Need a Garage/Workshop

[maverickx50]

Time to start planning my new workshop. Sue to our obnoxious zoning regulations I'm limited to 1,500 sq. feet and 17 ft. high from floor to highest point on roof. Even tho I live on a 4 acre lot located within a 175 acre farm.

Anyway I'll be pouring a cement floor. it will be heated and AC. I've looked at most options from stick built, to post frame, and I've decided that the best bang in terms of cost and usable square footage would be a steel building like rocket steel or general steel or?.

I'll be doing most of the work myself with help from friends if I can find one. My question is do any of you have suggestions as to which builder/manufacturer of these bolt together buildings I should consider or avoid? Every one of them seems to have very happy and very angry past customers. It's difficult to sift thru the BS to get a real usable opinion.

Thanks for your help!!!

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[rb99]

Don't those steel walls make it difficult to hang and fasten things?

[maverickx50]

Yes: I'll have to add insulation batting and cover with OSB. may opt to have spray on insulation added instead. Might be best solution with the steel roof. Still will need wood over the walls tho. Even peg board might due in some areas. My main concern tho is finding a reputable manufacturer. There are dozens of horror stories of money spent product not delivered or just bad quality not backed up by the supplier/manufacturer.

[MogulTx]

I would recommend that you use a framed metal building that is not hampered by the sloping walls of the Quonset Hut type of building. In those buildings, it is hard to use all the space close to the walls, due to the slopes above. You can't put racking as close to the wall, because the uprights bump into the roofing, etc. I would also recommend good insulation be installed during install. I didn't do that on the original portion of my building- and now I wish I had. Make sure you have PLENTY of electricity. You won't need a heavy amount of it 24-7- but when you need it, you need it. Plan on a significant amount of lighting so you can see to do the tasks you will want to do. I installed the translucent filter panels in my roof, and on a sunny day, you don't need lights. The panels were about $125 each, but well worth it for the long term natural lighting. The only draw back is that UV does get through, so you may get some sun fading that is not intended... Put 110-115V drops everywhere you can. You won't know until later just how valuable they become.

[Robert Rickard]

I built a 30' x 50' from www.sentinelbuildings.com. First class all the way. They supplied plans for the building permit, J bolts for the slab. 50% on order, balance to the truck driver on delivery. Highly recommend.

[MogulTx]

BTW: Mine was a 24 x 30 building. Build out every square foot you are allowed! You will want more almost before you are done!!! Mine was a bolt together structure and was pretty easy to put up. We had a barn raising for the steel frame and got it all up in a day. Then I spent about a week putting up sheet goods and doors, etc. It has a 16' wide "high wind load" roll up door, and the four translucent panels for the roof, plus a heavy duty steel walk door, and all hardware and trim, etc. Cost me about $7800 down here for materials ( 9 years ago?). I prepped and framed and poured the slab ( I would hire it out next time. Concrete guys work too well and too cheap...) My total in the whole thing, with power, wire, lights (flourescents, which do well in the winter down here, but might be problematic in WI winters, so you might select something else).. total build was about $15K for a 24 x 30 x 10' eave height. (Get the tall eave height so you can use the space right to the walls!) I spent about the same adding on a 15 x 30 area to the side of it. That was built out by a pro. In retrospect, I probably should have paid a pro to build out the first one, but I didn't have the $ for it at the time.

See if there is a "Mueller Metal Building" store near you. They sell kits. Also "Metal Mart". Metal barns are pretty inexpensive. I would not balk at a bolt up nor a weld up system. Your concern, IMO, would be the snow load and wind load rating. Get the good product. Don't go cheap. You won't be sorry.

[bleeth]

I'll let others comment on what specific buildings are worthwhile.
I will say if you can do your shop planning well enough for your major equipment so at least some Dust collection and electrical is in the slab you will appreciate it later.
Also North South alignment and flow through doors are both a big deal over the long haul.

[maverickx50]

I'll let others comment on what specific buildings are worthwhile.
I will say if you can do your shop planning well enough for your major equipment so at least some Dust collection and electrical is in the slab you will appreciate it later.
Also North South alignment and flow through doors are both a big deal over the long haul.

Like your "under the Floor" Idea. If a guy could afford it building an over the concrete floating floor maybe 6" above on runners with pull-up floor panels. You could then adjust and change dust collection and in floor electrical as the shop evolved and equipment needs change. Now you have me thinking way beyond my pocket book LOL Thanks for you all with your thoughts. Greatly appreciated. Were on the edge of ordering almost $33,000 in work shop equipment, tools and machines including over 10K for a new Shopbot desktop. We got a 19K grant for woodworking equipment but had to add another 12K of our own to qualify. So it really is time to figure out where to put it all I'm just guessing.

[MogulTx]

I like his idea too. Pretty good stuff, Dave.

I wound up framing my walls under my purlins w 2 x 4's and then covering with plywood, so I could mount things to it ( so I didn't lose the last 9" of interior space. My purlins were set at about 8' high, so they did not obstruct except high up. I framed in underneath and insulated so that it would be cooler. I need to finish that out. (It is partially done, not 100%). The insulation makes a difference. I have left the area above the purlin blank and use the purlin as a storage ledge. And in saying this, I realize I have a 12' eave, not a 10' as earlier reported. But, if I were building it again, I would have gone with blown in insulation and would have skipped the framing and all... and would have installed a facing structure to mount my dust collector and my control box and all that to as a separate consideration. Dave's idea for flow through ventilation is a VERY good idea. Had I framed for that, and bought a second roll up door, I could drop temperatures inside rather well in the summer months....

[scottp55]

Worked steel buildings for almost 5 yrs from foundations to roofing and callbacks. Can't recommend a company as that was in the 80's, but all bolt togethers.
CAN say that virtually all callbacks were for rib roof, and standing seam roofs were pretty much leak proof and snow slid off easier and no ice dams.
Rib roof screws have a neoprene type washer as a seal for the hole you just stuck in your roof, and the guys don't always notice if washer isn't on/peeled off when driving/or didn't compress enough. UV and ice damage do a lot in a few yrs too. You ain't seen nothing until you're called back to fix a roof under 3' of snow and the way to find the bad screws is to look at ceiling for sections of insul that look like water balloons and looking for the drips on the floor during January thaw.
In the North, I'd consider using radiant heat in the slab. Used Wirsbo here(3,700 linear ft in 2,500 square feet, but that's residential)https://www.uponorpro.com/Extranet/L...-C623E4F645B5}
and LOVE how uniform the heat is. At the least I would use blue foam on INTERIOR of frost walls to provide a thermal break, but under slab is good also to speed heating response. They make staples to shoot into the foam to hold tubing down and then put your wire down on top. A Little slower response time, but tubing is safer when you cut your expansion joints in slab.
Another thing you might like to look at is "Sun Tubes". Can't find the identical ones to mine(3 12" and a 21" in garage), but these look close.
https://www.uponorpro.com/Extranet/L...-C623E4F645B5}
On sunny days, about like a 75w bulb for the 12", and a lot of benefit even on overcast days.
Put near peak because of snow and if you can, extend them as much as your single event snowstorm average. I WOULD put icejacks about 12-16" downslope of them to prevent side pressure from snow above them(Don't ask how I know
DO cut yourself some additional acrylic circles to go above bottom diffuser and silicone completely ALL bottom/side joints so humidity from shop can't get into tube.
Mine are 20yrs old and except for checking seals every other yr on roof and the above mentioned snow pressure that very first year----NO problems and love not Having to throw a light switch unless it's needed.
Vertical walls to the trusses I think best.
Make sure enough soffit width/overhang to help from snow denting your sheets where it will pile up.
Maybe consider solar heater collection on South side like Brian H. did?
Sorry no more relevant response to suppliers.
scott