Why isn’t a 2×4 truly 2” x 4”? When Hansen Pole Buildings first began in 2002, owner J.A. Hansen did all of the drafting. As a lifetime Registered Nurse, Judy had the attention to detail it took to be an excellent drafter. In her “nursing world” everything was measured in exact numbers. If a patient […]

Bookshelf Girts aka Commercial  Girts: What are they? I do a lot of blogging, not because I enjoy it ( I do) but because I am always “listening” and learning.  And if there is anyone out there who I can help, my fun increases exponentially.  I recently came across this posting on a Farm Forum: […]

There are few things which define American home ownership better than having a good backyard accessory pole building. Whether at your primary residence, or at the mountain or lake cabin, having the ideal space for your needs is what takes your home from “pretty good”…to ideal. While the weather is warm, having a barbeque under […]

On LinkedIn, I am a member of a builder discussion group. Recently this question was posed: “Do you use inferior products to get your bid down low or use the right product knowing you will lose the job on price?” Anthony LoCoco, owner of Traditions Home Improvement Service, LLC in Illinois responded with this answer, […]

Grab any piece of lumber, with a narrow edge pointed up. Look down the narrow edge and you will normally see an upward or downward arch, or bow to the wood. An upward arch is “crowned up”.  This is a common lumber defect.  When building your new pole building, it is important for the crowns […]

Let’s Buy Pole Barn Plans… As I browse about the ‘net, checking out what is available in our industry, I find lots of folks who are selling plans for barns and pole buildings. Some of these are remarkably inexpensive. Now, why might buying a set of pole barn plans off the internet not be a […]

Green Buildings: The Economics of Building with Wood Anyone can equip a building with a few energy efficient features and call their product “green”, but a true move to sustainability in low rise buildings means improving the building process itself. In an industry as fragmented as construction, doing so demands a major investment in time, […]

Roof Trusses: Planes, Trains & Automobiles Usually none of these get hung from the bottom chords of roof trusses, however lots of other things can be. Standard pole building truss designs will support only the extra weight of minimal lighting and electrical. Don’t panic, virtually anything can be supported from your pole barn trusses and […]

Mega Clearspan Buildings…Just Put a Post in It In my first managerial position in the roof truss industry, we worked out of an 80 foot wide by 120 foot long concrete tilt up building. This building had a row of interior columns down the middle, 30 feet on center. These three columns posed no challenge […]

There are lots of folks just like you who are out there chasing the steel covered building dream. You have a problem or are trying to reach a goal, which involves a new pole or steel building. Am I right?   Now there are also a lot of people out there telling you it’s easy. […]

One of the things I make myself available for is weekly individual coaching sessions with our Building Designers. In these sessions, the Building Designers can ask for advice on pole building design or features, discuss particular ongoing projects or share ideas on how to best serve our pole barn clients. Every once in a while, […]

I am not much different than probably most of my readers, when we get to the end of the work week, it is time to kick back and relax. It was on one of these “after the work week” evenings, that I met with a few friends to indulge in our favorite beverages, grab a […]