Vinyl siding on a pole barn???

[Knight9]

Robert,

I don't think I have a case with my wife on the metal siding. Since this is actually a double garage/shop/storage and is so close to the house she is adamant that it be sided with the same siding. She would prefer me to just put up a basic garage package which is what I was originally planning on doing. Unfortunately the local county here has some definite ideas /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif about the square footage I'm allowed to build without full foundations etc. Pole structures don't apply however!! Thus I'm looking to circumvent a little.

Thanks for the reply. I couldn't see why vinyl would not be feasible. And I'm always game to see photos...so I would love to see more of your work. I saw the one you posted a while back. Looks like very nice work!

Kevin

 

[MarkV]

Kevin,
I think what you are running into is that the builders that tell you vinyl will not work just don’t work with much vinyl. Pole structures normally get covered with metal (at least these days) and the crews that put up pole barns many times specialize in just that. They have their system fine tuned to how long it will take, where to get their materials, what pricing works for them, ect….. You throw a twist into their system and they are unsure.

Robert’s comments were right on, in my opinion. No question a pole barn will move more than your house. By the time you cover it with ply or OSB though, you will have a pole barn that moves much less than most. I can’t see any reason that the vinyl can’t be used. If the barn builders are hesitant to do vinyl work maybe you should look for bids on the barn sheathed with ply and another bid from a vinyl company to cover it. Keep looking and you will find the right person to do the job.

MarkV

 

[StoneHeartFarm]

Kevin,

My new barn is 30x40 with 10' sidewalls. It is in the middle of a field on top of a hill in Michigan. I plan eventually to vinyl side, but for now have been installing T-1-11 Plywood. The reason is that the plywood will be considered a finished siding for the building inspector, will significantly strengthen the building and will make an excellent nailing surface for vinyl later. I see an awful lot of barns around here that are vinyl sided, and about the only time I've seen any crack has been when somebody's kids bounced a baseball off it in the middle of the winter.

Heaving might damage the vinyl, but your contractor should be taking precautions against it.

The other nice thing about the T-1-11 is that it goes up quick. I hung 20- 4x8 sheets by myself in 1 day. Hardest part was getting them level.

SHF

 

[Knight9]

Thanks for your replies guys!! I am quite pleased to hear that vinyl siding is not unheard of on pole barn style buildings. I will certainly follow the advice given, however, and get a quote with metal and one with vinyl to see how large the difference is. I'm sure I'll have sticker shock either way!!

On a slightly different vein, has anyone ever seen an electric door opener for sliding doors like those that are displayed on the picture (link) included in my first post? I'm wondering if you can attach an opener(s) to those type of doors.

Kevin

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I recommend that you do not use sliding doors unless you need an opening so big that you can't get an appropriate overhead door. Overhead doors can be insulated and seal weather-tight for not too much money, and using an opener with one is a no-brainer. Every sliding door that my family ever had has been switched to an overhead door.

 

[Knight9]

Rubintropfen,

I certainly agree with that assessment!!! I would prefer an overhead door, but I'm not sure what the impact will be to the cost due to the extra requirements from a structural perspective. If they remove the center post from the slider I would expect that would require larger carrying beams, larger posts etc. Might not be worth it???

I've asked that very thing however of one of the contractors so we'll see what he has to say.

Thanks,
Kevin

 

[WVBill]

SHF:

I have a barn very similar in size to yours that I used T1-11 siding on. Now, 2 years after I built it I'm getting around to thinking about an exterior finish. Vinyl siding would be one option but just getting the barn closed in used up all the budget.

Did you consider solid color stain? That's what I'm thinking about. I think paint would be too much maintenance forever.

Anyone used a solid color stain on T1-11 with success?

 

[cedarranch]

At my mom's lake home I built a 20x30x10 with t1-11. I let it dry for almost a year before using a UV stain. The stain lasted about 5 years before needing another coat. At that time my sister moved in and they painted it white. That was 7 years ago. Seems the paint is holding better than the stain. Or maybe the stain just gave it a good base? /w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif

 

[StoneHeartFarm]

WVBill

I've though about stain or paint. At the house I'm in now, (barn is at the new house), I've got a small storage shed with T-1-11 that I built about 10 years ago. I painted the door and that's it. The rest I left alone and the T-1-11 has held up well, even along the bottom. The color is now gray, but not quite as nice a gray color as hundred year old barn wood. The door paint is still on and looks just about like it did when I put it on. One thing I recall from the process, however, is that the T-1-11 sucks up paint like you wouldn't believe.

Some grades of paint are getting some really long guarantees these days, but I think it's going to depend on the location (sun, wind, etc). My plan is to leave everything alone and then vinyl side in a couple of years, because I want to put a 2' high band of stone around the bottom. It'll make it look more like a frame garage.

SHF

 

[StoneHeartFarm]

Kevin,

I haven't seen an electric opener for sliding doors, but that doesn't mean there isn't one. I've seen fence gates that slid open and closed, I suppose the system could be adapted to doors. I went with 9x10 commercial grade overheads. (Only reason I got commercial grade is because that is what the Lumber Yard sent). Mine are Wayne Dalton TorqueMaster Doors (flat panel) and the Lumber Yard socked me just over $1,100.00 US for the pair. Embossed Panel doors would have added something like $400.00 to the bill.

SHF