If you’re looking to build an outbuilding on your property for storage, farm operations, or animal housing, you may be put off by the cost of a traditional stick-built building. With inflation soaring and building materials suffering from supply chain issues, both high costs and delays are inevitable. Coupled with labor shortages, these issues are causing property owners to put off constructing the buildings they need.
Time to Consider a Pole Barn
A pole barn is a great option for adding another building. Pole barns are both affordable and durable: they’ll cost less to build but will remain a sturdy anchor for storage or operations for many years. Pole barns, which are built using post-frame construction methods, are wood-framed buildings that are increasingly becoming a popular choice for commercial, industrial or agricultural use.
Pole barns use metal steel or wood poles and cross beams to create a sturdy structure. The poles, or posts, act as a frame to anchor the structure a few feet deep into the ground. (The term “pole barn” was used during the Great Depression, when building materials were scarce, as farmers often used recycled telephone poles as the basis for their barns.)
There are several reasons why pole barns are a more affordable choice than traditional buildings.
They don’t require a concrete footing. Pole barns do not need a concrete foundation, so they require less material for completion. The concrete foundation is typically 10 to 20 percent of construction costs, so this saves money right from the beginning. It also means you can prepare the site for the pole barn much faster.
They require less wood and steel than traditional buildings. In addition to not requiring a concrete foundation, pole barns generally require less wood and less steel to construct than a more traditional building. This also cuts a significant amount of costs. This is due to the intensive framing and additional structural support required by other traditional types of construction. Fewer materials mean the cost to build the pole barn will be lower. A pole barn uses conventional-sized wood for construction, while a timber frame barn requires heavy timber, which is larger, more expensive, and more difficult to work with.
Pole barns require less labor to build. Since one of the biggest costs in the construction of a new building is the labor – which is getting harder to find in 2022 – the fact that a pole barn requires less labor means that it can be constructed for far less money and in a much faster time frame.
Choose an Experienced Pole Barn Partner
When you choose a professional company to design and build your pole barn, look for a partner that can ensure that your needs are met.
Lancaster, Pennsylvania-based CHA Pole Barns has been serving Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, West Virginia, and Virginia for many years. To learn about how they can help you design a pole barn that will keep your cattle safe and comfortable, visit their website for an online quote or call 717-687-6673.