Purchasing a post frame building is a significant investment that requires a well-thought-out, detailed planning and design process to ensure you’re completely satisfied with the final building. Early missteps can result in long-term inefficiencies, unexpected costs, and frustration. This article outlines five of the most common mistakes when purchasing a post frame building, their impacts, and how to avoid them so your structure performs today and well into the future.
The 5 Most Common Mistakes When Purchasing a Post Frame Building
1. Choosing the Wrong Location
One of the first and most important decisions for your project is the location of your post frame building. Site selection directly affects your building’s longevity, functionality, and overall cost. Factors like topography, drainage, soil conditions, access roads, and proximity to utilities all impact the success of your project.
Overlooking these considerations can lead to increased site prep and construction costs or long-term issues such as poor drainage or limited access. Taking the time to assess your property and select the right location will pay off in the long term.
Learn more about choosing the right location for your post frame building
2. Skipping Long-Term Planning
High on the list of common mistakes while purchasing a post frame building is failing to account for future needs. Whether it’s expanding your operation, adding new equipment and vehicles, or adding to your family, it’s far more cost-effective to plan for these needs from the beginning.
Incorporating flexibility into your building layout—such as a mezzanine, lean-tos, or additional doors can save you the expense of future retrofits, expansions, and renovations.
3. Overlooking the Specifics of Your Building Type
A horse barn, hobby building, garage, or cold storage building each requires a unique building layout and features specific to their use. Treating the design of accessory buildings the same for all use cases and all properties is another common mistake while purchasing a pole building.
Designing without considering specific purpose of your building can be a costly misstep. Instead, ensure the layout, materials, and features are tailored to your intended use, property layout, and day-to-day requirements.
4. Overlooking Permits & Regulations
Every county and municipality has its own rules and regulations about construction and development that must be considered prior to breaking ground on construction. Overlooking permits, building codes, and inspections can cause setbacks or increased costs if overlooked.
Learn about development and building permits
5. Hiring the Wrong Post Frame Builder
Perhaps the most important decision you’ll make when investing in a pole structure is choosing your builder. The right builder will go beyond construction—they’ll help address the mistakes mentioned throughout this article by asking the right questions, identifying features that add long-term value to your building, and applying expertise throughout the entire planning process.
While cost is always an important factor, it’s important to evaluate builders beyond their pricing. A post frame building is a sizeable investment, and finding a reputable, experienced builder who is dedicated to understanding your priorities and needs is necessary to the success of your project.
Final Thoughts
Avoiding these common mistakes will help you plan confidently, invest wisely, and build a structure that will serve your needs for decades to come.
