The Mark on Pressure Preservative Treated Lumber

Posted by polebarnguru on 04/04/2017
The Mark on Pressure Preservative Treated Lumber

Interpreting the Mark on Pressure Preservative Treated Lumber Pressure preservative treated lumber is a mystery to most consumers, builders and even building officials. Certainly all of the above parties understand the need for pressure preservative treated lumber when it is embedded in or in contact with the ground or concrete, or in locations where there […]

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Plan to Avoid Failure, Closed Cell Foam, and Addition to Building?

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: We are planning to build a pole barn in the near future and, I need some advice on the footings. depth width etc. We are planning to use rough cut 6×6 pine for the posts and plan to use anchors. The soil here on the property is very sandy. I’ve set […]

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Insulating an Attic Bonus Room

Posted by polebarnguru on 03/31/2017
Insulating an Attic Bonus Room

Attic bonus rooms seem to be the rage – Hansen Pole Buildings does more than a few of these and the trend seems to be increasing in popularity. With this comes how to properly insulate an attic bonus room. There are more than a few challenges when it comes to utilization of attic space for […]

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Cantilevered Roof Extension

Posted by polebarnguru on 03/30/2017
Cantilevered Roof Extension

I’ve designed a fair number of interesting cantilevers in my time, but they have always been as original construction, not as an “add on” after the fact. Here is a request for a cantilevered roof extension from FRED in BURLINGTON: DEAR POLE BARN GURU: My 30′ x 54′ x 12′ pole barn was constructed in […]

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Overhead Doors and Eave Height

Posted by polebarnguru on 03/29/2017
Overhead Doors and Eave Height

Putting a 14 Foot Tall Overhead Door in a Short Eave Height… I’ve been doing post frame buildings now for a couple of years. Okay, maybe a couple of couple of years, as in 37 (ouch, am I seriously this old?). I’ve learned a certain amount of clients (and builders) are seemingly dimensionally challenged when […]

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Will My Trusses Hold Added Ceiling Dead Load?

Posted by polebarnguru on 03/28/2017
Will My Trusses Hold Added Ceiling Dead Load?

Understanding the Needs of Load Bearing Finish I sadly hear this story all too often. A brand new post frame building which quite possibly will not meet the load needs of the owner due to lack of due diligence upon the part of whomever sold the building. Here is the story and my response: DEAR […]

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Engineered Design, Steel Gauges, and Instant Pricing!

Posted by polebarnguru on 03/27/2017
Engineered Design, Steel Gauges, and Instant Pricing!

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I am building a pole barn with rafters at 16″ OC. We sheeted the roof and sides of it. The building is 16′ wide with and engineered ridge pole. Do I need knee bracing at each of the posts along the walls? Can I skip putting the bracing on the corners? […]

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80 Foot Span Wood Trusses

Posted by polebarnguru on 03/24/2017
80 Foot Span Wood Trusses

Setting 80 Foot Span Wood Trusses Here is the question asked by CHAD in EVANSVILLE: “What is the best way to hang an 80′ wooden truss? The company I work for is building 80×120 pole barn for one of our customers. The trusses are kicking our butt.” Before you even think about getting started, you […]

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Prohibition of Pole Barn Construction

Posted by polebarnguru on 03/23/2017
Prohibition of Pole Barn Construction

The Construction of Pole Barns is Prohibited Seriously? This is directly from the White Bear Lake Township (Minnesota) ordinances related to Building Codes, buried deep in their Ordinance No. 8: 5-34. POLE BUILDINGS. The construction of pole barns/buildings is prohibited in the Town. I found this as a result of an article in the White […]

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Timbers Checking In

Posted by polebarnguru on 03/22/2017
Timbers Checking In

One of our clients, Matt from Chapel Hill, NC, sent us a few photos showing a concern of “timber checking” to Justine, the Hansen Pole Buildings Productions Wizard (she loves it when I come up with interesting titles for what she does).  Here is what Matt had to say: “Been a while since we spoke. […]

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Other I.C.C. Benefits

Posted by polebarnguru on 03/21/2017
Other I.C.C. Benefits

My last article discussed Integral Condensation Control (I.C.C.) solutions for steel roofing. When Hansen Pole Buildings’ Designer Dave Gross constructed his own post frame building, I convinced him to utilize I.C.C. for his roofing. A testimony to how much he liked it – virtually every building his clients have invested in since has I.C.C.!  Reduced […]

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Design for Spray-Foam, Sonotubes, or Proper Fasteners!

Posted by polebarnguru on 03/20/2017
Design for Spray-Foam, Sonotubes, or Proper Fasteners!

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: My name is Wade, I purchased the design and material from Hansen for my pole barn this past year. It is a 64×64 Pole Barn. My question is, what’s the best way to insulate with the wall girts being horizontal and at an odd measurement on center? Thanks WADE in HILLSBORO […]

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Integral Condensation Control

Posted by polebarnguru on 03/17/2017
Integral Condensation Control

Integral Condensation Control (I.C.C.) products are manufactured and distributed with trade names such as Condenstop (which I have written about previously: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2014/07/condenstop/) and Dripstop. Here are a few words on Dripstop, recorded live at the NFBA Expo held recently in Nashville, Tennessee: I.C.C. provides drip prevention which is integral to steel roofing and is aimed […]

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Steeper Roof Slope or Taller Walls?

Posted by polebarnguru on 03/16/2017
Steeper Roof Slope or Taller Walls?

This is a subject I have had near the top of my list for a considerable time. Along came a faithful reader – Chris – to give me a little poke to inspire me to write about it. Chris wrote: “I am planning on building a 40×56 pole barn and would like to use part […]

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How Post Frame Building Lumber is Born

Posted by polebarnguru on 03/15/2017
How Post Frame Building Lumber is Born

I’ve been blessed with being able to have extensive tours of two very sophisticated lumber mills. The first being the Seneca Sawmill in Eugene, Oregon. Seneca Sawmill Company is one of the largest producing single-location sawmills in the United States. Their mills are capable of producing over 650 million board feet per year of premium grade […]

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Crinkle Finish Steel Roofing and Siding

Posted by polebarnguru on 03/14/2017
Crinkle Finish Steel Roofing and Siding

An Alternative to Glossy Paint… Since the advent of pre-painted steel roofing and siding, the finish has always been smooth and high gloss, which generally loses its luster just like my ’66 Chevelle SS did. Well, no more. The Valspar Corporation has a new addition to the WeatherXL product line: WeatherXL Crinkle Finish. Crinkle Finish […]

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Materials Mastery with the PBG!

Posted by polebarnguru on 03/13/2017
Materials Mastery with the PBG!

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Hi: I have a design and will build myself. Do you sell components such as poles and trusses? Or is it possible to purchase one of your kits and leave off certain materials? For example, I want to use corrugated metal siding. If you don’t supply that could it be left […]

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Blog Review by an Expert

Posted by polebarnguru on 03/10/2017
Blog Review by an Expert

I’m a seat of the pants journalist – my training was as editor of the Post Falls High School newspaper back in 1975! This blog is one of several finalists in the 2017 Best Construction Blog competition. In the event you have been entertained or have learned from my articles, your vote would be appreciated […]

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Ladder Safety

Posted by polebarnguru on 03/09/2017
Ladder Safety

Helping you to NOT be like this guy on a ladder… As my father died from a construction fall, I am always a bit sensitive towards safety on jobsites when it comes to possible falls. While Hansen Pole Buildings does not construct anything, we want all of our clients, or their contractors, to live to […]

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Panic Mode! We’ve All Been There

Posted by polebarnguru on 03/08/2017
Panic Mode! We’ve All Been There

When Clients get into Panic Mode Most of us have been there with a major purchase – we were all excited about it and then somewhere before it gets delivered we start to second guess ourselves. Here is an example: Dear Mr. Xxxxxx ~ Thank you for your investment into a new Hansen Pole Building. […]

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Fall Up, Go Boom

Posted by polebarnguru on 03/07/2017
Fall Up, Go Boom

Fall Up, Go Boom What? Sir Isaac Newton pretty much confirmed things do not fall up. Well, this building did not actually “fall” up – it was sucked out of the ground. How would I know this? Look at the ends of the columns which are lying on the ground. There is no concrete attached […]

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Safety Concerns from the Heartland

Posted by polebarnguru on 03/06/2017
Safety Concerns from the Heartland

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Could you give me a cost of installation of spray foam insulation for an indoor horse arena that is 65 by 125 ft in size.  Wanting to insulate under roof area only.  We are a faith based non profit 501 c 3. JACK in SAVANNAH DEAR JACK: Thank you very much […]

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Simpson Drive Screws

Posted by polebarnguru on 03/03/2017
Simpson Drive Screws

Simpson  SD#9112 Screws Our clients tend to build great relationships with the Hansen Pole Buildings’ Wizardess of Deliveries…Justine. Due to this, she fields more than a few questions from clients which should be directed to our Technical Support Department. Justine has learned enough, however, so she has the ability to answer a plethora of the […]

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Why Use Stainless Steel Screws with Steel Roofing and Siding?

One of our prospective clients recently contacted me with a list of features being promoted by a builder he was considering investing in a post frame building kit with. One of the features happened to be the use of stainless steel screws to attach the steel roofing and siding. My quick, off the cuff, response […]

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OSB Under Steel Roofing On Pole Buildings

Posted by polebarnguru on 03/01/2017
OSB Under Steel Roofing On Pole Buildings

Almost anything can be sold as a benefit… Most post frame buildings are sold to the unsuspecting or ill-informed client based upon a set of features. These features may or may not have an actual benefit to the long term performance of the building. What is most unique is – the sales person often has […]

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