Overhead Door Opening Dimensions
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/21/2025
Overhead Door Opening Dimensions I have probably been involved directly with somewhere around 50,000 sectional steel overhead doors in my career. One thing in common about all of these doors, they all require an opening. In my (and most door installers) ideal dream world, every overhead door opening is perfectly plumb on each side as […]
Read moreCompacted Gravel, Humidity Issues, and Wall Gaps
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/20/2025
This week readers “Ask the Guru” about the typical amount of compacted gravel in a pole barn, humidity in a metal shed with spray foam, and a wall to ceiling gap recommendation. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: How much is the typical amount of compacted gravel in a pole barn structure? My objective is to park […]
Read moreHelp, I am Going Crazy! Building a Pole Barn House
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/19/2025
Help, I am Going Crazy! Reader DIRK in SPANISH FORK writes: “I am planning to build a pole barn house. I get so confused with the different methods of doing things and the pros and cons of each. I plan to pour concrete piers with a post bracket. Not sure if a 6×6 post or […]
Read moreThe Dual Splash Plank Dilemma
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/14/2025
The Dual Splash Plank Dilemma I’ve never been a fan of stacking splash planks. Even when they are center matched (think tongue and grooved) the two boards never seem to want to bend, twist, warp and/or cup the same direction leading to gaps. Gaps which lead to water getting through and spoiling an otherwise fun place […]
Read moreFilling Gaps, Insulation Advice, and Use of Housewrap
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/13/2025
This Wednesday the Pole Barn Guru answers reader questions about filling some gaps in between concrete and columns, best insulation for a wall cavity and ceiling, and the best use of housewarp with 24″ spaced girts with insulation between. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Hey boss! I have very recently purchased a home and it came […]
Read more- Categories: Pole Barn Homes, Ventilation, Pole Barn Heating, Barndominium, Building Drainage, Building Interior, Lumber, Budget, Insulation, Professional Engineer, Pole Barn Questions, Columns, Pole Barn Design
- Tags: House Wrap, Insulation, Commercial Girts, Moisture Barrier, Concrete, Condensation Control, Rock Wool Insulation
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Concern about a Grade Change and Column Length
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/12/2025
Concern about a Grade Change and Column Length DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I ordered a pole barn materials kit and received my designed plans and the materials list. My concern is the posts are 14′ and will the length be sufficient for a 10′ eave height that is to be built on a site that […]
Read more- Categories: Pole Barn Planning, Footings, Columns, Barndominium, Pole Barn Questions, Pole Barn Design
- Tags: Post Frame Design, Site Prep, Grade Change, Column Length
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How to Frame a Reverse Gable Porch
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/07/2025
How to Frame a Reverse Gable Porch Reverse gable porches are an excellent way to protect any door from effects of weather – specifically rain and snow. I personally feel they are an underutilized great feature. For more reading about reverse gable porches: http://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2015/07/reverse-gable-porch/. Today’s article has been sparked by reader DARRELL in ATLANTA who […]
Read morePier Insulation, Hold Up Distances, and Site Prep
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/06/2025
This week the Pole Barn Guru answers reader questions about insulating around outside of post piers, the hold-up distance of any non-treated lumber or wall sheathing, and if laying gravel prior to drilling and setting columns would be best order of building. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Kind of a 2 parter. I am trenching 4′ […]
Read more- Categories: Insulation, Pole Barn Questions, Pole Building How To Guides, Pole Barn Planning, Pole Building Siding, Concrete, Footings, Alternate Siding, Building Drainage, Columns, Lumber
- Tags: Alternative Siding, Gravel Pad, Foundation Insulation, Building Site Prep, Level Build Site, Insulated Piers, OSB Hold Up, Non-treated Lumber, OSB
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Will My Minnesota Shouse Require Frost Footings?
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/05/2025
Will My Minnesota Shouse Require Frost Footings? Reader CHAD in JANESVILLE writes: “I am planning on building a shouse or barndominium some may call. I am doing 5″ cement with a heated floor throughout. My hope was not to bury any poles but to anchor them on top of the slap. Do you recommend front […]
Read more- Categories: Pole Barn Homes, Pole Barn Questions, Post Frame Home, Pole Barn Planning, Barndominium, Concrete, Shouse, Footings, Shouse, Professional Engineer
- Tags: Frost Line, Barndominium, Post Frame House, Frost Protected Shallow Foundation, Wet Set Brackets, Shouse, Insulation R Value, Concrete Piers
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How To Insulate My Barn
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 07/31/2025
How To Insulate My Barn Reader MIKE writes: “I had a couple of questions about a 36×48 barn I am insulating. 1) I have vented soffits with overhang on all four sides and the ridge cap has a porous foam between the ridge cap and metal. Is this breathable and is this sufficient. 2) I […]
Read moreBarn to Residence, Slab Thickness Changes, and Home from a Roof
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 07/30/2025
This week the Pole Barn Guru answers reader questions about differences in a barn to a residential structure, how to pour to a slab thickness change, and if a home can be built from an existing pole barn roof. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: What is the difference in building structure from a barn to a […]
Read more- Categories: Pole Barn Questions, Professional Engineer, Pole Barn Design, Pole Barn Homes, Pole Building How To Guides, Post Frame Home, Pole Barn Planning, Barndominium, Footings, Rebuilding Structures, Building Interior, Lumber, Budget
- Tags: Construction Manual, Slab Thickness, Post Frame Quote, Concrete Thickness Change, Rebuild Pole Barn, Pole Barn Quote, Pole Barn To Residence
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Pressure Preservative Treated Columns in Alkali Soils
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 07/29/2025
Pressure Preservative Treated Columns in Alkali Soils ERIC in PAHRUMP writes: “I have questions about the posts. In my quote it says the posts are direct buried. This concerns me due to the type of soil we have here in Pahrump, Nevada. The ground has a lot of alkali in it and will eat just […]
Read moreProper Screw Location for Post Frame Steel Cladding
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 07/24/2025
Proper Screw Location for Post Frame Steel Cladding It was a pleasant October evening back in 1985 in Blacksburg, Virginia. My friend Dr. Frank Woeste was then a College of Agricultural and Life Sciences professor at Virginia Tech (officially Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University) and he had invited me to teach one of his […]
Read more- Categories: Fasteners, Pole Barn Design, About The Pole Barn Guru, Roofing Materials, Steel Roofing & Siding, Powder Coated Screws
- Tags: Steel Roofing And Siding, Metal Connector Plated Wood Truss, Dr. Frank Woeste, Steel Cladding, Virginia Tech, Post Frame Buildings Screws Through Flats Or High Ribs, Ring Shanked Nails, Screw Location
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Financing, Footing Diameters, and if the Kit is Move-In Ready
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 07/23/2025
This week the Pole Barn Guru answers reader questions about a reliable financing source for a post frame home, what size footing would be required for a pole barn spanning 50′ and 6 x 6 laminated posts every 8′ and if the kit will be “move in ready.” DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I’m in need […]
Read more- Categories: Footings, Pole Barn Financing, Building Interior, Budget, Professional Engineer, Pole Barn Questions, Pole Barn Design, Columns, Building Styles and Designs, Pole Barn Homes, Building Department, Barndominium, Pole Building How To Guides, Shouse
- Tags: Post Frame Financing, Post Frame Footings, Pole Barn Footings, Move In Ready, Weathered In, Footings, Pole Barn Financing
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Planning for Lighting in a New Pole Barn
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 07/22/2025
Both of my post frame buildings outside of Spokane, WA have no windows on the garage/shop level. This means when inside, with doors closed, it is dark – one is forced to rely upon electricity or radar to navigate. Reader KRISTI is preparing to build her new pole barn and had some questions about how […]
Read moreIt’s a GREAT DAY at Hansen Pole Buildings!!
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 07/17/2025
It’s a GREAT DAY at Hansen Pole Buildings!! As Technical Director at Hansen Pole Buildings since our founding in 2002, it has always been my personal view we have no competitors, only others who try in vain to match up to what we deliver. We have clients, not customers. Customers buy a product with little […]
Read more- Categories: Pole Barn Design, Barndominium, Pole Building Comparisons, Constructing a Pole Building, Pole Building How To Guides, Pole Barn Planning, Budget, Professional Engineer
- Tags: The Ultimate Post Frame Building Experience, Hansen Buildings Construction Manual, DIY Post Frame, Post Frame Reviews, Pole Barn Comparisons, Hansen Pole Buildings
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Tongue and Groove Pine, Eight Foot Post Spacing, and Truss Drawings
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 07/16/2025
This week the Pole Barn Guru answers reader questions about the best method of adding tongue and groove pine to a vaulted ceiling, use of eight foot post spacing in quote, and truss drawings for metal trusses in Minnesota. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I would like to have a vaulted ceiling in my 34’x30’ hobby […]
Read more- Categories: Lumber, Pole Barn Homes, Pole Barn Questions, Pole Barn Design, Building Department, Barndominium, Roofing Materials, Pole Barn Structure, Trusses, Budget, Columns
- Tags: Truss Drawings, Vaulted Ceiling, Tongue And Groove Pine, Tongue And Groove Ceiling, Truss Details, Post Spacing, Truss Seals, Column Spacing
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Why Your New Barndominium Should Be Post Frame
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 07/15/2025
Why Your New Barndominium Should Be Post Frame For those who follow me – you know I am all about people loving their end results. As long as one has a fully engineered building they love, I couldn’t be more pleased, regardless of the structural system. In My Humble Opinion – fully engineered post frame […]
Read more- Categories: Barndominium, Pole Barn Structure, Trusses, Pole Barn Homes, Pole Barn Design, Post Frame Home, Pole Building Comparisons, Pole Buildings History
- Tags: PEMB Building, Stick Frame Design, Barndominium, International Residential Code, Bookshelf Wall Girts, Stick Frame Building, Geotechnical Engineer
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Owner Barndominium Builder Construction Loans
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 07/10/2025
Owner-Barndominium Builder Construction Loans Qualifying for owner-barndominium builder construction loans can be a daunting task. Given 2007-2008’s housing market downturn, owner-builder construction loans are increasingly hard to get but not impossible. An owner-builder is a property owner who serves as general contractor on their own project. A General contractor coordinates everything from budget to hiring subcontractors. […]
Read moreA Radiant Barrier Issue, Venting in Humidity, and Frost Walls
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 07/09/2025
This week the Pole Barn Guru answers reader questions about insulating a building that already has reflective foil radian barrier, if one needs vents or exhaust fan in the gable ends of the roof with the high heat/humidity of Alabama, and requirements for frost wall or slab for frost heave. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I […]
Read more- Categories: Pole Barn Heating, Barndominium, Building Interior, Budget, Pole Barn Homes, Insulation, Pole Barn Questions, Pole Barn Planning
- Tags: Insulation, Reflective Radiant Barrier, Frost Heave, Ventilation, Rock Wool, Monolithic Slab, Exhaust Fans, Gable Vents, Frost Wall, Moisture Barrier, Humidity
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11 Reasons Post Frame Commercial Girted Walls Are Best for Drywall
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 07/08/2025
11 Ways Post Frame Commercial Girted Walls are Best for Drywall Call it what you want, drywall, gypsum wallboard even Sheetrock® (registered brand of www.usg.com) and most English speaking adults know what you are talking about. In post frame (pole) building construction, wall girts (horizontal version of studs) are placed in bookshelf fashion, resisting wind […]
Read moreFloor Trusses: Hansen Pole Buildings’ Floor Systems
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 07/03/2025
Floor Trusses: Hansen Pole Buildings’ Floor Systems I admit to having become easily enamored, early in my prefabricated wood truss career, by floor trusses. To me, they were not only things of beauty, but also made framing a very quick process. But, I had been exposed to them even before then. My 16th summer, I […]
Read moreStamped Engineered Plans, No Foundation, and Economical Builds
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 07/02/2025
This week the Pole Barn Guru answers reader questions about Hansen providing stamped engineered plans, buildings with “no foundation,” and if a two story or single story structure is more economical to build. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Do you supply stamped engineering plans for building inspection purposes? DOUG in BENEZETTE DEAR DOUG: Every building we […]
Read more- Categories: Building Department, Constructing a Pole Building, Pole Barn holes, Pole Barn Planning, Concrete, Barndominium, Footings, Shouse, Budget, Professional Engineer, floorplans, Pole Barn Questions, Columns, Pole Barn Design
- Tags: Engineer Sealed Plans, Pole Barn Foundations, Wet Set Brackets, Embedded Columns, Stamped Plans, Footings, Plans
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Deliveries: Hansen Pole Buildings “Getting It There”
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 07/01/2025
Deliveries: Hansen Pole Buildings “Getting It There” I have always looked at what we do as being akin to logistical wizardry. When one considers it takes thousands of individual components to create even a modestly sized post frame buildings, it is a miracle anything ever gets built! Until now, we relied upon our third party […]
Read moreFull Frost Foundation?
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 06/26/2025
Full Frost Wall Foundation? Reader AARON in ROSEVILLE writes: “Assuming (not yet verified) that I don’t need a full frost wall foundation for my barndo, wondering about the pros/cons for full frost wall vs pier footings in southern MN. Obviously there is the cost difference, but when it comes to building performance(in the winter), would […]
Read more- Categories: Barndominium, Insulation, Pole Barn Questions, Footings, Pole Barn Homes
- Tags: IECC, Climate Zone, Full Frost Wall, Full Frost Wall Foundation, Insulation Requirements, Splash Plank, R-10 Insulation, Concrete Foundation Wall, Insulating Piers, ICC, Pressure Preservative Splash Plank
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