Steel, T1-11 of Board & Batten for Pole Barn

[TractorTidy]

I had 30X45X10 board on board building built 4 yrs ago this month. Used 1X8 poplar boards. Looks nice. Had it stained w/ a dark brown stain the next summer.
Is holding up well, a few boards warped on bottoms but not bad. I am doing a shop on one end which has poplar/oak/walnut siding (all sawed w/ my woodmizer)
and wainscoating of galvanized metal 36" up.

A couple of downsides of wood I see is: initial expense although a metal Morton building was in the same price range w/o concrete, excavation and trees removed.
Also, more gaps for critters, wind and rain to get in. The boards do shrink a little, but w/ the board on board you get a lot more overlap. Lastly, if it ever catches on fire (heaven forbid) stand back and let it go. Make sure you have it insured!

An upside is the look. I have a wooded lot and it blends in very nicely.
For an example of the look, go to American Heritage Barns.com.

 

[Rustyiron]

Keep in mind that T1-11 is designed for std. 16" o.c. (vertical) framing. By the time you "convert" a true pole bldg. to that .......... Do you have a sawmill local for real B&B? I'm with ya on the industrial kinda look of the steel and concerns of damage but with a little creative design (wainscott, colored corners & trim, shutters etc) and a 4' high plywood backer for the most common lo height dings, it's hard to beat steel. Heck, you could do a hybrid on the high vis. sides use B&B or a B&B wainscott, and "cheat" with the steel on the rest. I've seen the "lick & stick" stone for the lower wainscott, that really looks nice and gives the wall some depth.

 

[RoMad]

Once Hardi plank and Hardi board were invented I don't know why anyone would prefer T1-11 over it. It doesn't rot, burn or get eaten by termites. My house is hardi-plank siding and we love it. I also have it on two rental mobile homes and have put it on some others. I have one rental that has vinyl siding. The nice thing about the vinyl siding is you only have to pressure wash it occassionaly.
For barns and sheds, I go with metal siding. It isn't any harder to modify to me and I never have to paint it. It also goes up quick. It might look pretty good to use hardi planks on the bottom three or four feet and then metal above that.

 

[crash325]

Long Boring post Sorry. :laughing:

Not all T1-11 is created equal. There several different grades and types.
Paper board - sort of a fiber board with a plastic coating. Cheep, often comes on mobile homes.

OSB type - can be had with the plastic coating (outside only). Most any type of wood on the outside. Inside should be sealed before it is put up.

Plywood type - real wood plywood, no sealing or coating of any type. Can sometimes be had with a plastic exterior seal.

Then there is the thickness thing. From about 1/4" up to around 3/4". Lots of measured in 32's. 8' & 10' Tall is real common, 12' pretty easy to find. Longer can be had by special order.

Joints need to be sealed & nailed / screwed down. Works out well on 24" on center studs. Not so well on 16" on center studs. Add an extra stud or put in 4 to 5 cross braces.

When going more than 1 sheet high, be sure to add "Z" flashing to the joint. Normal for me is to put a trim board over the flashing sealed across the top side.

Put Tyvek or other vapor barrier on before siding. Be sure the back of the T1-11 is sealed.


Spend as much time as needed to make sure first sheet is straight. Then it is pretty easy to keep them straight.

Yep they are heavy, nice to have 2 or even 3 people when putting it up. But even at my age I can put it up without help.

 

[joeyd]

When I put up my pole barn I wanted it to blend in with the house so I finished the front gable with Hardi-shingles and painted them to match the gable on the house. Luckily the steel paint scheme was a close match to the house. OSB sheeting was nailed to the front with house wrap over the OSB. The steel was attached to finish it off but using the Hardi-shingles keeps it from looking industrial.