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The Best Way to Brace a 14-Foot Pole Barn to Keep It from Swaying

Three methods are typically used to brace a structure: integration of shear walls, rigid connections and cross bracing. In the case of a 14-foot pole barn, cross bracing is the most likely candidate due to the fact that socket joints like pole connections are not rigid and cannot be made rigid without welding. Also, shear walls are expensive to build. Cross bracing uses tension members, which can be extremely thin compared with the main structural members, cutting down on costs and labor.
  1. Shear Walls

    • A shear wall can be erected between the columnar poles of the barn structure. This would require standard lightweight wood construction consisting of studs and plywood to form a monolithic wall. The key to a sturdy shear wall is its foundation, however, which must be accurately dug depending on the frost line of the location of the barn.

    Rigid Connections

    • To make the pole connections rigid, you need to weld them. This is labor intensive and quite expensive when the point of a pole barn is to be economical. Specialized labor such as welding requires high pay because of the specialty equipment. Also, depending on the form of the structure and weather conditions, there may not be an opportunity to weld the barn on-site, which can be problematic.

    Cross Bracing

    • Cross bracing is ideal for this type of structure. Simply use quarter-inch steel cable to cross brace one or two bays of the structure depending on the wind conditions of the site. This cable is available at most hardware stores and is simple to install by yourself with minimal time and effort.