Michigan pole buildings can be fairly simple and straightforward to design and build. However, the way forces act on a post-framed building are very different from a stick-framed building – we’ll dig into that more in a moment. It’s important, especially for larger buildings, to have a professional engineer ensure the building is designed to transfer these loads successfully without deflecting or cracking.
Three great reasons to hire a professional engineer to design your post-frame building are:
- Ensure building strength, reliability and longevity so that you don’t have problems like warping, cracking, or settling in the years to come.
- Save money by avoiding overbuilding your pole barn with extra lumber and labor.
- Get building permits faster and more easily because MBD provides permit-ready, code-compliant construction plans.
There are plenty of other ways an engineer can help you achieve a cost-efficient and structurally secure building, so keep reading and find out more!
RELATED: What is Post-Frame Construction?
What the Building Code Doesn’t Say about Post-Frame
One reason that stick-framed buildings and homes don’t generally require a design professional is because they are covered extensively by the building code. The code is “prescriptive” for stick-framing, meaning you can look up exactly what beam sizes, fasteners, and locations to use in order to build for safety and compliance.
Post-frame simply does not have that level of information available.
What this means is that the long-term structural integrity relies on whomever designs the pole barn or barndominium. Builders can certainly do a great job of designing a strong pole buiding, but wood framing forces don’t necessarily behave in a way that you or they would expect. An experienced structural engineer will analyze the system and complete load calculations to verify the structural integrity of the design.
This is particularly true for:
- Long, narrow buildings
- Buildings with a width exceeding 40 feet
- Tall buildings
As these dimensions increase, the forces and load transfer increase almost exponentially. Think of the weight of a heavy snowfall on the roof. The bigger the roof is, the more weight is applied to the building. This force is transferred from the trusses into the posts and onto the footings. The posts and footings are load collectors, required to handle and distribute concentrated forces. For comparison, in a stick-framed building the force is relatively evenly distributed throughout the load-bearing walls and foundation.
Why hire a professional engineer? An experienced structural engineer makes sure that your building can handle these loads without suffering long-term damage like cracking, warping, and total failure.
The Most Common Problem We See with Pole Building Plans
Undersized footings are a common problem, but connections between structural members are most often overlooked. At MBD, we explain to clients on a weekly basis that the environmentally applied loads (snow, wind) will exceed the capacity of fasteners and other hardware they want to use.
When you get construction plans from MBD, a licensed professional engineer performs load calculations for your specific building, and uses that data to create a set of construction documents that specify all details including footing sizes, beam sizes, connection and fastener details and more.
RELATED: See an Example of Barndominium Construction Documents from MBD
The Top 6 Benefits of Hiring a Licensed Professional Engineer to Design Your Building Project
Here are the ways a licensed PE can help with designs for your next building project:
- Experience and knowledge: A PE needs at least 8 years of experience before even getting licensed, which means they have extensive knowledge in their field of expertise. They can provide custom designs and solutions to fit your exact needs – and anticipate problems before they arise.
- Safety: A professional engineer’s number one goal is safety, which means that all pole buildings are designed to put safety first. A skilled structural engineer can identify hazards and mitigate risks through proven design techniques.
- Cost-efficiency: By right-sizing your materials, you save money from over-built designs. An engineer can prioritize energy efficiency to save on heating and cooling. In addition, a reputable structural engineer will be practical, designing for materials that are easily found at your local lumber yard, avoiding delays while waiting for costly specialty materials.
- Building code compliance: A professional engineer is a well-versed in the national and local building codes, regulations and standards. A PE stamp adds credibility to your project, a show of confidence in the design’s compliance and integrity. Avoid delaying your building permit or risking a failed inspection by hiring a local professional engineer.
- Innovative solutions: Unexpected problems are inevitable for any project. With a skilled professional engineer on your side, you’ll have access to quick and intelligent solutions for any challenges that come up.
- Professional Liability: A registered design professional carries liability insurance, because they are accountable for the designs they release to their customers.
Working with a professional engineer can give you the peace of mind that your pole building will withstand the test of time. They can help you save money on up-front costs by right-sizing your materials, and save you money by preventing design failures in the future. There is no substitute for the experience and education of a professional engineer.
Hire Kyle Moore, PE for Your Next Building Project
Kyle Moore has been a licensed professional engineer since 2019, holding a PE license in both Michigan and South Carolina. He likes to think of himself as a professional problem-solver. Kyle is constantly looking for newer, better, and more cost-effective solutions for his customers.
At Michigan Building Design, we know what Michiganders value: a practical, cost-efficient design for a fair price. Kyle is happy to work closely with clients to make sure he is providing exactly what they need. He always aims to design in a way that will save you money on lumber and labor, and provide customer service throughout the building process as needed. If the building inspector has questions, Kyle can provide answers.
Kyle specializes in post-frame structures (pole buildings), foundations, beam sizing, and lateral-force resisting systems. He also has extensive experience with stick-framed residential design. Kyle creates thoughtful designs to withstand typical forces like snow loads, hurricane-force winds, and building seismic zones.
Call MBD for More Information About Pole Building Plans and Barndo Design
If you’d like to know more about getting a professional engineer to design and seal your pole barn plans or barndominium plans, call/text Michigan Building Design at (231) 577-9523 or send us an email. We’d love to help you turn your building project into reality.