Why True Pole Barn Price Shoppers are Never Satisfied

I’ve learned a few things in my close to 40 years as a business owner or manager. One of the most important is, there is always some other provider who is willing to sacrifice quality and/or service to sell at a lower price.

If everyone was selling the absolute exact same product, with the absolute exact same service, then price is the only determining factor.

Commodity items would fall into the category above.

Pole buildings are not commodities. With so many differentiation’s in how the buildings are designed, what is provided for plans and instructions, the quality of the materials, the list becomes virtually endless.

The pole barn price shopper most often sacrifices features, to drive the price lower. Here are just a few of the examples (in no particular order):

• Accepting pressure treating which does not meet Code requirements. (Read more about treating specifications here: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/blog/2012/10/pressure-treated-posts-2/)

• Going “light” on wind and/or snow load requirements where permitting is either lax or non-existent.

• Cheaping out on doors – the only moving parts on a building, do you seriously want to skimp here? Using wood framed sliding doors, instead of metal frames. Using sliding doors, when overhead doors were obviously the correct design solution. Low quality wood jamb entry doors. Not paying for wind rated overhead and entry doors.

• Leaving off overhangs. You can’t add overhangs on later. If my choice, due to budget, is doors or overhangs – I am picking overhangs. One can always leave openings and install the doors at a later date when funds are more readily available.

• No roof insulation. The number one complaint I get from people with existing buildings is they failed to insulate below their steel roofing and it now drips. And drips. And drips.

• Using green lumber instead of kiln dried. There are portions of the country where green lumber is prevalent – most often along the west coast. Read some of the issues of green lumber here: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/blog/2011/09/499green-lumber-vs-dry-lumber/

• Fastening steel roofing and/or siding with nails instead of screws. Why not? https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/blog/2011/12/ring-shank-nails/
  

• Putting up a building which is smaller than what is needed to provide a solution to the problem.

• Using recycled utility poles or steel pipe instead of properly pressure preservative treated columns.

• Connecting wooden components with “sinkers”.

• Failure to provide adequate means of ventilation.

• Not, at the least, ordering trusses to support a future ceiling – if one could ever be installed.

• Using steel roofing with little or no warranty.

• Skimping on trims for anywhere (most often these are base, top of wall, fascia and overhead door jamb trims) or leaving out form fitted closed cell closure strips.

• Tearing down, moving and reassembling an existing pole building.

I am getting worn down and depressed just making this much of a list! And there are even more things which could be added. If you find yourself looking at this list and thinking you might seriously consider doing one or more of these things to trim your pole barn price – you are fooling no one but yourself. Eventually they will come back to haunt you, maybe sooner than expected.

The goal at Hansen Pole Buildings, as it should be with every other pole building kit package supplier or builder, should be to (as much as possible) keep the client from making crucial mistakes which they will regret at a later date.

As I have told more than one person, years from now when I am on my countrywide tour of people I have helped with buildings I want to pull up in your driveway and be heartily welcomed to share a cold, tall one….not chased off with a shotgun for not having done my job right.