A client from Florida and I have been discussing wind speeds. The data we show in our system for his county was for the design wind speed to be 120 mph. Now where do we get our data? In many cases, direct from Building Departments. In other cases, we use the wind speed maps published […]

The goal of post frame (pole building) construction is to be able to get the most building, for the dollars invested. When a general contractor is hired to provide a constructed building, normally about 25% of the cost is going to the general contractor, who never lifts a tool or picks up a board at […]

During the first year Hansen Buildings was providing pole building kit packages, we provided the building plans and materials for a significantly large horse riding arena in western Washington. One evening, the builder called (I could be mistaken and hate to make assumptions, but I believe he may have been significantly lubricated when he dialed) […]

This is a popular question posed not only by many potential building owners who are considering doing the work themselves, but also by contractors who are considering erecting a building for others. Before the question of construction time can be addressed, let’s eliminate the one crucial variable – the dirt. The amount of time it […]

Winter before last, a large Midwest post frame building construction company invited us to visit their offices. This was an opportunity too good to pass up, especially as one of their offerings (at the time) was a precut DIY pole building kit package. Having spent three decades involved in the design and sales of over […]

 Yesterday’s blog featured a discussion of the various foam board products with application for your new pole building.  Used correctly, they provide good thermal resistance. Applied incorrectly can create a huge structural problem with pole buildings, along with safety issues. Protect all types of foam  insulation from direct sunlight. Over time, the sun’s ultraviolet rays […]

Foam boards—rigid insulation boards—can be used to insulate almost any part of your pole barn, from the roof down to the foundation. They provide good thermal resistance. Foam board insulation sheathing reduces heat conduction through structural elements, such as wood wall girts and roof purlins. There are some who would feel the best application of […]

One of my favorites is when new clients want to climate control their building and also choose to use sliding barn doors. If you are unfamiliar with sliding doors, they are typically made from 1-1/2” thick steel or aluminum members which are screwed together at joints and then sheathed with steel siding. The doors are […]

A reflective radiant barrier inhibits heat transfer by thermal radiation. It does not necessarily protect against heat transfer by conduction or convection.  Why do you need to know about reflective radiant barriers?  It could mean thousands of dollars saved over the years for heating/cooling, in what you choose for not only roofing materials, but more […]

When I first entered the post frame industry over three decades ago, most pole buildings were barns. Having a climate controlled building  (heating and cooling) was rarely a consideration. Modern pole buildings, serve a plethora of purposes from homes to offices, retail space to churches and everything in between. HVAC (heating, ventilating and air condition) […]

Bonus Points Steep roof slopes on many homes of the past decade have brought about a resurgence in designing for a bonus room. With a steep enough roof slope, a “room” can be created in the middle of the attic.  The height must be tall enough to be able to make the minimum ceiling height […]

Strive for a higher standing in life? For many people the way to stand taller is to include a loft in their new building. What exactly is a loft? It is a building upper story or floor directly under the roof. In many cases it is roughly synonymous with “attic”, however an attic typically constitutes […]

If you had a chance to think over the weekend of why we don’t check Design Criteria for you (see Friday’s Blog), the obvious reason would be “we just don’t know where your building site is”.  This is the “down and dirty” answer. Ultimately the more specific question clients ask me is, “will you pull […]

Last October Mr. W of Park County Colorado ordered a new pole building kit package from Hansen Buildings. Just like every quotation or Invoice we prepare, it lists specifically the “Design Criteria” for his specific building.   Included in this were: The Building Code and edition (every three years a new edition of the code […]

I recently posted a blog entitled, “Why a Materials List is Usually Not a Good Thing”. One of the senior Building Designers at Hansen Buildings, Jim, wrote to me this response: “Love this Blog, but you must do a follow up…cover the language “as needed” on the HPB quote and what that means in the […]

Back in the day (ok I will date myself – 1984), I was what I pleasantly referred to as a slum lord. While far from actually being a slum, I owned a four-plex in a nice neighborhood in Salem, Oregon. While out of state on a much needed vacation, I received a call from my […]

For those of you who are not Building Officials, stop laughing, I am serious. Building Officials have a job – to protect those who use structures (which include buildings). In Chapter 1 of the IBC (International Building Code), under Purpose of the code, it states, “This code is intended to provide minimum requirements to safeguard […]

Yesterday I talked a bit about wood species, and hinted a more pertinent issue than which species lumber is used on a building, is that wood used should be kiln dried. For both technical and performance reasons, drying or seasoning wood is required when making glued wood products such as laminated beams, plywood, particleboard, furniture […]

In the United States, there are four prevailing species of timber which is used for framing lumber. Douglas Fir-Larch – which includes Douglas Fir and Western Larch (Tamarack). Prevalent along the West Coast, it is also known as Oregon Pine or Red Fir. Hem-Fir – another western lumber species group which includes California Red Fir, […]

I’m a member of several discussion groups on LinkedIn. One of them involves lumber dealers and one of the other group members posed the question, “What do other dealers do when a customer demands a detailed quote, then price-shops the quote to competing lumber dealers?” The best response I read was from Pat Smith, “I […]

As I said yesterday, in life, most everything is given some type classification whether it’s objective, such as motor vehicle operators’ licenses (automobile, commercial, motorcycle, etc.), or subjective, such as social status (wealthy, middle class, poor). Then there are those who are in “a class all by themselves.” My wife seems to think I fit […]

In life, most everything is given some type classification whether it’s objective, such as motor vehicle operators’ licenses (automobile, commercial, motorcycle, etc.), or subjective, such as social status (wealthy, middle class, poor). Then there are those who are in “a class all by themselves.” Buildings, like much of everything else, are classified, as well. There […]

One thing we have always done at Hansen Buildings, is to guarantee we have the best price, every day on any complete building kit package with equal or better features. We don’t sell materials; we provide complete buildings – all the pieces necessary to construct the building, per our plans, unless otherwise noted. Pretty straight […]

In order to follow the deflection criteria of the International Building Codes, other than for fairly small wall column spacings with low wind speeds, pole building wall girts need to be installed in a “bookshelf” fashion. What even is “deflection criteria”? Dictionary.com defines deflection as, “the deviation of the indicator of an instrument from the position taken as zero.” In layperson’s terms, when […]

Just over nine months ago, I embarked upon what has turned out to be a fascinating journey – writing this blog. Originally I thought 100 or maybe 150 posts down the pike, I’d be entirely out of subjects to write about. Seriously – how is it anyone can find so much to write about pole […]