Shops
Open work shops with large overhead doors, a concrete floor and room for benches, lifts or equipment. They can be built cold for storage or set up for insulation and heat.
Pole barns · Shops · Garages · Farm buildings
Pole Barn & Shop Builder in Missoula, MT
Handy's Construction builds pole barns, shops, garages and accessory buildings across Missoula and western Montana. One owner-run crew clears and grades the site, prepares the pad, pours the slab and puts up the building, with a free written estimate after a site visit.
Last updated: September 2026
Handy's Construction is a licensed and insured Montana general contractor based in Missoula, owner-operated by Tyler Handy and serving Missoula, Ravalli, Mineral and Lake Counties.
What does a pole building from Handy’s Construction include?
Short answer
A Handy's Construction pole building covers the site visit, clearing and grading, the gravel pad, posts set below frost, trusses and framing, roofing, siding, doors, and the concrete slab when you want one. Excavation, concrete and building are all done by the same owner-run crew, so one contractor answers for the whole building.
Most people looking for pole barn builders in Missoula want one of a few things: a shop to work in, a garage big enough for a truck and a camper, a barn for hay and animals, or covered storage for equipment. A pole building is often the most direct way to get a lot of open, covered space on a rural or edge-of-town lot, because the roof is carried on posts and trusses instead of bearing walls.
What decides whether that building lasts is mostly what happens before the first post goes in. The pad has to drain, the posts have to sit below frost, the trusses have to carry the snow load for your elevation, and big overhead doors have to face the right way for winter wind and drifting snow. Handy's Construction does its own excavation and site prep and its own concrete slabs, so none of that is left to a second or third company.
Handy's builds on larger lots around Missoula such as Orchard Homes, Target Range and the Mullan Road area, and on ranch and acreage property from the Bitterroot to the Mission Valley. Whether you need a custom garage in Orchard Homes or a farm building on open ground, the job starts the same way: Tyler walks the site and writes it up.
- Shops
- Garages
- Pole barns
- Hay & equipment storage
- RV & boat storage
- Accessory buildings
What we build
Which pole buildings and shops does Handy’s Construction build?
Handy's Construction builds pole and post-frame buildings for homes, farms and businesses. The layout, door sizes and slab are planned around how you will actually use the space.
Garages
Detached garages sized for trucks, trailers, campers and boats, on in-town and rural lots, with the slab and apron poured by the same crew.
Covered equipment and RV storage
Tall, wide bays to keep tractors, trailers, campers and boats out of the snow, with door heights planned around the biggest thing you own.
Barns and farm buildings
Pole barns for hay, livestock and equipment on ranch and acreage property, with open sides, lean-tos or fully enclosed bays.
Commercial storage
Larger post-frame and steel-framed buildings for equipment, inventory and business use, built on a prepared pad or slab.
Accessory buildings
Sheds, covered storage, animal shelters and small outbuildings that need the same solid footing as a big shop, just at a smaller size.
Built for Montana weather
How does Handy’s Construction build a pole barn for Montana snow and frost?
Handy's Construction designs every pole building around four western Montana conditions: snow on the roof, frost in the ground, wind across open land and water around the pad. Getting these right is what keeps a shop straight, dry and square for decades.
- Snow load
Design snow loads climb with elevation and change from valley floor to foothills. Trusses, purlins and posts are sized to the engineered load for your site, not a catalog default.
- Posts below frost
Posts and footings go below the frost depth your building department requires so freeze-thaw cycles cannot jack the building out of line.
- Wind and drifting
Big open buildings catch wind. Bracing, door placement and orientation are planned so doors are usable in winter and snow does not drift against them.
- Drainage around the pad
Spring runoff and meltwater off a large roof need somewhere to go. The pad is raised and graded so water moves away from the walls and the slab.
The process
How does Handy’s Construction build a pole building, step by step?
Handy's Construction runs every pole building through the same five steps, with one crew from the first site visit to the final walkthrough.
Site visit and plan
Tyler walks the lot with you, checks access, slope, drainage and where the doors need to face, and writes up the building and the site work.
Pad and site prep
The building site is cleared, graded and built up with compacted gravel so water drains away from the future walls.
Posts, slab and frame
Posts are set below frost, then the trusses, purlins and wall girts go up. The slab is poured before or after framing depending on the design.
Roof, walls and doors
Roofing and siding go on, overhead and walk doors are framed and hung, and openings are trimmed and sealed.
Finish and walkthrough
Any liner, insulation or interior work is completed, the site is cleaned up and graded, and you walk the building with Tyler.
What sets the price of a pole building or shop in western Montana?
Handy's Construction prices a pole building from the site up: footprint and wall height, the snow load for your elevation, the number and size of doors, whether you want a concrete floor, insulation or a liner, how much clearing and grading the site needs, and how far materials have to travel. A written estimate after a site visit is the reliable number.
Weighing your options first? Read pole barn vs. stick-frame shop in Montana, and see preparing a rural lot for building for the dirt work that comes first.
Recent work
What do Handy’s pole buildings and shops look like?
FAQ
What do people ask about pole barns and shops in Missoula?
Planning a shop? Call (406) 491-6141 and talk it through with Tyler.
Does Handy's Construction build pole barns near Missoula?
Yes. Handy's Construction builds pole barns, shops, garages and farm buildings in Missoula and the surrounding valleys, including the site prep, the gravel pad or concrete slab, and the building itself. Owner Tyler Handy walks the site first and gives you a free written estimate.
Should I build a pole barn or a stick-frame shop?
A pole building puts posts in the ground and carries the roof on widely spaced trusses, which suits big, open shops, barns and equipment storage. A stick-frame shop sits on a full foundation and is easier to finish like a house. Our article on pole barn vs. stick-frame shops compares them.
Can you pour the slab for my shop or garage?
Yes. Handy's Construction prepares the pad and pours shop, garage and barn slabs with the same crew that builds the building, so the floor, the posts and the doors line up. See concrete & foundations.
How is a pole building built for Montana snow?
The trusses, purlins and posts are sized to the design snow load for the site, which rises with elevation, and the posts are set below frost so the ground cannot lift them. Handy's Construction confirms the loads and frost requirements for your lot before ordering materials.
Do I need a permit for a pole barn or shop?
Often, yes. Whether a permit is required depends on the building's size, use and location, and on whether the lot is inside city limits or in the county. Handy's Construction checks with the right office for your property before the build starts.
Can a pole building be insulated and heated?
Yes. A pole shop can be built cold for storage or set up for insulation, interior liner, and heat for a year-round workshop. Deciding that up front changes the framing details, so it is part of the first conversation with Tyler.
More from Handy’s
Other Services You May Need
Concrete & Foundations
Footings, foundation walls, slabs and flatwork poured below frost.
- Dig, form, pour, backfill
- Shop and garage slabs
- Patios and flatwork
Excavation & Site Prep
Clearing, grading, basement digs, trenching and driveways for build sites.
- Land clearing and grading
- Basement and footing digs
- Utility trenching
General Contracting
One owner-run crew managing the whole job, from dirt work to finish.
- Site work through finish
- Residential and commercial
- One point of contact
Free estimates
Ready to price a shop or pole barn?
Tell Handy's Construction what you are building and where. Tyler looks at the site, the access and the ground, then gives you a written estimate with no pressure and no obligation.
or call (406) 491-6141