truss on each end. While this makes for very sturdy overhangs, it does present a potential challenge – as top of end trusses are now lower than tops of interior double trusses by thickness of roof purlins.

Not an issue, until ceiling joists are present (or may be installed at a future date). Hansen Pole Buildings has solved this, by increasing heel (end of truss) height of interior double trusses to compensate for purlin thickness over ends. In a nutshell – these are raised heel trusses.

For an overview of raised heel trusses: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2012/07/raised-heel-trusses/.

We have even made it easy to quickly identify lumber to be used as ceiling joists – one end will arrive spray painted BLUE. If you (or your erector) need to trim a board, please trim unpainted end, as this makes it easy for you (if you hired a builder) or an inspector, to quickly identify wood as being properly utilized!

Call 1.866.200.9657 TODAY to participate in “The Ultimate Post-Frame Building Experience”.

And, don’t forget to watch for our next article!

This entry was posted in Barndominium, Lumber, Pole Barn Design, Pole Building How To Guides, Pole Barn Planning, Pole Barn Structure, Trusses and tagged , , , , on by .

How to Insulate My Pole Barn Roof

How to Insulate My Pole Barn Roof

Reader JEREMY in GREENBRIER writes:

“Looking at building a 50x60x15 pole barn 20 miles north of Nashville, TN. I’m needing recommendations for the best way to insulate. I’m using scissor trusses with no ceiling and I’m planning metal panels on the inside walls. I’m thinking 2×4 girts on the outside of the poles and 2×6 bookshelf girts. Tyvek wrapped and Rockwool between bookshelf girts. I’m not sure how to insulate the ceiling or roof. I will be conditioning the space and keeping it between 78-55 degrees year round. Thanks.”

Mike the Pole Barn Guru says:

Our oldest daughter lives just south of you!

While I realize you have this building pretty well planned out, I will throw out some ideas. Hopefully they will allow you to keep more of your hard earned dollars in your wallet.

With a 50′ span, you might want to consider increasing wall height, rather than using scissor trusses. Chances are good it will be less costly and will provide full height utilization from wall-to-wall.

Rather than using a combination wall girt, if you just do 2×8 bookshelf girts it will take less materials and time to install. 

Robertson County is in Climate Zone 4A, where 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) requires R60 in roofs and R30 in walls. You can meet wall requirements with 7-1/4″ Rockwool (https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2013/03/roxul-insulation/) (batts . If you are trying to insulate the plane of your roof, you will be pretty much limited to spray foam insulation. You could do 2″ of closed cell insulation applied to the underside of roof steel plus 13″ of open cell or 3 & 11, etc. Any of these will become expensive design solutions. You also will end up conditioning a tremendous amount of area above truss bottom chords.

How I would do it….

Order 16″ raised heel trusses. Roof steel with an Integral Condensation Control (https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2020/09/integral-condensation-control-2/) factory applied. Vent soffits and ridge in correct ratios (https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2018/03/adequate-eave-ridge-ventilation/). Install a ceiling, blow in R-60 of granulated Rockwool. This overall combination will be far less expensive than spray foam and certainly far less expensive to climate control.

This entry was posted in Pole Barn Design, Roofing Materials, Pole Building How To Guides, Pole Barn Planning, Trusses, Budget, Insulation, Pole Barn Questions and tagged , , , , , , , on by .

Beginning a Shouse Journey in Washington State Part II

For many readers, you might be considering your new barndominium to be constructed in a jurisdiction without state energy requirements such as those in Washington State. Granted, Washington is a state either on the forefront, or totally out of control, when it comes to mandated energy efficiency, however fuels are not going to get any less expensive, so it is likely you should follow along to design a system combining practicality with efficiency.

Here is my response to yesterday’s writer, Robert:

Thank you very much for your kind words and for being a loyal reader.

Washington Energy Code would be adding to your expense if you were not planning on at least some sort of climate control in your shop area. You can review the current Washington State Energy Code at: www.seattle.gov/documents/Departments/SCI/Codes/SeattleEnergyCode/2015WaStateResidentialEnergyCode.pdf . 

About Hansen BuildingsWith only 1200 square feet of living space, you should be able to easily exceed the state mandated required number of energy efficiency credits. We are currently changing our standard windows to U-29, meeting Washington’s standards. Lesser U values are available, however added expense may well not ever be recouped by energy savings. I would recommend two inches of closed cell spray foam on your walls, then BIBs or similar to fill the balance of wall cavity. R-49 attic insulation is mandated by Code, however your added investment to go to R-60 would be minimal. With either we would recommend raised heel trusses.

ERV systems appear to be a good investment. With a 90% or greater effective rate you could see an improvement of up to five factors in energy loss.

Your shop area will be classified as S-2 given it is over 1000 square feet. This will require a one-hour fire separation between living area and shop (two layers of 5/8″ Type X drywall will accomplish this). Only savings on insurance I can see by two individual structures would be in valuation of your contents, most typically 70% of your home value. You might reach out to your Insurance agent to further discuss your situation.

Radiant in floor heat is wonderful. You can create individual zones to allow you to heat areas individually. https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2018/06/geothermal-heating-cooling/

On drainage plans, I would recommend you contact whomever did existing ones for this site. Chances are little modification would need to be done.

Caleb (a very savvy Hansen Buildings Building Designer)  will be reaching out to you to discuss pricing of your building shell or shells. We also have available a service to create custom floor plans based upon your individual needs. In this article are links to determine various rooms and sizes as well as a final link, to get floor plans for you. https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2019/10/show-me-your-barndominium-plans-please/ .

While “turn key” does exist, you can look at a savings of roughly 25% just to act as your own General Contractor. 

I will look forward to accompanying you on your journey!

This entry was posted in Pole Barn Homes, Post Frame Home, Barndominium, Insulation, Shouse, Pole Barn Questions, Pole Barn Design, Pole Barn Planning, Building Drainage and tagged , , , , , on by .

Slab on Grade or Crawl Space?

Slab on Grade or Crawlspace?

Long-time readers of this column recall seeing a profuse number of articles written in regards to crawl spaces. These articles have been on a gradual increase since this first one six years ago: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2013/03/crawl-space/.

With residential post frame construction becoming rapidly more popular as more people discover this system’s benefits, this debate of slab on grade versus crawl space will continue.

Hansen Pole Buildings’ Senior Designer Wayde recently had a client order a new post frame building kit package with an elevated wood floor (to create a crawl space). After client has placed their building order, Wayde came back to me with this, “Can you tell me the Pros and cons of building this as we designed and sold it vs. lowering it three feet and adding a radiant concrete floor?”

I happen to be a big fan of hydronic radiant floor heat in concrete slabs, we have it in our own building: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2012/08/radiant-floor-heating/.

Biggest pro of “as is” – living upon a wood floor will be so much more comfortable than upon concrete. Wayde’s client could still do radiant floor heat, should they opt to not go with a forced air HVAC system.

Slab on grade the client will have to (or should) do a post frame shallow frost protected foundation: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2019/02/minimizing-excavation-in-post-frame-buildings/. This perimeter rigid board insulation must be covered with rodent proof material.

If I went to slab on grade, I would recommend a minimum R-60 for ceiling, taking a 22 inch deep raised heel truss to allow for adequate depths of blown in insulation. (Read more about raised heel trusses here: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2012/07/raised-heel-trusses/).

For an 8′ finished ceiling, they would then need an eave height of 10′ 2-5/8″. I like taller rooms, so you might want to experiment with eave heights of 11′ 2-5/8″ and 12’2-5/8″ (latter of these will be easier to drywall and will result in least waste).

Making a choice between living on concrete or wood will be one only able to be made prior to time of construction and should not be taken lightly. All factors should be taken into consideration most importantly being what creates a most comfortable living space.

This entry was posted in Insulation, Pole Barn Design, Pole Barn Planning, Concrete, Footings and tagged , , , , , on by .

Cardboard (or Plastic, Foam, Metal) Eave Baffles

Cardboard (or Plastic, Foam, Metal) Eave Baffles

The model building codes (IBC and IRC – International Building Code and International Residential Code) require enclosed attic spaces, in most cases, to have ventilation. The most efficient ventilation design solution is to have enclosed vented soffits at the eaves as an air intake, and a vented ridge as an air exhaust.

In order for this system to work effectively a minimum of a one inch air space has to be maintained from eave to ridge across the top of the attic insulation. For traditional stud wall frame buildings with trusses or rafters every two feet, this air channel can be maintained by prefabricated eave baffles which block the insulation from tumbling into the soffits. There are numerous materials used for these baffles, each of which has its own good and bad points.

But what about post frame construction? With trusses at a myriad of different spacings, due to engineering design or builder preference, there is not a one size fits anyone solution to maintain airflow.

 

Energy efficiency is a high priority for new building owners, making arriving at solutions which are as painless as possible a prime directive for post frame designers.

In order to maintain full insulation depth from outside of wall to outside of wall, it is most advantageous to use raised heel trusses (https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2012/07/raised-heel-trusses/). Now, how to keep the insulation where it belongs?

High R rigid insulation sheets can be cut to fit between the trusses, extending from the soffit supports to no less than one inch below the roof sheathing. A minimum one inch space must also be left between the inside of the eave strut and the insulation sheet.  Product dependent, of course, the high R boards can offer an R value of approximately six per inch of thickness.

Plywood or OSB (Oriented Strand Board) can also be used as a baffle, however either product is going to be heavier to work with, as well as not affording more than a minimal R value.

 

This entry was posted in Insulation, Pole Barn Design, Building Overhangs, Pole Building How To Guides, Pole Barn Planning, Trusses, Ventilation and tagged , , , , on by .

Pole Barn Insulation, Part II

Continued from yesterday’s blog:

(1) Storage – if you ever believe anyone might ever in the future desire to climate control then provision should be made for making it easiest to make future upgrades.

At the very least a reflective radiant barrier (single cell rather than wasting the money for the extra approximately 0.5 R from double bubble), an Integral Condensation Control (https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2017/03/integral-condensation-control/) or sheathing with 30# felt should be placed between the roof framing and roof steel to minimize condensation.

If a concrete floor is poured (in ANY use building), it should be over a well sealed vapor barrier.

For now we will assume this building is totally cold storage. If it might ever (even in your wildest dreams) be heated and/or cooled include the following in your initial design: Walls should have a Weather Resistant Barrier (https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2016/01/determining-the-most-effective-building-weather-resistant-barrier-part-1/) between the framing and the siding. Taking walls one step further would be ‘commercial’ bookshelf wall girts (https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2011/09/commercial-girts-what-are-they/).

In the roof – have the trusses designed to support a ceiling load ideally of 10 pounds per square foot (read about ceiling loaded trusses here: (https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2016/03/ceiling-loaded-trusses/). Trusses should also be designed with raised heels to provide full depth of future attic insulation above the walls (https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2012/07/raised-heel-trusses/).

Make provision for attic ventilation, by having an air intake along the sidewall using enclosed ventilated soffits and exhaust with a vented ridge.

Any overhead doors should be ordered insulated – just a good choice in general as, besides offering a minimal thermal resistance, they are stiffer against the wind.

(2) Equine only use: Same as #1 with an emphasis upon the ventilation aspect.

(3) Workshop/garage and (4) Garage/mancave/house are going to be the same – other than whatever the client is willing to invest in R value, being the major difference.

Adding onto #1 for the walls the low end would be unfaced batt insulation with a 6ml visqueen vapor barrier on the interior. Other options (in more or less ascending price and R values) would be Mineral wool insulation as it is not affected by moisture (https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2013/03/roxul-insulation/),  BIBs (https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2011/11/bibs/), closed cell spray foam in combination with batts and just the closed cell spray foam (https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2016/07/advantages-spray-foam-over-batt-insulation/).

For added R value and a complete thermal break, add rigid closed cell foam boards to the inside of the wall.

Once a ceiling has been installed, blow in attic insulation.

For (4) a Frost-Protected Shallow Foundation (https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2016/11/frost-protected-shallow-foundations/) with sand on the inside rather than a thickened slab is an excellent and affordable design solution.

For insulation solutions which follow the roof line, the best bet is going to be the use of closed cell spray foam, as it solves the potential condensation on the underside of the roofing and does not require ventilation above.

In most cases, the steel trusses fabricated for post frame buildings are either not designed by a registered engineer, are not fabricated by certified welders or both – so it makes it difficult for me to recommend them as part of a design solution.

With scissor trusses, they can be treated the same as a flat ceiling would be, provided the bottom chord slope is not so great as to cause blown in insulation to drift downhill.

 

This entry was posted in Insulation, Pole Barn Questions, Pole Barn Design, Pole Building How To Guides, Pole Barn Planning and tagged , , , , , , on by .

Insulating a Post Frame Building the Right Way

Insulation is the hot (pun, intended) topic. Everyone seems focused on energy efficiency in their post frame buildings. Reader CHRIS in TRAVERSE CITY got my head spinning on it once again:

“I recently purchased a property with a 24×30 pole building (metal siding, wood trusses and 3 tab shingle roof). I would like to insulate the walls and ceiling. I will likely remove the siding and add building wrap. I am most concerned with insulating the ceiling. The building will be used to store a tractor, Jeep and other toys. Plus I plan to use the building as a workshop and mancave. What are my options (cost is a factor but not critical)?”

I don’t know how old your pole building is, but if it is more than a year or two, you might as well plan upon replacing your roofing as three tab shingles just do not last. Look for cool metal roofing (https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2018/03/cool-metal-roofing/) as this will reduce your energy costs and may qualify for an income tax credit.

Back to the question at hand……my opinions on how to best insulate a post frame building have evolved over the years, so today’s advice is better than yesterday’s and tomorrow could be an entirely different story. All of this is predicated upon changing technologies.

Adding building wrap – good choice. Make sure it is well sealed, tape and seams or tears.

As your building is up, I’d look at adding an interior set of wall girts and then fill the cavity with BIBs (https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2011/11/bibs/ ). New construction would have different recommendations.

To super insulate your walls, apply two inch or thicker high R insulation sheeting to the inside of the girts. With taped seams, this also acts as a vapor barrier. Otherwise use 6 mil clear visqueen as a vapor barrier, before applying gypsum wallboard.

If you have enclosed vented soffits and a vented ridge, the next two paragraphs apply to your circumstance.

The biggest challenge for your ceiling will be if the trusses are designed to support the weight, if so then it is full steam ahead, if not, you will need to contact the truss manufacturer for an engineered repair to upgrade them.

Once you have drywalled the ceiling, you can blow in insulation to a depth appropriate for your area – a minimum of 15 inches thick, with 20 being even better. Chances are poor of your building having raised truss heels to allow for full insulation thickness as you approach the sidewalls. In this case, have closed cell spray foam insulation placed in the area closest to the walls, making sure to not impede the airflow from eave to ridge.

Without ventilation provided for, the easiest route is to use closed cell spray foam under the roof deck. As closed cell foam will give you about an R-7 per inch, you would need 6-1/2 to 8-1/2 inches to give adequate resistance to heat loss.

 

This entry was posted in Insulation, Pole Barn Questions, Pole Barn Design, Pole Building How To Guides, Trusses, Building Interior and tagged , , , on by .

A Post Frame Shotgun House?

Many believe the term “shotgun house” was due to a bullet could be fired through the front door and go right out the rear door without hitting any walls! More appropriately evidence has it the name shotgun house came from a corruption of the West African term “shogun” which means God’s House.

Reader Sheree from Frisco City wrote: “I want a building that looks like an old southern shotgun house is that a possibility? I wanted approximately 800-900 sf.”

Post frame construction lends itself aptly to the shotgun house style. Shotgun houses typically have one room leading into the next, without any hallways. It is particularly suited for hot climates, as the front and rear entry doors can be opened to allow for a breeze to flow through the entire house. On the front is a covered porch which provides shade for outdoor visiting.

The most typical width for shotgun houses is 12 feet, which happens to be a very economical width in post frame construction. The same can hold true for length – using a 12 foot long covered porch, then multiples of 12 feet in length, in order to get the most bang for the buck.

Post frame shotgun houses can be designed over open crawl spaces, several feet off of the ground. This affords yet another method of cooling as the shaded area beneath the porch and house will be cooler than the surrounding ambient air temperature.

By the use of bookshelf style wall girts, deep wall insulation cavities can be created. Raised heel trusses also afford a space for added insulation to help maintain comfortable temperatures,

The narrow width of the shotgun house, allows for them to be constructed on urban lots which would otherwise be unable to be built upon. Many older cities have lots which were originally laid out in widths as narrow as 25 feet!

Considering an affordable design for a shotgun house? If so, investigate post frame, the savings may be a pleasant surprise!

This entry was posted in Pole Barn Questions, Pole Barn Design, Building Styles and Designs, Pole Barn Planning, Pole Buildings History, Pole Barn Homes and tagged , , , , , on by .

16 Foot Eave Height and Lofts

We get a few requests for quotes from clients every day – actually more like a few hundred. With this volume of inquiries, it goes to figure we see and hear a broad variety of ideas.

Buildings with loftsOne of the more popular ones is clients who want a 16 foot tall eave height and a loft (either a full or partial second floor).

When I do training sessions for our Building Designers, one of my cautions is folks are generally dimensionally challenged. This particular lofty situation being a case in point.

Most frequently eight foot high ceilings are considered a standard, and allow for two sheets of drywall to be stacked horizontally on a wall without the need to cut sheets lengthwise. The International Codes (IBC – International Building Code and IRC – International Residential Code) do allow for finished ceiling heights as low as 7’6” throughout buildings (as well as seven foot in bathrooms and kitchens), however the lower height increases the amount of work as well as waste.

So, two eight foot high ceilings add up to 16 feet, so a 16 foot eave should be ideal – right?

Wrong.

I’ve had some fun writing about eave height in the past, and you can too by checking out this previous article: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2015/02/eave-height-2/

In our above 8 + 8 = 16 equation, there are a few things being left out. This includes:

A concrete floor – a nominal four inch thick slab on grade is going to chew up 3-1/2 inches when all is said and done;

The thickness of the roof system – as the eave height is measured to the bottom of the roofing, plan upon the loss of at least six inches of thickness to the trusses and roof purlins. If designing for a conditioned (heated and/or cooled) structure, plan upon trusses with “energy heels” https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2012/07/raised-heel-trusses/

These could be as deep as nearly two feet in order to allow for R-60 blown in insulation);

Oh, and last but not least, the thickness of the loft floor itself. Most folks who want loft floors would like to minimize the number of supporting columns, so planning upon the loss of a foot minimum. If the floor joists need to span much more than 20 feet (or loads greater than standard residential loads are applied), then engineered wood floor trusses come into play with a general rule of thumb being an inch of depth per foot of span.

From a practicality standpoint, the absolute minimum eave height to allow for two floors should be no less than 18’.

This entry was posted in Pole Barn Design, Pole Barn Planning, Building Interior and tagged , , , , on by .
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