Are the Poles Close Enough?
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 09/08/2014
Welcome to Ask the Pole Barn Guru – where you can ask questions about building topics, with answers posted on Mondays. With many questions to answer, please be patient to watch for yours to come up on a future Monday segment. If you want a quick answer, please be sure to answer with a “reply-able” […]
Read moreSilverwood Pole Buildings
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 09/05/2014
This article by Brian Walker appeared on CDAPress.com Tuesday August 26: “The cause of Sunday’s fire, which destroyed a restroom and changing area at the Boulder Beach water park at Silverwood Theme Park, remained under investigation on Monday. “We don’t know how it started yet,” said Mark Robitaille, Silverwood spokesman. Robitaille said it appears the […]
Read more- Categories: Pole Barn Planning, Rebuilding Structures
- Tags: Pole Barn Uses, Amusement Park Pole Buildings, Parks
- No comments
Cut Ends of Pressure Treated Lumber
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 09/04/2014
What to do about Cut Ends of Pressure Treated Lumber? One of my sons works for an auto parts store. He seriously enjoys his job. However he has some misgivings about portions of it. Raises and promotions are based, in part, upon how much extra stuff (with high profit margins) the staff is able to […]
Read more- Categories: Lumber
- Tags: Copper Green, Copper Napththenate, Cuprinol, Light Bulb Grease
- No comments
Pole Building Trusses
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 09/03/2014
Pole Building Roof System – Dressed Up!! For years I sat in church on Sunday mornings with my children and admired the magnificent trusses which supported the roof. Built from glulams with the joints connected with bolted steel brackets – they were nothing short of fabulous. To me (coming from a background of construction and […]
Read more- Categories: Pole Barn Structure, Trusses
- Tags: Trusses, Man Cave, Glu-laminated Columns, Glulams, Scissor Trusses
- No comments
Open Web Wood Floor Trusses
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 09/02/2014
Most of us don’t think too much about the floors we walk upon – unless they are not level, squeak when we walk on them, or are too bouncy. Traditionally wood floors have been framed with dimensional lumber (2×6, 2×8, etc.), usually spaced 16 inches on center. Often floor joist span limitations are not based […]
Read more- Categories: Trusses
- Tags: Truss Design, Floor Truss Types, Open Web Floor Trusses
- 8 comments
Dear Guru: Altering Roof Trusses
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 09/01/2014
DEAR POLE BARN GURU:Currently constructing building and the roof trusses are not built according to engineered plans. Plans call for 2*10 and these trusses are 2*6. Builder has purchased additional materials to reinforce the trusses. Now the steel is going up today and found that the 2 11’10” clay endwall pieces are missing. Builder also […]
Read morePole Building Construction Errors
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/29/2014
What’s Wrong With This Picture? When I was a kid, my mom would buy us educational geared books which had various puzzles in them, designed to challenge our minds. One of my favorites was the one where two drawings are shown which are nearly identical, and it is up to the reader to spot the […]
Read moreSnipe Hunting
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/28/2014
In yesterday’s article, I made reference to one of the most beloved tool at any lumber yard – the green handled board stretcher. And then – I gave no details about it! A cliffhanger indeed! Before we get into the green handled board stretcher, a few words about a North American rite of passage: In […]
Read more- Categories: About The Pole Barn Guru
- Tags: Truss Plant, Board, Green Handled Board Stretcher, Lumberyard
- 3 comments
PET Lumber
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/27/2014
A Builder’s PET The stereotypical builder appears to be characterized as driving a four-wheel-drive extended cab pickup (of course jacked up so a ladder is required to get in), having a jobsite stereo system which can be heard for miles with the sound turned to only 30%, and of course – the ever faithful pet, […]
Read more- Categories: Lumber
- Tags: Studs, Wall Studs, Pole Building, Pole Barn, Precision End Trimmed Lumber, Square Lumber
- No comments
WalkThru Garage Door
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/26/2014
More “True Confessions” from the Pole Barn Guru….. I’ve not only never installed one of these and never sold one – I’ve also never seen one in real life! I have not one, but TWO detached pole building garages at our house. One is two car, the other three. Each of them has an entry […]
Read more- Categories: Pole Building Doors
- Tags: Garage Doors, Pole Building Doors, Entry Door, Walk Through Garage Doors
- 2 comments
Dear Guru: Trusses at 12′ Work?
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/25/2014
Welcome to Ask the Pole Barn Guru – where you can ask questions about building topics, with answers posted on Mondays. With many questions to answer, please be patient to watch for yours to come up on a future Monday segment. If you want a quick answer, please be sure to answer with a “reply-able” […]
Read more- Categories: Pole Barn Questions, Trusses
- Tags: Trusses At 4', Truss Spacing, Trusses At 2'
- No comments
Fire Your Building Contractor
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/22/2014
One of our clients has been speaking with Hansen Pole Buildings’ Designer Rick about a new post frame building. Rick related to me this from the client: “Talked to a client Saturday that is going to walk away from the $1,900.00 he put down to get plans from this guy, for a lot of reasons.” […]
Read more- Categories: Building Contractor
- Tags: Building Contractor, Pole Building Contractor, Builder
- No comments
Egress Windows
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/21/2014
Dedicated readers will remember my oldest step-son, Jake. Although he is a high school physics/biology/chemistry teacher by vocation – he seems to have a bit of the “builder gene” in him. For those who missed out on some of prior adventures – they begin here: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/blog/2012/07/construction-time-2/ Jake’s dad is a successful farmer in South Dakota. […]
Read more- Categories: Windows
- Tags: Window Code Requirements, Window Requirements, Building Egress, Egress Windows, Fire Egress
- No comments
Concrete & Rain in My New Pole Building
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/20/2014
This is a story which is heard all too frequently. And it always revolves around clients having just poured the concrete slabs in their new buildings. Even more so when the building has a low perm rated vapor retarder under the concrete. Vapor retarders do exactly as their name implies, they retard the movement of […]
Read more- Categories: Insulation, Concrete
- Tags: Pole Building Ventilation, Pole Building, Vapor Barrier, Raining In A Building, Wet Concrete
- No comments
Installing Eave Lights
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/19/2014
Tips for Installing Eave Light Panels For those who are not insulating the sidewalls of their pole buildings and are looking for a low cost alternative to windows for getting daylighting into their buildings – polycarbonate eave lights might very well be the answer. I’ve written about them in the past (see: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/blog/2011/09/polycarbonate-eavelights-light-up-my-life/), so I […]
Read moreHow to Save Money on Pole Building Kits?
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/18/2014
Welcome to Ask the Pole Barn Guru – where you can ask questions about building topics, with answers posted on Mondays. With many questions to answer, please be patient to watch for yours to come up on a future Monday or Saturday segment. If you want a quick answer, please be sure to answer with […]
Read more- Categories: Concrete, Concrete Cookie, Budget, Columns, Pole Barn Questions
- Tags: Pole Building Kit Packages, Perma-column, Sturdiwall
- No comments
Most Read Pole Building Blogs
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/15/2014
A Baker’s Dozen – The Most Read Articles of 2013 Sometimes, in order to know where to go, it is helpful to see where we’ve been. These are the most read blogs from 2013. #13 Board and Batten Siding https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/blog/2013/03/board-and-batten-siding/ While popular, board and batten siding should be installed considering shear values. Advice on installing […]
Read moreLumber Bending Stress
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/14/2014
The Big Stick is Better than the Little Stick – Right? Those of you who are regular readers know I am fascinated by all things magical. I don’t know how they do it, but I will watch a good magician over and over. When I was in architecture school at the University of Idaho – […]
Read more- Categories: Lumber
- Tags: Bending Lumber, Bending Wood, Fiberstress, Lumber Bending Stress, Posts & Timbers
- 4 comments
Incising Lumber
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/13/2014
Incising My former wife (mother of my two youngest children – Allison and Brent), was by training an RDH (Registered Dental Hygienist). In order to keep her registration current, she had to obtain CEUs (Continuing Education Credits). One way to generate CEUs was to attend the annual state dental convention. One year I went along […]
Read more- Categories: Lumber
- Tags: Treated Lumber, Lumber Treatment, AWPA, Chemical Treatment Of Lumber, Incising Lumber, Incising Wood
- 2 comments
My VersaTube Pole Building Collapsed!
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/12/2014
I’ve previously expressed concerns about light gauge “carport” type buildings (read more at: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/blog/2013/05/carports/). (My advance apologies for the misleading title, it was used by the complainee below – VersaTube® buildings are NOT pole buildings!!) Whilst doing some ‘net surfing, I recently came across this posting at www.pissedcustomer.com: “I purchased a metal frame building from […]
Read moreDear Guru: How Do I Cut into a Truss?
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/11/2014
Welcome to Ask the Pole Barn Guru – where you can ask questions about building topics, with answers posted on Mondays. With many questions to answer, please be patient to watch for yours to come up on a future Monday or Saturday segment. If you want a quick answer, please be sure to answer with […]
Read more- Categories: Pole Barn Questions, Trusses
- Tags: Truss Repair, Fixing Trusses, Roof Only Pole Barn, Cutting Trusses, Pavilion, Roof Only Pole Building
- No comments
Pole Barn Communication
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/08/2014
My lovely bride and I have been married for heading on 15 years. To some, this may seem like a lot, to my grandparents and great-grandparents (who were together for 50 years and more) – hardly a drop in the bucket. In most relationships, success (or lack thereof) is created by communication. Lots of clear, […]
Read morePole Building Technical Support
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/07/2014
“With a Little Help from My Friends” was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and released on the Beatles album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967. It was written for and sung by the Beatles’ drummer Ringo Starr as the character “Billy Spears”. Several years ago, we provided pole building kit packages […]
Read more- Categories: Uncategorized
- Tags: Technical Support, 84 Lumber, Construction Advice, Pole Barn Technical Assistance
- 2 comments
Footings & Dirt
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/06/2014
As regular readers know, I’m not a firm believer in the use of precast concrete cookies for footing pads for many reasons. (for further spirited reading on this very subject: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/blog/2012/08/hurl-yourconcrete-cookies/) It turns out there are “some” pole building providers who make cookies work on paper, by using an assumed presumptive load-bearing value for the […]
Read more- Categories: Footings
- Tags: Concrete Cookies, Load-bearing, Soil Load Bearing
- 4 comments
Indoor Archery Ranges
Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/05/2014
Yes – my readers appear to love my ‘true confessions’ and are kind enough to not overly poke fun at me. Today’s first confession, I happen to not hunt. I believe it was due to the trauma of hunting with my Dad when I was just old enough to be have been potty trained (Dad […]
Read more