Category Archives: Insulation

Dear Guru: Can I Use Cellulose Insulation?

Posted by polebarnguru on 13/11/25 @ 8:00
Dear Guru: Can I Use Cellulose Insulation?

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” […]

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Dear Guru: Do I Need Vapor Barrier Under Insulation?

Posted by polebarnguru on 13/10/28 @ 8:00
Dear Guru: Do I Need Vapor Barrier Under Insulation?

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” […]

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How To Add Insulation Between Purlins

Posted by polebarnguru on 13/10/11 @ 8:00
How To Add Insulation Between Purlins

If you happen to be considering building a pole building in a part of the country where sidewall columns MUST (it is a mindset, not a structural requirement) be every eight feet and trusses MUST be every two or four feet, then it is time to take a leap of faith out of the very […]

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Comfortable Bonus Rooms

Posted by polebarnguru on 13/09/11 @ 8:00
Comfortable Bonus Rooms

More and more we have clients asking for their new pole buildings to be designed with bonus space above which can be later turned into a finished “bonus room” (my home office is in exactly one of these spaces). Done right, this bonus room can be a cozy addition; done wrong, it can be chronically […]

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Dear Pole Barn Guru: Ventilation for an Old Pole Barn?

Posted by polebarnguru on 13/09/02 @ 8:00
Dear Pole Barn Guru: Ventilation for an Old Pole Barn?

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” […]

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Thermography Proves Energy Efficiency of Post Frame Buildings

Posted by polebarnguru on 13/08/29 @ 8:00
Thermography Proves Energy Efficiency of Post Frame Buildings

The National Frame Building Association (NFBA) commissioned a report, which was produced in May 2010, to illustrate point of heat transfer in different types of buildings using thermographic images. Both builders and registered design professionals (architects and engineers) familiar with post frame buildings know these buildings use fewer structural components to create an exceptionally economical, […]

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Dear Guru: Which Insulation Should I Use in My Metal Pole Building?

DEAR POLE BARN GURU:  I have a few questions that you might be able to easily answer. I have a metal pole building wood framed. Most of it has the standard Condensation/insulation blanket in it however some of it got damaged by mice and had to be ripped out. We are now trying to finish […]

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Spray Foam

Posted by polebarnguru on 13/07/30 @ 8:00
Spray Foam

Well, It Sounded Good Anyhow On an Internet Forum, was being discussed insulation and condensation control of pole buildings. “Dave” posted: “If you spray foam the interior, for insulation and moisture barrier, there is a polyurethane foam that is rated for fire retardant qualities… and it stops air infiltration….” Dave sent me the link to […]

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Moisture Barrier: A Bad Place for Plastic

Posted by polebarnguru on 13/07/16 @ 8:00
Moisture Barrier: A Bad Place for Plastic

Eric, one of the owners of Hansen Buildings, was chattering with me today about the number of interesting telephone calls he fields. Many of these are probably due to this blog, as well as “Ask the Pole Barn Guru” – the weekly advice column for those with pole building questions, concerns, or who just are […]

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GreenFiber Insulation

Posted by polebarnguru on 13/07/12 @ 8:00
GreenFiber Insulation

When we were kids, we (and all the extended family) went camping three times every summer – over Memorial, Independence and Labor Day weekends. Dad was always keeping his eyes open for old cabins. He knew many years ago newspapers were used for insulation, and he often scored on interesting tidbits of history in finding […]

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High Performance Pole Buildings & Insulation

Posted by polebarnguru on 13/05/14 @ 8:00
High Performance Pole Buildings & Insulation

Pole Buildings and Insulation When designing a high-performance pole building – whether it be residential or commercial, the heating and cooling loads need to be shaved everywhere they can be. Thermal bridging creates hot spots or cold spots in the building envelope, and this makes a difference for heating and cooling costs—as well as for […]

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Dear Pole Barn Guru: Vapor Barrier & Compaction Questions

Posted by polebarnguru on 13/04/29 @ 8:00
Dear Pole Barn Guru: Vapor Barrier & Compaction Questions

Welcome to our newest feature: 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.  Email all questions to: PoleBarnGuru@HansenPoleBuildings.com   DEAR POLE BARN GURU:  Will […]

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Ceramic Insulation

Posted by polebarnguru on 13/03/19 @ 8:00
Ceramic Insulation

Ceramic Insulation In the 1990’s I owned Momb Steel Buildings in Spokane. We provided pole building packages and also constructed post frame buildings from a bricks and mortar location. As the sales team grew in size, we would have weekly meetings for educational purposes. The resultant of these became known as “stump the expert” (aka […]

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Ask the Guru: Is Vapor Barrier Required?

Posted by polebarnguru on 13/03/18 @ 8:00
Ask the Guru: Is Vapor Barrier Required?

For those of you just joining Mike the Pole Barn Guru’s Blog – Mondays are now “Ask the Guru” where you can submit construction and building product questions for Mike to answer in upcoming Monday segments of this blog.  If it is a topic Mike is not well versed in, or a new product he […]

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QuietRock – The Sound Dampening Sheetrock Solution

Posted by polebarnguru on 13/03/13 @ 8:00
QuietRock – The Sound Dampening Sheetrock Solution

QuietRock – Sound Dampening Sheetrock When my wife and I designed our pole building home in South Dakota, one of our considerations was to isolate (for sound) as much as possible the master suite from the living areas of the rest of the house.  We put a large pool table in the center of an […]

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Roxul Insulation

Posted by polebarnguru on 13/03/12 @ 8:00
Roxul Insulation

Roxul Insulation It isn’t often I go to visit a Home Depot® and am presented with a gift, but my visit to Pro Associate (aka as PASA) Diane at the Sparks, Nevada location was an exception. I’ve been negligent in having her gift to me sit on my desk for months, before really investigating it, […]

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Dear Pole Barn Guru: What Type of Insulation Should I Use?

Posted by polebarnguru on 13/03/11 @ 8:00
Dear Pole Barn Guru: What Type of Insulation Should I Use?

Hansen Buildings new feature for each Monday is “Ask the Guru” where you can submit questions for Mike the Pole Barn Guru to answer on future Monday blogs. Email the Guru at: PoleBarnGuru@HansenPoleBuildings.com DEAR POLE BARN GURU:  I purchased one of your pole building kit packages late last summer, and have just finished constructing it. […]

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