Looking to put up a pole building shop, what's the biggest down fall with them? Would appreciate any advise.
Pole building help
- Thread starter 2002ws6
- Start date
Where are you located. May make a difference in construction.
Check out local planning and zoning ordinances FIRST, check codes for allowed sq.ft, set-backs, etc.
Determine what you want to use the building for. Simple storage, or finished interior for heated shop, for example.
Determine building dimensions.........then make it BIGGER. I wish I had 8 ft. more length.
Was in my plan , then chickened out to save money. Big mistake. I'm happy with it as-is, but would have been much nicer.
My shed is 3 yrs. old, 36 ft wide, 48 ft. long, 14ft. sidewall( Allows for 12 ft. overhead door for motorhome.
What is the snow load in your area.. Very important to have roof strength.
Check out a number of builders. Go visit structures they have built.
Put a rear overhead side door to get items out of the back w/o moving everything in front. Like mower, ATV, small trailer, etc.
Check out local planning and zoning ordinances FIRST, check codes for allowed sq.ft, set-backs, etc.
Determine what you want to use the building for. Simple storage, or finished interior for heated shop, for example.
Determine building dimensions.........then make it BIGGER. I wish I had 8 ft. more length.
Was in my plan , then chickened out to save money. Big mistake. I'm happy with it as-is, but would have been much nicer.My shed is 3 yrs. old, 36 ft wide, 48 ft. long, 14ft. sidewall( Allows for 12 ft. overhead door for motorhome.
What is the snow load in your area.. Very important to have roof strength.
Check out a number of builders. Go visit structures they have built.
Put a rear overhead side door to get items out of the back w/o moving everything in front. Like mower, ATV, small trailer, etc.
Last edited:
X2 what Snowizard said.
If you plan on being there very long build it bigger and better the first time around. Unless your local code doesn't allow it look into building it tall enough to put a loft in. A loft is free sq ft you'll be glad you have later. Loft's give you a place to keep all the sh*t you should have thrown out years ago without cluttering up your floor space.
There is 1 unfortunate rule that seems to plague all shop owners. The bigger you build it the more crap you keep. lol
If you plan on being there very long build it bigger and better the first time around. Unless your local code doesn't allow it look into building it tall enough to put a loft in. A loft is free sq ft you'll be glad you have later. Loft's give you a place to keep all the sh*t you should have thrown out years ago without cluttering up your floor space.
There is 1 unfortunate rule that seems to plague all shop owners. The bigger you build it the more crap you keep. lol
We just finished a pole barn for our hay and horses back in October. We actually went with a Sutherlands pole barn kit for two reasons. They beat everyone elses bid on the lumber, and they provided the engineering which was required for our city building code. Ours is a very basic 36x48 with 10' sidewalls. We have a slight slope to the ground (it drops 12 inches from front to back), and we didn't have to level the ground at all because we will keep the floor dirt. We put skylights in the roof and I have mixed feelings about them. I love them during the day, lots of natural light, but they don't seal as well as they could where they connect to the metal roofing during a rain storm. It was a very easy kit to assemble, the trusses came pre-built and my wife, her grandfather and I built it (minus stain and doors) in two weeks just working every evening and all day saturday and sunday. We looked at a lot of different options, but a pole barn was by far the most economical and practical for our purpose. And we're very happy with the finished size. PM me if you'd like pictures of the construction process.
