About Us | The Crew and the Standards Behind Every Building We Put Up
Topeka Expert Pole Barn Builders builds post-frame barns, shops, garages, barndominiums, arenas and commercial buildings across Topeka and six northeast Kansas counties. We're a family-owned, licensed and insured builder with more than 25 years in the metal building trade, and we walk the site, write the estimate, pull the permit, set the posts and hang the steel ourselves.
This page explains how we run a job, the standards we design to, and which work our crew does and which goes to licensed trades. It also covers the experience, licensing and insurance behind every building we put up.
- 25+ years in the trade
- Licensed & insured
- Family-owned
- Free on-site estimates
- Hablamos español
How We Run a Post-Frame Job
We start every job with a conversation and a site visit. We ask what the building is for, what has to fit through the doors, and whether the land is a town lot, an acreage or working farmland, because that decides which office issues the permit and which rules apply. We walk the parcel, look at slope, drainage and access for the truss truck, and check the flood map before we suggest where the building should sit.
Then we write a free, itemized estimate. Footings, posts, trusses, steel, doors, slab, insulation, trim and every add-on get their own line. Once you sign, we file the permit, zoning certificate or agricultural exemption, order engineered truss drawings from the supplier, and order materials only after the approvals are in hand. We call Kansas One Call before we auger, set the posts, frame, sheet and trim, and finish with a walk-through of the building with you.
The Design Standards and Loads We Build To
Kansas has no statewide building code for private homes or farm buildings, so we build to whatever your city or county adopted and to the post-frame standards engineers use. Where the local code is silent or the parcel is ag-exempt, we still design to the same loads, because the wind and frost do not change at the county line.
Every building we put up gets engineered truss drawings from the truss supplier. We bring in a Kansas-licensed engineer for commercial buildings, large clear spans and anything the building official asks to see sealed. Steel gauge is not standardized between manufacturers, so our estimates give the base-metal thickness from the supplier as well as the gauge.
- Design wind speed of 114 mph in Topeka and unincorporated Shawnee County, and 115 mph in Lawrence and unincorporated Douglas County.
- Exposure C as our default on open ground, with Exposure B only where houses or trees cover more than 1,500 feet upwind in every direction.
- 20 psf ground snow and a 20 psf roof live load, with drift checked at lean-tos and roof steps.
- Footings at least 36 in. below final grade across our whole service area unless the engineer specifies deeper.
- Embedded posts treated to AWPA UC4B or better, and splashboard to UC4A or better.
- Post and pier foundations to ASABE EP486.3, and steel diaphragms to ASABE EP484.3, with stitch screws to the fastener schedule.
- Laminated columns of glued and fastened 2x6 or 2x8 plies on the bigger spans.
We tell people the frost line in Lawrence and Douglas County is 30 in., and then we go to 36 in. anyway. The extra depth costs little and the clay does not read the county line.
What Our Crew Does and What Licensed Trades Do
Our crew does the building work. We stake the corners, auger the holes, check the soil, pour the footings, set and brace the posts, raise the trusses, run the purlins and girts, hang the steel, trim the doors and windows, and install insulation and liner panel when the job calls for it. One crew stays with your building, so the people who framed it are the people who trim it.
Electrical, plumbing and HVAC work goes to licensed tradespeople, and they pull their own permits where the jurisdiction requires it. Douglas County requires plumbers, electricians and HVAC installers to hold a Kansas license, and even an ag-exempt building there still needs electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits and inspections. We frame the walls and blocking for the rough-ins, coordinate the schedule so the rough-in inspection happens before insulation goes up, and keep the trades on the same plan we built from.
| Work | Who does it |
|---|---|
| Site visit, layout, estimate and permit filing | Us |
| Call to Kansas One Call (811) before digging | Us, at least 2 full working days ahead |
| Auger holes, footings, posts, framing, steel, trim | Our crew |
| Truss design | Truss supplier's engineer |
| Sealed drawings for commercial work and large clear spans | Kansas-licensed engineer we bring in |
| Wiring, panels and service | Licensed electrician |
| Plumbing, drains and gas lines | Licensed plumber |
| Heating, cooling and mini-split installation | Licensed HVAC contractor |
How We Keep You Informed
We call you back within one business day of your first message, and after the site visit you can call us on the same number with any question about your building. We put the scope in writing, so changes are written down too: if you want a second overhead door or a taller wall after signing, we price the change and wait for your approval before ordering anything.
During the build we tell you before each stage that needs you, such as staking the building, the footing inspection and the final walk-through. If a permit review, a truss delivery or the weather moves the schedule, we tell you as soon as we know and give you the new date.
What We Talk People Out Of
Part of our job is saying no, or saying the cheaper option is fine. These are the conversations we have most often, and we would rather have them at the estimate than after the building is up.
- Starting a shop on bare land in unincorporated Shawnee County before the house is permitted, because the county will not permit the accessory building first.
- Calling a hobby shop or garage a farm building to skip the permit. Dwellings and garages are never agricultural buildings under Shawnee County's rules.
- Insulating a steel building without a vapor control plan, which leaves the underside of the roof sweating every cold morning.
- Paying for 26-gauge steel on a hay shed where 29-gauge does the job, or for spray foam in a building that will never be heated.
- Buying a kit drawn to another region's loads or Wichita-area rules and expecting it to pass around Topeka.
- Tying a slab to embedded posts that are not frost-protected, when the slab should be isolated from the posts.
If you are planning an insulated shop, our guide to stopping condensation in steel buildings explains the vapor control we plan before the steel goes on.
Our Experience, Licensing and Insurance
We've been in the metal building trade for more than 25 years as a family-owned business, on both residential and commercial work. In that time we have put up everything from small garages to buildings of 80,000 square feet, along with re-sheeting, repairs and additions to buildings that were already standing. A whole crew works every project, and we plan the schedule so the job finishes when we said it would.
We're licensed and insured. Before you sign, ask us for a current certificate of insurance and the contractor license your permit will be pulled under. In Topeka the city only issues a building permit to a contractor holding a City of Topeka license, and in Lawrence only a Lawrence-licensed contractor can obtain one, so those offices check it too. We are glad to show you the paperwork at the site visit or send it by email to anyone who contacts us.
Our office is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm and Saturday from 8am to noon. Hablamos español, so you can go through the whole project with us in Spanish if that suits you better.
Questions About How We Work
Does your own crew wire and plumb the buildings you put up around Topeka?
No. Our crew does the footings, framing, steel, trim, insulation and liner panel, and licensed electricians, plumbers and HVAC contractors do their trades. They pull their own permits where the jurisdiction requires it. We frame the blocking and chases for their rough-ins, schedule them so the rough-in inspection comes before insulation, and keep them working from the same plan as our crew.
Can I see your contractor license and certificate of insurance before I sign?
Yes, and we encourage it. We're licensed and insured, and we will show you both at the site visit or send them by email. Ask for the license we will pull your permit under and a current certificate of insurance. We would ask the same of any builder you compare us with.
How long have you been building metal buildings, and how big have they been?
We've been in the metal building trade for more than 25 years as a family-owned business. Our work covers residential and commercial buildings, from small detached garages up to buildings of 80,000 square feet, plus re-sheeting, repairs and additions to metal buildings already standing. Around Topeka most of what we build is post-frame: pole barns, shops, garages, barndominiums, horse barns and commercial clear spans. Ask at the site visit and we will talk you through jobs close to yours in size.
Do you subcontract the framing on your post-frame buildings?
No. Our own crew augers the holes, pours the footings, sets the posts, raises the trusses and hangs the steel. We bring in outside licensed trades for electrical, plumbing and HVAC, an engineer where sealed drawings are needed, and the truss supplier's engineer for truss design. Keeping the structural work in our crew means one group answers for how the building goes together.
Will you build a post-frame building from plans another company drew?
Often, yes. We review the drawings against your city or county's adopted loads first: 114 mph wind and 20 psf snow in Topeka, footing depth, exposure category and the truss drawings. If the plans were drawn to another region's numbers, we tell you what needs changing before we price it. We will not put up a building we believe is under-designed for the site.
What happens if I want to change the building after signing your estimate?
We price the change in writing and wait for your approval before ordering anything. Some changes are easy, such as a different trim color before steel is ordered. Others, like a taller wall or a wider door, can mean new truss drawings or a revised permit, and we explain the effect on cost and schedule before you decide. Nothing changes on your building without your sign-off.
Who do I call with questions while my building is under construction?
You call us on our main line at 785-503-3791, the same number you used to request the estimate, and we answer questions about your job directly. We tell you before each stage that needs you, such as staking the corners, the footing inspection and the final walk-through. If weather, a delivery or a permit review moves the schedule, we call you with the new date instead of waiting for you to ask.
Will you tell me if a cheaper option works fine for my barn?
Yes. We regularly tell people that 29-gauge steel is enough for a hay shed, that an unheated equipment building does not need spray foam, or that a simpler door will do the job. We also tell you when something should not be cut, such as footing depth or the truss design. Our estimate lists every option separately, so you can see exactly what each choice adds.
Talk to the People Who Will Build It
Call us or send a few details about your project, and we will set up a site visit and a free written estimate.