Pole Barn Plans

• December
• 4

My Hunt for Pole Barn Plans

Hey Mike here,

If you’re looking for the best way to build a pole barn structure using pole barn plans, then I’m glad you found this website and I strongly suggest you keep reading…

Because this is my uncensored story about getting working plans to build a pole barn structure. “Hey! I searched forever for how to build a pole barn, I want to warn you to stay clear of those free pole barn building plans in magazines because they didn’t work, and free pole barn construction plans online which didn’t work either. Finally, I did find the right plans that worked for me.

I enjoy woodworking projects. I’ll build anything I can out of wood. I was sick and tired of always hunting for more space where I could do my projects. To say I was cramped in my garage would not even begin to describe how bad it was. My wife was always nagging at me about all the clutter, which was my tools. I finally decided to do something about it.

I ordered some free pole barn shed plans from one of my woodworking magazines. Well it had confusing diagrams not detailed, and some designs didn’t even match the structure and some were left out totally. As I continued my search online I kept coming across these offers for free plans for pole barns that promised to deliver every bit of information anyone would need to construct any type of barn or shed. I ordered it and discovered it was a one size fits all conceptual plan, then they offered their engineer service to modify the plans to fit my particular size and needs, but the cost was outrageous. I was very frustrated at this point and almost gave up my search.

See, building a post or pole barn is fast,simple and economical. You don’t have to know any special skills. You don’t need to pour a foundation, which saves a lot of time and money. You can build in an area where there are steep slopes and they’re stronger than frame construction, a whole lot stronger. You can build them any size and dimension. I wanted to build myself a perfect workshop.

I came across this website that offered a step-by-step how to build a pole barn plan along with plans for many other projects I had on my list. I ordered it and all I can say is I now have more room than I know what to do with. The only problem is my wife has come up her own list of woodworking projects she wants me to do for her, I should never have let her see that book.

I hope you found this information useful. If you want to check out the book just Click here.

How easy is it to build a pole barn?

First of all you need a good set of pole barn plans. It doesn’t matter which kind of pole barn building your going to build, a good set of plans makes all the difference in you getting your building up and not even getting started. Believe me, this is where I was stuck, I really didn’t know where to begin.

A good set of plans will have construction drawings, construction planning and materials, a bill of materials to give you a ball park figure of the cost of your building materials, building layout and foundation layout, rough framing, roof coverings, and ideas for windows and doors. These are just the basic things you’ll need to think about before you build your post or pole barn building.

Here’s a video that shows how easy and simple it is to build using pole barn construction.

How important is it to get a pole barn square?

Getting a pole barn square isn’t a big task, it just means figuring out the things to do ahead of time. But it’s really important to get your building squared. Without planning this step, you may have to work around some very frustrating things later. As for me things go much quicker, fewer tear downs and start overs, if I do my planning before I start a project and don’t make the time consuming mistakes in the first place.

Everything will be off if the pole barn isn’t square by even a quarter inch. Please do trust me on this. If you can’t get it square get help from someone that knows how to do this. You’ll spend thousands more in time, effort and materials getting the building to work out of square than you will getting it right in the first place. You can screw up a lot of things on pole barn and still make it work but there’s nothing and I do mean nothing worse than trying to work on a building that’s out of square from the beginning.

Depending on the length of your building a quarter inch off will mean several inches on the other end. Your trusses will get twisted, your girts will be off, you won’t be able to match up your corners right, your windows and doors won’t fit right and you’ll probable get leaks because the metal on the roof isn’t going to line up right. You,ll have to cut each piece instead of just the end pieces. Your roof line will look like crap and so will the whole building.

Getting a building square isn’t as hard as you think and it doesn’t cost anything but a few minutes of your time. Even if you’ve never done it before, it’s not that big of a deal. You don’t need to know any high math or engineering skills. You can get the job done by using a lay out string, stakes and a tape measure. You’ll find it easier if your tape measure is longer than the building. Or, you can spend $60 for a laser level and measure, these tools are the ticket for this application.

If you don’t invest the time up front to get your pole barn close to square you’ll spend a lot of time making up for it later when nothing fits right. It’ll cost a lot more in effort to try and recover from a shoddy start than to get it right in the first place. Having a good set of pole barn plans will walk you through this task step by step. Hope this information is helpful.



Where you gonna build your horse barn?

There are a few things you need to consider when choosing the location for your horse barn or any barn that’s going to house animals. If at all possible you’ll want the barn to be downhill from your house and your well, if you have one. Say that isn’t possible then you’ll need to build a swale to divert the runoff because rain will wash stuff into your yard and I really don’t think you want that there.

Lots of people make the mistake of building their animal barn too close to the house. Close is good to a point and the point is until you get the smell and if you get the smell you’re close enough to also get the flies.

All horses, cattle, goats, llamas and other grazers share a sweet commanding fragrance when their are lots of them. Usually space for animal is low, and they aren’t given the proper maintenance from their human keepers. Having these animals too close to your house will only exaggerate the fly problem excessively. This overcrowding and under tending will surely raise the fly problem to a plaque of biblical proportions.

Areas where animals are penned up, worked or otherwise concentrated for a good bit of time would ideally be kept further from living and playing areas for people than the nearest grazing area. You sure don’t want a concentration of animals grazing within 30 to 50 feet of your house.

It’s easier to walk or drive a bit further to the horse barn than to live with all that smell and the plague of flies.

It’s generally a good idea to orient the large opening of the barn to the South. For those who live in an area where the winters are really mild the opening can face any direction.

Always build a larger horse barn or any pole barn building than you think you’ll need. It’s very hard to work in a space that’s cramped and over crowded. It’s much easier to not use space you do have.

Pole barns: Eco-friendly and simplistic

Building a pole barn has become a much easier task today. With tons of available ready-to-use plans and blueprints, a handy homeowner can build not only a pole barn of two or even six horse stalls, but also add convenient sheds for tractors, feed storage or shelters. The plans can be used to build other kinds of pole buildings, including workshops, storage barns or garages. Simplicity, cost-cutting and durability are the main reasons why people still use poles, the oldest construction technique, to create simple buildings.

Poles have been used for centuries to raise huts and shelters all over the world. Poles rooted in earth forming a frame for the covering material, be it animal skin, wood or metal, provided enough warmth and protection, and could be built very quickly from whatever material was available. To build these structures, people still use this technique, which hasn’t changed much over the years. The materials have changed though, and today most barns are covered with aluminum, steel and other durable lightweight materials, with insulation and sometimes wooden or brick facades.

Pole barn plans are becoming more and more popular because they allow the building of reliable shelter for animals or storage without money-consuming earth excavation, concrete foundations and general site disruption.

The cheapest way to start building a pole barn is with a pole foundation. Pole foundation is actually a pole that doubles as a framing member. Posts or poles are inserted deep into ground so they can bear a lot of pressure, sometimes as deep as 10ft. But that’s almost all digging for the foundation that a pole barn builder can expect. The pressure is distributed evenly around the pole, and the construction becomes very stable and durable. The builder can dig the holes himself or using a power auger. The poles are secured by a small amount of concrete poured into the holes, saving money and labor, as full concrete foundations can be somewhat expensive.

The pole foundation gives the construction a lot of flexibility. A pole barn with pole foundation can be raised virtually anywhere, even in places where a traditional concrete foundation is not possible, for example, on a steep hillside or wooded area. Thanks to the pole foundation, a pole barn can be built very quickly without expensive ground excavation. Even coastal, earthquake and mountain areas are suitable for building pole barns and sheds. This way, pole barns leave the best land for raising crops, preserving the natural environment and are generally more environmentally friendly with their minimal construction techniques.

Another advantage to pole barns is that you don’t have to make them visually perfect and “manicured”. You can use cheap galvanized steel for the roof and wood sidings, making the whole project very affordable. The only thing that is not worth skimping on, according to experienced builders, are storm clips. These are a valuable investment considering storms and hurricanes are hitting more and more often. Trusses also need to be of good quality as these parts of pole building construction will carry significant weight.

Pole barns and other pole buildings will cost somewhere in the area of $3,000 and upwards, depending on the size and materials available in your particular area. With simple instructions and plans, these buildings can be raised in no time, even if you don’t have strong building experience.