Pole barns · Des Moines & the metro
Pole Barn Builders
in Des Moines, IA
Pole barns and post-frame buildings for shops, garages, machine sheds, barns and park shelters, with every post set below the 42-inch frost line and the steel fastened for Iowa wind.
What the job covers
Pole Barns & Post-Frame,
start to finish.
- Posts and footingsPosts set below the 42-inch frost depth on concrete footings or pre-cast pads, anchored against wind uplift.
- Trusses and purlinsRoof trusses carried on the posts, purlins across them, fastened for Iowa wind and snow.
- Steel roof and wallsPainted steel panels on the roof and walls, with the trim, ridge cap and closures that keep out wind, snow and birds.
- Doors and windowsOverhead, sliding or Dutch doors, walk doors and windows, sized to what goes inside and framed in before the steel goes on.
- Lean-tos and porchesA lean-to or covered porch off the side for equipment, animals or shade.
- Floor and interiorA concrete floor poured after the shell is up, plus vapor barrier, insulation and liner panel if you plan to heat it.
Worth knowing
Pole barn and post frame are the same building.
Pole barn is the older name and post-frame is what builders call it now. Either way the building stands on wood posts spaced several feet apart, with roof trusses on top, purlins across the trusses and girts along the walls, all covered in painted steel. There are no bearing walls and no full foundation, which is why it gives so much covered space for the money. The posts are the foundation, so every one goes below the 42-inch frost depth Des Moines publishes.
Wind is the other thing a pole barn has to answer. A tall steel building catches a lot of it, and the August 10, 2020 derecho took roofs and garages across the Des Moines metro. We anchor the posts against uplift and fasten the trusses and the steel the way the plans call for, because none of that can be added once the building is closed in.
A pole barn needs a building permit in the City of Des Moines, in unincorporated Polk County and in most suburbs. Iowa law exempts buildings used for farming from county zoning, and the county decides whether a building qualifies. We check with your city or county before we quote.
When a pole barn makes sense
Signs it is time to call.
The equipment has outgrown the garage
A tractor, a camper, a boat and the mower need wide doors and clear height. A pole barn is sized around what goes in it, not the other way around.
You want a shop you can use in January
Insulation, steel liner panel and a heater make a post-frame building a year-round shop.
Animals or hay need a dry roof
A barn with a lean-to and Dutch doors gives stock shelter and keeps feed out of the weather.
A park or business needs a shelter
An open post-frame pavilion gives shade and cover for picnics and events, on posts set below frost like any of our buildings.
Get an estimate
Tell us what you want
to build.
We look at the site, check what the parcel allows, and put the scope and the price in writing. Then you decide.
- Footings below the 42-inch Des Moines frost depth
- Drawings prepared for your city's permit office
- Free estimates in writing, after a site visit
- Five-year warranty on our labor, insured
- Within about 40 miles of Des Moines
- If a repair will not hold, we say so before you sign
Fastest
Call us
Describe the project and book a site visit in the same call. Photos help, and you can text them to the same number.
(515) 414-8477In writing
Send the details
Better for larger buildings, additions, and anything you want on record before a visit.