This Wednesday the Pole Barn Guru answers reader questions about the recommendation of a pole barn home in Southern Florida, what type of custom plans Hansen Buildings provides, and pole barns in the great state of Texas. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Hi, are Pole Barn Homes recommended in Southern Florida? It’s hot. If so, I […]

Solar Inverter Sizing for Pole Buildings: A Guide to Optimal Energy Efficiency Imagine you’ve just set up solar panels on your new pole building and are excited to start using solar energy. To make sure you get the most out of your new system, choosing the right solar inverter and solar inverter charger is important. […]

Garage Door Maintenance The garage door is designed to last for years, but routine maintenance is required from time to time to catch minor issues before they develop into a larger problem that could result in a costly repair or even complete replacement of the garage door. In particular the moving parts such as the […]

This Wednesday the Pole Barn Guru answers reader questions about the design of a small living space with everything together in one room, whether or not one can use existing posts that are still standing in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, and a reader asks why we don’t post prices of past projects on our […]

Comfort for Northern Climate Intermittently Heated Shop Reader DAVID in WRENSHALL writes: “Hi There, I’m thinking about building a shop on my property. I’m in the research phase. I plan to heat the shop intermittently in the winter when i have projects to work on, but I probably won’t be in there long enough to […]

Concrete Slab Larger in Footprint Than Building Reader JAMES in SOUTHWICK writes: “I built my floor wider than the building. A mistake I know! So now I was going to screw a piece of PVC into the bottom of my bottom girt to rest on floor. Then I was going to silicon around PVC to […]

This Wednesday the Pole Barn Guru answers reader questions about the location of ceiling ties for roof tension, if a person needs to double columns when switching building heights, and a clarification about the dimensions of commercial girts to building columns when used for finishing the interior walls. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Hi. I just […]

Tyvek Under Roof Steel? Reader BRANDON in MIDDLEBOROUGH writes: “Greetings I’m writing to discuss the best practice for what to place under a metal roof. I am building a post frame, for shop use and will eventually be insulted. I had initially intended to install a WRB, like Tyvek, under the sheet metal roof. My […]

Old Fiberglass Skylights Reader JEAN in HARRISON writes: “My Wayne pole building built 80’s the skylights are full of hole. Wayne is no longer in business and can’t find the pattern of ridges to match now by beams are showing water damage.” Oh joys of old fiberglass skylights – sadly not. Skylights in steel roofs […]

This Wednesday the Pole Barn Guru answers reader questions about the pitfalls of trying to build a stand alone building within a steel building, drip stop use in high dust environments, and the replacement of two sliding doors in Lester Prairie. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Good evening, I’m at my wits end. We have had […]

Adding a Lean-to aka Side Shed Reader PATRICK in REDMOND writes: “I have an existing pole barn that was built in 1999 that I would like to add a lean-to onto. I read your previous blogs about verifying the footing that supports the existing poles – but how do you verify that? Is there a […]

What Real Life Technical Support Sounds Like Many of us have had situations where we needed to contact a company we have purchased a product from for some technical assistance. I know when I have done so, every once in a while I am thankfully surprised to have the person I am dealing with actually […]

This Wednesday the Pole Barn Guru answers reader questions about use of which fasteners are best to use in to ACQ treated columns, the need for a vapor barrier in Washington State, and Hansen Buildings in North Carolina. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Potential new customer here. Doing a small job on my own right now. […]

Interpreting the Mark on Pressure Preservative Treated Lumber Pressure preservative treated lumber is a mystery to most consumers, builders and even building officials. Certainly all of the above parties understand the need for pressure preservative treated lumber when it is embedded in or in contact with the ground or concrete, or in locations where there […]

There is nothing much more frustrating than a leaking brand new steel roof. In my humble opinion, most (if not all) steel roof leaks caused by errant screws could be avoided by simply following instructions and pre-drilling roof panels. Loyal reader MONTE in FRANKTOWN writes: “I’m asking for your opinion on the need for a […]

This Wednesday the Pole Barn Guru answers reader questions about use of one’s own posts, metal vs wood trusses, and cost of trusses, sealer for slab thermal movement, and what the proper name of a garage, storage, and living quarters would be. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: The barn is to be built in 78594. 60x40x15 […]

Trusses – Steel or Wood? Reader JOE in ELLIJAY writes: “Is it more cost effective to use steel trusses vs. wood and what are the pros and cons to each?” As far as cost – because we manufacture wood trusses in our plant and ship them with your lumber, they are more cost effective than […]

Treated Wood Industry Looks to Toughen Standards Prior to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) dipping its nose into the pressure preservative treating chemical industry in 2002, buying treated wood was pretty darn easy. Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA) was the treatment of choice for most everything. CCA was so much cleaner to work with than its […]

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Where can I find barn doors, sliding steel style? They have no internet presence, or else there is a secret name for them. Thank you! BONNY in FRANKFORT DEAR BONNY: If you are in search of a steel covered, metal framed sliding door (which is what the huge majority of sliding […]

Condensation on Inside of New Vinyl Windows Is it a bad sign if you notice condensation forms on your new vinyl windows inside? is condensation on windows bad? It isn’t a bad sign if you notice water collecting on window’s inside. But, there are a few things you can do to minimize window condensation and […]

A New Spin on Truss Raising Winch Boxes Long time readers will recall previous articles on a miracle for raising entire bays of roof trusses, safely and on a budget: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2019/10/winch-boxes-a-post-frame-miracle/ https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2019/11/winch-boxes-episode-v/ Hansen Pole Buildings DIYer Lee Zook, came up with his own spin on winch boxes, allowing him to crank truss bays into place […]

This Wednesday The Pole Barn Guru answers reader questions about extending an existing 60′ long pole building by twelve feet, the best way to insulate outside walls to prevent sweating, and the reasoning behind setting purlins flush with the top of the truss top chords. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I have an existing 40 x […]

Can Trees Cause Uneven Floors in My Post Frame Building? Tree roots can extend to soil beneath your post frame building and cause shifting leading to uneven flooring. A tree is far larger than what you can see. There is an entire extensive root system below grade, one extending for yards. Though roots are out […]

Sloppy Construction or a Structural Integrity Issue? Reader BRISHA in EARLY BRANCH writes: “This is a barndo that will be our home. Is it acceptable to have metal trusses not come completely together (see pic)? Also, multiple (MANY) screws in the wood that trusses connected to are in at an angle? Is this just sloppy […]

Today’s Pole Barn Guru answers reader questions about inclusions of a Hansen Building Kit, some guidance with the renovation of an old barn, and how many sq inches of NFVA do foam enclosures have? DEAR POLE BARN GURU: What does it include? Just the shell or interior also? ASHLEY in MONROE DEAR ASHLEY: We typically […]