We are thinking of putting up a pole barn house. What are your thoughts?
Ronda,
You are considering building your new home using “pole-barn” or post and beam framing.
Post frame buildings have been around for centuries – though few homes are built in the US using wood post frame. Most old barns you’ve seen are post frame – as are a lot of commercial buildings.
The primary reason you might consider this style is the savings on the foundations since you are not installing a continuous 42” deep concrete wall/footing to support what we call a “uniform” load. Instead, the post frame building utilizes “point” loads such that the downward thrust of the building is resisted at each post or point. Some jurisdictions may discourage this type building, but as with any construction, if the engineering is sound the building will work.
You could likely realize the same savings by building a conventional frame on a pre- or post-stressed concrete shallow slab foundation.
Both this type of construction and the post frame style are addressed in the code, so you have a nationally recognized reference resource for structural design.
Hopefully this helps point you in the right direction.
Stay in touch with us regarding any other questions you may have and tell everyone you know to listen to the Inside Outside Guys!
Blessings,
The Guys