PRODUCT COMPARISON
What makes an FBi building better than some other builder's pole barn? The quality of our building components is second to none.
Quick Construction
Affordability
Flexibility
Strength
Energy Efficiency
Quick Construction
Pole barns go up quickly. Getting "under roof" takes half the time compared to conventional construction methods. This is because the post-frame method is less labor intensive. There are far fewer (but significantly larger) framing members. And since, we can build all year round, you don't have to wait on the weather. Concrete floors can be added later, after the building is up.
FBi crews are some of the most experienced and best trained in the industry, making them especially fast.
Affordability
Since pole barn construction is quick and efficient, labor costs are lower than with other types of construction. This is especially true if you do not need a continuous concrete foundation. Plus wood is almost always less expensive than steel, brick and concrete block. And if you choose to use steel siding and roofing, pole barns are even more affordable. Buildings can be quickly clad with those steel panels, resulting in additional labor savings.
Flexibility
Post-frame buildings offer great flexibility. It's easier and more cost-effective to add attractive design features (such as overhangs, steeper roof pitch, porches, etc.) to our buildings than to steel-frame buildings. Plus, since our buildings don't require interior supporting walls, you have wide-open space inside to configure however you want. Interior build out is simpler too with a wood frame than with steel. Also, since our supporting columns are 8' apart, you can add extra doors and windows down the road without too much trouble. Doing that in a stud wall, is much more difficult.
Pole barns offer outstanding flexibility in exterior finishes too. It doesn't have to be steel. Almost any type of facade can be use: brick, block, EIFS, vinyl or wood siding.
Strength
Some people are surprised to learn that post-frame construction produces stronger buildings than other methods. But it is true, for the following reasons:
- Columns in the ground add to the building's stability and wind resistance.
- Horizontally connected posts form a tremendously strong box that adds to wind and seismic resistance.
- The direct attachment of trusses to the post frame makes it virtually impossible for the roof to detach from the building.
- The diaphragm effect created by the post-frame structures allows them to flex under stress instead of cracking, crumbling or collapsing like many other structures.
Source: "The Post-Frame Advantage: It's Long-Lasting and Resilient." Frame Building News, January 2003.
Energy Efficiency
Looking for an air-tight, energy efficient building? Post-frame has stud wall or block construction beat. Our 8' wide wall cavities are typically 8" deep. That accommodates a thick and wide blanket of unbroken insulation. The wood columns themselves provide R-value and have very low heat conductivity.
In addition, all of FBi's standard steel colors are energy-saving "cool metal roofing" formulations that have earned the Energy Star rating.
Steel frame buildings suffer from thermal bridging of the steel columns, conducting valuable heat out of the building at a rate 310 times faster than wood. In addition, insulation is sandwiched between the outside steel and the framing members, thus compromising its R-value.
Concrete block has very little insulative value. The block cores can be filled with insulation, but that results in uneven R-value. To get a block building warm and tight, additional work must be done - either furring strips with insulation between or an insulated stud wall. Either way, it is additional cost.
