When it comes to barns, horse owners know exactly what they want. However what they want, and what will best meet the needs of the horses and the pocketbook, are often not the same. In over three decades, I had literally thousands of requests for horse barns with living quarters incorporated. These pose a myriad […]

For pole building owners in high wind or hurricane areas, there are some tips which can be taken advantage of to reduce or minimize potential damage in the event of a catastrophic wind. Hurricane protection is something to think about when the wind is not blowing. Does the building have windows? If so, then an […]

Tap…tap…tap…OUCH! Growing up as the son (and nephew) of six framing contractor brothers, I drove probably a few more nails by hand than the average teenager. My Dad was big on any technological improvements which allowed for more efficient use of time. As such, we were probably one of the first framing companies to use […]

Here are the top three reasons – Money, Availability, and Recycling/Reusing. Trying to save a few bucks on your pole barn and don’t care about longevity or ease of use, then used utility poles may be the answer. Most people, who are going to invest an average of $50,000 into a new building, prefer to […]

As Holidays are for family – today I am spending it with….my lovely bride in Ecuador! Sometimes you just gotta get away – and relax!  As is my habit, I take holidays “off” from writing, so today is a “rerun” of a blog…usually one which had a high readership.  This one had over 10,000- so […]

If I had a dime for every time, over the last three plus decades, I have had a potential client even bring up using old telephone (utility) poles for constructing a new pole barn, I would be retired and sitting on the beach in Ecuador now! Pole buildings are designed with the thought of being […]

I first became involved in the post frame (pole) building industry over three decades ago, in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. At the time, many of the region’s pole barn builders were buying the lumber for the pole buildings they were selling to consumers from Withers Lumber in Brooks, Oregon. The “special” thing about this […]

The post-frame construction market has the potential to grow to $8.9 billion by 2016, up from $6.4 billion in 2011, finds a new report by FMI Corporation, a management consulting firm in Raleigh, NC. The report predicts the residential/suburban and light-commercial markets will be the fastest growing segments of the post-frame market in the next […]

More buildings fail due to high winds, than high snows. To assist in avoiding new buildings meeting a similar fate as the straw house in “The Three Little Pigs”, the Applied Technology Council (ATC) offers a free web-based tool which finds location-specific wind speed using the GPS coordinate system. This utility interpolates wind speeds to […]

When Judy, the principal owner of Hansen Buildings, purchased the 20 plus year old 10,000 square foot pole building used as a shipping warehouse for Hansen Pole Buildings, little did she know it came along with a hidden “gift”. The previous owner had let his dogs run loose in the building, and the dogs did […]

Halloween has passed, but the horrors still lurk everywhere.  This is one of those Paul Harvey type tales which has “….and the rest of the story…”. One of our clients is going to be constructing a new Hansen Pole Buildings kit. His hurdle – his local HOA (Homeowners Association). Even though it added significantly to […]

When the temperature and humidity conditions reach the dew point, moisture can condense on the underside of steel roofing. This condensation has the potential to cause water damage and other problems inside of pole buildings. Some of the Hansen Pole Buildings steel suppliers are now offering an internationally patented CCM (Condensation Control Membrane) which can […]

Over the past three decades, house wrap has become a staple feature on millions of buildings. Wrapping a wood framed building in a protective envelope is a good building practice which helps combat a building’s worst enemies: water, moisture and air infiltration. House wrap behind a building’s siding is an excellent secondary defense against the […]

I know people whose only idea of glazing comes in a box of Krispy Kremes. For others, it is how their eyes felt when the “last round” was called for. In this article – I want to talk about glazing, as in windows. More specifically, about the need for tempered glass. There are lots of […]

Two months ago, we delivered a pole building kit package to one of our clients in…let’s just say “one of the fifty” U.S. States.  Could have happened from any one of them. One of our requirements is for our clients to inventory all materials and report any shortage or damage within 48 hours of receipt. […]

Rachel, one of the Hansen Pole Buildings Designers recently took a call from a client who was disappointed because we did not provide the concrete for their new pole building kit package. Most people are familiar with Sakcrete® readi-mix concrete. There is probably not a lumberyard in America which does not have it available for […]

Client calls into our office at the end of the day Friday and talks with Sheila. He tells her his Building Official will only accept his new pole building construction with holes 48 inches deep, with a six inch thick concrete cookie in the bottom of the hole, and no concrete backfill around the columns. […]

All Steel Buildings: Non-expandable Bearing Frames I learn at least one new thing every day. Seemingly whether I try to or not, which makes it ever so much more interesting. I’ve deduced this – when I stop learning, I am dead. This morning, Eric (one of the owners of Hansen Pole Buildings), asked me, “non-expandable […]

The following includes a compilation of stories from numerous news sources. Bear with me as I share this accounting, which will come to a point by the end…of my story. Hang in here…it’s longer than usual, but well worth the read. An Oregon fugitive was arrested north of Valley City, North Dakota early morning Wednesday, […]

One of the Hansen Buildings team members happens to have more than some expertise in the lumber industry. Recently, he had a client ask him about T1-11 as siding, and he shared his response with me. What he wrote was so well done, I felt compelled to share it. Here it is: “I will share […]

Not near as exciting as 867-5309, but this one Section of the International Building Code (IBC) is one of the most important and least understood sections. The American Wood Preservers Association (AWPA) addresses in, Section UC4 wood, which is pressure preservative treated for “Ground Contact”. The “UC” is short for “Use Class”. UC4A is for […]

When I built my first few pole buildings, over three decades ago, I was smart – I was the layout man and the other two men on my crew were the ones who got to use the dreaded “two man killer”. I have to admit, the “killer” was a huge improvement over using a two-handled […]

Or how to keep the undead minions at bay…..and yes, Halloween is upon us… Prepared for a zombie apocalypse? Sure it sounds silly, but even the US Center For Disease Control (CDC) now has a page devoted to preparing for a zombie apocalypse https://www.bt.cdc.gov/socialmedia/zombies_Blog.asp  The CDC’s page mainly covers items one should have on hand […]

Our company prides itself on only offering the highest quality products and services to our potential clients. Because of this, our pole building prices are usually inherently higher than the “chuck in the truck” competition. The only way to get around this is to emphasize the quality of the product, and that we work to […]

Information provided by KTVU in Sacramento, CA has been incorporated in this post. Online retailer Amazon.com has tried to become all things to all consumers, but in California, it has taken on a role it has fought against for years as tax collector. The change, which took effect in mid-September 2012, comes after years of […]