I have one goal – for people to end up with structurally sound buildings they love. Follow these guidelines and you are far more likely to love your new building. Your work starts before you sign a contract. ASSUME YOUR PROJECT WILL END IN COURT ASSUME YOUR BUILDING PROVIDER/CONTRACTOR IS UNTRUTHFUL ASSUME YOUR PROJECT WILL […]

Storage of Steel Roofing and Siding at the Job site  All steel roofing and siding panel bundles are inspected and approved by manufacturer’s quality control inspectors before shipment. Inspect panels for any moisture content or shipping damage upon delivery and advise the materials carrier immediately. Bare (non-painted) Galvalume sheet, like galvanized, is subject to wet […]

Today readers “Ask the Guru” about the “guestimation” of a price for a 500 sq ft pole barn home, if Hansen can provide design and kit for a residence in MN, and if a post frame building can be built upon a basement foundation. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I am interested in getting a simple […]

Reader KIMBERLY in LINDEN writes: “We are building a 52x40x10 post frame home in East Texas.  The entire thing will be living space.  I have been researching as much as possible on the best way to insulate a post frame home with metal siding and roof.  The information is overwhelming and you get a completely […]

Venting an Attic Without Soffit Air Intake Loyal reader KEN has an attic space with only air exhaust points – a vented ridge, and no air intake. His dilemma, how to adequately ventilate his attic without vented soffits. Ken writes: “I finally was able to make contact with the manufacturer of the open foam like […]

This Wednesday readers “Ask the Guru” about costs of a metal “welded” sliding barn door frame, insulating a building with double bubble insulation to avoid condensation, and a question about our sealed plans for a new building. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Double sliding metal barn doors, 10′ wide by 12′ height. Metal welded frame. Appropriate […]

Retrofitting Insulation for a Milking Parlor Reader CALEB in SLEEPY EYE writes: “Hello! So many questions! We have a simple 20 by 30 pole shed we are looking to retrofit into a cow milking parlor on one half and a general purpose/milk equipment cleaning area on the other half. We’ll pour concrete, insulate, and then […]

Swaying Roof Only Pole Barn Yes indeed folks, as probably every owner of a roof only post frame (pole barn) building can and will attest, they sway with the wind. Reader MIKE in ORLANDO was concerned about his new (not from Hansen Pole Buildings) roof only pole barn moving just from his installing steel roofing […]

This Wednesday the Pole Barn Guru answers reader questions about the use of radiant floor heat for a post frame building, post treatment that will not rot, and whether or not button staples can be used for housewrap on a post frame house. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I am researching my build. I wanted to […]

Humidity Levels Within Pole Barn Walls Reader MICHAEL writes: “I have a 36X 48X 12 pole barn that I spent a lot of time insulating an air ceiling and I have a six mil vapor barrier on the warm side I was curious how much humidity wise is breathing from the outside in to the […]

Hansen Building has seen a recent uptick in structure over crawl spaces and thought it would be wise to revisit this guest blog post. 11 Reasons Why Barndominium Crawl Space Encapsulation is Important Today’s Guest Contributor is Joseph Bryson. Joseph was born in Alberta, raised in NYC and is living in New Zealand. He has […]

This week the Pole Barn Guru answers reader questions about the type of foundation and uplift requirements there is for and RV cover and “what not,” building a home on a stem wall or with crawl space, and pluming for a building built on slab. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: For a 24 x40 x12 pole […]

Insulating Pole Barn Scissor Trusses Reader ROB in OAK HARBOR writes: “What is the best way to insulate the ceiling/attic of a pole barn with scissor trusses? There is a approximate 4 to 6 foot gap between the underneath side of the roof deck and the peak of the scissor truss. On the wall ends […]

Insulating Between Post Frame Building Purlins Reader JUSTIN in Chelan writes: “Hello, you have a lot of amazing advice, but no answers that seem to address my building exactly. I had a 24x40x16 put up last year, it has the R6.5 roll insulation blanketing the walls and ceiling with the metal sandwiching the insulation over […]

This Week the Pole Barn Guru answers reader questions about a two-car garage with a loft for office space, a non-insulated, cold storage loft, and wall insulation solutions. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Hello. Wanting to build a two car garage with loft that I could use as my office. Would like this adjacent to my […]

Insulating and Sheeting Interior of a Pole Barn STEVE in EDEN writes: “We have four seasons with temps getting below freezing in the winter and up to 90 in the summer, with average humidity of 70% and 20%, respectively. I have a pole barn with metal skin. The ceiling or inside of roof is insulated […]

Every few years it seems there arises a need for young (remember I am only 60+ years young) men to head into forests and become loggers. I have been there personally – there is just something manly about hacking down some snags with a chain saw! Myself, there is a sudden rush when a tree […]

This week the Pole Barn Guru answers reader questions about the availability of a tool for installation of vinyl backed insulation, pouring concrete prior to use of brackets and the limitations of “dry set” brackets, as well as setting vapor barrier once rebar hairpins have been installed. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Is there a tool […]

Moisture Buildup in Post Frame Walls Reader TOM in MONTROSE writes: “Hi, In the summer of 2025 I build a post frame building (40x72x16) located in MN, 8ft o.c. (on center) post spacing, trusses 4ft o.c. w/14 inch heal height, 24 inch overhangs (plenty of ventilation for the attic). I then placed vertical 2×6 studs […]

Remediating Pole Barn Sliding Door Frost Heaves Reader MARK in MARINE ON ST. CROIX writes: “Poll barn door two 12 foot slider’s how to prevent frost heave s can’t open or close do I dig out under them and pour concrete or put 2 inch styrofoam any ideas?” Harris Hyman, P.E. wrote this in a […]

This week clients “Ask the Guru” advice on adding a 16×16 post frame on to an existing structure, if Hansen can design for a 180mph wind load, and advice on ceiling insulation. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I live in a tiny house and would like more space. Adding on a 16 x 16 foot room […]

Waste Planning Considerations During Post-Frame Building Site Preparation and Construction Post-frame building projects are often viewed as operationally efficient by design. Reduced foundation requirements, streamlined framing, and flexible layouts make them attractive across agricultural, commercial, and light industrial uses. However, waste planning during site preparation and construction is frequently underestimated, even though it plays a […]

Do Screws Back Out of Steel Roofing? I had a question posed of me recently which included: “Where will the water go when the screws back out of my steel roofing”? While I answered the question at hand, I didn’t actually get into the why this might happen, or the solutions. How to avoid the […]

This Wednesday readers “ask the Guru” for advise regarding the adequacy of ceiling joists and hangers, if Hansen Buildings will “actually build the structure” you buy, and the use of I-beams for a raised wooden floor. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Good morning, I have been installing ceiling joists. I am using 2 x 6 SPF […]

Working With a Building Official for footing designs Long time readers have read me opine on how Building Officials are our friends: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2012/04/i-like-building-officials/ One of our clients recently received this email from his Building Official and shared it with me (red added by me): “The Town of xxxx stopped plan review on your project because […]