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How Do Pole Barn Architecture Perform in High Colorado Winds

Most big low-rise buildings feature pole barn architecture in the 21st century. And that is a good thing. Colorado windstorms and snowstorms to get the attention of pole barn builders. That’s why, at Sapphire Construction, Inc. in Castle Rock, Colorado, we partner with Lester Buildings.

Lester Buildings knows a thing or two about post-frame buildings. Spread around the United States you can find beautiful examples of barns built over the past three-quarter century. In fact, their engineers, architects and designers love solving challenges along the way. It’s made them a better builder and manufacturer.

Post Frame Buildings Breathe

Rest assured, as the wind blows, the poles anchor these buildings. But more importantly, the building system breathes. The load transfers to the end walls and to the foundation. Trusses can be connected directly to the posts. Every single component along the way is selected to absorb or resist the force. These are complete pole barn systems. While the system posts get embedded into the ground, pole buildings do connect walls to the foundation which is a weak link in traditional building methods.

Complete Building Systems

Pole barn systems provide strength and eliminate weak links. Each custom pole barn kit comes delivered with precise components. We refer to these as Lester Building Systems. They are designed to resist outside pressures, including Colorado’s wind loads and snow loads. High lateral winds, Front Range tunnel winds, sizable dumps of snow and precipitation.

External forces come into play here. Our big agricultural buildings, storage buildings, warehousing, and equestrian facilities test important physic equations. That’s why our designers will overcompensate.

Our buildings come with excellent warranties. Even so, we strive to maintain safety in all environments of our buildings. We want you to have safe working conditions and a functional building for lifetime.

What do our Engineers Recommend?

Sapphire Construction designs with layers of quality control to achieve pole barn wind bracing. First, we determine the wind risk based on the exposure. The terrain, water bodies, nearby buildings and trees, hills and mountains – all these affect the exposure. We consider the building location, building sites, directional aspects, and more. We exceed the building codes, the exposure in the regional engineering recommendations.

Our recommendations vary. For example, we see the posts deeper and face the end of the buildings towards prevailing winds. Early on, our engineers calculate exactly what materials will be necessary to overcome Colorado weather patterns.

So, you and the construction crew will receive at the building site a completely coordinated package. The truck delivers every component needed for the building. Know the building kit contains purlins, posts, supports, every window and door, and every piece of hardware the building plan requires to weather the storms in the area.

Inspecting Post Frame Buildings

When you are looking at sample pole buildings, you’ll be able to examine many aspects to see the differences in pole building companies. You don’t want to see damage. Look carefully and ask questions.

• Be sure the eaves, the ridge, and the end walls to look straight.
• Windows and doors should seal.
• No gaps between the skirt board and the ground
• No pulled off poles or posts or anchors
• Are posts deep enough to protect the barn from uplift?
• Does the builder use nails, or the more-effective screws and bolts?
• Does the building have stabilizing support or wind bracing?
• Do they construct their buildings differently on the wind-facing side?
• Are the walls reinforced?
• Do you see cracks or wood splitting and damaged girts?
• Are the doors squared?
• Check fasteners for wear.
• Check the top of the trusts in the bottom chords and their braces.

Pole Building Contractors – Colorado

No one wants to be the victim of an extreme weather event. Though we cannot anticipate Acts of God, we can consider incorporating architectural components to Fort the most extreme wind loads. We all want the best in Colorado. We want our big low-rise agricultural buildings, warehouses, and barns to last forever. And we design our pole barns to perform with excellence all year round.

Find out how Sapphire Construction, Inc. can help with your barn raising. Call Allen Randa at (303) 619-7213.