Popular Uses for Pole Barns
Discover the popular uses for pole barns, from agricultural storage to workshops and event spaces, and see how these versatile structures can meet your needs.
Sustainability is at the core of pole barns, which is why they’re so popular. The most surprising fact is that they didn’t become popular overnight, and eco-friendliness wasn’t their main advantage.
Pole barns have been around for almost a century, and in the early days, they were a cost-effective way to construct a barn. The materials are more affordable and there’s no need for additional groundwork, meaning you can construct one almost anywhere. Over the years, people realized they offer plenty of other advantages, which is why they’ve been around for so long.
Considering the popularity, you can probably guess there are plenty of use cases. Some of which you’re most likely aware of, while others may surprise you. Let’s dig into the most popular ones today.
Livestock Housing
If you own a farm and have animals, you’ll need to have a home for your livestock. Similar to how we, people, need a roof over our heads, animals need one as well. This is one of the first use cases for pole barns, and it’s still popular today.
With the outer construction and wall out of the way, the interior can be designed depending on the type of animals that live there. Based on that, you can have all the necessary amenities to make their life more comfortable and your life easier when caring for them.
Storing Hay
Protecting the livestock is only half of the story because you’ll want to have the food protected as well. Unlike livestock housing, pole barns for storing hay are generally open. It’s to ensure that you have easy access regardless of which side you’re approaching but still be protected.
Another common feature you’ll find with these constructions is the use of pole barn rafters. The reason for this is to ensure you have as much space as possible in terms of height, and this type offers that.
Storing Equipment
Next up, we have an equipment storage use case. In essence, it’s quite similar to the previous one, where the main goal is to have the equipment protected from the elements. The kind of equipment you’ll store there depends on the size.
You may have a smaller one and keep the smaller tools in a single place. On the other hand, you can think big and construct a pole barn capable of protecting much more than your shovel or axe.
Workshop Unit
Living on a farm or a ranch means you probably need your special workshop corner for various tasks. It doesn’t matter if it’s work or pleasure-related, a workshop unit is a good use case for a smaller pole barn.
The size depends on what you need and what you’ll use it for. You’ll often see many people going for a larger shed and combining these two, meaning they have a workshop where they store their equipment.
Greenhouse
Even if you’ve never been on a farm, you probably know what a greenhouse is. One thing you may not know is that a greenhouse is technically a pole barn used to regulate the environment for plants. It’s a great way to have fruits and vegetables throughout the year.
The approach is similar to many other use cases, at least in terms of the skeleton structure. With that completed, the next step is choosing the transparent material that will act as a barrier between the inner environment and the outer one.
Garage
Parking a car out in the open will expose it to sun, rain, and snow, which is where a pole barn garage comes into play. This common use case for these structures is popular mainly because a garage doesn’t need a lot. Even if you have it open, like the ones for storing hay, it will still do the job nicely.
Yes, a garage for a single car is fairly simple and small, but why stop there? You’ll see people on the farm with large garages, and they’re not because they drive massive vehicles. They are for farming vehicles like tractors, seeders, ATVs etc. At this point, the only limitation is how much area a person has for this.
Home
I saved the best use-case for last. You may consider pole barns to be flimsy wooden structures on a farm for storing things, but that’s far from the truth. When constructed correctly, they are quite sturdy, which is why they’ve become a popular housing choice among people.
The advantage of these pole barn houses is the same one that applies to the others. They’re easy to construct and are very affordable. There are many reasons why they’re popular housing choices, and scalability is the main one. Being able to build a home precisely as you want it to be in terms of size and shape is what makes it an attractive choice.