DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I am building a pole barn 50 foot clear span wide, and 70 foot long, 16 foot to the eve. I am using 4×4 metal uprights on 20 foot spans, red iron purlins and stringers, and 4×4 metal welded all around the top. I am using conventional wood trusses engineered for […]

Over the past 36 plus years in the post frame building industry, I’ve personally sold, delivered and/or specified pretty easily at least 10,000 sliding doors. I am certain someone has provided more, most probably far less. Very, very few of them have ever been with glass in the doors. Sherri in Kansas recently asked, “Do […]

Another great and well thought out question, which is best answered at length. Dear Pole Barn Guru: The construction manual states that concrete slab floors should be poured so there is 3-3/4” of skirt board left exposed above the slab. What do you do if you want or need to have a typical slab slope toward […]

Recently Eric Graff, managing partner of Hansen Pole Buildings, and I have been discussing the possibilities of a new post frame building at our home distribution center in South Dakota. Eric is a shrewd buyer and has negotiated some significant discounts from vendors for the purchase of materials in bulk quantities (think of a semi-truck […]

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Is it possible to build a post frame building on a crawl space. If so, where do you place the poles. Inside, outside, on top, or in the concrete. Thank you JACOB in CARROLLTON DEAR JACOB: Yes, it is both very possible and very practical to build a post frame building […]

Scary Design A one-time potential Hansen Pole Buildings’ client, who is a friend of mine on Facebook, didn’t invest in one of our engineered post frame buildings. Most likely it was due to price – people so easily believe they have gotten a great deal, when instead they set themselves up for nothing but potential […]

There is Something Wrong with This Picture My disclaimer, this is NOT a Hansen Pole Building. It was advertised on Craigslist by a builder in Kentucky. There are some odd things about this pole building – one of them which is crucial and the building owner is going to hate probably forever. Maybe longer. The […]

This article by Randy Edison about cordwood masonry first appeared at www.gfwadvertiser.ca November 24, 2006 and has not been edited “When Paul Johnson first heard of the construction method from a friend it became a curiosity. He was curious enough, in fact, to turn it into a handyman project that, despite the challenges, brought a […]

From the age of six, alpine (aka downhill) snow skiing has been a part of our family culture. As my three youngest children (Bailey, Allison and Brent) graduated from being toddlers – I took them to the slopes and taught them to ski as well. It was not my being the greatest skier on the […]

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Can you build a pole barn home with an 8/12 roof pitch without changing the construction method? AUDRIA in EUFAULA DEAR AUDRIA: The basic post frame (pole) building construction method does not change due to roof slope. Steeper roof slopes can result in some added costs depending upon design wind speed […]

Power Lifting Pole Barns They might seem like typical teenagers, but Joshua and Kaitlynn Naert are worlds apart from most pair of siblings in Michigan. The brother-sister combo come from a good, blue-collar home, living with their mother and father, Tracy and Jeff, and their dogs. It’s not until Joshua, Kaitlynn and their father step […]

How Advice Columns Get Interesting… Just last week, I shared a question from TOM (a reader who reads my blog) in regards to finishing the inside of a fairly recently constructed post frame (pole) building. The dialogue has continued. Tom: “Obviously drywall for the ceiling would be a wiser choice. The truss manufacturer said the trusses […]

Another great question from a loyal reader: DEAR POLE BARN GURU: How would you install a concrete floor in one of your pole buildings. RICK in TOLEDO DEAR RICK: Here is the chapter from the Hansen Pole Buildings Construction Manual: Chapter 18: Concrete Slabs While preference is to have building shell completed prior to pouring […]

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I’m starting my OSB wall sheathing for my 24’x36′ building and have been wondering about how to handle the outside of each corner post.  I have vertical 2×4 nailers installed at 4′ o.c. from the outside of each post.  This means that I have to align the osb sheets with the […]

This article’s content was published in Construction Magazine, October 28, 2016 Post-frame construction is ideal for non-code-exempt buildings of many shapes and sizes. One category of such structures that is often overlooked by post-frame builders is gymnasiums and multipurpose recreational buildings. Gymnasiums and multipurpose recreational buildings are a perfect fit for post-frame construction for several […]

Trail Maintenance Buildings All across America old railroad beds are being converted into trails for uses such as walking, running and biking. According to www.railstotrails.org over 30,000 miles of trails now criss-cross our country. My personal favorite is the Hiawatha Trail (www.ridethehiawatha.com) which begins in Western Montana (near what was once the boomtown of Taft) […]

Finishing the Inside of an Existing Pole Structure There are literally millions of pole structures (aka post frame buildings or pole barns) in existence in the United States. Most of them were constructed without a thought as to future use, beyond their immediate need. Here is a story about one which actually did have some […]

What’s better: A poured foundation or block? How about – neither? Try post frame footing design! Even though my lovely bride and I are now living 98% of the time on the eastern border of South Dakota, I still read the online version of my formerly local newspaper – The Spokesman Review, from Spokane, Washington. […]

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I am a registered professional engineer and I am interviewing contractors on behalf of your customer to erect a 88×120 pole barn.  Do you have a list of questions you suggest asking? Also, do you have a practical method for squaring up the building?  JOHN in CARY DEAR JOHN: Here are […]

Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register Truthfully, I am not one of those people who sits mesmerized in front of the television watching every last minute of the Olympic Games. Some of it is probably from my general refusal to watch network television in general. I could not tell you who won any events […]

What Horsepower Should a Garage Door Opener Have? Good question, and important enough to be well deserving of its own article. It was asked of me by JAME from CAMBRIDGE: “Just bought a home with a great pole barn already on it. My question is I want to install a door opener on the big […]

I’ve touched on the subject of Frost-Protected Shallow Foundations in a previous article (https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2012/10/concrete-slab-4/), but never truly taken a dive into the pond to expound upon them as they relate to post frame construction. My friend KEN from MANCOS recently contacted me for information, which got this subject restarted: “Mr. Pole Barn Guru, I am […]

FREE Engineered Pole Building Plans! Yep, you heard it here first…. on Roller Derby (borrowed from Cheech and Chong’s 1973 album Los Cochinos from a skit about the “Evelyn Woodhead Sped Riddin’ course”). Today’s article was sparked into being by an email I recently received: “I’m an architect trying to provide bid documents for a […]

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I am going to be setting a 20ft 6×6 post into an 18” round hole 4ft deep. I want to utilize the help I have on a Saturday but may not be able to get a concrete truck here until the next weekend comes. So my question is what would you […]

DIY – Do It Yourself. Frankly, 99+ % of you DIYers are absolutely the greatest people on the planet. You are fun to work with, you follow directions and take pride in your own job very well done. I have serious man-crushes on many of you (I love you for your brains, not your bodies)! […]