Pole buildings / metal garages

[Triplegreen500]

So, I'm considering having a workshop built. I have a garage-mahal...but it would take some major re-engineering to get enough headroom for a lift, which is what I REALLY want/need. I figure if I have to break up a slab, make it thicker, re-engineer roofing and trusses...I may as well put a pole building on a nice big flat spot I have back in the woods, built specifically for the lift, with headroom, parking room, storage space for parts....and being in the woods out back, it would be invisible from the rest of the property, so it won't look "busy".

Anyone done this? Have any recommendations for suppliers, components, specs, anything like that? I've done plenty of renovations in my day, and plenty of "building stuff"...but never a metal building so I don't know if a building is a building is a building, or if there are brands that are head-and-shoulders above the rest...

I'm sure I'll eventually insulate. Might do a heated slab. I can handle electric and loft/storage building myself. Thinking doors that roll into a drum, instead of along the ceiling - at least, for the bay at the lift. Anyone built a garage like this before, and down the road got hit with "man, I really wish I'd...."?

 

[jaws]

I have a Cleary building for my shop 40x60 with 10 foot ceilings. Have a lift in the back of it, I opened it up above the lift for clearance.

 

[OKDart]

Regrets:

Don't get skylights. After 6 years, a hail storm finally finished mine off and I put R panel in their place. But before that, crows would peck holes in them, they would drip condensation, and they get dirty and yellow quickly.

Electric: My shop is 300-350 ft from my house, but there's a pole within 100ft. I opted to have the power company put a second meter on the shop. They did it for free, but I'm paying a commercial rate along with twice the taxes and fees ($25-30 a month even if not used). They don't tell you what the commercial rate is and I can't find it on their website. But my math from the bills I get shows I pay 3 times as much.

Birds: They are relentless, make sure they can't build nests or get in the shop from gaps. I'm still at war with them 6 years later. I have put scrap 2x4 pieces in areas to block them, and they will spend days pecking away at it until they can squeeze through.

Gutters: I have industrial size gutters and they fill up with leaves quickly even though it's 16' high. The way they're installed makes it hard to clean. I think I would leave them off and have pea gravel at the base to absorb the splash from water falling off the roof.

 

[BIGSHCLUNK]

Agreed on the light panels, I have roof and on the top of my walls below the roof line. Great for light, but they do yellow, they do get brittle, and the do get leaky over time. And heat exits them quickly in the winter. I have slowly been configuring clear panels to help keep the light AND the heat at the same time. I have 2 bays, a 10 hi door on one and a 14 hi on the other. Moving things that are big is no issue. My floor is fiber reinforced. I do have one lift. My walls are 16 foot and I built a mezzanine/pallet rack set up for storage and a second floor. MY only wish was I'd done better with insulation. Even with a 280,000 BTU waste oil furnace things can get cold in the winter. Ceiling fans are a good idea too. I run 200 amp single phase

 

[QOTHL]

We put up a pre engineered steel free span building. No windows, no skylights, don't want anyone looking in there. 40x60, 17ft roof at the peak. I can put a lift in if I need one. Manual roll up doors so no overhead clutter. LED V tubes provide plenty of light.

 

[493 Mike]

I have been building pole barns (4) since 1984. PM me with any questions.
Mike

 

[bandit67]

I have built three different shops, all metal buildings. My currant, and last, shop has a slab of 75 feet wide and 140 feet long. Actual enclosed part is 50 x 100. Building shops are much like building a house, by your third one, you KNOW what you want. I have tons of advice for a shop for a car guys.
Here is something I learned of late if you are trying to decide on a metal building or a pole barn type building. My bud could not get a permit for a metal building on his property but could a pole barn. I could not understand that as when finished they look just alike. Aaahhhh, the tax man. Metal buildings are considered permanent structures by most counties , but pole barns, because of the wood content, are considered 'temporary '. And some counties tax you differently based on that alone. Usually po dunk counties don t care, but some do.

 

[Outlawd]

I built my own shop many years ago with 12ft ceilings for two 4-post car lifts, wood framed with tin outside. Tin outside is nice and maintenance free but keep in mind the metal blocks wireless wifi and some cell phone signal. My advice to anyone who enjoys turning wrenches is if you can afford a tall building and a lift do it sooner than later....your body will thank you for it!!

 

[Jesse6869]

I just send in my application yesterday for a Cleary building that i purchased in March since then has gone up 50.000 and that’s a pole barn .It is 42x96 that’s little over 4000 sq. I’m also having a separate meter that is being put in for free with the upgrade of my house meter. I to was told about a commercial meter and that was going to cost more money. Meters are getting installed hopefully this week been having problems with getting pedestal brackets. With that make sure u got all the parts before they start, been without power month now. But it’s my retirement home in Navada so it’s ok (not really).

 

[Triplegreen500]

Power will be easy. The guy who built my house and existing garage, was a custom home builder and he built this one for himself and his family (and his business). House has the meter and a 200A panel. Lower garage has a 100A panel off the same meter, mainly empty (1 door opener circuit, 3 light circuits, 1 outlet circuit). Upper garage also has a 100A panel that's mainly empty at the moment (1 door opener, 3 lighting circuits, 4 outlet circuits, one 220v welder circuit). I plan to chain off that one to the new shop - shortest pull and plenty of amperage available.

Good tips on the skylights. LED's are so cheap now, and I value privacy for my stuff, so...I was planning on either solid walls or high-mount glass windows anyway, with LOTS of LEDs.

I'll be building on a high spot back under the trees, so gutters will likely not be a part of things. If I DO put gutters on, they'll be open-end (no downspouts) so stuff can just flow right out. I may even forego snowbirds because they'll collect sticks and leaves as well...but we'll see.

I live in rural/ag zoning, so I don't think any of this will be a zoning issue. Hell, I may not even need to permit it...that's part of the research I have to dig into yet. I will, once I get close enough to a decision about it. Right now it's all blue-sky "man, I should do this sometime..."...but I'm starting to put more concrete pieces together.

I also plan to do my own pex for a heated slab, with a warm coolant circulator. THAT will be some all-new, all-exciting research, I'm sure! I've done wood heat in garages; I've done pellet...it's time to get away from consumables. For summer, definitely a ridge vent and an attic exhaust fan.

Might even tie in plumbing...just because I want an excuse to put in a urinal

 

[bandit67]

My shop has a separate meter and was setup by the power company as commercial. When I called them and began asking why my shop in my back yard is used 100% for my pleasure and nothing at all commercial , or business, they changed it to residential rates. When you say shop, they think commercial .
You will want to build as much outside roof as possible in front of the shop. Put in a walk in door right beside your rollup door. If you do not put a roof over those doors you will never keep the rain out, plus , you will be shocked of how much you will do OUTSIDE the interior of your shop. I put my lift outside under my roof. My new one also has a lift inside. Do not put in any skylites inside your building you want to heat or cool, but do use them out under your roof in the front. They will drip from condensation and will need to be changed about every twenty years.
I can't stand the windows made for metal buildings and had house windows put in instead and I love it. The older you get , the more you want natural light, trust me. If you can angle your building to face the east, and catch the morning sun, much more happy. Remember, the more overhang you can build in around your open area , the more of the area you can use. It keeps the rain and snow from being driven in on your stuff. I have a swing, chairs and my grills out front and the whole family uses it.
You will want more than a urinal, trust me on that too. I put in a small kitchen area and we use it for fish fries and cookouts.
I did not put gutters on my first shop, and soon grew to regret it. Put them all around on my next two.......

 

[Triplegreen500]

Mine will face east...but no morning sun, too many trees and a ridgeline in the way. Which is fine. That's also the leeward side weather-wise, so the rain/snow will be pelting the back side of the building, not the entry side. Will definitely have a walk door. My climate won't let me make use of an outdoor lift for 50% of the year, it'll be inside. I'll have a pad out front...but no lift.

 

[haywire 440]

This is going to be a bricked exterior. It’s 30’x44’, sprayed open cell insulation that encapsulates the complete underside of the roof and walls, with the left side bay heated/cooled by a mini-split and an insulated wall between. 12’ foot doors, 14’ walls and the 2-post car lift is scheduled for December delivery. There is 3 awning windows on the back wall. Has anyone considered brick?

 

[PRND21]

When we built our shop 20 years ago we went with Morton Buildings, mainly because the Morton we had built in 1972 is still in great shape. That being said, there are so many manufacturers, styles, options, it’s can be mind boggling. My suggestion would be to look around your area and ask about buildings that meet your ideas for what you want, maybe talk to a couple of contractors. Living in a rural area I’d think there would be ag construction suppliers. Locally here are a couple of brothers that do custom pole building construction, some really nice barns. And they know what works in our area. One suggestion that I always make is to pour a good size pad in front of the main door to do the messy jobs that you don’t want to do in your shop. Good luck.

 

[gdrill]

I put up a self framer. I also erect pre-enginered buildings with the Bro-in-law involved here, but the pricing is extremely associated to them as well! This building package was around $22,000 CAD at the time excluding lock up and interior finishing. Sorry about the pics, after FABO did an upgrade they went to attachments, but they are there. I love my shop. It was very cost effective and fast. Now having said that, it is only 2x4 walls and I could have gone 6. It stays plenty hot, but I could have been more efficient with the extra insulation. I went 32' X 54'. 32' is deep enough for a full truck to be in with ample room on both ends, and the 54' I took 14' from for office / bench area and mezzanine. This basically left me with a 32' x 40' shop. I bought retractable air hoses as I hate rolling them up and did all the electrical in exposed conduit. You can not have enough light either, plan for adding on if you can't afford it right now. I can have three projects sideways in 32' and one in the doorway bay. I can even have one into the workbench area totaling 5 in the shop at a time. That's too many (maybe!) but the excess room is nice. Here is a link to a thread about it. I know I could have easily used more space, but I'm very happy with the layout. However as said above, "It will be too small!" no matter what you build.

https://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/threads/my-hiding-place.180423/

 

[QOTHL]

Briefly, my concern with pole structures is open space. I really like free span. I know people who have done this and thought about another bldg with this process: two containers with a prefab steel roof spanning across. If steel comes down, I'd like to build my own steel floor.

 

[Jesse6869]

Not to highjack someone’s thread but since I’m hoping to break ground soon all these ideas are great I will start a thread once I do break ground to get some interior ideas. Great info jesse

 

[Ron H]

Great discussion as I've been going back & forth on building a garage for a few years. Was quoted $68k for a stick building 1,100 sq ft and $12k for the slab. Looking at metal structures now...

 

[Triplegreen500]

Hijack away, we can make this a universal thread for any/all of us who are building/updating our caves!

 

[Triplegreen500]

Great discussion as I've been going back & forth on building a garage for a few years. Was quoted $68k for a stick building 1,100 sq ft and $12k for the slab. Looking at metal structures now...

I've seen ads for a lot of metal buildings starting in the $10k range *(base building, add rollups, add color/wainscot, etc). All decent size, I'm looking 1k+ sf, tall enough for a lift and a loft where the lift isn't. We'll see what happens with the pricing here these days...fortunately I have good credit so I should be able to finance.