This week the Pole Barn Guru tackles reader questions about termites that can destroy treated lumber in an area wind 80mph winds, if one can install a roof with hidden fasteners over trusses or if it needs an underlayment, and the possibility of modifying a truss chord in order to accommodate a overhead door operator.
DEAR POLE BARN GURU: We have terrible subterranean termites that can destroy treated lumber. We also live in an area that sees 80 mph winds in the winter. Are your pole barns strong enough to withstand these things? DAN in FRAZIER PARK
DEAR DAN: Every Hansen Pole Building is fully engineered to meet or exceed your jurisdiction’s minimum design wind speed requirements (in Ventura county Vult = 100 mph). When wind is a client concern, we always recommend designing to higher than minimum design wind speeds. In many instances, added investments are minimal. Most important is designing to correct wind exposure for your particular site. Most other providers sell Exposure B rated buildings, when many sites are actually Exposure C. For extended reading on wind exposure, please read: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2022/06/wind-exposure-and-confusion-part-iii/ While our buildings come with any pressure preservative treated wood at or above Building Code requirements. Regardless of structural building system in areas prone to subterranean termites treat prepared soil with a termiticide barrier at a rate of one gallon of chemical solution per every 10 square feet.
DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I want hidden fastener steel roof, do I need to sheath the roof or can I install over trusses. Also, how far apart are your trusses for residential pole barn homes? JAY in MILWAUKEE
DEAR JAY: Hidden fastener steel should only be installed over solid sheathing as it has no shear value to be able to transfer wind loads from roof to endwalls. https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2015/08/standing-seam-steel/
In most instances, our fully engineered post-frame barndominiums are designed with a pair of trusses directly aligned with columns every 12 feet.
DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Would it be possible to install a 1/8- 1/4 ‘’ steel plate C-shaped with a “tail” extending from back side to tie a bottom chord and king post together and then cut out a 6’’ section to allow for a garage door opener install. GABE in SIMCOE
DEAR GABE: Maybe, however no truss should ever be cut or modified unless done with an engineer certified repair. https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2016/07/cutting-trusses/
DEAR KIMBERLY: This brought back childhood memories of my Dad taking me out on a Saturday to a site above Hayden Lake, Idaho where he and my uncles were going to be framing a custom home. Site had been cleared, and there were all sorts of roughly inch and one-half diameter holes drilled into solid rock – they had to blast in order to get a foundation in!
DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I am in the planning stages for a pole barn build. The building will be 50 ft wide by 40 ft deep by 16 ft high at the eaves, posts spaced at 10 ft centers. This will go on a concrete pad and I am looking into using Sturdi-Wall Plus wet set brackets. My question is in regard to the height of the posts (roughly 16 ft) and the bending moment loads (wind loads) on the side of the building. Have you designed/installed posts with this height or higher before? If so, is there a place where I can point the planning officials to that shows the calcs and what not so they can make a decision as to whether or not this type of application with my situation will work or not?
DEAR KRISTEN: Any roof supporting structural columns are pressure preservative treated to UC-4B per International Building Code requirements. This is a greater level of pressure treatment than you can usually find at big box stores or local lumberyards. Any other lumber used in ground contact will be treated to UC-4A and tags will reflect ‘ground contact’. Lumber in contact with steel roofing (roof purlins) are not exposed to the weather, would not typically be pressure preservative treated. We do always recommend a condensation control be used between roof steel and roof framing. The easiest, from an application standpoint, would be a factory applied to roof steel Integral Condensation Control (DripStop or CondenStop). Other alternatives would be a Radiant Reflective Barrier (we can provide this in six foot width rolls with an adhesive pull strip attached for ease of joining rolls together) or to use two inches of closed cell spray foam.
“I’m not sure if you can answer my question or can possible point me in the correct direction. We are about to attach trusses. I thought that I had read somewhere that we needed to isolate the truss connector plates from the treated poles, if they were in a position where they would contact the columns. Also, is it OK to fasten through these connector plates?
