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Radiant Floor Heat, UC-4B Post Treatment, and Button Staples

This Wednesday the Pole Barn Guru answers reader questions about the use of radiant floor heat for a post frame building, post treatment that will not rot, and whether or not button staples can be used for housewrap on a post frame house.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I am researching my build. I wanted to know since the flooring I want is concrete can heated flooring with the water system be installed in the ground for a pole barn? ERIKA in SHREVEPORT

DEAR ERIKA: Radiant in floor heat is a very popular and efficient method for heating concrete floors in post frame (pole barn) buildings. My own shouse (shop/house) has it (story here: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2012/08/radiant-floor-heating/).

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I live in a part of Texas that has clay we call blackland prairie clay, black gumbo, and other names I care not mention. Is it possible to sink poles in the ground in this area given the fact that most posts out there are from fast grown lumber? I built a pole barn in 1983 with my father, but that was in sandy loam soil up near Oklahoma. I have 900′ of ranch fencing and poles are always rotting. DANIEL in ROYSE CITY

DEAR DANIEL: Your premature decay of fence posts has nothing to do with how fast lumber grows – it is them not being pressure preservative treated to UC-4B levels. All of our fully engineered post frame (pole barn) buildings utilize this level of pressure treating and it performs admirably. If you are yet concerned, there are options available such as plastic column sleeves, or pouring piers with wet set brackets to keep columns out of ground entirely.

Of greater concern would be your columns moving due to expansive soils (for extended reading: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2020/07/barndominium-on-expansive-soils/).

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Concerning fastening house wrap, can you use button staples as recommended by house wrap companies? I didn’t know if the button would show through the tin. I don’t want to lose house wrap before tin would be up as we live in a very unpredictable and windy area but also don’t want button to show through tin if that’s a possibility. Thanks! ADAM in COLBY

DEAR ADAM: Weather Resistant Barriers (aka WRB or house wrap) should be installed using flat staples, rather than button staples. Button staples, as you have surmised, may show through steel siding. You want to only install WRB directly ahead of where you are hanging steel, so as not to leave it exposed to winds any more than is necessary.

This entry was posted in Pole Barn Questions, Pole Barn Design, Roofing Materials, Pole Barn Planning, Shouse, Ventilation, tools, Columns, Fasteners, Pole Barn Homes, Insulation and tagged radiant floor heat, fasteners, UC-4B, post rot, post treatment, housewrap on November 26, 2025 by Rick Ochs.

Best Practice for Closing and Insulating 2×10 Headers

Best Practice for Closing and Insulating 2×10 Headers
Reader DAVE in VIROQUA writes:

“Best practice for closing and insulating 2×10 headers. My pole barn has building wrap then closed cell spray foamed walls. Ceiling not yet installed but want to use blown in fiberglass with vapor barrier. The spray foam on walls goes up to the bottom edge of the outer header. Before the ceiling is installed and insulated what is your suggestion to close and insulate the double 2×10 header to prevent moisture issues etc.? My walls will be finished off at a later date. Building has vented soffits and ridge vent. Roof panels have drip guard on underside as well. The post framing is laminated 2×6-3ply. Thank you.”

Mike the Pole Barn Guru pens:
One of my pet peeves of what I refer to as 4 & 8 buildings (trusses every 4′, columns every 8′) is when truss carriers (headers between columns) are applied to column faces, rather than being notched in. Rarely are fasteners sufficient to be able to resist loads imposed by those once every hundred years snow storms, resulting in roofs lowered to top of vehicle levels.

Besides connection challenges, it further reduces actual amount of usable interior space. As an example, builders/providers will set outside of exterior (barn style) girts at Building Lines, and to finish interior requires adding yet another set of face mounted wall girts. This ends up with wall framing 8-1/2″ thick. On a 24′ wide building, if 1/2″ gypsum wallboard is used, interior finished dimension ends up being only 22’6″!

In answer to your question, you’ll want to enclose above double 2×10. This can be done by cutting strips of whatever low cost sheet good you can find (OSB, plywood, etc.) and installing them between trusses on top of truss carriers. Fill cavity between 2x10s with closed cell spray foam.

Hopefully you will not have issues with your current closed cell spray foam applied to a weather resistant barrier. Best practice is to spray directly to inside of steel (please read more here https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2020/04/spray-foam-insulation-3/)

This entry was posted in Insulation, Pole Barn Questions and tagged truss carriers, fasteners, weather resistant barrier, overhead door headers, headers, closed cell spray foam, gypsum wall board on November 16, 2023 by admin.

An Innovation to Attach Tops of Interior Walls

An Innovation to Attach Tops of Interior Walls

Roof and/or floor trusses should not be fixed attached to tops of non-load bearing interior walls. In a previous article, I discussed a possible solution to this challenge (please read: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2016/01/attaching-interior-walls-to-trusses/).

Those brilliant engineering type folks at Simpson may just have invented a better mouse trap for these situations.
Introducing the Strong-Drive SDPW Deflector Screw from Simpson Strong-Tie — a premium structural fastening solution for connecting non-load-bearing walls to trusses and joists. With tested lateral-load ratings that meet building code requirements, the SDPW screw is value engineered for strength, installation speed and safety. Offset Driver Bits and a driver extension (available in 18” and 30” lengths, each sold separately) maximize installation speed and safety while minimizing installed cost. The SDPW’s polymer sleeve allows for sliding during deflection, preventing squeaks. The SDPW is designed for superior performance, and it’s backed by the best service and product support in the industry.

Key Features
Deep 6-lobe recess for secure driving
Polymer sleeve allows for deflection without squeaks
Interior-grade E-coat for dry service applications
Offset Driver Bit (6-lobe) drives SDPW Deflector screw to predetermined screw depth
Available in 3 1/2″, 5″ and 6″ lengths
US Patent 8,458,972 applies to Strong-Drive SDPW Solution
US Patent 9,523,383 applies to 6” SDPW Deflector fasteners
Applications
Non-load bearing wall connections to truss/joists
Product Includes
Retail packs include (1) Offset Driver Bit and (1) 3/8″ predrill bit. Mini bulk packs include (2) Offset Driver Bits and (2) 3/8″ predrill bits.

Radiant Floor Heat, UC-4B Post Treatment, and Button Staples

Of greater concern would be your columns moving due to expansive soils (for extended reading: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2020/07/barndominium-on-expansive-soils/).

This entry was posted in Pole Barn Planning, Shouse, Ventilation, tools, Columns, Fasteners, Pole Barn Homes, Insulation, Pole Barn Questions, Pole Barn Design, Roofing Materials and tagged post rot, post treatment, housewrap, radiant floor heat, fasteners, UC-4B on July 27, 2022 by admin.

How Roof is Done, “Logs” for Kits, and Two-Story “Shoffice”(?)

This Monday, Mike the Pole Barn Guru discusses the ins and outs of a roof, lumber provided with the Kit, and if we can offer a two story shed/office (“Shoffice”?).

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: How is the roof done? Do you use screws or nails? Is the frame wood or steel? MARY in MT. PLEASANT

DEAR MARY: Most of our buildings have steel roofing (although any roofing type can be used – shingles, tile, etc.). We recommend using some method of controlling possible condensation on underside of steel roofing – either a Reflective Radiant Barrier (https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2017/05/effective-reflective-insulation/), an Integral Condensation Control (https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2017/03/integral-condensation-control/) either of these two we typically supply or two inches of closed cell spray foam.

All of our steel roofs are fastened with 1-1/2 inch long, color matched and powder coated screws.

All Hansen Pole Buildings have a structural wood framework, making them very DIY friendly. This wood framework eliminates thermal transference issues found in steel frame buildings.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Looking at a 40x44x18 garage kit from sales at Home Depot. I read reviews & they talk about “logs” showing up & sawing the lumber. Is this the case?? Not much of a kit if you have to make your own dimensional lumber? RICHARD in SHILOH

DEAR RICHARD: Comments/reviews posted on The Home Depot® website for our buildings are literally nothing short of hilarious. Obviously these are not from verified purchasers of our engineered post frame buildings kits. All lumber needed for this and any of our buildings is sawn to size. Dimensional lumber has been planed (surfaced), dried to 19% moisture content or less and grade stamped to verify adequacy for structural usage.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Looking to build workshop and office, would like to know if the kits come in 2 story. Looking at 30 X 30 building with one garage door, two reg. door cut outs and 4 or 5 window cut outs. Looking to build late summer. Thanks, WIL in PROVIDENCE FORGE

DEAR WIL: Without sprinklers, we can provide up to 40 foot tall sidewalls and three stories. If you sprinkler 50 foot sidewalls and four stories.

This entry was posted in Lumber, Pole Barn Questions, Shouse, Roofing Materials, Steel Roofing & Siding, Columns, Lofts and tagged screws, alternative roofing, shouse, roof, Logs, lumber, shop office, roof steel, fasteners on April 13, 2020 by admin.

LP Siding, Ceilings, and an Inspector’s questions!

This Monday, the Pole Barn Guru discussed attaching LP siding on a post frame home, installing ceiling panels, and an Inspector’s questions.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I am looking at the possibly of installing standard LP lap siding on a post frame home, in that case it would seem like I would need to go with vertical studs. As a look at cost and installation time, metal siding is starting to look a little better. TRENT in WALLA WALLA

DEAR TRENT: My own home features steel siding and wouldn’t consider doing it any other way. Besides being less expensive to install (both material and labor), steel siding will prove to be extremely durable and requires no maintenance. For sidings such as LP lap, you can still use bookshelf girts, reducing girt dimensions from 2×8 to 2×6 and placing vertical 2×4 nailers every two feet upon girt exterior face running from pressure preservative treated splash plank up to soffit supports. This results in a savings of around 20% in assembly framing lumber.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: How far apart should the strapping be for installing metal on a ceiling. Trusses are 4ft apart metal is Tuff Rib 3/4 inch I think. BERNIE in ARMSTRONG

DEAR BERNIE: By “strapping” I will guess you are meaning supports for the steel ceiling liner panels. If you install panels perpendicular to trusses you can screw directly to bottom chords without any additional framing.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: My building inspector is requesting information on the direct to ground treated aspect of the glulaminated timbers in my building. The wording on the posts for the direct to ground side are covered with concrete. The color alone isn’t enough. Where can I get this info? Also the LU28 hangars call out 3 1.5 inch nails per side to truss, and 2 1.5 per side to Purlin. Which is 10 mails per Purlin bracket. He is requesting all holes being filled. Do I argue or do I fill the holes? RICK in PARMA

DEAR RICK: Justine forwarded to you manufacturer’s warranty information in regards to your building’s glulaminated columns, specifying level of treatment as adequate for structural in ground use.

Your inspector will be merely enforcing information denoted upon your engineered building plans. Unless called out for otherwise, all holes in hangers having wood to nail into must be filled. If nailing into a two ply member (e.g. double truss) 10d common x 3″ nails should be used. I also just happened to have a Simpson LU28 sitting next to me atop my desk – I count three holes per side to nail into purlin and four holes per side to nail into truss, total of 14 holes per bracket.

This entry was posted in Pole Barn Questions, Constructing a Pole Building, Pole Building Siding, Trusses, Fasteners and tagged lap siding, Ceiling, treated posts, siding options, fasteners, ceiling load trusses, ceiling steel on February 18, 2019 by admin.

Eave Lights, Building Plans, and Foundations

Today Mike answers questions about eave lights, drawing building plans, and foundation plans.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: How to I attach the poly eave lights to the building frame? RUSSELL in BOISE

DEAR RUSSELL: Polycarbonate panels are best predrilled for screw fasteners using a 3/8” bit. Screw pattern for eave lights is same as for sidewall steel.

Drive #10 x 1” white screw fasteners perpendicular to light panel’s surface and tighten moderately. Fastener head and washer/gasket is to sit snugly and fully on panel’s face, without squeezing gasket and distorting washer. Over tightening will distort washer, panel and ruin gasket, causing leaking and panel damage, resulting from undue internal stresses. Tilted fastener insertion will deform washer, damage gasket, cause leakage and originate undue stresses on panel eventually leading to failure. Tighten fasteners by hand or by an adjustable torque power-screwdriver.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I’m have a question related to the construction of a custom building. I see that you have some sample building plans on your web site. Do you typically produce the plans for the buildings that you construct or do you recommend that a client work with an architect to have plans drawn up before accepting a construction project? If you do recommend that clients provide plans, do you have a list of architects that you prefer to work with?

Thanks in advance, MATTHEW

DEAR MATTHEW: We (Hansen Pole Buildings and our contracted third-party engineers) produce plans for post frame building kit packages we provide. For clients who feel more comfortable working with an architect, we would recommend contracting their services for conceptual work (aesthetics, room layouts and sizes, etc.) and leave structural aspects (permit/construction plans) to our team.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Do you have any experience with anchoring a building to an existing slab?

I talked with you before about door options, but now have ran into the problem that the building I am going with will now sit on the anchor plates that I had installed in the slab. Just curios if you know what my best options could be for anchor bolts. Thanks. MICHAEL

DEAR MICHAEL: All steel buildings usually do not come with engineering for a foundation. You are going to have to consult with your foundation engineer and get a fix from them, as no one else can legally make this change.

This entry was posted in Pole Barn Questions, Concrete, Footings, Professional Engineer, Fasteners and tagged engineered plans, polycarbonate panels; polycarbonate roof panels, eave lights, Plans, fasteners, existing concrete slab on January 7, 2019 by admin.

Design for Spray-Foam, Sonotubes, or Proper Fasteners!

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: My name is Wade, I purchased the design and material from

Hansen for my pole barn this past year. It is a 64×64 Pole Barn. My question is, what’s the best way to insulate with the wall girts being horizontal and at an odd measurement on center? Thanks WADE in HILLSBORO

DEAR WADE: Thank you very much for your investment in a new Hansen Pole Building. If you have an opportunity to do so, I would enjoy seeing photos of your completed building, as it has some unique features which other clients would appreciate seeing.

Insulating buildings, after the fact, is one of the most common questions I get asked about. If we were in the design phase of your project, my advice would have been to place the bookshelf girts at 24 inches on center

(https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2011/09/commercial-girts-what-are-they/) and use housewrap between the girts and the siding. As we are past this point, my best recommendation is going to be closed cell spray foam (read more about spray foam here: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2016/07/advantages-spray-foam-over-batt-insulation/). It is not inexpensive however it is very effective and can be sprayed directly onto the inside of the wall steel.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I am looking into building a pole barn. In my area up north (Alpena Michigan) the ground is laden with heavy rock. 2 ‘ below the rock is bedrock. How will one set the main post for construction?? Digging this rock out would be near impossible while at the same time keeping things plumb and square! Please help! CHRIS in ALGONAC

DEAR CHRIS: I’ve actually been to Alpena! My first choice is always to dig holes to solid bedrock, probably requiring a backhoe. If the rock is such as to leave you with craters, sonotubes can be used to reduce the amount of concrete backfill required around the columns. If the bedrock is fairly shallow, or not below frost depth, the columns can usually be designed by the building engineer to be rebar pinned to the bedrock to prevent movement.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I recently bought a property and the 20 yr. old pole barn that is leaking inside from the eves on the sides. I have excessive overhang 4.5 inches on one side and 5 inches on the other. According to your sight, it should be 1 1/2 to 1 3/4. How do I repair/fix this problem?
Thanks, DALE in NEWPORT

DEAR DALE: Your challenge probably has nothing to do with the distance the roof steel overhangs past the sidewalls. The ideal length (1-1/2 to 1-3/4 inches) is based upon getting the runoff water from the roof directly into a gutter, without having the water just sailing over the top.

If your building is only leaking along the eaves, then it is a function of the original builder having used the industry standard #9 diameter screws. Over time, the cyclical nature of windloads will cause these small diameter screws to act like knives, cutting away at the surrounding steel until slots have formed around the screws – and water then leaks through the slots.

Provided this is indeed the problem, and the slotting is not too excessive, it can be fixed by using #14 diameter screws, which are greater in length than the existing screws. Remove all of the current screws at the eave, place the larger and longer screws back through the same holes and as long as no slots extend past the grommets, you have the job half done.

Probably the roof only has screws on one side of the high ribs along the eave, if so, add another large/long screw at the other side of each high rib. The eaves and ridge are where roof shear forces (from wind) are the greatest. By adding the extra screws, it reduces the lateral force on each of the screws along the eaves.

If the slots are too great to be covered by a new fastener, the solution is to replace the roof steel and install it using the correct screws and with a pattern which will prevent the same problem from happening again in the future.

This entry was posted in Insulation, Pole Barn Design, Roofing Materials, Steel Roofing & Siding, Fasteners and tagged insulation, leaking roof, sonotubes, fasteners, bedrock on March 20, 2017 by admin.

An Apartment Addition?

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Can you supply me with a copy of the sparrow barn in Texas plans It is a wedding venue I would like to copy. JAMES in HAMPTON

DEAR JAMES: Certainly we can, stamped by a registered professional engineer, and custom designed for your climactic loads – and for free. They come along with your investment in a new Hansen Pole Building complete kit package.

Pole Barn Prices

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I built a 40x60x14 pole barn, trusses 4’oc, cement floor with seal, foil bubble wrap outside all girts and purlins, vented soffits and continuous ridgevent. Trusses have 5psf bottom cord rating. I have read all the posts of yours I could. Would like to put in 24×40 apartment and was looking to put in BIBS insulation with horizontal bookcase framing but ran into a few questions. I’m concerned about drywall cracking/nail popping if I strap bottom truss cords and apply drywall to that. If I drop the ceiling, however, I’ll have to do vertical studs for the ceiling joists to sit on. I see a problem with fireblocking too. How best do you fireblock behind posts (between girts) with bookcased studs? Vertical studs would be even more difficult to fireblock, with 1.5 inch gaps everywhere. Last question is insulation…..With the impermeable foil bubble wrap up against the steel siding, I was going to use the mesh fabric and BIBS only before drywall. I’m concerned about a vapor barrier against drywall as this will primarily be used in summer with a/c on the interior and an outside humid climate. I appreciate any help and advice. MARCUS in ROANOKE

DEAR MARCUS: I appreciate you being a loyal reader!

You will want to place 2×4 ceiling joists on edge (two inch face towards the floor and sky) every 24 inches between the truss bottom chords, using Simpson 2×4 joist hangers on each end. With 5/8″ gypsum wallboard, screwed on per the manufacturer’s installation instructions, it is unlikely you will experience unusual drywall cracking or nail popping. Properly done, your bookcase studs (wall girts) should be supporting the siding on the outside and drywall on the inside. Installed this way, they effectively serve as fire blocking. In the event your building has “barn” style wall girts (flat on the outside face of the columns), use bookshelf girts of a large enough dimension to reach the siding, as well as extend to at least the inside face of the columns (e.g. 2×8 on a 6×6 column).

There is going to be a challenge on the walls….your building should actually have building wrap on the outside of the framing to allow any water vapor in the wall cavity to escape to the outside world. The wall vapor barrier should be on the inside face of the wall girts to prevent moist air from inside of your apartment from entering the wall cavity. The reflective insulation in your walls should be either removed or at the very least punctured frequently, prior to wall insulation being installed.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I am installing shutters on my home, which is a barn style home with metal siding. My husband is very concerned about which type of screws to use to prevent leaking or rusting. What do you suggest? AMELIA in HONEA PATH

DEAR AMELIA: Builders Edge Shutter-Lok patented fastening system makes installation fast and easy. Shutter-Lok holds in any material. Shutter-Lok features a durable copolymer construction with molded-through color so that there is no paint to ever scratch, flake, or fade. Installation requires drill with 1/4″ masonry bit.

This entry was posted in Pole Barn Planning, Ventilation, Rebuilding Structures, Building Interior, Professional Engineer, Insulation, Pole Barn Design, Pole Building How To Guides and tagged fasteners, vapor barrier, Plans, fire blocking, humidity, shutters on December 26, 2016 by admin.

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Tag Archives: fasteners

Radiant Floor Heat, UC-4B Post Treatment, and Button Staples

Best Practice for Closing and Insulating 2×10 Headers

An Innovation to Attach Tops of Interior Walls

Radiant Floor Heat, UC-4B Post Treatment, and Button Staples

How Roof is Done, “Logs” for Kits, and Two-Story “Shoffice”(?)

LP Siding, Ceilings, and an Inspector’s questions!

Eave Lights, Building Plans, and Foundations

Design for Spray-Foam, Sonotubes, or Proper Fasteners!

An Apartment Addition?

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