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An Estimated Cost, a “Moisture Sandwich” and Packing the Wall

This week readers “Ask the Guru” about an estimated cost for a building kit, concerns about a “moisture sandwich” when adding insulation and vapor barrier, and a risk to packing it to the exterior metal siding (with no air gap)?

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: 40×91.5 Calhoun. Looking to potentially build this kit. I was wondering what the estimated cost would be for a full build using this kit? Trying to figure out the budget, would like to keep total budget under 280k DENTON in BELTON

DEAR DENTON: Fully engineered post frame homes and barndominiums, modest tastes, DIY, budget roughly $75-85 per square foot for conditioned spaces, $35 for all others. Does not include land, site prep, utilities, permits.

 

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I currently have a 40x60x16 pole barn that I built with the walls insulated with standard Silvercote 2″ fiberglass/white vapor barrier lining on the inside portion of the building. I’m now looking to add Rockwool R-23 to the 2×8 bookshelf wall cavities over the existing 2″ insulation. Every conversation I’ve had with AI states to slit the vinyl backing with a razor vertically every 6″ or so before pressing the Rockwool in. This is to prevent a “moisture sandwich” between the rockwool and vinyl backing. Is this correct? I live in Colorado. The whole shop is 2×8 purlins and girts. The roof has been sprayed with 3″ closed cell foam. Looking to do this right. Walls will be covered with 3/4 plywood up to 12′ and a steel liner for the remaining 4′. I really appreciate any help you can provide. ERMELINDO in PEYTOM

DEAR ERMELINDO: Metal Building Insulation makes for more challenges than benefits gained from a very low effective R value (for extended reading: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2011/11/metal-building-insulation/).

In order to create a “moisture sandwich” would require having a vapor barrier on each side of your Rockwool insulation. As Rockwool is unfaced, you have no internal vapor barrier. You should be able to leave facing on vinyl backing intact, just keep in mind your building will now dry to the inside. This means you may need to mechanically dehumidify to prevent mold and mildew. Should you slit this vinyl facing, as there is no interior vapor barrier, moisture could pass through your wall assembly and condense on interior face of your wall steel.

 

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: One last insulation question – there wouldn’t be a risk to packing it to the exterior metal siding (with no air gap)? TONY in BROCKPORT

DEAR TONY: Having an air gap in an insulated wall can significantly reduce thermal performance.

Impact on Insulation Efficiency
· Air gaps can allow convection currents, diminishing effectiveness of insulation materials.
· For fibrous insulation like fiberglass, unintentional gaps can severely degrade thermal performance, as they rely on trapped air to maintain their R-value.

Moisture Issues
· Gaps can permit warm, moist air to reach colder surfaces, leading to condensation and potential mold growth.
· This moisture can degrade insulation and wall structure over time.

Overall Building Performance
· Presence of air gaps can lead to increased energy costs due to reduced heating and cooling efficiency.
· It may also contribute to thermal bypasses, where air flows around insulation, further compromising building envelope.

This entry was posted in Building Interior, Budget, Pole Barn Heating, Post Frame Home, Barndominium, Insulation, Pole Barn Questions, Pole Barn Design, Pole Barn Planning, Ventilation and tagged , , , , , , , on by .

Pole Barn House Planning, Financing for a Shouse, and Notching a Glulam

This Wednesday readers of “Ask the Guru” are advised in areas of planning for a pole barn  house, VA financing for a duplex or shouse, and the best method of notching a glulam for truss support.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Can you send me some images and quotes for pole barn houses for 7,000? TAMARRA in INTERLACHEN

DEAR TAMARRA: While every building we provide is customized to best meet our client’s wants and needs, we do have numerous representative floor plans available: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/gallery/floor-plans/

Fully engineered post frame homes and barndominiums, modest tastes, DIY, budget roughly $75-85 per sft for conditioned spaces, $35 for all others. Does not include land, site prep, utilities, permits.

Hire a General Contractor and expect to invest double or even triple these amounts.

 

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Hello! My husband and I are trying to buy our first home using our VA all in one construction loan or something like that. We are very new to this and are still in the early stages of research. We won’t be submitting an actual credit hit until the end of July (waiting on some things to better our credit once its gone and saving for down payment as well). We are wanting to do this with my sister and brother in law. We all have over 620 credit scores and are looking to build a two story barndo that connects to a 2 car shop and on the other side of that is another barndo the same as the first side. We are trying to do a duplex style but connected by a garage/shop. With a wrap around porch. Is this even possible?? What budget am I looking at and your honest opinion. Thank you so much!! TAYLOR in BURKBURNETT

DEAR TAYLOR: VA loans can be challenging and they typically force you to hire only an approved General Contractor – meaning you will pay a premium.

This information should prove helpful: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2021/02/a-shortlist-for-smooth-barndominium-sailing/

You design idea is totally possible. Fully engineered post frame homes and barndominiums, modest tastes, DIY, budget roughly $75-85 per sft for conditioned spaces, $35 for all others. Does not include land, site prep, utilities, permits. Hire a General Contractor, expect to pay double or triple these amounts.

 

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: What is the best way to cut the middle 2×6 out of a 3 ply nail/ glued column? I want to sandwich my truss between ply 1 and 3. AUSTIN in OTSEGO

DEAR AUSTIN: Hopefully you are not planning upon using a nail/glued column.

Why?

Ignore any glue – it is merely construction adhesive and is not capable of adequately transferring shear loads between plies.

As nails are used from each outer ply, into center ply, center ply ends up with double number of nails, as well as then carrying twice as much load as each individual ply. When we tested these in a university wood products lab center ply failed in over 96% of tested members!

I would highly recommend using only true glulaminated columns (please read more here: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2024/11/new-hansen-pole-building-roof-supporting-columns/).

Back to your question. Our engineers are going to specify a notch from one side of each truss bearing column. It is nearly impossible to notch out a center member of a laminated column (while it can be done, expect to invest an overly large amount of time and probably some choice language). From a structural aspect, there is really not a benefit.

 

This entry was posted in Pole Barn Design, Shouse, Pole Building How To Guides, Shouse, Pole Barn Planning, Trusses, Budget, Columns, Pole Barn Homes, Barndominium, Pole Barn Questions and tagged , , , , , , on by .

Screw Placement, a Future Build, and IRC Engineering in WA

This Wednesday readers “Ask the Guru” about the placement of screws through the high ribs of steel roofing, exploring options for a future build, and required engineering for post frame in Skagit County, WA.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Hi all, not sure if this is the right place to have this discussion, but I just had a metal roof put on. My contractor put the screws through the ribs. I realize that this used to be a way to do it, but it does not seem to be the best way to do it nowadays. So, my question is, should I ask him to screw in flat sections too? Or, do I just roll with it until it develops problems? I do not want to add more screws to the flat section if that will just make the problem worse. Our distributor sent very long screws with the roofing metal, so my guy just assumed it was meant for the rib…Any help or advice would be appreciated. Obviously a very frustrating situation! And, for what it is worth, I live in a very flat, windy area. Not much wind break. JUSTIN in MT. VERNON

DEAR JUSTIN: I would add proper screws, in flats, as should have been done originally. It will not hurt (other than it will look like your roof has a lot of screws) and may relieve some of the potential for slots to form around screws in high ribs. Of course your best solution – replace roofing and do it right.

 

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Hi there, I’m currently exploring options for a future build and wanted to learn more about your pole barn kits to determine if this is the right route for my project. I’m particularly interested in understanding the approximate cost of a 2,000 square foot pole barn kit, along with what’s included in that package. Additionally, I’d appreciate any insight you can share on the full build-out process. Specifically, I’d like to get a sense of the total cost when factoring in the foundation, interior build (such as framing, insulation, plumbing, electrical, etc.), and any other essentials needed to complete the space. I understand you may focus primarily on providing the kits, but any guidance or recommendations you can provide would be very helpful. The location of the potential build is Anderson, South Carolina. Looking forward to hearing from you and learning more. Best regards ARIANA in ANDERSON

DEAR ARIANA: Thank you for reaching out to us. Our building kits typically include all structural components needed to “dry in” your building – this would be framework, roofing, siding, doors, windows, any raised wood floors. Each of our buildings comes with site specific (your building and its openings, on your site) engineer sealed plans (with verifying engineer sealed plans). This is your assurance your barndominium will withstand appropriate climactic loads and perform admirably for generations. For fully engineered post-frame homes and barndominiums, modest tastes, total DIY, budget roughly $75-85 per square foot for conditioned spaces, $35 per square foot for other spaces. This does not include cost of land, site prep (including driveways and roads), utilities or permits. If you hire a General Contractor to “turn key” – expect to pay double to triple this amount. Act as your own General Contractor and hire out subcontractors, savings usually run 20-30% less than hiring a GC. Your building shell investment is roughly a third of your finished DIY investment.

 

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Skagit County Planning and Development Services says: “Is engineering required for a post frame building? Yes, engineering is required. There is no provision in the International Residential Code (IRC) for prescriptive post frame construction. “Do the plans and kit come with an engineer’s stamp that I can submit to the Planning department for a building permit? Thanks, ED in BOW

DEAR ED: Every building we provide comes with site specific (your doors and openings, at your site) engineer sealed plans, with engineer sealed calculations. We have provided well over 1000 buildings in Washington State with dozens of them being to clients in Skagit county.

This entry was posted in Barndominium, Pole Barn Questions, Pole Barn Design, Building Department, Roofing Materials, Constructing a Pole Building, Pole Barn Planning, Professional Engineer, Pole Barn Homes and tagged , , , , , , , , on by .

Tariffs to Raise Construction Costs

Tariffs to Raise Construction Costs

I have been warning people about this for months. Luckily, for Hansen Pole Buildings’ clients, we bought lots (as in rail car loads) of lumber back in November and December – this will allow us to hold prices for a limited time.

Article below was published by the NAHB (National Association of Home Builders) February 3, 2025.

President Trump on Feb. 1 announced an across-the-board tariff of 25% on Canadian and Mexican goods coming into the United States, and these tariffs on building materials will raise construction costs and harm housing affordability.

The 25% tariff on softwood lumber products from Canada is in addition to an effective 14.5% duty rate already in place, meaning that the overall effective Canadian lumber tariffs will rise to nearly 40%.

NAHB Chairman Carl Harris issued the following statement in response to the White House action on tariffs:

“On President Trump’s first day in office, he issued an executive order directing departments and agencies to deliver emergency price relief by pursuing actions to lower the cost of housing and increase housing supply. This move to raise tariffs by 25% on Canadian and Mexican goods will have the opposite effect. More than 70% of the imports of two essential materials that home builders rely on — softwood lumber and gypsum (used for drywall) — come from Canada and Mexico, respectively.

“Tariffs on lumber and other building materials increase the cost of construction and discourage new development, and consumers end up paying for the tariffs in the form of higher home prices. NAHB urges the administration to reconsider this action on tariffs, and we will continue to work with policymakers to eliminate barriers that make housing more costly and prevent builders from boosting housing production.”

In the week prior to the president’s announcement, NAHB had been in contact with administration officials seeking a building materials exemption on the tariffs because of their harmful effect on housing affordability. In addition, NAHB sent a letter to the president stating that “bringing down the cost of housing will require a coordinated effort to remove obstacles to construction, be they regulatory, labor or supply-chain related. NAHB stands ready to work with you to accomplish these goals.”

The letter further stated that the 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico will be counterproductive by slowing down the domestic residential construction industry.

NAHB will continue to sound the alarm to the administration on the detrimental effects that tariffs on building materials have on housing affordability and continue to seek a tariff exemption for building materials. And we will actively engage with policymakers to reduce regulatory burdens and eliminate other obstacles that are preventing builders from constructing more attainable and affordable housing.

This entry was posted in Pole Barn Questions, Pole Barn Design, Constructing a Pole Building, Pole Barn Planning, Pole Buildings History, Pole Barn Structure, Budget, Barndominium and tagged , , , on by .

Cost to Set Up Land for a Barndominium

Cost to Set Up Land for a Barndominium

MIKAELA in MINNESOTA writes: “Hi Mike, my name is Mikaela and I’ve been working with Lucas about possibly purchasing two kits from your company to build on some land in Minnesota. My mom and I are hoping we can make it happen, but I had some questions and he suggested I reach out to you. I have been researching costs to do a from scratch build and we checked with the companies that do the whole project, and their costs are just a bit too high for us so we were hoping we can get a contractor and do it that way to cut out the middle man. But it’s a lot to coordinate! I was wondering if you had some ideas about general costs for the basics. I was going to start calling around to local companies, but we don’t have land yet so it feels early to do that, however we are trying to gather general numbers for right now so we can know if we can even do this.

My questions are really about costs to set up the land, specifically:
Clearing the land
Laying a cement pad
Installing septic
Installing a well
Setting up electric

And do you know if we get a contractor if they handle coordinating all of that or if we have to set up each contractor on our own, which I’m prepared to do. Or if you have any contractors you guys work with that I can talk to, I’d be happy to do that too.

Let me know your thoughts.
Thank you!”

Thank you so much for reaching out to me, please feel free to ask me any questions.

Normally, you can expect to budget for fully engineered post frame homes and barndominiums, modest tastes, DIY, budget roughly $75-85 per sft (square foot) for conditioned spaces, $35 for all others. Does not include land, site prep, utilities, permits. Hiring a General Contractor (GC) to do everything, will typically double these costs. Acting as your own General Contractor, will put you about half-way between. These costs DO include any concrete slabs on grade.

You will notice four of your five areas are specifically excluded, why? They are all going to be specific to your site, its soil conditions, depth of potable ground water, distance from public road to actual building site. There is just no way to accurately (or even wild guess) these costs.

You are going to find a mountain of good information in this article: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2021/02/a-shortlist-for-smooth-barndominium-sailing/

This entry was posted in Pole Barn Design, Constructing a Pole Building, Pole Building How To Guides, Pole Barn Planning, Budget, Professional Engineer, Pole Barn Homes, Barndominium and tagged , , , , on by .

Costs to Finish Kit, Rebuild or New Build, and Size Recommendation

This week’s ask the Guru answers reader questions about the costs accrued to finish a home after investing in a kit, performing an extensive remodel on an existing barn or tear down and build a new structure, and a building size recommendation for a grow facility.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: After purchasing large kit for residential home what cost can I expect to finish the house? I know a lot depends on finishes and stuff but I want to know if this is a realistic option. We will be purchasing land and we will be installing well and septic but I am just trying to figure building and finishing of house. LAURA in PEARLAND

DEAR LAURA: Assuming you are doing as much DIY as possible, your barndominium building kit is usually about 1/3rd of your overall investment (not including land, site prep, utilities and permits).

 

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: We’re looking at purchasing a property that has a large barn. Would it be better to use the existing structure and add what’s needed to make it a combination barn and residence, or should we tear it down to the frame and start from there? And if we do use this existing barn, would your company be able to modify a set of plans for our design? JEFF in OAK HARBOR

DEAR JEFF: Oftentimes it becomes far more practical to tear down and start from a clean slate. Structural upgrades need to be accounted for in making a barn capable of withstanding higher loads and deflection criteria for a residential structure. Should you decide to utilize this existing barn, you should engage a Registered Professional Engineer to physically evaluate this structure and do an analysis of needed upgrades. Combining a barn with a residence also results in fire separation issues, in some jurisdictions, this can mean up to two-hour fire walls, eliminating any ability to go directly from residence into barn.

 

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: My license is for between 2,501 square feet to 7,500 square feet of canopy. What size pole building would I need which would leave me room for drying, packaging, etc? DAVID in MAGNOLIA

DEAR DAVID: Most facilities we have provided have ranged between 6,000 and 10,000 square feet. I always encourage clients to erect as large of a facility as they can economically justify and fit on their property. 50-60% of your space should be dedicated to growing. Any less and it can be a struggle to be profitable, any more and ancillary operations become tight. Plan upon enough height to allow for two tiered growing (minimum 16 feet of interior clear height).

This entry was posted in Professional Engineer, Pole Barn Questions, Barndominium, Pole Barn Design, Shouse, Constructing a Pole Building, Pole Building How To Guides, floorplans, Pole Barn Planning, Building Contractor, Rebuilding Structures, Building Interior, Budget and tagged , , , , , , on by .

Building Material Prices Increase in November, Led by Lumber

Building Material Prices Increase in November, Led by Lumber

Among lumber and wood products, commodities with highest importance to new residential construction were general millwork, prefabricated structural members, softwood veneer/plywood, softwood lumber and hardwood veneer/plywood. Highest year-over-year percent change (across all input goods) in November was softwood lumber, at 13.7% higher than November 2023. This is of particular note because no other top wood commodities had a year-over-year change above 3% in November. Lumber supplies have been driving prices higher over this past month as sawmill industry continues to adjust to mill closures occurring earlier this year. Higher lumber demand as residential construction rebounds due to lower interest rates is likely to continue to increase lumber prices.

In anticipation of this, as well as 25% import tariffs on Canadian products proposed by President-elect Trump, Hansen Pole Buildings invested in hundreds of thousands of board feet of lumber prior to prices spiking. Traditionally, January brings with it higher lumber prices as yards bring in stock to cover Spring building starts, creating shortages. It is all about supply and demand.

Planning on building in 2025? Now is your window of opportunity to take advantage of our huge inventory and lock in low prices and America’s strongest post frame building from Hansen Pole Buildings.

Call today 1.866.200.9657 and participate in “The Ultimate Post-Frame Building Experience™”.

This entry was posted in Pole Barn Structure, Budget, Barndominium, Pole Barn Design, Constructing a Pole Building, Pole Building How To Guides, Pole Barn Planning, Pole Buildings History and tagged , , , , , , on by .

Average Cost in WA State, Garage with Dwelling Unit, and Combo Girts

This Wednesday the Pole Barn Guru addresses reader questions about the average cost of “a 1200 sf 2 bed 1 bath 1 carport 1 small porch for a contractor in WA state?” If a person can build one structure for a garage with a dwelling unit, and if it would be beneficial to install commercial girts and external/barn girts.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: What is the average cost for a 1200 sf 2 bed 1 bath 1 carport 1 small porch for a contractor in WA state to build one of your kits? TERRI in LONGVIEW

DEAR TERRI: Fully engineered post frame, modest tastes, totally DIY, move in ready, budget roughly $70-80 per sft of floor space for living areas, $35 for all others. Does not include land, site prep, utilities, permits. Your new Hansen Pole Building kit is designed for an average physically capable person, who can and will read and follow instructions, to successfully construct your own beautiful building shell, without extensive prior construction knowledge (and most of our clients do DIY – saving tens of thousands of dollars). We’ve had clients ranging from septuagenarians to fathers bonding with their teenage daughters erect their own buildings, so chances are – you can as well! Your new building investment includes full multi-page 24” x 36” structural blueprints detailing location and attachment of every piece (as well as suitable for obtaining Building Permits), our industry’s best, fully illustrated, step-by-step installation manual, and unlimited technical support from people who have actually built post frame buildings. Even better – it includes our industry leading Limited Lifetime Structural warranty! If hiring it done turnkey, expect to pay two to three times as much. This is why so many of our clients do some or all work themselves.

 

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: My question is that i want one pole barn to house at least 4 vehicles, an RV as large as 45 ft. and a small home around 500 sq feet. Is this possible? JASON in OWENSBORO

DEAR JASON: From a structural standpoint what you propose is entirely doable. Some jurisdiction set minimum square footage requirements for residential living space, so you will want to reach out to your local Planning Department. https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2020/01/your-barndominiums-planning-department/

 

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Is it beneficial to install both commercial girts as well as barn girts? The barn girts would serve as a larger mating/screw surface. Additional costs aside, seems like it might be nice! MATT in SPOKANE

DEAR MATT: While it would certainly make for a larger screw target, when wall steel panels are predrilled, keeping screw lines straight and hitting commercial girts really is not an issue. Outside of extra materials and more labor, there are a couple of areas of possible concern: 6×6 columns vary in dimension. With a 2×8 commercial girt, extending 1-1/2″ outside of columns, a 6×6 up to 5-3/4″ can easily be hidden. If your idea is to use a 2×6 commercial girt, behind a 2×4 external girt, if columns run over dimension they will leave an uneven surface for internal finish. Of course, should you mount a 2×4 external girt above or below a 2×8 commercial girt (forming an “L”), then this concern goes away. Your other possible challenge would be in connecting these two members. Greatest force on wall girts is outward suction, so your 2×4 external girt and 2×6 bookshelf commercial girt will need to be adequately connected so as to not have external girt pull away and fail. This connection should be analyzed by an engineer.

This entry was posted in Pole Barn Questions, Post Frame Home, Pole Barn Design, Barndominium, Building Styles and Designs, Constructing a Pole Building, Shouse, Pole Building How To Guides, Pole Barn Planning, Building Interior, RV Storage and tagged , , , , , on by .

Hand Winches, Mono Trusses, and a Post Frame Home

This Monday the Pole Barn Guru answers reader questions about the use of hand winches to raise trusses, how to secure mono trusses built from complete trusses – DON’T- and the costs to build a small post frame home.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I’m curious of the stability of wet set brackets during raising our roof sections. We build our roof bays on the ground with purlins installed then use hand winches mounted to our columns with a pulley at the top. All our columns are embedded in the ground. Would wet-set brackets be stable enough for us to still winch up our truss bays with purlins attached? BRANDON in SNEEDVILLE

DEAR BRANDON: Provided your wet set brackets’ concrete piers have been properly sized by your building’s engineer to resist gravity, overturning and uplift loads there should be no issues with winching up your truss bays.

For extended reading on winch boxes, please see: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2020/09/diy-post-frame-construction-and-winch-boxes/

 

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I am separating full trusses, 26 ft., 5/12, and making 10 mono trusses. I am using them to make a lean-to to my pole barn. I plan to attach them to the poles/posts, what hardware would you use to hang the bottom cord and top cord (and anything in between) to the side of the pole barn? Thank you! TOM in HASTINGS

DEAR TOM: First problem is splitting those gabled trusses down their centers will not make for two structurally sound monoslope trusses and they should not be used without an engineered repair. As to attaching these to your main building columns (once they are repaired), this should be designed by a Registered Professional engineer, ideally whomever engineered your original building, as they should also be verifying adequacy of your existing building columns and their footings to properly carry loads added by this lean-to.

 

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I am interested in a smaller pole barn house…around 1200 sq. ft. I would prefer to have a two-story or at least a good sized loft. i wanted a concrete slab…the floors acid washed. Is this possible with a $50,000 budget? DYANN I THEODOSIA

DEAR DYANN: Turnkey living spaces, with modest tastes, currently average around $130 per square foot. If you DIY everything, you can probably cut this in half. If your overall footprint is 1200 square feet, you need to add to this any second floor, loft or mezzanine area. In answer to your question – your $50,000 budget is sadly just not going to make it. Good news is – with interest rates hovering at 3%, it does make borrowing to build very affordable.

 

 

 

This entry was posted in Professional Engineer, Pole Barn Homes, Barndominium, Pole Barn Questions, Pole Barn Design, Constructing a Pole Building, Pole Building How To Guides, Pole Barn Planning, Trusses, Budget and tagged , , , , , , on by .
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