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Pole Barn Homes vrs. Post and Beam

What’s the difference?

Pole barn homes are much different than Post and beam barns. The only similarity between a pole barn and a post and beam barn is that they both have upright posts that support the frame of the barn.

Pole barns have chemically treated poles that are sunk into the ground and extend up to the top of the wall, they are then nailed together using some type of header usually a 2×12. Then conventional trusses are placed on the 2×12 headers and are spaced 24-48 inches apart.

Pole barns are designed to be as cheap as possible to pass building codes for a barn or garage. They are certainly not built to last and are not designed to be converted into a house. They cannot be connected to a basement, or to many other types of foundations.

post and beam barn home red

The Ultimate Pole Barn Home is…

A post and beam barn. They are designed for beauty and longevity. They have rough cut full dimension posts and beams that are fastened together with heavy duty steel plates.

Post and beam barns can be placed on any foundation. Including, wood basements, poured wall basements, cement block, concrete piers, and concrete slabs. I have even seen a 150 year old barn that had a large rock under each post and that was all that was holding that old barn up!

Post and beam barns have some distinct advantages over conventional construction as well. Your barn dwelling can be built on concrete piers and the basic barn shell can be built without having to worry about doing a barn to house conversion right away. Then as you are ready you can begin installing windows, plumbing, wiring, fixtures, and insulation as time and your budget allows.

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Read More about Post and Beam Barn Kits below.

Jay Bell 40×60 Gambrel Build

Jay Bell 40×60 Gambrel Build

Jay Bell Posted to the Barngeeks DIY Facebook Group 2/27/23 My wife and I moved from New Hampshire to Texas in 2018 after retirement. In New Hampshire we owned an antique home built in 1840 that had a 40’ X 60’ bank barn attached to the house, which was my inspiration...

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Barn Interview: John Casper

Barn Interview: John Casper

"Probably the most gratifying part of this whole project is every time someone new; friend, family, associates, what have you, come step through that door for the first time, people I've known my whole life or people I've just met just through work associations or...

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 Ancient Jib Pole, A Game Changer for Your Barn Project

Simple Jib Pole saves Your Back and Your Wallet!  My sister and her husband are building an off grid Barn Home, AKA a Barndominium on a raw piece of land, this will be their forever home. Their plan is to do so with as little cost as possible, while maintaining a High...

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5 Steps to build a Barn Business and beat Big Lumber

1. Assess the local market.This kind of business is easiest to run in the country, however there might be an Urban Market, in your area. It’s really an appealing product anywhere, you just have to identify what marketing angle works best for your area. You might have...

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3×4 chicken coop with solar power

Built this coop from the free plan - reduced the size a bit. It can be moved around the yard - has wheels on a single axle in the centre. Light activated door is operated with solar power

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Old red barn paint safety

Hello, We recently bought a rustic house that is finished with beautiful barn siding on the walls. They have quite a bit of remnant red paint. They are from an old barn in Iowa, and I have no idea how old they are. In much of the area, the red color seems to have...

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