Pole Barn Designs: 3 Popular Designs to Choose From

Pole barns have many uses.  These uses include from agricultural storage or backyard storage sheds to housing for all kinds of livestock, including horses, cows, pigs and poultry.  They usually provide wide spans which can be used as indoor riding facilities.  They are easy and economical to build and you can build one even if you have never built anything before, with the right kind of plans and blueprints.

There are many different pole barn designs to choose from according to your likes and needs.  Each one has its advantages and suits different purposes.  Here are three of the most popular designs:

Monitor barn.  The monitor barn has a raised ceiling in the middle of the structure. The higher part of the structure can be used as a hay loft or storage.   This elevated area is usually accessible with a built in stairway.

Gable barn.  The gable barn has a high pointed ceiling.  It is a roof design where both sides are the same length and are joined in the center to form a peak.  Its simple design makes it easy to build, it sheds water easily and provides good ventilation  They are not recommended for areas with severe wind.  There are common variations of gable barns roofs – side gable roof, front gable roof, cross gabled roof, and Dutch gable.

Gambrel barn.  The gambrel barn has a unique roof design that offers more usable space because of the openness of the ceiling.  It is a type of  roof  with two sloping planes of different sizes on each side. The lower plane has a steeper slope than the upper, thus opening up the structure on top and creating space.

Whichever pole barn design you choose, you can get simple, easy to follow plans and blueprints that you can use to build it yourself and save tons of money doing so.  Make sure to get plans that provide every detail, such as a list of materials and supplies, the dimensions, diagrams and blueprints, so that you can follow a step by step guide from start to finish.  Get all your materials and costs up front so you cannot go wrong.

Here is a great resource for pole barn designs which will guide you every step of the way.  It will save you all the planning and guessing.  Visit http://www.buildyourshed.info



Photo: Creative Commons by Matt Callow at Flickr