Blog

Colorado Pole Building Design Addressing Cold Weather Concerns

Pole buildings have good things going for them in wintry climates. Do you know pole barns supply energy efficiency and require little to no maintenance? These big and strong buildings withstand even the harshest winters, heavy snow loads, and intense winds. Pole barns offer impressive durability if these specific design concerns are addresses before building in Colorado.

Design Elements for Cold Weather

Consider winter values when designing your pole building. Be aware of the placement of your service doors, your overhead door, and sliding doors. You’ll need to imagine where the snow and rain could be falling. Notice the Gable Roof has a practical value. It protects the service door underneath from chunks of snow or ice. Other architectural decisions made to protect the door include the size of the overhang, side wall, lean-to, or porches.

Face the building to allow drainage away from the building. You don’t want snow piling up near the sidewalls. It could melt and infiltrate the building. In Colorado, we deal with heavy snows.

Our designers keep this in mind during the planning and construction of our new pole buildings. In addition, our customers take simple steps to ensure top performance.

How to Winterize your Pole Barn

Regular maintenance must be accomplished before the start of winter. We cannot disregard the Colorado weather patterns that can surprise us during any winter season. One year it could be very low temperatures for a week and the next year it could be heavy snows or winds. Here’s a simple starter list for ways to winterize pole barns, hopefully in the fall of the year.

1. Check windows and doors. Clear the path of the doors from leaves and debris to prevent snow and ice buildup.
2. Remove window screens prior to winter. This will prevent snow buildup between the screen and the windowpanes and prevent water damage during melt off.
3. Check for unsealed doors or windows to prevent snow or other moisture from entering the building.
4. Clean gutters. Most pole barns feature gutters systems. They need to be kept clear of leaves and debris that will clog the runoff system. Keeping the pathways clear also helps avoid ice dams.
5. Prune landscaping. Snow and ice do weigh down branches in the winter. You need to prevent those overgrown branches from scratching the steel siding. You do not want rust.
6. Plan snow removal. Snow slides off metal roofs, often in chunks. Predetermine how and where to move it.

More Benefits of Engineered Building Systems

Our Lester building kits come with extraordinary benefits. Each building will be fully engineered, specifically designed to meet the local wind and snow codes. But it’s not just the building. Lester produces building systems. Our engineered buildings guarantee the load path continues from the roof all the way to the footings. That’s why they come with lifetime structural design warranties.

Colorado Builders Specializing in Outbuildings

Find out how Colorado pole buildings add Storage, Hobbies, Farm & Ranch, Livestock, Equestrian, and Business value. Contact Sapphire Construction, Inc. at (303) 619-7213. We custom design each building using high-quality, engineer-tested materials from Lester Buildings. And, if your existing pole barn is suffering this winter, ask us about the Eclipse Roof System or other useful remodeling suggestions.