An Architect’s Guide to Drawing Your Own Barndominium Plans Architect David Ludwig (www.LudwigDesign.com) has over 50 years of construction and design experience. A frequent contributor to assisting those interested in barndominiums, but without knowledge to create their own plans, David has offered his sage advice: 1. Draw to scale. Use 1/4” graph paper. Make each […]

Adding to a Floating Slab Building Most buildings need foundations to transfer the structure’s weight as well as roof and floor loads into the ground. Small sheds and backyard structures like gazebos and pergolas may not need elaborate foundations because they are so light. But, for any building over about 150 square feet, a strong […]

Do You Own the Land Your Barndominium Will Be Built On? Barndominiums, shouses and post frame homes are not only a current rage, they may be America’s future home of choice. Pinterest has literally hundreds of photos of barndominiums. DIY network’s “Texas Flip-n-Move” feature a rusty old barn made into a beautiful home in Episode […]

In a misguided effort to make things “easier” for potential building owners and builders, some Building Departments have prescriptive requirements for non-engineered pole buildings. This means if someone walks in their Building Department’s door and wants to construct a post frame building, as long as the building owner (or builder) agrees to build to match […]

Load Duration Factor in Wood Design Considering a barndominium, shouse or other post frame (pole) building with wood framing? While this article is somewhat technical, you (as a future building owner) can use it to determine if who (builder or supplier) really knows what they are talking about when it comes to structural design. And […]

A Post Frame House Photo – and More Post frame buildings are amazing, after four decades in this industry I am still amazed at what can be accomplished with them. We are just now barely scuffing surfaces of a burgeoning residential housing market! I will begin with a disclaimer, this is not a Hansen Pole […]

Fire Separation Requirements for Barndominiums and Shouses Loyal reader CHUCK in MERINO timed asking this question perfectly, as fire separation requirements for barndominiums, shouses and post frame houses had just made it to my list of subjects to research and comment upon. Chuck writes: “I was wondering if you could pen your interpretation of the […]

This Monday the Pole Barn Guru answers questions about the required height of an overhead door opening for an Airstream Trailer, options for a boat storage barn, and plans for a previous project transferred without consent of EOR. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Airstream trailer – 2020 Globetrotter https://www.usadventurerv.com/product/new-2020-airstream-rv-globetrotter-23fb-954672-29 Width – 8 ft Height – 9 […]

A price quote is merely a number without a complete understanding of exactly what is or is not included in said quote. You have requested quotes for your new post frame building from a dozen or more providers and actually gotten four back, even after having to hound all of them for pricing! Frustrating when […]

Building Codes Apply to Shouses Recently I shared with you, my faithful readers, a Park Rapids Enterprise article penned by Lorie R. Skarpness as Nevis, Minnesota attempts to deal with a shouse. https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2019/12/a-shouse-in-the-news/ Below is Lorie’s update from January 18, 2020: “The discussion of a proposed shouse (a word that means a shop with living […]

Actual Brick Considerations for Barndominium Wainscot With post frame buildings becoming a ‘rage’ for use as homes, barndominiums and shouse (shop/houses) alternatives to dress them up are quickly arising. Amongst these options are clients looking to have actual brick wainscot, as opposed to using a different color of steel siding, thin brick, or other cultured […]

In most parts of our country (and probably most other developed countries), it will be a necessity to acquire a building permit in order to construct a new barndominium, shouse (shop/house) or post frame home. Easiest way to find out is to contact your local authorities to find out if indeed this is your case. […]

Putting Everything Under One Post Frame Roof I have been an advocate of one larger roof, rather than an enclosed building with a roof only side shed for years. This allows for greater headroom in ‘shed’ area without having to deal with pitch breaks (transition from a steeper slope main roof to a flatter shed […]

Remodel or Build New? I am as guilty as most – my initial reaction is always to remodel, rather than build new. Even when it makes no practical or economic sense. Reader JIM in LAWTON is working through one of these situations. He writes:  “I have a 30 x 40 pole barn 32 years old. […]

Spray Foam for Barndominiums – Is a Thermal or Ignition Barrier Required? Although it’s certainly not used in every green building project, spray foam insulation has become a popular way to build an air-tight (https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2019/11/airtight-post-frame-homes-and-barndominiums/) barndominium, shouse (shop/house) or even just a well-insulated post frame building. Early on building codes hadn’t caught up with how […]

This week the Pole Barn Guru answers questions about ability to “build … without any problems…” permitting, adding wall skirting to an open building, and appropriate frost protection. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Can I build my pole barn in Hernando County without any problems from the county for permitting which is located in Brooksville, Florida? […]

On Facebook I am a member of a discussion group for Pole and Post frame building professionals only. Recently one of our group members posed a question, “What are the extras you do to set yourself apart”? It was only then I realized there are some significant differences between a Hansen Pole Building and other […]

Post frame (pole) buildings are a Code conforming building system. In my humble opinion, jurisdictions can legally restrict a building’s aesthetics, however restrictions upon a proven structural system appear to be a restriction of fair trade. It would be fair for a jurisdiction to prohibit a certain type(s) or even color of building skin (roofing […]

A Contractor for Your Barndominium (Part II) Liquidated Damages For most people, you are financing your barndominium and have logistical issues prior to being able to occupy. Negotiate a hard date for project completion, using a start date based upon Building Permit approval. After this completion date, you will assess builder a monetary penalty for […]

A Contractor for Your Barndominium (Part I) I have done my best to be a member of any barndominium, shouse (shop/house) or post frame house discussion group on Facebook with any sort of activity. If I had a quarter for every post from people looking for a building contractor, I could head to a casino […]

Partially Enclosed Buildings (and Why It Matters) I have previously written how a fully enclosed building could be less of an investment than a three sided building – even though a fourth wall has been added: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2014/03/three-sided-building/ For those of you who neglected to click and read my previous article, consider your building as a […]

Reader JEREMY in STAFFORD SPRINGS is experiencing challenges with unknowledgeable post frame building suppliers. I will share his own words with you: “I am currently attempting to price out for a metal building, post frame or conventional stick built. The dimensions we are looking at is a 40×60 with a 12 foot roof. I am […]

Yet Another Case for Engineered Buildings (The six photos at https://www.hudsonvalley360.com/article/construction-resumes-following-barn-collapse are essential to this story) In case you are wondering why I rail so loudly about building permit agricultural exemptions for buildings, these photos (look at bases of columns) should quell any wonderment. https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2011/12/exempt-agricultural-buildings/ From a September 2, 2019 article by Amanda Purcell at […]

Responsibilities where the Legal Requirements Mandate a Registered Design Professional for Buildings (Section 2.3 of ANSI/TPI 1) MPC is Metal-Plate-Connected; RDP is Registered Design Professional (architect or engineer). “In preparation for specifying MPC wood trusses, every section of Chapter 2 and ANSI/TPI 1-2007 (NOTE: ANSI/TPI 1-2014 retains same language) standard should be carefully studied by […]

In my humble opinion (and in one word) – no. I have opined in past articles as to what Code is applicable to post frame (pole) building construction: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2018/10/what-building-code-applies-to-post-frame-construction/. Recently Louisiana engineer Steve M. Sylvest (www.sylvestengineering.com ) sent an email to Structural Building Components Association addressing challenges with non-engineered structures, particularly residences. Again, I stand […]

I have been pooh-poohed on occasion for my insistence every post frame building (or barndominium) should have an engineer involved. Very few potential building owners understand what it is an engineer does or how they are adding value to a particular project.  To follow, in its entirety, is an article by Jess Lohse, originally published […]

You and your loved ones have decided to take a plunge – building your own barndominium, shouse, or post frame home.  But where? Other than formulating a rough budget for building (https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2019/07/how-much-will-my-barndominium-cost/) your journey is realistically at a standstill until you have acquired a place to build. It is easy to idealize what it’s like […]

Most people building their own post frame post frame home (barndominium or shouse included) need some amount of post frame home construction financing.  (shouse=shop+house) Some important things to keep in mind with construction loans: Obtaining one takes more time and financial investment than a conventional loan (loan on or against an existing building). Lenders require […]

More Thoughts on High Density Polyurethane Foam for Column Backfill Reader STEPHEN contributes a question regarding high density polyurethane foam for column backfill: “Hello, I have this question I would like to pass along to the “pole barn Guru” to be answered, I doubt I will get the answer I need in the time frame, […]

Originally published by: Fine Homebuilding — May 21, 2016 by Mr. Rob Yagid, a former editor at Fine Homebuilding. Excerpted from Mr. Rob Yagid’s article with contributions from ABTG Staff. The following article was produced and published by the source linked to above, who is solely responsible for its content. The Pole Barn Guru™ is publishing this story to raise awareness […]

Today’s PBG discusses “how tall a pole barn” can be, opening on a monitor style building, and planning a buildings for and shop and car storage. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: How tall can pole barn be in Cape May County? BUD in CAPE MAY DEAR BUD: This will depend upon how your property is zoned, […]

How Much Will My Post Frame Barndominium Cost? This may be the most asked question in Barndominium discussion groups I am a member of. Or at least a close second to wanting to see floor plans. And why not? If one does not have a semblance of financial realty, they could end up finding themselves […]

Tornadoes Reek Havoc, Don’t Let Them Wreck You Excerpts in italics below are from an article first appearing in SBC Magazine June 3, 2019: “In the past few weeks, weather systems throughout Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Indiana and Ohio have had a significant impact on the built environment. As is well known, tornadoes cause severe stress […]

Shouse (from www.urbandictionary.com):  “A portmanteau of “shed” and “house”; A structure that outwardly resembles a shed (typically having a roll-formed steel-sheet exterior) that is primarily used as a dwelling / house. Though not required to fulfill the definition, a shouse generally has garage(s) incorporated into the structure.” I did not even realize I was shousing before it became […]

New Buildings Cost Money As I recently mentioned, I have joined several Barndominium Facebook groups. It has proven to be enlightening and has given me a great deal of information towards authoring a book or books on Post Frame Barndominiums. In asking for input on chapters for my endeavor, I had one person respond with: […]

Today the Pole Barn Guru answers questions regarding a post frame addition, passing the “muster” of California’s building codes, and ventilation of attic space with spray foam. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Hi. We are wanting to attach a monitor style barn to an existing stick build for additional residential use. Is this tie-in possible? Thank […]

I am asking for feedback from RDP’s and Building Officials because: There is a method to my madness. Seriously. I want to make sure we are doing things 100% correctly. In my humble opinion there are currently numerous post frame buildings being constructed where wall girts do not meet Code or acceptable engineering practice. I […]

Your Planning Department May Dictate Your Post-Frame Siding Choices Although most of us general population members are unawares, your local Planning Department has a great deal of power over what you can or cannot do with your own property. This goes right down to decisions on siding choices for your new post-frame building! (Read more […]

Spring, When a Young Man’s Heart Turns to Self-Designing Pole Buildings For some obscure reason a plethora of otherwise intelligent people have an idea. This idea being they can structurally design a building to be adequate to resist applied climactic loads, without any actually engineering background. Given an under designed building can lead to failure, […]

Does a Building Official have the capacity to deny the work of a Professional Engineer? Excerpted from SBC Magazine April 2, 2019 The short answer is no, not according to the law. Why? Simply put, building officials are not granted legal authority over professional engineers. Rather, they only have authority with respect to enforcing specific provisions of the […]

IBC Requirements for Building Wrap When using a building wrap as a weather-resistant barrier (WRB), it must meet 2018 International Building Codes (IBC 1402.2) requirements of a WRB for water-resistance and vapor permeability. A superior building wrap is air- and moisture-resistant, permeable, and has a high UV-resistance and tear strength. It should also be simple […]

Where post frame buildings are constructed in a flood plane, two choices exist to deal with flood conditions. Personally I would opt for bringing in fill to raise building above flood level. For those willing to deal with consequences of flood waters going through their building, an option is to provide flood vents. National Flood […]

Part III, the conclusion by Dr. David Bohnhoff, Phd., P.E., Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Perhaps only people that engineer buildings understand and appreciate the true dangers and hence insanity of erecting (and then occupying) a structure of absolutely unknown strength.  To structural engineers involved in agricultural building design, NOT following the structural […]

Day 2 of a three part series by guest blogger Dr. David Bohnhoff, Phd. P.E., Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. If you understand the information from yesterday’s blog, then you know that when someone tries to sell a farmer a building “designed to withstand a BALANCED snowload of XXX psf” that farmer should […]

This is copied, by permission, from a blog post by Aaron Halberg, P.E. Aaron is a member of the NFBA (National Frame Building Association) Technical and Research committee. (In one of the many discussions following the rash of building collapses experienced throughout the Midwest this winter, I received a copy of the email below from […]

Like a good novelist, I am going to torture you by forcing you to read this story prior to revealing a super- secret answer. One of our clients will be constructing a Hansen Pole Building in Colorado soon. This particular building is very typical post frame construction as it has steel roofing over open purlins. […]

Roof Collapses Due To Heavy Snow Are Largely Avoidable. Portions of this article are thanks to a February 25, 2019 article by Bill Steffan at www.woodtv.com               “Above pic. is the Negaunee Schools bus garage in Marquette Co., Michigan.  The roof collapsed under the weight of heavy snow over the […]

Long time readers (as well as most people with a lick of common sense) know knee braces are not a good thing. Besides taking up valuable interior space, they do more harm than good. Reader TY from QUINTON has run into a dilemma regarding knee braces. He writes: “I pulled a permit to self build […]

We humans want to do things ourselves. We love GPS because it keeps us from having to ask strangers for help or admitting we are lost. I admit to, at one time in my life, being an extremist at “doing it myself”. Then I learned….. by listening to experts I could learn so much faster. […]

A Case for Minimum Post Frame Truss Loads Portions of this article were written specifically for Component Advertiser, a monthly truss industry publication. However I feel strongly enough about this subject to use my column to pitch it to both my employers and other post frame building kit suppliers and contractors. In my career I […]

Dear Building Officials I have met (either in person, via phone or technology) more than just a few Building Officials, Inspectors and Plans Examiners over my nearly four decades of post frame buildings. I have even been privileged to be a guest speaker for several groups of these fine folks, regarding Code conforming post frame […]

BUILDING DEPARTMENT CHECKLIST 2019 PART II Yesterday I covered seven of what I feel are 14 most important questions to ask your local building department.  This not only will smooth your way through permitting processes, but also  ensures a solid and safe building structure. Let’s talk about these last seven…. #8 What is accepted Allowable […]

BUILDING DEPARTMENT CHECKLIST 2019 PART I I Can Build, I Can Build! (First published six years ago, it was more than past time to update to reflect current code requirements!) Whoa there Nellie…..before getting all carried away, there are 14 essential questions to have on your Building Department Checklist, in order to ensure structural portions […]

North Carolina College Students Learn Post Frame Construction The following article by Dan Grubb appeared first in the December 5, 2018 Sampson Independent “Sometimes the building blocks to success look more like beams than blocks. Students at Sampson Community College’s Building and Construction program know this first hand as work continues on a facility the […]

Avoiding Pulling a Building Permit? You have a densely treed rural location or have no neighbors, so you have made a decision to avoid pulling a building permit for your new post frame building. Think again – YOU. WILL. BE. CAUGHT. All too often we hear from clients who invested in Hansen Pole Building kits […]

Who is Responsible for Design of Permanent Truss Bracing? This article was triggered by an email questioning truss bracing from Hansen Pole Buildings’ client JASON in WELLINGTON who writes: “My inspector is telling me that the truss documents take precedence over the building plans. I told them the building plan has the x bracing and […]

500 Year Storm and wind exposure. Allstate® Insurance has a TV commercial featuring actor Dennis Haysbert. Haysbert sits in an open field and questions why there have been 26 “once in 500 years storms” in last decade, when term alone implies they should only happen every 500 years. View Allstate® commercial here: https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=crmas&p=Allstate+once+in+500+years+storm+commercial#id=1&vid=b134fa05aba0ff046debaea22891c23d&action=click IBC (International […]

What is a Building Official, and what is their Scope of Work? The average potential new post frame owner (as well as most building contractors) has little or no idea of what a Building Official’s scope of work truly is. Sean Shields and Kirk Grundahl, P.E. (Professional Engineer) recently published an article in SBC Magazine […]

What Building Code Applies to Post Frame Construction? Being a Plans Examiner in a Building Department would have to be one amongst this planet’s toughest jobs. Besides having to listen to clients who have their own ideas about how things should be built, there are volumes upon volumes of Building Code books and referenced texts. […]

What Size Truss Carriers? It seems every day I am asked to do structural design of post frame buildings – for free. Today’s request comes from BOB in ARKDALE who writes: “Yesterday I asked a question about a double header and single trusses being spaced every 4 feet with 8 foot spacing on posts. I […]

Oklahoma, Is It OK? Last weekend my lovely bride and I attended an event hosted by her first husband’s sister and her husband. Event purpose was to celebrate this couple’s upcoming 40th wedding anniversary. Adding to this fun, at least for me, was a new Hansen Pole Building being erected onsite (D.I.Y. husband doing some […]

Planning Your Equestrian Facility   Those of you loyal readers who actually read links in this article are going to see our daughter Bailey Momb’s name frequently. 2018 Tennessee Walking Horse Celebration made for me being a proud dad with Bailey riding to a World Grand Championship (link has results): https://twhnc.com/content/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/RESULTS-TUESDAY-EVENING-8-28-18.pdf.   Moving forward, reader […]

Building Within Height Restrictions From small towns to large metropolitan areas, most have restrictions upon heights of buildings. Most restrictive of all are typically those placed upon residential accessory buildings (think garages and shops). In urban planning there are a lot of cases where cities are for and against height restrictions. Mostly because some communities […]

Minimum Design Loads and Risk Model Building Codes, such as IBC (International Building Code), offer minimum design loads for climactic forces such as snow and wind. As building permit issuing agencies adopt codes, within their scope they can establish minimum values for their particular jurisdiction. Key word here “minimum” – least values a building may […]

When All Things Apparently Go Wrong Hansen Pole Buildings’ Designer Rachel was contacted by one of her clients, who has had his building delivered and has begun erecting it. Client inquired about adding sheetrock to his building. As with many things, there existed a Paul Harvey (younger readers can Google Paul Harvey). You can read […]

Pole Barns and Tornados (Excerpts from a July 21, 2018 Jeffersonville, Indiana News and Tribune article by Jenna Esarey are incorporated in this article) “NEW MIDDLETOWN — With Bobcats, ATVs and chainsaws, many residents of New Middletown spent their Saturday cleaning up after an EF-1 tornado cut a swath through homes, barns and cornfields Friday […]

I this weeks blog, the Pole Barn Guru talks about, rebuilding a pole barn, ideal post spacing and a frost wall. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Hello, I recently disassembled a 36 x 100 pole barn and am rebuilding it at my house. It was covered with 2″ reinforced paper faced roll pole barn insulation with […]

Post Frame Homes Proliferate Post frame homes have been a well-kept secret for decades. Well, not only is the bag the cat was in open, but the cat has also leaped out and is running rampantly! Here at Hansen Pole Buildings, we have noticed a significant surge in requests for quotes, as well as general […]

Tread Softly When Subdivision Covenants Meet Your New Pole Building I’m on the Libertarian side with my beliefs people should have the right to do with their own property as they best see fit. However in the situation below, the new pole building owner invested in a piece of property fully aware of the restrictions […]

Please Let Me Engineer Your Post Frame Building For Free Because I am not a Registered Design Professional, I can’t engineer your new post frame building for you. And, if I was, I most certainly would not be doing it for free. Typically an engineer should be compensated somewhere in the area of 8 to […]

Narrowmindedness drives me literally crazy. Post frame (pole barn) buildings can look like absolutely any other building. The only differences being the structural system – post frame and saving a fair amount of hard earned money. From the Marion, Indiana Chronicle Tribune February 21, 2018: “The Marion City Council will review a rezoning request for […]

The Possibility of 18 Foot Span Roof Purlins? Reader CHRIS writes: “I have a building I want to build but I am not able to add the height I need on the side walls.  My plans are 24 deep by 30 wide with 8 foot walls.  Roof trusses would be 24 ft.  My problem comes […]

This is Part IV in a four part series on Use and Occupancy. If you have just joined us now, it would behoove you to go back to Tuesday’s blog and get caught up by reading the first three parts before rejoining us for Egress. “1006.2.1 Egress based on occupant load and common path of […]

Go back two days to get up to speed for an example of determining the Use and Occupancy of a monitor barn example. Part III “SECTION 506 BUILDING AREA 506.1 General. The floor area of a building shall be determined based upon the type of construction, occupancy, whether there is an automatic sprinkler system installed […]

See yesterday’s blog for Part I. To continue the discussion on Use and Occupancy: Momentarily skipping a few chapters and going to Chapter 6 (because it would be too simple if the IBC was in order) the code book outlines different types of construction. Post frame buildings can fall under the following construction types: The […]

The Use and Occupancy Classification Challenge Part I Every building, regardless of how it is constructed has a Use and Occupancy Classification (sometimes more than one). In order to best enjoy this, you can play along at home by opening this free access link to the International Building Code (ICC): https://codes.iccsafe.org/public/document/IBC2015 Who Should Read This? […]

Public Works Pole Barns, and Labor Costs Many town/city jurisdictions in the United States have a Department of Public Works, which depending upon the individual municipality it may be responsible for a wide variety of activities including maintenance of streets and roads, maintenance and operation of drainage facilities, sewer collection lines, maintenance and operation of […]

The Both Ends Open, Pole Barn Wind Load Challenge There are plenty of people who just do not understand the basic concepts of how wind loads are transferred through a pole barn (post frame building) to the ground. Included amongst these would be those who desire buildings which are enclosed on both long sidewalls and […]

Moratorium on Pole Barns? The Port St. Joe, Florida commissioners will be holding a workshop to discuss accessory buildings, in particular pole barns. Commissioner Rex Buzzett brought the issue up at the previous meeting and moved to implement a moratorium on additional permits for accessory buildings until commissioners discussed the topic in greater detail. Mayor […]

Raised Floors Are an Opportunity for Post Frame Homes Three months after Hurricane Harvey churned through Texas, dumping 51 inches of rain and damaging an estimated 150,000 homes, the state’s most populous county took a bureaucratic step which has huge implications for how it will deal with the risk of future flooding. On December 5, […]

Why Property Owners Should Obtain Their Own Permit Back in the day, when I was a post frame building contractor, we always required our clients to obtain their own buildings permit. It wasn’t due to us being lazy, it was because if the building needed to be relocated on the site, or the permit office […]

In most cases one never considers the background of the people who will be doing plan reviews and field inspections for their new post frame buildings. For those with inquiring minds, I stumbled across this data, which I will share. In August 2014, the International Code Council (ICC) published “The Future of Code Officials: Results […]

Indiana Class 1 Building Must Have Posts on 4’ Centers? Reader GARY in CONNERSVILLE writes: “I am going to build a 60 x 160 , 18′ ceiling height for a sawing operation at our plant. I am told being a class 1 building, employee occupied, that the side posts need to be on 4′ centers, […]

From a February 1, 2018 article by Lois Swoboda at www.apalachtimes.com: “At the Jan. 9 county planning and zoning advisory board meeting, and the Jan. 16 county commission, County Attorney Michael Shuler performed the first public readings of a proposed ordinance governing the use of metal structures and pole barns as single family residences.. The […]

Builders Who Make No Upgrades in Twenty-Five Years. Why? We’ve Been Building This Way for 25 Years In the event you happen to hear this from a pole builder – run away from them as quickly as possible. Why? Because every three years there is a new version of the Building Codes and often those […]

My Response: Why We Need Building Codes As promised, here is my response to the Coeur d’Alene Press article of December 5, 2017 (exactly as I wrote in the comments portion following the newspaper article regarding adoption of building codes): I will first qualify myself – I attended the University of Idaho in architecture. I […]

Rare Decision to Not Adopt New Building Code Causes Stir The following article by Brian Walker (in its entirety, without edits, appeared December 5, 2017 in the Coeur d’Alene Press). Tune in tomorrow for my commentary. COEUR d’ALENE — Kootenai County commissioners’ decision to not accept the most recent version of the International Building Code […]

The definition of Fascia from the sum of all human knowledge (Wikipedia): “Fascia (/ˈfeɪʃə/) is an architectural term for a vertical frieze or band under a roof edge, or which forms the outer surface of a cornice, visible to an observer. Typically consisting of a wooden board, uPVC or non-corrosive sheet metal, many of the non-domestic fascias made […]

I’ll take Structural Engineering for $400 Alex Proper Engineering in post frame construction can not be overlooked. Alex Trebek has hosted Jeopardy!, the iconic daily syndicated game show, since 1984. With over 7,000 episodes aired, Jeopardy! has won a record 33 Daytime Emmy Awards. Some of you may even have tuned in for an episode […]

Put the Architect in Charge? I spent several years paying off my college student loans from Architecture school, so I do have a profound respect for architects who have been able to make a living practicing their trade. This, however, does not mean I feel the intervention of an architect is appropriate in all situations […]

The Dust Bowl and Post Frame Buildings My lovely bride speaks of her mother telling stories of the “Dirty Thirties” in Minnesota and the Dakotas. The Dust Bowl, also known as the Dirty Thirties, was a period of severe dust storms which greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the American and Canadian prairies during the 1930s; […]

My Building Inspector Made Me….. An all to familiar tale from those who go by the premise, “penny wise and pound foolish”…. in the misguided attempt to shave a few dollars off the investment in a new building, the price of the engineer sealed plans has been deducted from the budget. Very rarely is this […]

International Residential Code and Tension Ties Reader DENNIS in TRAVERSE CITY writes: “ICC R602.10 is written to work with continuous foundations and vertical studs, not posts in holes and horizontal girts. How does a person translate bracing into post-frame language? An answer addressing tension ties would be helpful.” From the 2015 International Residential Code (IRC): […]

Building a Pole Barn Style Home Reader DAVID from NINE MILE FALLS writes: “I am building a pole barn style home. I am having a difficult time in finding what the requirements would be for post setting and post distance spacing in regards to a pole barn used for living spaces. I plan on using […]

Can I Build a Pole Barn on My Concrete Slab? I dove off from the turnip truck a long time ago, so I have seen a lot of strange things constructed over my nearly 60 year lifetime. Sometimes strange is good, usually not so good. What is remarkable are the structures which are constructed directly […]

Are My Columns Too Small or Too Short? We receive and answer lots of questions. Even with a Construction Guide which extends over 500 pages, covering a plethora of topics and how to’s, there is always an unanswered question (sometimes two). One of our good clients recently sent a query to the Hansen Pole Buildings’ […]

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Your from Spokane area? Can one construct a custom pole building as home Spokane county? Would you have any references of builders in my area to consider? TERRY in MEAD DEAR TERRY: Yes, I was born and raised in Spokane – still have a plethora of family members there (as well […]

Treated Lumber – Justine Schools a Major Lumberyard Chain When it comes to pressure preservative treated lumber, ignorance from the supply side seems to be bliss and there are way too many folks out there happily selling under treated product. For your entertainment pleasure I bring you a discourse between Hansen Pole Buildings Lumber Wizard […]

Need a 13’ Tall Door With a 12’ Mean Height Restriction Planning Departments can be the bane of a property owner’s existence. They are the folks who are delegated enforcement of what some might feel are unrealistic expectations as to building heights and footprints. Many times there are solutions, and chances are if a solution […]