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Gable Venting, Building “Installation” Included, and a “Livable” Barndo?

This week readers “ask the Guru” about how to best vent gable ends of a structure with no overhangs, if Hansen includes “installation” with purchase of a kit, and Mike asks if these barndos are “livable.”

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I am working on a 30’x40′ pole barn that has no eave overhang/vented soffit. I am planning to renovate the barn for a customer of mine and want to make sure I order/install the correct gable end venting. Please let me know if you have any information regarding the project to make sure I best serve my customer! Let me know if you need any more information regarding the barn. Thank you! PEYTON in TRAVERSE CITY

DEAR PEYTON:

• R806.2 Minimum Vent Area. The minimum net free ventilating area shall be 1/150 of the area of the vented space. Exception: The minimum net free ventilating area shall be 1/300 of the vented space provided one or more of the following conditions are met:

1. In climate zones 6, 7 and 8, a Class 1 or 2 vapor retarder is installed on the warm-in-winter side of the ceiling.

2. At least 40 percent and not more than 50 percent of the required ventilating area is provided by the ventilators located in the upper portion of the attic or rafter space. Upper ventilators shall be located no more than 3 feet below the ridge or highest point of the space, measured vertically, with the balance of the required ventilation provided by the eave or cornice vents. Where the location of wall or roof framing members conflicts with the installation of upper ventilators, installation more than 3 feet below the ridge or highest point of the space shall be permitted.

• R806.3 Vent and Insulation Clearance. Where eave or cornice vents are installed, insulation shall not block the free flow of air. A minimum of a 1 inch space shall be provided between the insulation and the roof sheathing and at the location of the vent.

With 1200 square feet, if you vent ridge with at least 231 square inches of NFVA, but no more than 288 square inches, you can use gable vents to provide an air intake so total gable and ridge NFVA is 576 square inches (these values being bare minimums). Beware of gable vents as their actual physical dimensions are far greater than their NFVA.

 

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Is installation included in kits? NICOLE in BRIGHTON

Hansen Buildings Construction ManualDEAR NICOLE: Hansen Pole Buildings is America’s leader in providing fully engineered, 100% custom designed, post frame building and barndominium kits, with multiple buildings in all 50 states. Your new building kit is designed for the average physically capable person, who can and will read and follow instructions, to successfully construct your own beautiful building shell (and most of our clients do DIY – saving tens of thousands of dollars – need a builder, we can probably help you there too https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/builder-terms-conditions/). 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 the location and attachment of every piece (as well as suitable for obtaining Building Permits), the 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! We would appreciate the opportunity to participate in your new pole building. Please email your building specifics, site address and best contact number to our Design Studio Manager Caleb@HansenPoleBuildings.com 1.866.200.9657 Thank you.

 

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Are these barndos livable? MIKE in BETTENDORF

DEAR MIKE: Absolutely they are! I built my first one in 1990 as a combination ADU/Garage/Office and it has been in use continually now for 36 years! My most current personal one was built nearly 20 years ago, has 8000 finished square feet on two levels plus a mezzanine (it includes a basketball half-court and two elevators). Tens of thousands of barndominiums are now being built every year in America. We have provided them to clients in nearly every state.

This entry was posted in Barndominium, Constructing a Pole Building, Pole Barn Planning, Shouse, floorplans, Alternate Siding, Building Interior, Budget, Lumber, Pole Barn Questions, Pole Barn Homes, Pole Barn Design, Building Styles and Designs and tagged , , , , , , , , on by .

You Too Can Successfully DIY Your Pole Building

You Too Can Successfully DIY Your Pole Building

Loyal reader STEVE in DULUTH writes:

“Just note to say I’m appreciative of the knowledge here at Hansen Pole Buildings and a shout out to the Pole Barn Guru! I’ve gleaned a ton of information and tips to assist in constructing my 40X60X16 DIY post frame after reading many blog posts. Using winches, I raised my entire roof in one piece. While it presented challenges, the process was slow and allowed adjustment. As a 3 year project (Dirt/conc, Framing and steel in separate years) I’ve been able to stay away from a loan. With a plan to retire this year at 65, debt free was a target! I’ve attached pics for reference. Don’t be afraid of tackling a building as a DIY project. It can be done!”

Thank you Steve for your kind and inspiring words. I have been blessed to have been able to assist thousands of clients successfully DIY their own beautiful post-frame buildings. From fathers using their DIY building to bond with their teenage daughters, to septuagenarians, it has been a varied, wonderful and rewarding career.

Considering hiring a General Contractor roughly doubles one’s investment (as opposed to a total DIY), for many it makes not only economic sense, but also an average Do-It-Yourselfer will end up with a nicer finished building than what they ever could have paid for.

Why?

Because you and those like you will actually read plans and follow instructions.

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

a BONUS PBG for Monday May, 20th — A DIY solution, a Clear Span, and a Crawl Space. 

a BONUS PBG for Monday May, 20th — A DIY solution, a Clear Span, and a Crawl Space.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Hi we are looking for something to live in that we can put together ourselves possibly convert to a living space unless you have something that is affordable that is already residential use. We are buying property around the Punta Gorda FL area and we would like to purchase something to place on our property. We have about 25 grand to work with us that doable? NESSA in PUNTA

GORDA DEAR NESSA: While 25 grand will get you a small building shell, engineered to meet residential requirements, you might want to investigate our financing options (www.HansenPoleBuildings.com/financing) to allow you to get closer (or meet) your end goals.

 

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I am looking to build a 24×32 pole barn. On one side i will have a 10×24 lean to. The lean to would be closed exterior wall and open to the inside of the main building. My question is, would it be possible to clear span the 24′ opening from the main building to the lean to with no center posts. That LVL header beam would support roof trusses 4′ oc and the rafters for the lean to. Where I live we have a snow load of 35. I was thinking that a 2ply minimum of 1.75″x18″ would be capable of supporting the load. I cannot find any calculators to support that with facts. BYRON in OSCEOLA

DEAR BYRON: While it would be possible, there are easier and less costly ways to achieve your goal. If your proposed building will have trusses spanning 24′, just extend roofline out to make building 24′ x 42′. If trusses will span 32′ direction, use 42′ trusses. Either of these will now allow for full headroom throughout your structure. Placing trusses every four feet on headers, is actually a very inefficient way to build. We can engineer to eliminate those truss carriers completely.

 

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I wanted to see if it is possible to build a post frame building on a crawl space foundation. I want to build the crawl space foundation to be able to add on later if need be and to run everything under the building to keep from any chance of burst lines in the ceiling. The crawl space will be insulated and have a plastic waterproof barrier to prevent moisture. I have added a picture of what I am thinking on the crawl space. STEVEN in BERTRAM

DEAR STEVEN: Yes, it is very possible to build a fully engineered post frame building on a crawl space. Best news – it does not have to be poured concrete. We can engineer your new building utilizing a permanent wood foundation between columns, in order to keep your building from being overly tall.

 

 

This entry was posted in Columns, Lofts, Pole Barn Homes, Lumber, Pole Barn Questions, Post Frame Home, Pole Barn Design, Barndominium, Building Styles and Designs, Shouse, Pole Barn Planning, floorplans, Trusses, Budget and tagged , , , , , on by .

Barndo Living, Bracing a Roof Only, and Housewrap

This week the Pole Barn Guru answers reader questions about “barndo living” and the how to’s of post frame construction in Pagosa Springs, CO, bracing a roof only structure for working cattle, and if sheathing and housewrap are needed for a post frame building using wet-set brackets.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Have you ever constructed any barndominium‘s in Pagosa Springs Colorado area? Also, ball park figure, what is the square foot price of finished barndo living space in this area. I’m talking very, very simple nothing fancy finishes. What do you mean DIY? Is that in reference to assembling the kit? And would we need something like an extended boom forklift to assemble it, or no need for such equipment? If we’re building something with 12 foot doors, so presumably need at least 2 more feet for roll up doors then even more for trusses, how would we do that without some sort of boom fork or crane? Scaffolding maybe? SAM in PAGOSA SPRINGS

 

DEAR SAM: I personally have never built in Colorado. Hansen Pole Buildings has provided nearly 300 fully engineered post frame buildings to our clients in Colorado. Chances are good, several are in your area.

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.
DIY – as in Do It Yourself In most instances, no heavy equipment is required. Skid steer (aka Bobcat) with an auger is handy for digging holes.
For information on lifting trusses, please see: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2019/11/winch-boxes-episode-v/

 

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I’m building a steel truss kit just like this one for working cattle. To me it doesn’t seem very stable with just post in the ground. How’s the best way to brace this style of building? The long sides of the building will have guardrail 3 rails high down the side so I know that will help some but unsure of how to brace the gable ends. RICKY in KINGSPORT

DEAR RICKY: Provided your columns are adequately sized for the wind load and embedded in fully concrete filled holes, it should prove to be fairly stable (follow the recommendations of the engineer who designed the plans). Ideally, you would have enclosed endwalls so shear loads can transfer from roof to ground through them.

 

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Was wondering if I could ask you a question I’m getting ready to build a barndo was going to use wet set brackets do you recommend me using sheeting on it as well or just house wrap? Having problems with this issue thanks. DOUG in INDIANA

DEAR DOUG: If your steel has adequate shear strength, then there is no structural reason to sheet it. Housewrap is a must unless you are planning on closed cell spray foam for insulation.

Here is some extended reading on Weather Resistant Barriers: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2016/01/determining-the-most-effective-building-weather-resistant-barrier-part-1/
https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2016/01/determining-the-most-effective-building-weather-resistant-barrier-part-2/
https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2016/01/determining-the-most-effective-building-weather-resistant-barrier-part-3/

This entry was posted in Trusses, Ventilation, Budget, Pole Barn Homes, Pole Barn Questions, Pole Barn Design, Constructing a Pole Building, Barndominium, Pole Barn Planning and tagged , , , , , , , , , on by .
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