Tag Archives: raised floor

Materials for Girts, a Raised Floor, Truss Loads

This week the Pole Barn Guru answers reader questions about girt material choices for a 60’x120′ shed, Mike’s thoughts on a raised floor to compensate for a 7% grade change, and if some 4′ oc trusses can handle the load of a heater.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I plan on putting up a 60′ x 120′ post frame shed. I’m going to run my 6×6 posts at 8′ o.c. can I use all 8′ 2×6 material for the girts or should I have some 16′ material staggered in with the 8′ material? Will that increase the strength or do you think it would be similar? Thanks guru! JASON in NEW HOLSTEIN

DEAR JASON: Depending upon eave height, design snow and wind loads and wind exposure 6×6 may be inadequate to carry imposed loads. Using 16′ external girt material will be slightly stiffer against wind loads perpendicular to girt and will deflect slightly less. They will not impact overall building strength. Depending upon spacing, grade and species of 2×6, and again design wind speed and wind exposure, they may also prove to be inadequate.

Personally, I would look at using glu-laminated columns every 12′, double trusses directly aligned with columns and 2×6 bookshelf style wall girts. This will result in fewer holes to dig and fewer pieces to have to handle and install. It also allows for wider sidewall door openings, without requiring large headers.

 

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I’m building a home on land that is at a 7% grade from top to bottom. I was thinking about doing a raised floor/crawlspace with the back aligned closer to grade and the front more elevated. What are your thoughts on this idea, and elevated floor pole buildings generally? I assume you would support the floor with piers instead of spanning entirely? Thanks! MATTHEW in HOUSTON

DEAR MATTHEW: Having built for myself an elevated floor post frame building (I had 14 feet of grade change in 24 feet), I feel as though they are a great solution. Unless you had enough grade change to practically utilize space below, I would use interior columns to reduce spans of beams and joists – little, short columns being far less expensive than large multiple ply beams and large dimension floor joists. My knees also prefer to live on wood, rather than concrete – making this a double win.

 

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Hot Dawg™ heater…..just built a 40×30 pole barn. 4/12 roof, trusses are 4′ apart, wanting to hang a 80kbtu heater from trusses, with steel channels being suspended from two trusses. Will trusses handle the weight? Thank you. SHARKBITE

DEAR SHARKBITE: In order to determine if your trusses can handle weight of this unit, you would need to look at your engineer sealed roof truss drawings. If Bottom Chord Dead Load (often shown as BCDL) is less than five (5) psf (pounds per square foot) then probably not. Ideally, reach out to whomever fabricated your trusses. Give them weight of your unit, where you propose to hang it, as well as if you have a ceiling and insulation and they can give you a definitive thumbs up or down.

Mounting Door Tracks, A Post Frame Inquiry, and Floor Options

This Monday the Pole Barn Guru answers questions about where to mount the vertical tracks for his overhead garage door, a batch of questions for a possible DIY’er, and a question about flooring options.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Do my tracks for garage door mount directly to the 6×6 posts, or is there a 2×6 supposed to be added to mount to? DAVID in ROCKFIELD

DEAR DAVID: Mounting should be called out for on your engineer sealed building plans as well as specified in assembly instructions provided with your building kit. In most instances door tracks will be mounted directly to columns on each side of door opening, unless interior girts are being added. With interior girts, place a 2x on interior column face and larger steel jamb trims will be required.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Do you deliver to MA?
Can I put up garage on to existing concrete slab, or do I have to dig holes for posts?
Can I get information about what it takes to put up your building so I would know if I can do it myself or not?
Thank you, KAYA in INDIAN ORCHARD

Click here to download our free brochure!DEAR KAYA: Yes, Hansen Pole Buildings delivers to Massachusetts as well as all 47 other contiguous U.S. states. For Alaska and Hawaii, we will deliver to a West Coast port (most usually Tacoma) for loading onto a container contracted by you.

For existing concrete slabs, we recommend saw cutting holes through it and removing concrete at hole locations to either auger holes for columns, or to pour piers for wet set brackets. As an alternative, you could dig holes outside of your existing slab (making building larger in width and length than your existing concrete).

Anyone who is physically able bodied and can read and follow instructions in English can successfully erect one of our buildings. Sample structural plans are available on our website: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/sample-building-plans/. For a nominal fee (applied to your future building investment) you can obtain one of our complete Construction Manuals – please reach out to  Plans@HansenPoleBuildings.com to acquire one.

 

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Does the estimated price of a Pole Barn include flooring options, or is that extra? DAVID in MAPLE GROVE

DEAR DAVID: Our fully engineered post frame building kits do not include finished floor coverings, we leave this option up to you.

For wooden subfloors, we offer a choice of either underlayment grade plywood or Oriented Strand Board.

 

Raised Floor in Flood Area, Drywall Framing, and Water in Holes

This Monday the Pole Barn Guru answers reader questions about post frame with a raised floor use in a flood area, framing for drywall in a post frame house, and post holes full of water could be bigger soil issue.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Do you have a kit that can be used in a flood area to raise floor about 10 feet. RAY in HOUSTON

DEAR RAY: Yes we do – they are stilt houses and have to be custom engineered for each individual circumstance. Rear more here: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2017/09/stilt-houses/

 

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: We’re considering post frame construction for our residence. I’m sill researching and learning. One big question I have is: why does is seem like most people are putting stud walls against the exterior walls of the structure? Are the existing walls not sound enough to support the weight of drywall or wood finishing? Is it necessary for running plumbing/electrical? Is it overkill? WILL in ISLANDTON

DEAR WILL: Congratulations upon considering post frame construction as your structural design solution. Sadly, most kit providers and builders are selling building shells based upon cheapest price, rather than meeting their client’s needs. With this low price, most often comes what is known as externally mounted wall girts – wall framing to support siding being attached wide face to wind on outside of columns. While this is quick, easy and takes little thought, it rarely meets Building Code requirements for meeting deflection criteria. There is a way to solve wall framing to be a one step process – bookshelf wall girts every 24 inches. This creates a very stiff wall structurally, provides an insulation cavity and requires no extra framing to add interior finishes.

 

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Holes for barn posts were full of water. Installed drain tile and water ran off. Now the post holes are very soft and I don’t believe they will support the structure. Ideas? STEVE in Michigan

DEAR STEVE: If you place a 2×4 vertically in a hole and push downward on it and it just keeps sinking, you have a challenge going on. Your best solution then is going to be to hire a geotechnical engineer to visit your site and do a determination of how to adequately support your building based upon actual soil conditions. It may be able to be solved by use of larger diameter footings, or use of rebar within your slab (tied to columns), piers down to solid bedrock or some combination of these. Your building will only be as strong as your foundation, so this is not a place to mess around or guess.

Should your 2×4 above only go down a few inches, then you only need to remove loose soil at bottom of holes and pour concrete pads as indicated on your engineer sealed plans.

 

Floor Trusses, Plywood Floor, and Post Frame Conversion

This week the Pole Barn Guru answers questions about building to FEMA Flood Code for a raised wood floor, use of a plywood floor instead of concrete pad, and finding a certified engineer to help with conversion of pole barn to a home.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I have to build according to the current FEMA flood code here in new Orleans which means the house will above grade. I want to purchase a 60X32 pole barn and put a raised wood floor in it. I will be using I-Joists to span the 32′ across but I’m not quite certain how the I-Joist will attach to the rim board and be within code.
Will I have to notch the posts for the rim board and attach the I-Joist with hangers?
Or can I attach the I-Joist directly to the standard installed rim board with hangers? JON in PEARL RIVER

DEAR JON: Just my own personal preference, as I find I joists to be a relatively springy floor – I’d most likely recommend dimensional lumber joists and beams (I joists will not clearspan 32′). If your floor level is significantly above grade, you might want to consider manufactured wood floor trusses as they will give a very consistent floor and you will then have a flat surface below to attach your choice of finishes to.


Design of rim board for size and attachments will be determined by our engineers and spelled out on your sealed plans to ensure structural stability and adequacy. We also run a structural check for your buildings piers against flood loads as well – a requirement for any building within FEMA flood zones.

 

DEAR POLE BAN GURU: Hi, I would prefer a plywood floor instead of a concrete pad. This would be a shop space so it would be subject to moderately heavy loads. The soil is primarily rock,gravel,and clay well drained. If possible what kind of post spacing would work and what size concrete footings would be necessary. The building would be 30×120 Thanks, JOHN in FRANKLIN

DEAR JOHN: A plywood floor can certainly be done. The plywood and its supporting structural members should be pressure preservative treated.

IBC (International Building Code) Section 1607.7.1 “Where any structure does not restrict access for vehicles that exceed a 10,000-pound gross vehicle weight rating, those portions of the structure subject to such loads shall be designed using the vehicular live loads, including consideration of impact and fatigue, in accordance with the codes and specifications required by the jurisdiction having authority for the design and construction of the roadways and bridges in the same location as the structure.

Once actual loading requirements have been ascertained, our third-party engineers can determine most efficient column spacing, as well as depth and diameters of concrete encasement.

 

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I have an existing pole building with a concrete floor. I wanted to turn it into a living space. I called my local planning/permitting dept. the person that is head of area planning said I can do this but only if I have it certified by an engineer. She did add in that she had no idea who would do this kind of work but she thinks it would be expensive. I cant figure out what I am too certify. The building or my drawings nor can I locate an engineer in my area. I have been told that there are a lot of buildings here that have been converted to a home I just can’t find anyone who has done so it is difficult to get any information. You would think planning could guide me but they don’t have the knowledge so I’m reaching out to anyone who has went through this in the state of Indiana and may know the laws. Thanks in advance. KIM in METAMORA

DEAR KIM: Your local Planning Department director gave you good advice. Most post frame (pole) buildings are designed for Risk Category I occupancies (if they were designed at all) – meaning if they collapse chances are good no one will be in them when it happens. They use lower wind and snow loads than what is required for residential purposes.

To find an Indiana engineer go to www.nfba.org. In the upper right corner click on FIND A PROVIDER.  On the left of the page under “What are you looking for?” select “Designer”, enter your state and click on Find. This will give you several options to choose from.

 

 

 

 

Raised Floor Over Crawl Space, Engineered Plans, and a Pool House

This week the Pole Barn Guru answers questions about a raised floor over a crawl space, purchase of engineer sealed plans, and moisture issues in an above ground pool house.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Appreciate all the information on your website very awesome it’s a lot to take in we are thinking of building a pole barn home and we have one question we typically don’t like concrete floors. I joist, does anybody just frame out floor joist, has with a 3 in rat slab for crawl space? GARY

DEAR GARY: Thank you for your kind words.

I would rather not live on a concrete slab either. One of our retired Building Designers has been putting up a hunting cabin done exactly as you envision:

https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2019/03/development-of-my-cabin-plans/
https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2019/03/pole-barn-cabin-part-ii/

https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2019/04/my-pole-barn-cabin-part-iii/
https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2019/03/participating-in-ricks-post-frame-cabin-planning/

Engineer sealed pole barnDEAR POLE BARN GURU: Do you sell only engineered plans for your building? I am interested in PROJECT# 06-0602 but I do not want to buy a kit.

Thanks! MATT

DEAR MATT: Thank you very much for your interest. Our independent third-party engineers will only provide sealed plans for buildings where we are providing materials, as there is no other way they can guarantee materials as specified actually arrive at your building site. Some of these are manufactured specifically for Hansen Pole Buildings, so there is no other method to acquire them. Frankly, our massive buying power allows us to acquire components at far better prices than you will be able to find and our low overhead and narrow profit margins allow for us to be extremely competitive, even with lesser quality providers.

 

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Hello, I’m researching putting an above ground pool in a pole barn for my swim school. I live in Oregon so my biggest concern is mold in the colder months. Do you have any ideas on this & what type of doors & windows would you suggest? It will be a 12×24 heated salt water pool. Thank you, HANNAH in HOOD RIVER

DEAR HANNAH: Thank you very much for your interest in a new Hansen Pole Building. This article should be an assist to you: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2019/08/post-frame-indoor-swimming-pool-considerations/. Our factory pre-painted commercial steel entry doors and vinyl windows should work well with a proper HVAC system.