Tag Archives: sliding door installation instructions

Loft Door, Antique Barns, and Footing Sizes?

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I have an upstairs (loft) exterior opening that is 50″ wide by 68″ tall. I want to build a door with the National Hardware tab-loc frame and cover it with r-panel siding. How much overhang on each side, and top and bottom do I need to make the door? What should the door’s dimensions be to keep the weather out? PHILLIP in SAND SPRINGS

DEAR PHILLIP: It will depend upon what you are using for door jambs as well as if you are using a track cover (steel trim). Having a track cover above the sliding door track board is the only way to keep massive amounts of weather from entering your building above the door, so probably a good investment. If your jambs stick out from the framing an inch or so outside of the siding, then you should be able to use a 54-56 inch width. Height should be equal to a minimum of the height of the hole (assuming again the use of a track cover) and can be greater.

 

 

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: How much would it cost to build a pole barn with antique wood exterior that is finished on the inside for wedding receptions. TERRANCE in ANDERSON

DEAR TERRANCE: How much would it cost to buy a new car?

It depends upon if the car is an economy subcompact or a limo. Features, degree of quality and dimensions are all going to factor highly into the budget.

The antique wood barn boards can run anywhere from seven to 20 or more dollars per square foot of wall area – just for the siding! A 2400 square foot building with a 14 foot eave height could easily have $50 to 60 thousand dollars in barn board siding, many times more than the investment into the building shell itself.

Most of our clients opt to go with the look of barn boards using 1×4 cedar battons every 16 inches over rough sawn T1-11. This route saves tens of thousands in materials alone.

 

 

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: 28 x 32 pole building with ATTIC trusses 10 ft side wall, what size should footing/hole be?? CHRIS in INDIANA RIVER

DEAR CHRIS: The thickness of the concrete footings as well as diameter of the concrete collar (and hole) is calculated by the engineer who sealed your building plans and will be specified on those plans.

Your engineer takes into account the soil bearing capacity of the ground at your site, the spacing of the wall columns, design wind speed and exposure, frost depth, roof snow load, roof slope and roofing material, width of the usable attic space and what the space will be used for, as well as use of any uninhabitable spaces outside of the width of the attic bonus room. Ceiling materials as well as any concentrated loads from HVAC, plumbing, etc., also are factored into the equation.

If you are not finding this information on your plans, contact the engineer who designed your building and ask him or her. In the event you do not have engineered plans (or no plans at all), you need to hire a Registered Design Professional (RDP – engineer or architect) to correctly calculate this for you.

Do not attempt to guess, or do this on your own. Inadequate footing result in buildings which settle and shift – neither of which is a good design solution.


Dear Pole Barn Guru: Why Didn’t You get the Snow Load Right?

Welcome to Ask the Pole Barn Guru – where you can ask questions about building topics, with answers posted on Mondays.  With many questions to answer, please be patient to watch for yours to come up on a future Monday segment.  If you want a quick answer, please be sure to answer with a “reply-able” email address.

Email all questions to: PoleBarnGuru@HansenPoleBuildings.com

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I recently ordered a pole building kit package. The agreed snow load was 35. A minimum of 34 is required in our area. The calculations supplied are for 28, not 34. So now we are out another $800 and

back to square 2.

What can be done, and how fast? SNOWING IN SNOHOMISH

DEAR SNOWING: We’d all like to believe Building Department Plans Examiners are infallible. The reality is, the IBC (International Building Code) is a huge and complex document, which is further complicated by its references to numerous other outside documents.                  

The agreed upon snow load which you purchased, was 35 pounds per square foot (psf) as a GROUND SNOW LOAD (or Pg). The Code references a document called ASCE 7-10 (for the 2012 version of the Code). ASCE 7-10 gives the formula to convert Pg to flat roof snow load (Pf). This formula takes into account factors such as Building Importance, if Building is heated or not and the roof’s exposure to the wind. The roofing material also comes into play with the heating or not of the building.

 Pf is also adjusted for roof slope, to get to the design sloped roof snow load (Ps).

 In your particular case, our office made a call to your plans examiner who has now been happily educated.

 For further reading on this subject, please see the article I wrote for Structural Building Components magazine: https://sbcmag.info/article/2011/it-isnt-your-grandpas-barn-tips-technicians-designing-post-frame-trusses

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I have an old metal barn that needs new doors and hardware. A pair of sliding doors that are each 10′ wide by 14′ tall. We had a storm that blew them off and damaged the tracks and channels. We live in Fowler, Colorado. Do you have a dealer here in Colorado? Or can we get them from you to install ourselves? Any information would be appreciated. CAUGHT IN COLORADO

 DEAR CAUGHT: Sliding doors can be a challenge in wind storms. If they are not correctly designed, installed, or kept closed and latched during high winds, they can all too easily end up as an unusable pile of rubbish. Sliding door frames which are built either partially or all from wood, are especially susceptible to failure under load.

 Hansen Pole Buildings provides sliding door systems and components direct to builders and end users in all 50 states. The doors are designed for the average individual to successfully assemble and install their own sliding doors, by following the detailed step-by-step instructions.

Call us and we will get you started on the path to replacing those doors.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Hello, I am helping a friend build and install sliding doors on his pole building. The building is otherwise complete. The door openings are pretty much ready to go as I can see. They are framed in and the upper track is installed. So here I come with a pile of steel siding, steel studs, track for SIDS and button of doors, rollers (pendant) and screws… The instructions he has are very vague. Can you provide me with any plans, prints, instructions of any kind please? Also a photo or diagram of what the finished product should look like?

They have a binder with instructions that supposedly came with the kit and your logo on the front of it. I’m not there at this time so if you need the model name/# I can send it to you this afternoon when I get there.  WONDERING IN WASHINGTON

DEAR WONDERING: While our sliding door systems are relatively simple for the average individual to install – having the detailed step-by-step instructions included in our Construction Guide, in hand would be a serious assist.

 The manual devotes 18 pages which include actual photos, as well as diagrams showing how to properly (as well as most quickly) assemble and install each component. Check the manual for these pages and then let me know if you still need help. Often people think the instructions come with the door and we’ve found having them in the Construction Guide makes them easier to find.