Pole barns are excellent for farms, and agricultural areas overall. They have been used as storage for grains and for protecting livestock for many years. Using a pole barn doesn’t require a lot of knowledge just some basic skills and the same rule applies when making one of your own from scratch. The materials are very easy to find and are very cost-effective.
Tools required
- Hammer
- Saw
Materials required
- Nails (straight and roofing)
- Lumber
- Plywood
- Corrugated tin
- Purlins
- Roof trusses
- Tin roof
Instructions
- Make a basic plan as to how you would like your pole barn to look, then find an area to build it, that is flat, solid, and where water can easily escape. After you have done this you should contact the proper authority to receive permission to start constructing your pole barn.
- Order 8-foot lengths of lumber from your hardware store to make your pole barn. They should be heavy and have a 2*4 inch frame. Order 2*6 boards and plywood. Order pre-built roof trusses from the lumber yard
- Proceed to make holes for the posts so if a line was to go around it, it would make a square, then place a stake in the center of each hole. Pour concrete into the holes with loose soil and then fill it with gravel going up to 6 inches. Make sure the gravel packs tightly.
- Erect the pokes for the pole barn and brace them in until they’re completely upright and secure. To ensure that the poles are placed evenly look down the length of the wall. Then secure the stringers to the tops of the poles, this is the piece that supports the weight of both the roof and the trusses.
- Take the trusses and install them. Support the first set of trusses with the use of poles, ropes, or braces. The other trusses can then be braced on the ones previously installed.
- Nail in the purlins. These are 2*4 inch pieces of lumber secured onto the outer edge of the stringers to assist with the support of the trusses. Use the screw–in roofing nails and nails in the tin roof so that some parts overlap each other but the areas that overlap should be caulked. This makes installation easier and protects against the weather.
- If your pole bam plans include walls, Install them by using 2*4 inch lumber as bracing and plywood for walls.
- Place a tin ridge cap at the peak of the roof.
Tips and Warning
- Old metal poles can be used instead of new ones if you would like to reduce the costs of making a pole barn
- Add all-weather insulators to the pole barn structure to add protection from wear and tear.
- Make sure to use gloves while you build your pole barn to protect your hands.