Practical Pole Building Construction: With Plans for Barns, Cabins, & Outbuildings

By Leigh Seddon

Book Overview

Discover the Strength, Economy, and Durability of Building with Poles

Building with poles can save you time, money, and effort. Creating strong, durable structures this way requires only limited grading and essentially no excavation on site, allows for plenty of design flexibility, and utilizes fewer materials than other building techniques.

In his classic do-it-yourself guide Practical Pole Building Construction, author and builder Leigh Seddon covers everything you need to know about all stages of the process from initial designing and planning to the actual construction and building stage. With an emphasis on practicality and economy, this essential reference manual includes helpful, easy-to-follow yet detailed information about how to choose between kiln-dried vs. green poles; architectural and structural specifications; site selection; construction-site preparation; design principles; aesthetics; pole setting; sustainability considerations; and ways to insulate and ventilate. It also features original design plans for multiple building and outbuilding types, including lean-to barn, horse stable, hillside house, garage/woodshed, mountain pole cabin, and coastal/lake house. In addition to the many photographs within, illustrator David Sylvester provides plentiful architectural drawings to accompany the clear, informative text.

Engineer and veteran builder Leigh Seddon is also the author of Low-Cost Green Lumber Construction (also available from Echo Point Books)' another time-honored reference book for resourceful, do-it-yourself builders looking to save costs and work sustainably.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1648370608
• ISBN13: 9781648370601
• Release Date: October 2021
• Publisher: Echo Point Books & Media, LLC
• Length: 188 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.5" x 11.0"

Customer Reviews

Great practical book.

This is a very complete book that doesn't leave the reader asking for details like so many others. It's written so beginners can understand it and it contains all the design criteria, load tables, joint details, and so forth that an experienced builder needs to get a building permit and construct a building. Seddon inlcudes practical "how to" answers beginning with construction of a temporary frame to lift tall poles into holes in the ground without killing yourself trying. Framing and jointing details, connections, siding, windows and finish are all here. I built many stick frame homes over several years and was looking for information on construction of a pole frame home. I found it very useful and practical.

pole building construction review

This book is very good. The information is presented in great detail in a very useable way. I found myself wanting to build with poles! Highly recomended. Sincerly, Adelbert M. Vinal Jr.

The best pole building book I have found.

Of all the pole building books I have seen, this is the best. Seddon covers the logic of pole building and then gives straightforward instruction on how to do it, with lots of clear drawings and photographs. Included are design, materials, calculating loads, foundations, framing and jointry, roofing and siding, windows and doors, building plans, and an appendix that shows how to calculate sun angles, snow loads, compares insulations, gives recommended nailing schedules, and several other useful items. Plans include a lake house, hillside house, cabin, garage, horse stable, and lean-to animal shelter. If you have never built anything before, it is likely that you will be able to build any or all of these with no more instruction than this book, plus plumbing and electrical help.

Great "How To" Book

I finally found a well organized book that shows the information and process required to Build a Pole Building. This book does an excellent job of walking the "Do It Yourselfer" through all the steps required to build a pole or Post and Beam building. After reading this book all you need is a blue print, building permit and materials and you are good to go.

This book has clear and complete info on pole buildings.

This pole construction book has become our favorite of all other pole books. It answered those important questions such as weight per pole, soil content, span distances, and extra bracing. It also helped us to figure weight loads (live and dead). This book gave us all the information needed to build a pole house.