Category Archives: Concrete

Shifting Piers: Building Blooper or Blunder?

Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 01/22/2013
Shifting Piers: Building Blooper or Blunder?

This is a true story, about the construction of an all-steel building; however the events could spell the doom of any building project – regardless of the structural framework. Shifting Piers Geo-technical engineers were called out to a jobsite to investigate why it was the concrete piers supporting an under construction all-steel building were unstable. […]

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Concrete Footing: How Thick Should it Be?

Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 12/13/2012
Concrete Footing: How Thick Should it Be?

Alan was a post frame building contractor for years, prior to becoming a Building Designer for Hansen Pole Buildings. If I had to estimate, I’d venture Alan constructed well over 200 of our buildings. Recently, Alan had a client question the thickness of the concrete footings, beneath the columns, used to support the pressure preservative […]

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Concrete Floor Sealer: Fabreze Won’t Cure This

Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 11/15/2012
Concrete Floor Sealer: Fabreze Won’t Cure This

When Judy, the principal owner of Hansen Buildings, purchased the 20 plus year old 10,000 square foot pole building used as a shipping warehouse for Hansen Pole Buildings, little did she know it came along with a hidden “gift”. The previous owner had let his dogs run loose in the building, and the dogs did […]

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Concrete: Why Not Bag It?

Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 11/07/2012
Concrete: Why Not Bag It?

Rachel, one of the Hansen Pole Buildings Designers recently took a call from a client who was disappointed because we did not provide the concrete for their new pole building kit package. Most people are familiar with Sakcrete® readi-mix concrete. There is probably not a lumberyard in America which does not have it available for […]

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Alaska Concrete Slab

Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 10/24/2012
Alaska Concrete Slab

Ever feel like things tend to happen in threes? This past week, my three times event has been Hansen Pole Buildings Designers and their clients asking about “Alaska Slabs”. Concrete foundations, for buildings other than pole buildings, traditionally consist of three parts.  Footings are wide areas of concrete at the base of foundation walls. Usually […]

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Perma-columns

Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 09/26/2012
Perma-columns

Perma-columns are manufactured by the same company who produces the Sturdi-Wall brackets. Paraphrased from the company’s information: Perma-Columns are five foot precast concrete columns which are designed to keep wood out of the ground, ensuring a post frame building’s foundation will never rot. They are the first product to combine the economy of post frame construction with […]

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Concrete Slab

Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 09/21/2012
Concrete Slab

I was talking with one of our clients yesterday. His builder was concerned because constructing the new pole building first, then pouring the concrete slab seemed backwards to him. Here is the information I shared with the client: While the preference is to have the building shell completed prior to pouring concrete slabs, at the […]

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Hurl Your…Concrete Cookies

Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 08/07/2012
Hurl Your…Concrete Cookies

I know none of us has ever experienced this condition, but we all know of someone who has had the hurling issue, often after a period of personal discussion with some of the friends of George Thorogood. In this instance, I’m not thinking either of the example above, or the tasty oatmeal raisin cookies my […]

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Concrete Sealer to Moisture Proof an Existing Concrete Slab

Posted by The Pole Barn Guru on 07/06/2012
Concrete Sealer to Moisture Proof an Existing Concrete Slab

We were at a vendor event for the DirectBuy in Beaverton, Oregon when a member approached us looking for advice on how to seal an existing concrete floor in her pole barn. It seems the floor is always damp. I’ve always recommended placing an insulated vapor barrier beneath any new interior concrete floor. I’ve had […]

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