Architects, engineers and contractors can select from a plethora of building materials which often incorporate new technology and manufacturing processes. Some of these materials are formulated from substances only barely understood by scientists and chemical engineers. It was not always so. Life used to be much simpler for engineers and building code officials, back when […]

Just in time delivery made Toyota Motors famous two decades ago. The basic premise is to have materials delivered as close to the time needed for assembly. These practices allowed Toyota to more efficiently manage inventories and the costs associated with them. By streamlining processes, they were able to get more work done more efficiently, […]

Coming from a background in the prefabricated roof truss industry, knee braces have always bothered me. What is a knee brace?  I’m not talking about the type you wear for a dislocated or arthritic knee joint. A knee brace is an inclined diagonal lumber member connecting to and extending from the sidewall columns, usually several […]

Can you really build your own pole building? In short – of course you can! For those who will look at the plans and read the directions, you will build a far better building than hiring it done. Why?  ‘Cause you will follow the instructions and take the time and care with your building! As […]

Build your own garage, shop or barn in this economy?  With unemployment remaining in the nine percent range and the economy sputtering along, the last few years have been less than perfect.  Real estate has continued on an ugly path with no end in sight.  There couldn’t have been any Americans crazy enough to act […]

Three decades ago, when I was a newbie in the pole building industry, I was working in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. One of the local roll formers was selling steel roofing and siding as 26 gauge or (as they called it) .018E. To begin with, what is a steel roll former? The process of […]

As we near the end of 2011, I’ve been browsing various websites from the pole building industry. When I first entered the post frame business in 1980, nearly everyone was attaching steel roofing and siding to purlins and girts using ring shank nails with waffle heads, with rubber washers. It only took a couple of […]

As a youngster, I heard stories about my parents doing road races in my Dad’s Jaguar. I’d seen photos of the two of them and as a result, having a Jaguar of my own became a goal. Early in 1988, I had determined it was time for a new car. I was living in the […]

The International Building Code (IBC) is the primary non-residential United States model building code. Although the code covers all buildings, and has been adopted to varying degrees in all 50 states, most agricultural buildings are not designed in accordance with its provisions. This is because most state and local governments which adopt the IBC exempt […]

As I said yesterday, a properly engineered building is a fully engineered building.  Either it is engineered, or it is not.  I have been appalled to hear what clients feel are reputable companies tell me they sell buildings at a much lesser price if the client does not require sealed plans.  My question to them […]

Some or all of a building collapses in a wind or snow storm. Upon examination, it is determined the building had several major weaknesses due to lacking engineering. The building owner is frustrated and angry as he truly believed he had purchased a properly engineered building. A properly engineered building, in the average client’s mind, […]

Seeing as it’s Friday, I’ll give you a “shorty” today.  At the beginning of this year my bride and I visited a horse barn facility in Florida we sold fall of 2010.  This was a huge building and although our programs calculate just over a 5% overage cushion for screws, we really went heavy on […]

It’s not even December and I’m already tired of pushing/shoveling snow.  But strangely, there is something about the wintertime which is somewhat comforting.  My wife and I live by a lake in the mountains where most folks around us retreat to the city when the snow flies.  Like relatives, we happily welcome our summertime friends […]

Farmers who are considering building a new barn or storage shed on their property in 2012 can take advantage of a tax relief benefit which can translate into significant savings. For 2012, new agricultural buildings such as pole barns, equipment sheds, hay storage, and livestock facilities are eligible for “bonus depreciation” of up to 50 […]

As long as we are on the subject of designing for horses (see yesterday’s blog), we should give a little attention to something which seems “not that big of a deal”, but it really is…size of your horse aisleway. If you start looking on the internet, you will find suggestions for an 8’ aisleway, to […]

My 21 year old daughter Bailey is a professional horse trainer. She works at a riding facility in Aumsville, Oregon – near Salem. Now Dad is pretty proud of her, as she has competed with the best in Tennessee and one of her horses was a national grand champion. The road to her dream occupation […]

My lovely bride and I have been putting away money so we can finish our new home – cabinets, trims and floor coverings and we’ve got it made. Now we have been saving for what, five years? At this rate, I will be dead for about forty years before I’ll have saved enough to enjoy […]

Here is an easy home activity, which will give you an idea of how buildings work. Find a discarded shoe box; remove the top and any contents. Now turn upside down on a countertop. With one hand, push gently downward on the inverted box, enough so as to limit the ability of the sides to […]

Today’s blog is a true story continuation from yesterday – so if you missed it, go back and catch up. The location is masked so as to avoid any possible retribution against the clients who were just trying to do things right. Dealing with your Planning Department can be a hurdle to overcome before you […]

Just Saying No: A Planning Department Horror Story The location is masked so as to avoid any possible retribution against the clients who were just trying to do things right. Thankfully this is not how things usually go, but the Planning Department can be a hurdle to overcome before you even consider starting in on […]

I read a fair number of blogs relating to the construction industry. Recently one of them was talking about the proposed removal of an 80 year-old pine tree leaning precariously over their house. This resulted in a call to an arborist (on a sidebar, I have near my home a business “The Affordable Arborists”, which […]

Like many suppliers of pole buildings kits, whether “standard” or completely “custom” kits, such as ours, I’m sure I am barking up a familiar tree.  What does building materials inventory involve?  Let me tell you about one of my most frustrating stories first. The one which first comes to mind, in talking about inventory, is […]

As noted yesterday, damaged trusses warrant a repair design by a professional…a licensed engineer.  This is not something for “guesswork” or scabbing on a bunch of lumber.  First the forces of where damage occurred need to be analyzed, and then only an engineer with solid experience in repairing damages should be engaged to elicit the […]

Metal plate connected (MPC) wood trusses are found in nearly all types of pole building construction as well as both residential and small commercial projects. While the growth of the structural building component industry has been excellent over the years, it is not without some growing pains. As the use of trusses has increased, so […]

As I said yesterday, between 1952 and 2001, more trees grew, more trees died, and more were harvested.  Why? Forest density has a huge role in tree morbidity.  Forest restoration begins with sound ecologic management practices. I have a home in the state of Washington, and in fact, live a good share of the year […]