Minnesota Barn Builders logo
New red steel-sided pole barn with a tall white overhead door and a fresh gravel apron in farm country

Licensed builder · Free quotes

Pole Barn Builders in Minnesota

Pole sheds for equipment, hay, boats and campers, built from the dirt work up. Get a free quote.

Cannon Falls, the Twin Cities, southern Minnesota and every town within 100 miles

Get a Free Pole Barn Quote

Free quotes. Fill out the form or call, and we'll get right back to you.

  • Free quotes
  • Licensed builder
  • Our own crew
  • 300-mile service area

Fill out the form below to get your free quote 👇

Rather talk? Call us now: (952) 243-8028

Pole Barns

Pole Barns, built by our own crew

Most people start looking for pole barn builders when the tractor, the boat and the hay have outgrown the old shed. A pole shed is the most direct way to get all of it under one roof, but in Minnesota the details decide whether it lasts. Posts set above the frost line heave and rack the frame. A steel roof without condensation control drips on everything under it all winter. A pad that does not drain turns to mud on clay ground every spring. A good pole barn here starts below the frost line and ends with doors that still open in January.

Minnesota Barn Builders is Olson Built and Excavating, a licensed builder based in Cannon Falls. We build pole barns in every town within 100 miles, from the Twin Cities metro, Red Wing and Rochester to Mankato, Winona, western Wisconsin and northern Iowa. Excavating is in our name, so the job starts with our own machines: we clear and grade the site, compact the building pad, cut in the gravel drive and trench power to the building. Then we set the posts below the frost line, set the trusses, hang the steel roof and walls, and finish with doors, insulation, liner and concrete.

Inside a pole barn lined with wood panels, a concrete floor and an overhead door
Our crew's work

What's included

What goes into our pole barns

  • 01

    Pole sheds for storage

    Enclosed pole sheds for tractors, trucks, campers, boats, lawn equipment and hay, sized around the biggest thing you need to drive inside.

  • 02

    Lean-tos and open bays

    Lean-tos off one or both sidewalls and open-front bays for firewood, hay or covered parking, roofed and trimmed to match the main building.

  • 03

    Site prep and gravel drives

    We clear and grade the site, compact the pad, build the gravel apron and drive, and trench utilities with our own excavating equipment.

  • 04

    Posts below the frost line

    Treated posts set on concrete footings below the frost line, so frost heave cannot lift one corner and rack the frame.

  • 05

    Steel roof, siding and doors

    Steel roof and wall panels in the colors you pick, with matching or contrasting trim. Overhead, sliding and walk doors are laid out around where snow slides off the roof.

  • 06

    Insulation, liner and concrete

    Insulation and condensation control under the roof, white steel or wood liner on the walls and ceiling, and a concrete floor poured over a compacted base.

Ideas for your project

Pole Barns: what they can look like

  • Red and white shop building with a tall roll-up door on a gravel drive
  • Gray steel pole barn garage with two overhead doors beside a brick farmhouse
  • Post frame barn going up: wood columns, girts and roof trusses on a gravel pad

How it works

How a pole barn job works

  1. 1

    Free quote and site visit

    Tell us what the pole barn needs to hold and where it should go. We walk the site, check access, drainage and soil, and give you a free quote.

  2. 2

    Layout and permits

    We size the bays, eave height and door openings around what you store, then draw the building and pull the county, township or city permit.

  3. 3

    Dirt work and posts

    Our own equipment clears, grades and compacts the pad so water runs away from the building. Then we set the posts below the frost line, plumb and square.

  4. 4

    Frame, steel and finish

    We set the trusses, often by crane, sheet the roof and walls in steel and hang the doors. Insulation, liner and concrete go in next if you chose them, and we finish the grading around the building.

Questions

Pole Barns FAQs

How much does a pole barn cost?

It depends mostly on size, eave height and how finished the inside is. Big overhead doors, insulation, liner and a concrete floor each change the number, and an open-sided hay shed and a lined, insulated hobby barn are very different jobs. Site work counts too: a dry, level spot takes less preparation than a wet clay field that needs fill and drainage. We look at your site and your plans and quote it for free.

How do you build a pole barn for Minnesota winters?

Three things: deep posts, a roof built for snow and condensation control. Posts go below the frost line on concrete footings so frost heave cannot lift them, and the trusses are engineered for the snow load where the building sits. Under the steel roof we add a vapor barrier or condensation-control panels, so frost that forms on cold nights does not melt and drip on what you store.

Do I need a permit for a pole barn?

In most places, yes. The county, township or city sets the rules on setbacks, building size and height, many require a permit for any accessory building, and lots near lakes and rivers also fall under shoreland rules. Farm buildings on agricultural land are often handled differently. We check the rules for your parcel before we draw the building, then pull the permit.

What is the difference between a pole barn and a post frame building?

A pole barn is post frame construction in its classic form: treated wood posts in the ground, a steel roof and siding, and a gravel or concrete floor, built for storage, hobby and farm use. Post frame is the engineered method behind it, and it also covers homes, heated shops and commercial buildings, with posts in the ground or on brackets on a frost-protected foundation. If the building is mainly for keeping things dry and secure, a pole barn is usually the right fit.

What size pole barn should I build?

Start with the biggest thing you will store and work out from there. Your tallest piece of equipment sets the door and eave height, and you want room to walk around everything with the doors closed. Sizes like 30x40 and 40x60 are common starting points, not limits, and the real cap is usually your lot, the setbacks and the permit. A pole shed tends to fill up fast, so we size it for what is coming, not just what you own today.

Ready to start your pole barn project?

Free quotes. Call or fill out the form.