Pole framing is a simplified building technique adapted from the labor-intensive traditional timber framing technique. It uses large poles or posts buried in the ground or on a foundation to provide the vertical structural support and girts to provide horizontal support. The method was developed and matured during the 1930s as agricultural practices changed, including the shift toward engine-powered farm equipment and the demand for cheaper, larger barns and storage areas. Unlike competing building methods, once the poles, girts and rafters are put in place, much of the construction work on a pole-built structure can be handled by a single individual over the course of a month or season
The method was developed and matured during the 1930s as agricultural practices changed, including the shift toward engine-powered farm equipment and the demand for cheaper, larger barns and storage areas. Unlike competing building methods, once the poles, girts and rafters are put in place, much of the construction work on a pole-built structure can be handled by a single individual over the course of a month or season
Pole building design was pioneered in the 1930s in the United States originally using utility poles for horse barns and agricultural buildings. The depressed value of agricultural products in the 1920s and 1930s and the emergence of large, corporate farming in the 1930s created a demand for larger, cheaper agricultural buildings
As the practice took hold, rather than using utility poles, materials such as pole barn nails were developed specifically for this type of construction, making the process more affordable and reliable. Today, almost any low-rise structure can be quickly built using the post-frame construction method.
The techniques originated in the pole barn, which was a quick and economical method of adding outbuildings on a farm as agriculture shifted to equipment-dependent and capital-intensive agriculture—necessitating sheltering tractors, harvesters, wagons and the like in much greater quantities and sizes. Around North America, many pole built structures are still readily seen in rural and industrial areas, for the galvanized steel siding and roofing of the thirties has proven to be very durable as was much of the shed style vertically oriented plank siding.
In modern developments the pole barns of the 1930s have become pole buildings for use as housing, commercial use, churches, picnic shelters or storage buildings. In the process more often than not, the poles have become posts of squared-off, pressure-treated timbers. These structures have the potential to replicate the functionality of other buildings, but they may be more affordable and require less time to construct. The most common use for pole buildings is storage buildings as it was on the farms, but today they may be for the storage of automobiles or boats along with many other household items that would normally be found in a residential garage, or commercially as the surroundings for a light industry or small corporate offices with attached shops
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