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shops, pole buildings etc

jekbrown

jekbrown

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ok, my wife and I are looking for a house. Some of these cheaper places have good sized lots, but a small house with no carport or garage. Plan would be to add a shop/garage very soon after we move in. Questions:

1) steel framed or wood framed? Steel prices have gone up a lot the last few years, would this make all steel buildings spendy as hell or what? What are the advantages of either one? I'll be kinda poor after buying a house... my guess is a wood framed one would be cheaper for me (especially since a boatload of lumber is produced in the NW!) but I dunno.

2) door type / quantity. I was thinking one tall roll up door and one shorter (ie a stock truck/car could drive in there). Any votes for a slider? Rollup seems way cooler... but what do I know, I ain't ever had a shop!

3) concrete slab thickness? I'm not going to have a car lift in there... how thick do I need? I've heard of people using everything from 4" up to 10". :confused:

4) security? other than a fenced in property and a good sized slightly-hungry dog, what can be done to keep stuff inside the shop safe? I am looking at cheaper houses... might be in a less than savory part of town... :(

5) what should I be looking for features-wise when shopping for a building?

6) insulation / heating? I'd like to build a cool waste oil heater some day... I'd prolly just use that, or insulate the shop and install a woodstove. I can get an almost unlimited supply of wood from work for free. :)

I was thinking something sorta like this... but with just 2 doors. This would allow one side to be devoted to tools, work space etc even if a couple of rigs were sitting inside beyond the doors.

carlson.gif


That one is 40x48x14'... little bigger than I would probably go with... same concept though. I would probably add a lean-to next to the shop for trailer storage too. Don't really want it inside the shop taking up space... and don't want it sitting in the elements all the time either.

Anyone who built a shop and have some insight (or hindsight!) for me?

j
 
I am no professinal on building buildings but a few suggestions.
1. Think ahead and decide EXACTLY what you are going to be doing in your building and build what you need. I started out thinking I could get buy with what I built and now it just became a storage area and I do all of my mechanics at my inlaws shop.

2. I would think the bulk of your cost will come in the slab. At $300 for 4 yard it gets into the $1000s quick. That would determine what I would be able to build if I had to. My uncle recently spent $40,000 on his slab alone but he is planning on a car lift and he often works on oil rig trailers so he had to go thick. I would say 4" minumum on thickness especially if you plan on working on some big trucks.

3. Another uncle built his shop from wood and he is pleased with it. On the other hand my grandfather in law built his with metal (this is my favorite place to work and I have recently aquired the Key!!! He Has EVERYTHING I NEED)and his is strong enough he put a 10,000 electric hoist that is movable the entire length of his shop. He used Big I beams with rollers. You could also use the metal and weld on any accessories you might want. Hose racks, hangers, ect.

4. On doors, the wood building has a roll up door and I do not like it. The other has a 16 ft slid out on wheel and its pretty good. I have 2 6 ft doors hung on piano hinges and it works pretty good as well.

I had a few other personal thoughts but I gotta run. Like I said I am no building man but I work in quite a few well built building by my family members and these were some of our thoughts.
Good Luck!
 
yeah, big concrete slabs are no joke when it comes to cost. Kinda sucks, I don't really see any way around that... or even a way to lower the cost other than getting lots of quotes. :(

As far as shop size, I'll get what I can afford. Bigger is always better... but I have done just fine with a small shop for quite some time now. A 30x40' one would be a HUGE upgrade and if I owned it then I could add cool storage solutions. The one I have now is on rental property... so I pretty much don't sink any $ into it (to build work benches, storage etc). So long as there was a place to put the tow rig / trailer outside, 30x40 would be plenty. I only have one truck and the only project in the future is a yota-based tube buggy (tiny). I doubt I'll finish that project in the next decade, so its all good. :thumb:

j
 
jekbrown said:
ok, my wife and I are looking for a house. Some of these cheaper places have good sized lots, but a small house with no carport or garage. Plan would be to add a shop/garage very soon after we move in. Questions:

1) steel framed or wood framed? Steel prices have gone up a lot the last few years, would this make all steel buildings spendy as hell or what? What are the advantages of either one? I'll be kinda poor after buying a house... my guess is a wood framed one would be cheaper for me (especially since a boatload of lumber is produced in the NW!) but I dunno.
Here is just giong to be a personal preferrence ( and money). Steel structures are way more expensive but will outlive you. Pole buildings are a lot cheaper to build yourself or have built and believe it or not, will actually hold up for a very long time. We've had ours up for little over 30 yrs and its still going strong.

2) door type / quantity. I was thinking one tall roll up door and one shorter (ie a stock truck/car could drive in there). Any votes for a slider? Rollup seems way cooler... but what do I know, I ain't ever had a shop!
Do some shopping around with the brand of roll up doors companies use. Some are really good, some are average. The benefit I like with a roll up door versus a slider is if you only want to crack a door for ventilation, is you only have the door open at the bottom, not the full vertical length of the door (especially at the top where all your heat is going to be - or be going out the building).

3) concrete slab thickness? I'm not going to have a car lift in there... how thick do I need? I've heard of people using everything from 4" up to 10". :confused:
A standard slab is 4". Just TRY lol and think ahead and figure out what type of STUFF will be on this floor. 4" - 6" would be suffient unless your going with some heavy machinery list a full lift hoist. Just remember, a typical house garage only has a 4" slab.

4) security? other than a fenced in property and a good sized slightly-hungry dog, what can be done to keep stuff inside the shop safe? I am looking at cheaper houses... might be in a less than savory part of town... :(
About the only thing you can do is lock it up like you would your house, unless you want to spend the extra money and have alarm system installed.

5) what should I be looking for features-wise when shopping for a building?
Again, this is a personal preferrence. Cause you are going to be the one working in it. Start by looking around at what other people have for shops, what they did, and add/subtract them to the ideas you have in mind. Just remember, few months down the road there is always going to be the "I should of done this".

6) insulation / heating? I'd like to build a cool waste oil heater some day... I'd prolly just use that, or insulate the shop and install a woodstove. I can get an almost unlimited supply of wood from work for free. :)
They do make 6' wide rolls of insulation with a high R value for shops for the roof and walls. Stuff is great.

I was thinking something sorta like this... but with just 2 doors. This would allow one side to be devoted to tools, work space etc even if a couple of rigs were sitting inside beyond the doors.
Plan ahead in your design. If your going to go with 1 big and 1 small, that is great and a typical setup. But try and design it to where a third door is possible to be put in years down the road if you ever feel the need.


j
Click to expand...

If you ever have any other questions, just yell. I used to build pole buildings for a living for close to 10 years and could get you in touch with the company that I worked for. They are located right here in Canby.
 
since you're an expert Muddy, just how much of this stuff, would you say, is possible to DIY? To save $$$, would it be possible, for example, to just have some pros put up the frame and maybe the roof and then do the rest myself? :thinking: I'm not a carpenter or anything, but I'm relatively handy and my dad can always help me (he completely finished the basement of the house I grew up in, plumbing, electrical, drywall, insulation blah blah blah).

I'm not too worried about longevity... my guess is, I will probably only be able to physically work on my junk for another 25-30 years... and I probably won't even be in the same house that whole time. Due to price, I'll almost certainly go with a wood frame.

Also, I was reading a thread on pirate where a guy put up a pole building... he had the entire building erected and then he had the slab done afterwards. Is that the norm for wood framed buildings? Seemed ass backwards, lol!

btw, what company did you work for? :thinking:
j
 
If your talking pole building, then the whole thing is actually easy to do yourself as far as framing, siding and roof. The hardest part is setting the poles to get them plumb and in the right spot. Get a good group of people and you could have it knocked out in two weekends.
 
The one thing I would suggest tho is to get some pre-fabbed rafters. They are a pita to build yourself.
 
hmmm... I dunno. With my luck, I'd **** up setting the poles. I think I'd prolly have a pro do those at the very least and then take it from there. A real pole building company could prolly do just the poles for the frame in a day or 2 right? There are places that just sell complete kits, truck shows up, drops off all the parts and says "good luck" and you are on your own. Those kits are definitely the cheaper way to go... but I don't want a ****ed up out-of-plumb shop either. lol!

j
 
The company I worked for built to suit. Drop off have a nice day, partial builds and full builds. The crew I was on (just a 2 man crew - me and my boss) could whip out a 36 x 48 with 12' eaves start to finish in 2 1/2 days.
 
dizam! :shocked: of course you knew what you were doing, it'd prolly take me a lot longer. Still... DIY definitely sounds like an option. How long would just setting the poles take?

j
 
Setting the poles actually only takes about an hour or so (depending on size of building of course). But then you also have to take into consideration if its going to be packed in fill dirt or poles concreted in place. There is where you'll have to check with your local building place for codes. I know here in oregon, NO permit is needed for a pole building cause its NOT considered a permanent structure. But with a concrete slab that might be different.
 
yeah, not sure what local laws are on these types of buildings... :thinking: more research is gonna have to be done..

I didn't know anyone did pole buildings just using packed in fill dirt. I suppose if the slab was going to extend beyond the edges of the building anyway, theres no reason why the poles couldn't initially just be set in dirt though. Not like the slab isn't going to hold them in place!

j
 
I know some of the companies will get you the required permits for you. More things to put on your plate for thinking
 
Setting the poles and getting them square and even always gives me the trouble after that I don't have any probs. The wife and I are putting together building plans for our home that I am going to build in 8 to 10 years and unless I figure it out, I will have someone else come set the pier and beam frame and then I will take over. Wood I think would be fine and alot cheaper. I am a wood guy myself. Just started welding the last year or two, still do not like it as well as lumber.
 
i think if I was loaded I'd go with a steel frame building... but I ain't. ;)

keep the thoughts comin' guys... I appeciate the help,

j
 
Jason, don't hesitate to pm me with any specific issues. Also, when your ready to build (if you decide to build it yourself) gimme a yell, I'll come help :thumb:
 
you da bomb mang. If I did do the DIY thing, I'd definitely appreciate some expert help. I've never built anything like this and would prefer not to screw it up. :thumb:

I'll be in touch! :thumb:

j
 
Hey Jeff-

I've been thinking about doing a pole barn too - but my neighborhood isn't really "pole barn friendly" - can you side a pole barn with like T-111 or other siding types easily?
 
Yup, the little shop at my dads (30 x 36) is a pole building with T111 siding, and a regular composition roof.
 
"little 30x36 shop" You know - how do you think that makes me feel working out of a 24x24 garage? :doah: :D

SO - your Dad's "little" shop - can you tell it's a pole barn from the outside at all then?

Any pics?
 
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