LERN ME: Metal Garage Buildings

travellering said:

In reply to SV reX :

Are your wood posts just sunk in the dirt?  I was expecting to do concrete pad first whenever we build whatever we build, and making the slab to include the anchor piers for the building.

No, mine are set in concrete piers 4' deep.  (Though, there are different ways to build pole buildings, and some are just set in dirt).

I used posts that were treated to a rating of UC-4B which is designed for structural elements fully buried.  Those are NOT the 6x6's you can buy at Home Depot.

dculberson said:

In reply to SV reX :

I like the look of those trusses a lot. 

Me too.

They have a quasi industrial feel coupled with the warmer wood.  I think they are cool.

I am going to recess the front wall of my building so the truss becomes an asthetic element of the facade.  Just because I like them.

Why not just do girts on the flat, you can hang the metal on the outside and the insulation from them inside. I see most out here being insulated done that way. Either that or 2x4 outside and 2x4 inside. You gain insulation but lose interior space. 
 

Door on the eave side on yours?

In reply to Paul_VR6 (Forum Supporter) :

For a SHOP, the standard vinyl covered batts you are describing are fine. But they don't meet the energy code, so they are a bit of a compromise. 
 

For buildings that will be occupied, you have to do more. 
 

For Duster's shop in NC, you're right they are fine. Maybe not in MA.  But they have to be installed when the building is going up, not after 

For those who are interested, here's a very in-depth article about the various ways to insulate a metal building:

Metal building insulation

The diagrams are a quick glance.  The article is not. 

In reply to SV reX :

There are different regulations here for occupied structures, garages, industrial buildings, and sheds. What I am building is technically a garage, but it might even classify as a shed, depending on how big it is. There will not be water going to the structure, just electricity. Not too worried about crazy HVAC stuff, but I do want it insulated so I can work out there in the winter. I'm used to working outside in the cold, so getting it up to 50 would be nice. 

The other thing that plays into what I can and cannot do is the vicintity to wetlands. The town conservation committee will have to give its blessing to whatever we build. The guy directly behind us who also borders the wetlands has a HUGE shop that probably holds at least 10 cars and has a good-sized loft, so I'm guessing I'll be OK in that regard. 

In reply to Tony Sestito :

Wetlands should have less to do with what you build, and more to do with how you build (protecting the area properly from runoff, etc). 
 

I realize the insulation may not be an issue for you. The conversation has gotten a little mixed with Duster's questions too. 

To clarify...

Spray foam is not necessary on a metal building. The industry standard for the last few decades is know as "Sag and Bag"... it's fiberglass batts with vinyl covering on both sides that gets installed while the building is being built. It doesn't meet current energy codes, but it is perfectly fine for a shop.  And it leaves a nice white reflective ceiling which is nice for lighting. 
 

Spray foam is a better insulator, but definitely not necessary. 

SV reX said:

In reply to Paul_VR6 (Forum Supporter) :

For a SHOP, the standard vinyl covered batts you are describing are fine. But they don't meet the energy code, so they are a bit of a compromise. 
 

For buildings that will be occupied, you have to do more. 
 

For Duster's shop in NC, you're right they are fine. Maybe not in MA.  But they have to be installed when the building is going up, not after 

Out here they are using 6-8" fiberglass with paper face so R19 or more. Not sure that is enough in Mass, good point.

In reply to Paul_VR6 (Forum Supporter) :

Paper face isn't ideal with metal because condensation. Plus, it has too many seams. The Sag and Bag metal building insulation is its own vapor barrier, and comes in much wider widths (like 5' or more), so less seams. 

Ok that makes sense, these are usually built with housewrap or taped "bubble" insulation under the steel exterior. I can see how those sealed batts would make things easier but don't see them around here other than on BIG industrial buildings.

In reply to Paul_VR6 (Forum Supporter) :

They should be sold by anyone who sells metal buildings. But accessory buildings are often uninsulated

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/build-projects-and-project-cars/the-3-rs-rx-7s-red-iron-random-other-stuff/181382/page1/

I detailed quite a bit of my metal building project in that thread.  I went red iron over a pole barn or square tube style based on seeing damages from hurricanes/tornados as an insurance adjuster.  The others twist and rack while the red iron would just loose some panels.  Realistically if a CAT4 or CAT5 hits us even if the building is largely fine my house wont be so its somewhat a moot point.  

Red iron has different foundation requirements which added to the cost. Insulation as SVrex mentioned is the vinyl faced fiberglass batt style which is sandwhiched between the purlins/girts and the panels. 

If you have specific questions feel free to PM me.  Pricing is going to be location specific to a certain extent as well as the price of materials.  

Here is my brand new one - putting it to work

Assume the most recent post in this thread was a nuked piece of spam. 

We are finally going with a pole barn garage with metal trusses.  60x40x12 with a 10 foot open sided lean-to down the one side of the 60 foot length.  Should house all the cars we want to get under cover and the lean-to will be an ideal staging area for the restoration supplies for the old house on the property we want to bring back to liveable...

Grading the land this weekend, building to go up in the next couple months, then concrete and plumbing as we can schedule it later..

"Assume the most recent post in this thread was a nuked piece of spam. "

oh no not far from it mr2s2000elise is EXTREMELY LEGIT............

wow 60x 40x12... Jelly. My 30x40 got turned into a 28x30 after paying 6 grand for a wetland site survey that said nope to the original plan.  Seems like everything up here in Pac NW is full of red tape and high expense. The permit "process" took a year and a half, materials costs went up 3200 bucks in that time, and the builder told me if I were to sign papers on this exact same build now, as opposed to then, the cost would be half again as much. Suffice to say I broke the budget on this project, but I'm glad it's done. Alllllmost ready to put the 2post lift up..

In reply to 759NRNG :

When I posted it showed on the front page a post in the thread from that day, and a user name I had never heard before.  By the time I clicked on the thread, it had been deleted and Mr2s2000Elise was the last shown post dated over 3 months earlier.  I would never doubt the veracity of a man with a Quonsett hut...

In reply to Jay_W:

We aren't anywhere near the Pacific NW, and I hope we are sneaking in before either overdevelopment or a backlash against same puts in much more restrictions on what can be built.