Overview
Metal pole buildings are wonderful for many uses, from housing large animals, to garages and workshops. Metal pole buildings are available in many styles and are used both commercially for everything from grocery stores, to churches, and non-commercially in towns and on farms. They can be installed by professional work crews or built yourself from readily available kits. Metal buildings come in a variety of colors, and advanced technologies make them fade- and rust-proof so they stay looking great year in and out. Whatever your plans for a metal building, they will provide years of maintenance free use.
Weather Tight
Metal pole buildings are weather tight and can be insulated for further weather-proofing. They are made with a wooden interior frame work of 6' x 6' support columns and 2' x 4' cross braces. The roofs are constructed with 2' x 4' trellis spans or "clear spans" that allow for more light to enter from clear roof panels. If you select "clear span" type roof supports it is necessary to have center column support posts; this style is generally only used for stable construction where the center posts can be used to construct stalls inside the building.
Do It Yourself
You must have working construction knowledge to erect a metal pole building on your own, even from a kit. Getting angles and levels absolutely correct is vital to erecting a solid structure. Select a high-quality pole barn kit from a local home repair and lumber store, or order them online from a metal building company. Materials, whether from a prefabricated kit or a metal building company, will arrive on a flat bed truck in lumber units, roofing spans and the metal siding.
Structure Stability
Whether you build your own metal pole building or have it erected by a construction crew the support posts are planted in the ground on concrete footers to ensure stability and prevent sagging over time and with settling.
Cost
The average price for a pole building kit that is 24' wide, 30' long and 10' high is $9,000. It will cost twice that much to have it constructed by a crew of experienced pole barn builders, but it is worth having it done by someone who has the necessary knowledge to ensure it is properly installed. Pole building companies have guarantees as well, to ensure that you will be happy with your building for years and that it will meet your standards for performance.
Heating and Cooling
Metal pole buildings can be heated in the winter and cooled in the summer more efficiently than a wood structure. This is especially helpful for garages and workshops.
Durability
Metal pole buildings stand up to the ravages of severe weather better than wood buildings and require less replacement from storm damage. A huge advantage of metal pole buildings when used for farm work is that they are impervious to insects and rodents. Rats cannot chew through a metal building like they can wood and flies, mosquitoes and birds will not next in the materials.
Uses
Metal pole buildings make excellent riding arenas, hay storage barns, stall barns, tractor storage and machine shops. They can be set on any type of foundation suitable for your needs, from concrete to plain dirt. In metal pole buildings used for extra-large purposes, such as very large riding arenas, or even commercial uses such as churches or warehouses, the wooden framework is often replaced with steel frame and trellises for extra stability and strength. These make for very strong buildings but are not cost effective or reasonable for smaller non-commercial use.
