Post Frame buildings are cost effective and enviornmentally sustainable because they use a large amount of renewable structural material and use all materials very efficiently compared to alternative framing systems.

Post Frame buildings can be finished with the same interior and exterior finishes of any other framing system or, for ultimate cost savings, they can be covered with light gauge steel panels (similar to pre-engineered steel buildings) which serve as both exterior finish and structural element (replaces the OSB and lap siding with just one material).

The material efficiency of Post Frame construction does require a higher degree of certainty in the engineering than other types of construction having more built-in redundancy.

Sims Construction is an independent structural engineering consultant specializing in the engineering of Post Frame buildings in a wide variety of applications: commercial, residential, and agricultural.

Post Frame Benefits

Durability

When put to the test, post-frame buildings consistently outperform other structures. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 provided a recent example. Many non-post-frame structures lay in ruins while properly engineered post-frame buildings remained standing tall amidst the rubble.

The post-frame building system has several key advantages, and these have only improved over time with the evolution of construction technologies and improvements in building components.

Flexibility

Post frame is flexible in appearance and application. Post-frame buildings may be designed to match almost any building look, and to meet the needs of most low-rise structures.

Efficiency

Post-frame buildings are highly efficient from initial construction and throughout the building’s entire lifespan.

Post-frame buildings are design efficient. The diaphragm design intrinsic to post-frame structures makes them highly resilient under the pressures of external stresses. Therefore, they may handle wind, snow, and seismic loads more efficiently than most other types of structures.

Post-frame buildings are energy efficient. The gap between the inside and outside walls on a typical post-frame building averages more than six inches, providing exceptional space for insulating material. Because of its wide column spacing, there are few interruptions in insulation material. Where the insulation is interrupted, wooden structural members have natural insulating properties and do not conduct heat like structural steel or masonry components.

Cost Savings

Post frame cuts down on labor and construction costs because it reduces construction time including time needed for site preparation. Posts or building columns may be implanted in the ground, eliminating the need for a poured foundation, which in many instances is unnecessary. Once the posts are in place, construction proceeds briskly.

Wood-frame components are almost always less costly to purchase than install steel, brick, and concrete block. Post and laminated columns are exceptionally sturdy so fewer wood materials are needed than for traditionally-framed buildings. Post-frame column spacing is wider than 2×4” stick frame construction allows, so there are less structural members that the crew needs to spend time installing. An experienced crew may erect a basic frame of posts, girts, trusses and purlins within two or three days, so erection time and associated labor costs may be much lower.