Some Pole Barns Deserve a Proper Burial Reader STEPHAN in OGDENSBURG writes: “Dear Pole Barn Guru, I have a 30ish year old 32 by 54 feet horse pole barn where half the poles heaved some for more than 1 foot over the years. I need to fix it this year because I am afraid that […]

What Kind of Trusses Are Pictured? This question was posed by Hansen Pole Buildings’ Designer Doug. Photo isn’t of a Hansen Pole Building, probably raising questions in Doug’s mind as it looks rather foreign. Only actual trusses in photo are in raised center portion of this monitor style building. Interior trusses were probably sold to […]

Building Has Metal Building Insulation Hansen Pole Buildings’ Designer Rachel received an inquiry from a client whose existing post frame (pole) building has metal building insulation. Rachel sent this to me: “STEVE would like some advice on insulating.  He has a Cleary Building which has blanket insulation in the walls and roof and he would […]

Multi-story Pole Barns Hansen Pole Buildings has developed a reputation for taking potentially challenging post frame (pole barn) building projects and developing them from concept to fruition. This leads many clients, with an interest in multi-story pole barns, to our doors. My own post frame building home, along Lake Traverse South Dakota side, features both […]

Today the Pole Barn Guru answers questions about custom trusses for a horse barn, a face lift for a pole barn and where to use double trusses. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Hi,  I am looking to build a horse barn next spring, and had a question on the trusses that you offer. The barn will […]

Simpson Strong-Drive® SDWS Timber Screw In yesterday’s article I discussed attachment of roof trusses in post frame building construction. In most cases, Hansen Pole Buildings utilizes Simpson Strong-Drive® SDWS Timber screws. It was more than twenty years ago Simpson Strong-Tie changed fastening world with introduction of a heavy-duty structural connector screw used in wood construction […]

Connecting Trusses Not Dots This feature is probably not overly mentioned, however as most structural failures involve connections, it probably should be. FEATURE: Double trusses notched into sidewall columns and connected with Strong-Drive® SDWS TIMBER Screws BENEFIT: Trusses placed in a notch cannot slide down columns and Strong-Drive® SDWS TIMBER Screws resist uplift forces without […]

Site Built Roof Trusses In penning my recent article about sexy prefab roof trusses, recalled from recesses of what little mind I have yet, was a story I will share with you about site built roof trusses. I was not long into my position as truss plant manager for Lucas Plywood and Lumber when a […]

Do I Need Any Additional Vapor Barrier? Reader TOM in NEW LONDON writes: “Have a 40 x 60 pole barn which I have poured a 20 X 60 6″ concrete floor with radiant heat. I have installed 1 1/2″ R 7.5 rigid pink board between the 2 X 6 side boards against the steel. I […]

Will My Post Frame Building Support a Ceiling? One of my frequently received questions – wanting to add a ceiling into a post frame building and wondering if the building will support the added weight. Other frequent questions include condensation issues and ventilation, so this reader has hit upon a trifecta. Reader BRYAN in SWANTON […]

Starting From the Ground Up- UC-4B Treated Columns Decades ago, when I began training a sales staff for Momb Steel Buildings (my 1990’s post frame construction company) I developed an outline we called, “From the Ground Up”. Just as implied by its name, this training went through features and benefits of a typical post frame […]

The Pole Barn Guru answers questions about a traditional red barn, footings, and additional lighting to outside of building.   DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Hello, We are looking to have a barn built by the Amish community, but are having trouble finding someone to contact. I see on your website you have had several things […]

Insulating a Steel Truss Building Reader JONATHAN in MISSISSIPPI has been planning a building using steel trusses and has insulating questions. He writes: “I have recently found your blog and I have to say I am on good information overload.  I’ve read your posts on insulation and air barrier more than twice maybe more.  I […]

Importance of Constrained Posts In structural design of post frame (pole) buildings, an ability to transfer wind shear loads from roof to endwalls to ground becomes a key to cost effective design success. When sidewall columns are in a properly constrained condition (usually by attachment to a concrete slab-on-grade) shear forces are reduced by 25%. […]

Siloxa-Tek 8505 Concrete Sealant Recently I received a question from a reader who was having condensation issues in his post frame (pole) building. Amongst my suggestions was using a concrete floor sealant, if there was not a well-sealed vapor barrier underneath the slab. Following this conversation, my reader did his research and determined a silane […]

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 […]

You want a new pole barn, so you put together some plans, order up some materials, have them delivered and start building. In all of this excitement something was overlooked – acquiring a Building Permit! Reader SHELBY in COLORADO writes: “Hello, My name is Shelby, my father and I are trying to build a pole […]

Foundations – Post Frame Keeps It Simple Post frame (pole building) construction affords a plethora of savings for a new building owner, chief amongst these are foundation simplicity. I’ve previously expounded upon foundation savings in post frame construction as compared to stick frame buildings: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2011/10/buildings-why-not-stick-frame-construction/. Today I will add some graphics to reinforce (pun intended) […]

Gordon Miller photo Pole Barn Ignorance After spending pretty well my entire adult life in some facet of my industry, it becomes amazing to me to find pole barn ignorance. Other than recent immigrants to our country, and maybe those who have never traveled outside of urban areas most everyone should have some inkling as […]

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 […]

Ceiling Vapor Barriers in Post Frame Construction A ceiling vapor barrier or no, in post frame (pole building) construction? Good question. For most of my life I have lived where it tends to get chilly in winter. Here in Northeast South Dakota it can not only be chilly, but downright frigid. It has been drummed […]

Plywood Siding Z-Flashing My first full time construction job was as an MEI (Momb Enterprises, Inc.) slave working for my framing contractor father and his brothers. 1970’s found T1-11 plywood siding to be very popular (as were disco balls) and we installed plenty of it. Where walls were higher than available panels of T1-11, one […]

Examining a Light Steel Truss Frame Building I have never owned or assembled a light steel truss frame building. A gentleman named Stan Floyd worked for me as a salesman when I owned M & W Building Supply. Stan’s dad had fabricated light steel truss frame buildings in Arkansas and Stan was interested in developing […]

How to Frame a Reverse Gable Porch Reverse gable porches are an excellent way to protect any door from effects of weather – specifically rain and snow. I personally feel they are an underutilized great feature. For more reading about reverse gable porches: http://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2015/07/reverse-gable-porch/. Today’s article has been sparked by reader DARRELL in ATLANTA who […]

Today the Pole Barn Guru discusses rebuilding on an existing concrete foundation with dry set brackets, unfinished work, and proper engineering. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I’ve recently torn down an old machine shed that still has very good 8″ wide by 24″ deep cement foundation walls that I’m thinking about using to erect a new […]

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot! Is it Ventilation? I really enjoy good food. In order to continue doing so and avoid weighing significantly more than I should, I do a treadmill run nearly every morning. To keep from expiring from utter boredom of exercise, I have wall mounted my flat screen LED television within easy viewing distance. […]

True Double Trusses ASABE (American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers) published ANSI/ASABE S618 “Post Frame Building System Nomenclature” in December 2010. For those who are unfamiliar ANSI stands for American National Standards Institute (www.ansi.org). ANSI is a private non-profit organization overseeing development of voluntary consensus standards for United States products, services, systems and personnel. […]

Domestic Cat Pole Barns I know my loyal, long time column readers think I am stretching way out there when I start writing about domestic cat barns. Reality being stranger than fiction, one of them exists! Now neither our mom, nor any of our grandmothers were crazy cat ladies with housefuls of feline friends. Even […]

This week the Pole Barn Guru answers questions about uplift concerns, retro-fitting insulation, and setting posts in high water tables. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I am adding an open overhang to the gable end of my 40×80 pole barn. I bought 36’ trusses and will lower them to fit under the existing gable going out […]

Post Frame Gun Range A few years ago a Hansen Pole Building became a gun range for U.S. Marine Corps at Camp Pendleton, California. It was easy for us, as we were merely given dimensions to provide and only afterwards were we clued in to actual building use. Reader DIANE in FORSYTH writes: “Hello, I […]

Roof Slope Dang, up jumped an altogether conspicuous term included as a part of every building, and I totally neglected – roof slope. Growing up in low-middle income level suburbia, I had never given much thought to slope of roofs. This oversight existed even though my father and his five brothers (as well as their […]

Spot Problems With This Pole Barn Photo One of my Facebook friends had posted this as a timeline photo as it brought back to her fond memories of a childhood spent frolicking in hay lofts. It was so bad, I just had to save it. So, what’s wrong with this photo anyhow? Obviously bird excrement […]

Besides being a semi-regular contributor to Rural Builder magazine, I have also had articles published in several other lumber and wood truss periodicals. I’ve been asked to write an article for The Advertiser (https://www.componentadvertiser.com/), which I share with you below: Increase Your Post Frame Sales Nearly every U.S. and Canadian metal plate connected wood truss […]

Venting an Attic Without Soffit Air Intake Loyal reader KEN has an attic space with only air exhaust points – a vented ridge, and no air intake. His dilemma, how to adequately ventilate his attic without vented soffits. Ken writes: “I finally was able to make contact with the manufacturer of the open foam like […]

Post Frame Scissor Trusses I’d spent summers working for my dad and uncles framing buildings and being low man when it came to a totem pole of laborers, I did my fair share of strong back, weak mind work – such as setting trusses. As a teenager, I had not given much thought to complexities […]

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 […]

Insulating a Room in an Unheated Pole Barn Regular readers of this column recognize insulation as being a hot (pun intended) topic of discussion – not just entire buildings, but also of a room or rooms in an unheated pole barn. Reader RICHARD in WOODSTOCK writes: “I have a 50 x 75 pole barn with […]

Almost Round Pen Our eldest daughter Bailey, as a professional horse trainer, has spent a great deal of her life with horses in round pens. Generally round pens are unprotected in the great outdoors, leading to them not being able to be used in inclement weather. Personally, experience has shown it is far more economical […]

Decks and Exterior Balconies of Post Frame Buildings Post frame buildings and residential construction have finally met and the marriage happily looks to be a long term one! Along with this marriage, post frame has to familiarize itself with structural areas which were previously unfamiliar. Amongst these are decks and exterior balconies. The 2018 IBC […]

What to Do With an Old Dollar General® Pole Barn In the fall of 2016 the town of Reading, MI purchased the pole barn which had previously been the home of a Dollar General® store. The original plan was to convert the pole barn into a new city hall, but, after seeing the estimated price […]

What Size Posts Does My Building Need and How Deep Should They Be? Reader ANONYMOUS in BENTON writes: “1. If my building has 16 posts and posts are 12 feet apart do I need 4×6’s or 6×6’s? 2. If the plan shows 16 feet above grade how much do I need underground? 3. If the […]

Splashwood™ Reader MIKE in ORLANDO writes: “Dear Pole Barn Guru, I bought a 38×42 Pole Barn kit from a reputable supplier. The posts are 8″ x 8″ – but do not have the AWPA markings that you describe in your Blog. These posts have a tag stapled to the end that says “SPLASHWOOD, Saltwater Splash […]

Isolating Pole Barn Poles From Concrete Slabs The fear factor – comes up again and again in construction. Today’s fear is a concrete slab being poured against the poles (columns) of an existing pole barn will cause the columns to decay. “We have a 25 year old pole barn with 12 main 8×8 poles sunk […]

Installing Joist Hangers on Opposite Sides of a Double Truss My friend and loyal reader LONNIE in COLORADO SPRINGS is one Hansen Pole Buildings’ client who truly puts thought into the assembly of his new post frame building. Lonnie writes: “I’ve been pondering and pondering this and I may have a solution that I want […]

Conditioned Post Frame Crawl Space Recently I had a reader ask about Conditioned Post-Frame Crawl Spaces, a subject I quickly did an internet search on, and found nothing. Dear gentle readers: In the event you should Google any post frame related information and cannot find the answer you are searching for, please drop me an […]

To continue from last Friday’s blog on adding a lean-to onto an existing pole building… Moving onto the design of the lean-to itself: The lean-to can be placed to either begin at the same height of the existing building eave, or the high side can be placed lower along the original building wall. If the […]

Today the Pole Barn Guru answers questions about calculating the height of a building, Building on and existing foundation, and Spray Foam Insulation. DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I’m looking for over all height of a building with a 14’ eave? Thanks. DOUG in PILOT ROCK DEAR DOUG: The overall height determination starts with a clear […]

Adding a Lean-to on a Pole Barn In six years and nearly 1500 articles written it is hard for me to believe I have actually overlooked the topic of a lean-to being added to a pole barn! For the biblical readers amongst you, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find” […]

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 […]

Hopefully most, if not all, of my loyal readers are those who have concerns when it comes to investing in a new post frame building (I do know some of you just enjoy my slightly skewed sense of humor, or find my writings otherwise entertaining). For those of you who are avid kit shoppers, I […]

Today Mike the Pole Barn Guru answers questions about Retro Insulation, Cost of a Hipped Roof, and Slab Prep! DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Retro Pole barn wall insulation: should a person put plastic or some sort of vapor barrier against outside tin on interior, then put fiberglass blanket up? Which Is a better option faced or […]

Ways You Can Integrate Cost-Effective Heating Into a Self-Build Thank you to today’s guest blogger is Chrissy Nicholson Only 65% of homeowners in America have mortgages and with an average down-payment of just under $13,000, it’s not surprising consumers are looking for alternate ways to own their own homes. One of the most cost-effective ways of owning […]

Bigfoot Systems® Bigfoot Systems® bills itself as North America’s Original #1 Selling Pier Footing Form, which I would say is most likely 100% or more correct. So, what exactly is a Bigfoot and why would one use one? Before we get carried away, I have never used a Bigfoot and this is not a celebrity […]

Free Standing Hangar Door Disclaimer: this is not a testimonial for this door, I have not personally used one, and to the best of my knowledge none of our clients has (although I could be wrong on this last part). As readers of yesterday’s column have learned, deflection can become an issue with openings for […]

Trimming Posts, A Taller Building, and Post Treatment: DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Trimming posts or adding Shims? My pole barn kit uses steel trusses that sit on top of the posts and bolt to their sides. If I set two or three posts lower than the rest, can I just add a shim the top […]

How Not to Do a Post Frame Shear Wall Reader DAVID in MIDDLETON writes: “Hi we are currently building a 40/72 pole barn. We are wrapping the bottom 4 feet in OSB for sheer strength along with sheeting the roof with osb. We want to insulate the walls and put a drop ceiling in the […]

The following is the second part of a two part series on the risk of a metal roof and lightning. Jump back one day to read the first segment. Jim Cunningham writes: “Lightning – like any electrical charge – seeks the path of least resistance to discharge. In CG lightning, it’s discharging into the earth, […]

Lightening and Steel Covered Pole Barns From a www.kmbz.com story of March 8, 2018 by Jim Cunningham: “Each year more than 100 people are killed by lightning in the U.S., according to the National Weather Service. Another 300 people are injured in the electrical strikes.  Severe Weather Awareness Week is March 4-10.  In most cases […]

How to Clearspan the Juncture of L or T shaped Post Frame Buildings There are some instances where either an L or a T shaped building is the design solution of choice. In some cases it is due to the shape of the property being built upon. Other times it is a result of ideal […]

Permafrost is soil, rock or sediment which is frozen for more than two consecutive years. In areas not overlain by ice, it exists beneath a layer of soil, rock or sediment, which freezes and thaws annually and is called the “active layer”. In practice, this means permafrost occurs at an average air temperature of 28°F or […]

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 […]

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 […]

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? […]

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 […]

Indoor Batting Cage Buildings Growing up in the 1960’s and early 1970’s in Spokane, Washington, we had the AAA minor league baseball club for the Los Angeles Dodgers in our town. On many a weekend we were entertained for a 50 cent bleacher ticket to be able to watch future major leaguers such as Bill […]

Strong Way Columns Now I have neither used this product, nor have I actually seen them used in real life. However, part of my mission is to entertain and inform, so as a new product (at least to me) I feel a certain responsibility to expose readers to them. According to the manufacturer, all of […]

An Excel Formula for Calculating Wall Girts, Post Size and Hole Depth John Minor and I have been friends for nearly 30 years – since his then father-in-law (and my business partner at the time) convinced me John could sell post frame buildings. Well Rod was correct, John could sell buildings – not only for […]

Soil Bearing Pressures Challenge Fast and Loose With Numbers and Terms DAN from MOUNDS VIEW is the first reader who admits they are an addict to my blogs – for this, I love you man!! Luckily there is no 12 step program to cure you, so you are just going to have to keep feeding […]

Loyal reader SCOTT writes: “Good Morning, First, thank you for the amount of information you post through the Pole Barn Guru section.  There have been a wide variety of questions, and thoughtful responses posted. One of the points my father had was, why do a post frame if you have to go back and stud […]

Reader TOM in PURVIS shares a concept I had neither seen before nor had I even contemplated – using PVC pipe to protect post frame (pole building) columns from decay. TOM writes: “ I know your posts are treated, but I live in the damp state of MS. In recent years 3 of my friends […]

Top Plate (Truss Carrier) Size With Attic Trusses Question from reader JEFFREY in STAPLETON: “I’m building a gambrel pole barn 30ft x 50ft , these are attic trusses with a 16ft room sitting @ 2ft oc, will 10ft pole spacing with double 2×12 top plate be sufficient, any suggestions?”   Mike the Pole Barn responds: […]

Finishing a 15 Year Old Pole Barn Reader BOB in WASHOUGAL writes: “I have a 30’x60′ pole building. It was constructed in 2003. I would like to finish the inside with a concrete floor, Insulation, and sheet rock. My question is…How long do the posts last before they rot off at ground level? (I have […]

8 Quick Questions to Ask When Investing in a Pole Barn Will my building be fully-engineered? Be sure all of your building’s components are engineered to work together and to last – this entails a complete building system, designed specifically for your site, with your openings and sealed by an RDP (Registered Design Professional – […]

Condensation Even With Radiant Barrier Installed Under Roof Steel It seems every winter I get a few messages similar to this, So far, this winter, I have gotten two, both from newly constructed post frame buildings and from the same area of the United States (which is known for high humidity). Reader SAM in GREENBANK […]

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Hi. I am an architect with a flood victim client in Houston whose 1500 sf house must be rebuilt 5′ above grade. C panel, aluminum sliding windows/doors, low budget. Is it crazy to think they could buy a custom kit from you and have a crew from MN install it in […]

Avoiding Fire in Pole Barn Shops From www.hometownstations.com story by Joseph Sharpe: “The cold weather almost cost one local man a big bundle of cash, in the form of muscle cars. He was trying to thaw some water lines, when things got ugly fast! Jeff Cook shows us what happened Tuesday in American Township, and how […]

Reader JOY in PHILADELPHIA writes: “Can I build my pole house with crossed gable dormers? I want the center section of my house to have a second floor, but with the gable ends facing front and back, rather than running the length of the building as with the monitor roof design. (In case that isn’t […]

Post frame buildings have several benefits which make them the perfect choice for virtually any permanent structure like durability, cost-effectiveness, sustainability, quick assembly and versatility. They also serve multiple purposes. They are storage and machine sheds, horse-barns as well as pre-engineered for a plethora of uses. Woodwork can last for several centuries, but if pests […]

I so enjoy clients who truly care about the outcomes of their post frame buildings. In this case, I’ve been back and forth with reader Eric and today we are discussing how insulation in walls works. Eric writes: “Mike, Thanks again for the input. I read those articles you mentioned on the BIBs and the […]

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I have a 40 x 24 pole barn with a 4 inch stone base floor. Can I place 2×4 grid framing 24 in on center with 3/4 inch T&G 4 x 8 sheets for light weight shop usage? No vehicles. JEFF in SYCAMORE DEAR JEFF: Some ifs – if your site […]

Do the poles start to rot out after so many years? That depends on whether or not they are pressure treated. This question was recently posed to me by reader MARK in WOLCOTT. Typically my answer would include some snarky comment such as: “Most certainly, however it might not be during your grandchildren’s grandchildren’s lives!” […]

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 […]

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 […]

Problems in Steel Truss Building Land Disclaimer – Hansen Pole Buildings does not provide steel truss post frame buildings and I have never personally been involved in the structural design of one, however there are a plethora of readily evident challenges with this building which should be properly addressed. Reader JAMES in TALLAHASSEE writes: “I […]

Post Frame Propane Transfer Stations Earlier this year the propane tank on our barbeque grill decided to run empty. The solution – load up the tank and haul it to the propane transfer station at nearby Sisseton for a refill. Propane is a hydrocarbon (C3H8) and is sometimes referred to as liquefied petroleum gas, LP-gas, […]

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Hi, I’m planning on building a ( 32’ x 60’ x 12’ ) Pole Barn with 4/12 scissor truss.  I want to price out rough cut lumber on walls and ceiling.  How do I calculate the Amount of board feet lumber I need to cover the walls and ceiling. Thanks BRIAN […]

Come on now, be honest, we all have our fears and phobias. One of the most interesting ones I have found over the years with clients is “postsetaphobia”, or fear of setting posts. This particular phobia is defined as, “the fear of being able to properly set posts for a pole building”. Fear is False […]

BIB’s Insulation, In-Ground Posts, and Rodents DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I’m still in processing with the county to get permits for our new Hansen home building but in the meantime I’m trying to figure out insulation for our raised floor. County requirements (I’m assuming IBC code) requires R30 floor insulation. The building floor design wound […]

My Poles are Placed Farther Apart Than the Trusses Span Reader ALURA in NORTH CAROLINA writes: “We recently purchased a 60 x40 pole barn kit from Florida and we are in North Carolina.  We talked to them on the phone several times about the size the inner dimensions. They reassured us that yes the 40×60 was […]

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Hello, I am from Webster SD and I built a pole barn and insulated it.  I then put turf above gravel floor and use it for a indoor baseball practice facility.  It can be heated as we have heaters in there.  We have a huge problem and was wondering if you […]

Properly Treated Poles, Ceiling Loads, and Uplift Plates DEAR POLE BARN GURU: My pole barn is approximately 25 years old. My question is, does the foundation need to be treated for maintenance to prevent rotting? The wood that is underground was originally treated wood but how long does that last? The floor inside is concrete […]

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I have an upstairs (loft) exterior opening that is 50″ wide by 68″ tall. I want to build a door with the National Hardware tab-loc frame and cover it with r-panel siding. How much overhang on each side, and top and bottom do I need to make the door? What should […]

Help! My Pole Barn Has Frost Heave Reader DAVID in MINNESOTA writes: “I looked through many pages of your blog and found nothing yet that deals with my frost heave problem. Bought lake property 8 years ago that had a 24 X 24 pole shed that was 5 years old. It has concrete floor with […]

4 Unexpected Reasons to Invest In Energy Efficient Post Frame Design Post frame buildings are increasingly being looked at from the standpoint of being energy efficient in their design. Regardless of the usage of the building, the costs of energy are not likely to decrease in future years. With the ability to easily create deep […]

In Bend, Oregon, Hacker Architects, out of Portland, Oregon, designed a library with wooden beams similar to pole barns in the area. Hacker is an architecture firm which has designed over 30 libraries in the U.S. In my humble opinion, rather than trying to give the “feel” of a pole barn, libraries would be best […]

Reader KEN in FORT COLLINS writes: “HI MIKE! We just bought an acreage with an existing 36 x 48 post frame farm storage building. In talking to the prior owner, we have learned that the builder did not use cookies, footing pads or a cement bottom collar. So nothing to prevent settling (He did nail […]

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I am installing re-bar hairpins prepping for a pour in a Hansen pole barn. My question is about the inside poles. I have on rebar per outside pole. Do i put two rebar hairpins on the inside poles?   Thanks ALCUIN in LAVEEN DEAR ALCUIN: The purpose of the rebar hairpins […]

Some things in life amaze me – magicians are one of them. I have no idea how the do what they do, but I am totally fascinated by them (you can read about my college experience with a magician here: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2014/08/lumber-bending/). One of the other things which amaze me are how clients will invest tens […]

Well, maybe not exactly the same building. In April of this year we had a client invest in a brand new 36 foot wide by 60 foot long post frame building kit package with a 16 foot eave height. Three months later, the building has been delivered, and one of the group which ordered the […]

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Hi, my husband and I are looking I to purchasing a small piece of land and want to build a pole barn home on it. I’m envisioning 4 bed upstairs with 2 bath and a loft area and on the main floor a master bed with bath , kitchen/dining, great room […]