Pole Barn Plans and Metal Building Engineering
Pole barn plans, post-frame shops and metal building foundations engineered for your snow, wind and soil, and sealed by a licensed PE.
- Stamped by a PE licensed in your state
- Built to IBC, IRC and local amendments
- Plan-check comments answered
Barns, shops and steel buildings designed for where you build
Pole barns and metal buildings are fast and economical to build, which is why they are everywhere: farm buildings, equipment sheds, horse barns, workshops, detached garages, commercial storage and, increasingly, barndominiums. But a building that looks the same in two counties can need very different posts, trusses and footings. Snow load, wind speed, soil and frost depth all change the design, and building departments expect pole barn plans that reflect your site, not a generic kit.
PE Engineer prepares stamped plans for post-frame buildings and designs the foundations for pre-engineered metal buildings. We size posts and embedment, check truss and purlin layouts, design the roof and wall diaphragms that keep the building square, and detail the slab, footings and anchor bolts. Every set is sealed by a PE licensed in the state where the building will stand.
Whether you bought a kit, are working with a local builder or are starting from a sketch on paper, we turn it into a permit-ready set with calculations to back it up.
What you receive
- Post and truss layout plan
- Building sections and elevations
- Post embedment and footing details
- Girt, purlin and bracing schedule
- Slab and anchor bolt plan
- PE stamped calculations and drawings
Buildings we engineer
Post-frame and steel buildings serve very different uses, and we design each one for how it will actually be used.
Pole barns and post-frame shops
Embedded-post or slab-mounted post-frame buildings with wood or steel trusses, steel cladding, large overhead or sliding doors and optional lean-tos.
Agricultural buildings
Equipment storage, hay barns, horse barns and livestock buildings, including open-sided structures where wind acts on both faces of the roof.
Detached garages and RV storage
Post-frame and metal garages with tall doors for RVs and boats, designed with the header, post and bracing details large openings demand.
Barndominiums
Post-frame and steel buildings with living space, designed to residential code requirements for structure, with coordination for energy and fire separation.
Pre-engineered metal buildings
Foundation design for manufacturer-supplied steel buildings, using the column reactions to size footings, piers, slab and anchor bolts for your soil.
Kit building plan review
Review and stamping of kit and builder-supplied barn plans, with changes where the kit design does not meet your local snow or wind loads.
Your Stamped, Permit-Ready Plans Start With One Upload
Send your drawings or describe the project. A licensed engineer reviews it and sends a clear, fixed-fee proposal, often within hours.
- Free and no obligation
- Reviewed by a licensed PE
- Secure file upload
Pole barn plans that pass plan review
A good set of pole barn plans answers every question a plan reviewer and a builder will ask, without making either of them guess. Our post-frame sets typically include:
- A foundation and post layout plan showing post size, spacing, embedment depth and footing type.
- Truss layout and bearing, including girder trusses or headers over wide door openings.
- Roof purlin and wall girt size and spacing, with fastening to posts and trusses.
- Building sections showing heights, roof pitch, overhangs, lean-tos and any loft or mezzanine.
- Diaphragm and bracing details, including the steel cladding fastener pattern where it acts as a diaphragm.
- Door headers and jamb posts for overhead, sliding and walk doors.
- Slab, splash board and skirt board details, plus general notes on treated lumber and fasteners.
The design loads are stated clearly on the drawings: ground snow load, wind speed and exposure, seismic values where they matter, and the soil bearing assumption. Reviewers look for those values first, and stating them up front avoids a common round of comments. Where the county has its own snow load map or wind speed requirement, we design to that local value.
If you are buying trusses from a supplier, we coordinate the truss package with the posts and headers, and we can provide the truss review and stamp if your jurisdiction requires one.
Post-frame design: posts, embedment and diaphragms
Post-frame buildings work differently from stud-framed buildings, and their design follows its own standards.
Posts and embedment
Embedded posts act like vertical cantilevers. Wind on the wall pushes the top of the post, and the soil around the embedded end resists it. Post size depends on wall height, post spacing and wind load, while embedment depth depends on soil strength and the lateral force. We design embedment using the ASABE shallow post foundation procedures, and we check the bottom of the post for downward load on a footing pad and for uplift, typically resisted with a concrete collar or uplift cleats. In cold climates embedment must also extend below the frost depth.
Diaphragm action
The steel roof and wall panels on a post-frame building are not just cladding. With the right fastener pattern, they act as a diaphragm that carries wind forces to the endwalls, which reduces the load on interior posts. We apply the ASABE diaphragm design method and specify the fastener pattern that makes it work. Large door openings in endwalls reduce that stiffness, so we check those walls carefully.
Trusses, purlins and girts
Trusses are usually spaced wider than in houses, so purlins and girts carry significant load between them. We size them for snow, wind and the cladding span, and specify the connections that hold them on under uplift.
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- Free and no obligation
- Reviewed by a licensed PE
- Secure file upload
Metal building foundations and pre-engineered buildings
Pre-engineered metal buildings arrive with steel frames designed by the manufacturer’s engineer. The foundation, however, is almost always the owner’s responsibility, and the building department will want it designed and sealed by an engineer licensed in your state. That foundation design, sealed for your state, is what we provide.
The manufacturer provides a reaction letter or anchor bolt plan listing the forces at each column base: vertical load, uplift and horizontal thrust from the rigid frames. We use those reactions, together with your soil conditions and frost depth, to design:
- Isolated footings or piers at each frame column, sized for bearing and uplift.
- Grade beams or thickened slab edges along the sidewalls and endwalls.
- Hairpins or tie rods across the building, which resist the outward thrust of rigid frames by tying the columns into the slab.
- Anchor bolt size, embedment, edge distance and projection, matched to the manufacturer’s base plate layout.
- The slab itself, including thickness, reinforcement and joints for vehicles, equipment or storage racks.
When there is no soils report, we use conservative code values and state them. For larger buildings, heavy equipment or poor soils, a geotechnical investigation is worth the cost, and we design directly to its recommendations. Our foundation design page covers the broader approach we apply to every foundation.
Barndominiums, shops and agricultural exemptions
How a building will be used changes the code requirements more than how it looks. A post-frame building used only for farm storage may qualify for an agricultural exemption in many states and counties, while the same building with a bathroom and bedroom becomes a dwelling under the residential code.
Agricultural exemptions vary widely. Some jurisdictions exempt qualifying farm buildings from permits entirely, others exempt them from certain requirements only, and many still require plans for buildings over a certain size or close to property lines. Lenders and insurers sometimes ask for stamped plans even when the county does not. We can confirm what your jurisdiction expects before you commit to a design.
Barndominiums need the most coordination. Living space brings requirements for insulation and energy compliance, egress windows, fire separation between the shop and the living area, and sometimes engineered floor framing for a second-level loft. The structure itself also changes: interior walls, ceilings and finishes add load, and residential occupancy may raise the required design loads compared with a storage building.
We handle the structural design and can coordinate the architectural side through our new home plans service, so the floor plan, the post layout and the foundation are drawn together. For shops with mezzanines, hoists or vehicle lifts, we design those loads into the posts, slab and footings from the start.
You likely need this if
- Your county requires stamped barn plans
- You bought a kit that lacks local loads
- Your metal building needs a foundation design
- You plan living space in a barn or shop
- You need wide doors for RVs or equipment
- Your lender or insurer asked for plans
How it works, start to finish
From your first message to stamped drawings, you work directly with the engineering team.
- 1Share your projectSend the address, scope and any drawings, photos or plan-check comments. Two minutes is enough.
- 2Receive a fixed-fee proposalAn engineer reviews the scope and replies with a firm price and delivery date for your pole barns & metal buildings drawings.
- 3Engineering and draftingWe run the calculations and prepare drawings to the codes your jurisdiction enforces, checked before sealing.
- 4Stamped set deliveredYou receive a sealed PDF set ready to submit, and we answer any plan-check comments within scope.
Codes and standards for barns and metal buildings
Post-frame and metal building designs follow the codes your jurisdiction has adopted and the industry standards developed for these systems:
- International Building Code (IBC), including agricultural building provisions where adopted
- International Residential Code (IRC) for garages and barndominiums
- ASCE 7 for snow, wind and seismic loads
- AWC National Design Specification (NDS) for Wood Construction
- ASABE EP486, Shallow Post and Pier Foundation Design
- ASABE EP484, Diaphragm Design of Metal-Clad, Wood-Frame Rectangular Buildings
- ACI 318 for footings, piers, slabs and anchor bolts
How licensing works. Engineering drawings must be sealed by a Professional Engineer licensed in the state where your project is located. PE Engineer works with a network of state-licensed PEs, so every set is reviewed and stamped by an engineer with an active license in the state where your project is located. Their name and license number appear on the seal, exactly as your building department requires.
Related services
Truss Review & StampingIndependent review and PE stamp of wood and metal truss drawings, girder and bearing checks, and engineered repairs for cut or damaged trusses.Explore More
Steel Structure DesignSteel beams, columns, moment frames, braced frames and connections designed to AISC standards and stamped for residential, commercial and industrial permits.Explore More
Garage PlansPermit-ready garage plans for detached, attached and apartment garages, with foundation, framing, fire separation and site plan coordinated in one set.Explore MoreFrequently asked questions
Do I need stamped plans for a pole barn?
It depends on the size, use and location. Many counties require stamped plans for post-frame garages, shops and larger barns, while qualifying agricultural buildings may be exempt in some areas. Lenders and insurers sometimes require plans regardless. We can confirm what your jurisdiction expects.
Can you stamp the plans that came with my barn kit?
Often, yes. We review the kit plans against the snow, wind and soil conditions at your site. If the design works, we provide the calculations and seal. If posts, trusses or footings fall short, we revise those parts so the set meets your local loads. Kit suppliers often design for a typical load that may be lower than what your county requires, so this check is worth doing before materials are ordered.
How deep do pole barn posts need to be buried?
There is no single answer. Embedment depends on the wall height, post spacing, wind load, soil strength and frost depth. Shallow posts in soft soil can lean over time. We calculate the required depth and footing for your building rather than relying on a rule of thumb.
I bought a metal building. Can you design the foundation?
Yes. Send the manufacturer’s reaction letter or anchor bolt plan, the building drawings and any soils report. We design the footings, slab, anchor bolts and any hairpins or tie rods, and seal the foundation plan for your permit.
Can I build a barndominium with living space?
Yes, as long as the design meets the residential code requirements for the living area, including structure, energy compliance, egress and fire separation from any shop space. We design the structure and coordinate the architectural plans so the whole building is permitted as a dwelling.
What do you need to start my pole barn plans?
The address, building size, eave height, roof pitch, door sizes and locations, intended use, and any kit or supplier drawings. Photos of the site help. We send a fixed-fee quote, usually the same day, and most residential barn plans are delivered within a few business days.
Get your free pole barns & metal buildings proposal
Tell us where the project is and what you need. Attach any drawings, photos or plan-check comments. A licensed engineer reviews every request.
- Upload your filesPlans, sketches, photos or comments
- Get a fixed-fee proposalUsually the same day
- Receive stamped drawingsSealed by a PE licensed in your state