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Overhead Doors, One or Two Stories, and a Wedding Venue

This Monday the Pole Barn Guru answers questions about placement of overheads doors to accommodate an exercise pool, the cost differences of building a single story building or adding a 2nd floor, and a post frame wedding venue.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I want a two car garage on a concrete slab adjacent to driveway turnaround area. I need either a double or two single overhead doors on that side. I plan to use one car space for a exercise pool. I would like the side of the garage adjacent to the backyard to also have a large door preferable overhead but sliding or other also may work. I see no such plans with large door or doors on the front and also one side of the building. Can this be done? Thanks. I have up to 28 feet available adjacent to 3 car turnaround area but would like to use 24 ft max there. I can go up to 24 ft deep on the side but prefer 20 ft max there. GARY in CHARDON

DEAR GARY: It is entirely possible to have either a double, or two single, sectional overhead doors on one wall, and another overhead door on a wall directly around a corner – provided overhead tracks do not conflict with each other. As an example, your building could have a 16 or 18 foot wide door on a peaked endwall and a single overhead door say nine feet wide on one eave sidewall 10 or 12 feet from front endwall.

Due to a plethora of reasons (lack of security, inability to insulate, not wind rated) I would discourage you from considering a sliding door.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Which is less expensive to building a pole barn house/cabin with a loft with two bedrooms & bath or three bedrooms or 2.5 bath all on one floor? LINDSAY in LARAMIE

DEAR LINDSAY: In almost every case it will be more costly to go up as opposed to out. With going up, you entirely lose space on each level dedicated to stairs, anywhere from 30 to 50 square feet per floor, depending upon width and slope of stairs, height of lower floor ceiling and even more of your configuration includes a landing or two.

Loft or bonus room spaces typically do not have full headroom from wall-to-wall, further reducing fully usable space. Having all living space on one level is also desirable from an accessibility standpoint – a loft area could entirely preclude any ability for a wheelchair bound person to access these areas.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Looking to build a pole barn venue for weddings. Can you help? LOU in BLOOMINGDALE

DEAR LOU: Hansen Pole Buildings has assisted clients from coast-to-coast custom design event centers and wedding venues. From simple to complex, we are available to provide you with a fully engineered post frame building to best fit with your wants, needs and budget. Please dial 1(866)200-9657 to speak with a Building Designer in regards to your proposed project.

This entry was posted in Pole Barn Planning, Sectional Doors, Venues, Overhead Doors, Uncategorized, Pole Barn Questions, Pole Barn Design and tagged stairs, overhead doors, wedding venue, door placement, floor space, second floor loft on November 25, 2019 by admin.

Agritourism and Pole Barns

Agricultural land has increasingly become overrun with a proliferation of event centers, wedding venues and bed-and-breakfast inns. This is due to a rise in the “farm-to-fork” movement which has seen a growing popularity of agritourism as more landowners open up their ranches to those who wish to experience the bucolic countryside views.

I’ve written in the past about post frame wedding venues/event centers:
https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2017/12/open-heart-ranch-wedding-barn__trashed-2/
https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2016/10/pole-barn-event-center/

We frankly have had a great deal of fun working with many folks who are making both their dreams, and those of their future clients, come true with some truly unique rural event centers.

There are some concerns, however. Some counties tend to lean too heavily in favor of intensification of land use in agricultural areas, in part due to an over appreciation of the revenue and taxes the businesses generate. Nonagricultural uses in rural areas which are incompatible with agriculture can interfere with farmers’ ability to farm. Increased traffic to narrow county roads can disrupt farming activities such as harvesting, pesticide applications and crop transport.

Being originally from the Spokane, Washington area, I was witness to what occurred in a nearby rural area known as Green Bluff. As a child, my grandparents would take us to the farms there to u-pick apples and pears. Today, things have expanded as thousands of people make the trip every fall weekend to enjoy the annual harvest festival and its hay rides, local apples, pumpkin picking, corn maze, craft booths and food. Traffic can easily back up for over a mile!

Successful agritourism destinations are those which make it work without harming area farms. Adequate highway access, appropriate parking and event hours and volumes which are appropriate to preserve the peace with nearby neighbors help to keep things in perspective.

Planning to enter into the world of agritourism? Or expanding upon what you already have? If so, a post frame building or three might very well be a fit with your property. Designs are immensely flexible, affordable and the time from concept to use can prove to be minimal.

This entry was posted in Pole Barn Design, Pole Barn Planning, Venues and tagged pole barn, wedding venue on April 12, 2018 by admin.

Pole Barn Event Center

Event Centers

A little over four years ago, I introduced you, my gentle readers, to my late Grandma Jerene and her boyfriend Bob, the “Weather Cat” (https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2012/07/weather/). They are going to play a part in this story.

Earlier this summer my lovely bride and I had just gotten home when a couple pulled up in their Jaguar. They had been out for an evening drive, saw our pole barn building and thought maybe it was an event center. I suppose as the top of the cupola is more than 50 feet above the ground, the mistake is inevitable.

Here is the story of my first (unbeknownst to me) event center – or at least for one event!

When I was a post frame building contractor, back in the 1990’s, we contracted to construct a pole barn for a gentleman named Scott Dockins, down in the Palouse country of Idaho, near Moscow. There was one catch, he and his betrothed were going to be wed in this building, so there were time constraints.

The building was completed well within the needed time frame and this was the end of the story….or was it?

My grandmother was both sharp and active into her 90’s. I made it a point to see or at least talk to her once a week or more. A few weeks after we had finished Scott’s building, in one of our calls, Grandma reported she and Bob had been to a wedding down near Moscow…..in a pole barn…..our pole barn!

Bob had been President of Rotary Club 21 in Spokane, and later a Rotary District Governor. It turns out Scott’s new bride Debi, was the staff secretary for the very same Rotary club – and had invited Bob and Grandma Jerene to their wedding! In our building!

Event venues are growing in popularity by leaps and bounds.

The goal of event venues all along has been to create a mood and a feeling for guests and attendees, but in the past it was a pleasant surprise when one came out of an event with a specific experience which was envisioned by the planner. Such an experience would be similar to how a marketer envisions a brand and takes specific steps to shape the brand image in the mind of the customer. Now attendees expect to be provided with an experience.

It is the audience expectation which has upped the ante here. Haute cuisine TV shows and foodie restaurants have multiplied almost exponentially over the last decade, so now people expect much more than coffee and canapés. Hipster weddings and gala affairs have given people a taste of themed events where every detail has been studied and considered, so people expect this level of refinement in all events. And there’s so much competition among venues, caterers and other event vendors businesses are scrambling to create a lasting impression for both the clients and planners who hire them and the attendees who sample their goods.

Our barn, used as a home for us, is not an event center. But for the older couple in the Jag, it definitely was both interesting and appealing to the eye. My bride and I have to agree!

This entry was posted in Pole Barn Design, About The Pole Barn Guru, Pole Barn Planning and tagged event venue, wedding venue, pole barn, Rotary Club on October 6, 2016 by admin.