Steel buildings for a shop/garage

[nutter3]

Does anyone have any experience with those pre-made steel buildings? I was thinking of us buildings or something similiar.

I am moving soon and am planning on getting a large shop/garage. I dont think i would be able to survive another Alaska winter without a nice big garage And thankfully, I will soon have the necessary space available to have a big shop. I'm thinking 40x60'.



Any comments on quality, shipping, customer service, assembly, etc would be appreciated.

 

[RyanB]

I personally have never owned one. BUT I know quite a few people that do have them and they like them. They do go up really fast and you can do some nice stuff to them that you can't really do with a wood stick framed structure. One nice thing about them is you can clad the outside with steel and then either spray or insulate and then easily clad the inside with steel also making it pretty fire proff (very good if your into welding or grinding).



One other little hint of advice esspecially if your from Alaska (Im from Canada) is before you put down your concrete pad insulate under neath it and then put floor heating in. There are systems now that are just amazing! My one friend has a simmilar sized shop and he has a single 60 gallon gas/propane water heater that boils the water and a pump to pump it around. He has 4 grids in the shop and usually keeps them set at the same temp. There are many advantages with floor heating. #1 is the cost to opperate is about 1/4 that of forced air. It is more expensive to install but worth every penny after the first winter and you see how well it works.

#2 that is nice for where there is snow and its being used as a garage is if you drive a slushy car into shop it melts really fast and the water evaporates even faster!!!!



Its great... look into it if you havn't already.



Good luck... Ryan

 

[rubberneck]

My dad has a 60x 40 with 16ft ceilings and 14ft doors and my brother a 30x50, with 14ft ceilings/12ft doors. i am planning a 60 x 100 with 16 or 18ft ceilings. They both were made by a local company here called Borga. I will probably end up using the same company as that is what the contractor preferrs. Butler is probably the most well known (at least around here) some others are Star and CBC. In my experience, I think as with many things, it is more important who you have put it up than who manufactured the building. One thing i would highly recomend is skylights. They really help to light things up. During the day we dont even run lights in the shop. I dont know anything about the radiant heating as nobody around here seems to do it. It doesn't get that cold, but i am thinking about checking into it as it would make those times when you're flat on your back under the truck that more bearable. One thing for sure is you can never have too much space, so go as big as you can afford. These things sure seem to fill up fast if you know what i mean

 

[nutter3]

Thanks for the replies. I've thought about the radient heat. I know a guy with it in Fairbanks and he really likes it. For now there is already a 1300sf concrete pad on the property. I think I will be leaving the rest of the floor dirt or gravel, then probably pouring a pad in the future.

 

[KWentling]

I put up my own 30'x50'x14' building. It's a US Building brand. I also put PEX tubing in the floor and heat with water. The only thing I would have done differently would have been to eliminate the skylights. The light is nice but they make for unisulated roof surface and I would guess I spend more $ in lost heat than it would cost to have the lights on in the daytime. That's probably not much of an issue in Cal. but here in Wyo and in Ak that's something to think about. I went with steel because of the fire issue when welding,etc. I have put up this one steel building and a couple of pole barns. The steel went up a little faster but you will need a boomtruck or some means of lifting the arches and purlins. A pole barn is probably cheaper now with the price of steel and gives you more options for insulation and finishing the interior walls.

I was pleased with the quality of my building. Mine was shipped from SLC and came on an 18 wheeler. I have a neighbor with a forklift and he unloaded the truck for me. Truckers don't make money sitting so they want you to unload them pronto so you need to be prepared. I came up a little short on screws and was short one roll of insulation. They were very good in taking care of those issues. Read the assembly manual. Then read it again. Then, if you're like me, better read it again! I believe every place a had a problem could have been avoided had I spent a little more time referring to the book. Lots of places there were holes enough for 4 bolts, but the book only calls for 2. I was filling holes up and running short of bolt. Really it all went up pretty smoothly. My biggest problem was dealing with the wind when putting insulation and sheeting on.



Kim

 

[Rman]

My biggest problem was dealing with the wind when putting insulation and sheeting on.



Kim

Wind in Wyoming... . naaawwww :-laf



I'm right at the break point for steel and stick building, I've been told the bigger the building it's better to use steel. I just need a smaller building, 20x30x16. I still think I'm going to go with steel, I'd be too tempted to make it match my house it I stick built it. $$$

 

[Matt400]

I may do one of these and have been looking at

cbcsteelbuildings.com



or Star Buildings



Where you are the insulation would be important so check out the R factors available. Star has the insulation available right in the steel panels.

 

[Foil Freak 1211]

I'd like to eventually build a 20 x 40 for my 5er and my boat, but that is a while off. How warm are you guys keeping the building, and what is the average cost to heat? I was thinking of a pellet stove, as I don't care to keep the building real warm. Any thoughts on that??

 

[w-cummins]

I built my 50X100X16 red iron building and got it from www.steelbuilding.com I would have to look, but I think that they ship to AK. Their site is rather unique that you can configure and price a building online w/o any sales slime calling you, or games on getting a quote. You change the specs and it changes the price as you design the building. Over all I'm happy with them and would buy another from them, but I wouldn't try to build another by myself again here are some pictures of my construction

William .....

 

[rubberneck]

I may do one of these and have been looking at

cbcsteelbuildings.com



or Star Buildings



Where you are the insulation would be important so check out the R factors available. Star has the insulation available right in the steel panels.

Matt, that is interesting, have you compared the price from the standard skin to the sandwich style insulated stuff? Looks like it would be sweet, but i imagine very pricey??

 

[rubberneck]

I built my 50X100X16 red iron building and got it from www.steelbuilding.com I would have to look, but I think that they ship to AK. Their site is rather unique that you can configure and price a building online w/o any sales slime calling you, or games on getting a quote. You change the specs and it changes the price as you design the building. Over all I'm happy with them and would buy another from them, but I wouldn't try to build another by myself again here are some pictures of my construction



William .....

Hey thanks for that link, i just priced one out. I know I watched both my dad's and brothers shop go up, and no way i'm going to tackle it on my own. The guys that do it all the time do it fast. It would take me way longer to do than the pros. Id rather work a little OT and pay them while i watch them work from inside the air conditioned/heated house. LOL

 

[Rattler]

I am in the same boat. I had site prep done last year for a 40x60. Now i have started to price out buildings to see who is best, and if i want to do it myself( not really). Steel frame or wood? Randy

 

[BRobertson]

Where are you guys moving to Andre???

Bob

 

[nutter3]

Hey Bob,

We're headed to Homer. We looked around up north too, but liked the looks of this place. Its north of Homer about 20 min. and a pretty quite area. Best of all is I can build a garage, AND have a shooting range off my back porch Oo.



How is the prep for the twins coming along?

 

[nutter3]

w-cummins, that is a great idea. maybe the wife will just want to continue living in the shop?? Yes, i've been looking at steelbuildings and heritage too. I agree about the sales slime. They are already calling about the huge sales they have (ending today of coarse) and bla bla bla.

 

[Matt400]

have you compared the price from the standard skin to the sandwich style insulated stuff?

No, not yet but will be looking into it.

I would like to do a 30x50 and at 4000 ft we have a 80 lb snow load requirement. Winters might be kinda cold without some kind of insulation.

They use to spray on insulation years ago but mostly I see a pad insulation these days which is probably less than the sandwiched panels but who knows.

 

[rubberneck]

Yeah, i dont have to worry about the snow load, but i definitely agree about insulation. Both my dads and brothers are insulated, but it was with the big rolls that are put on before the outer skin. I would say it is about 6" thick, i dont know the R value, but both of their shops stay relatively nice both in summer and winter. Oh well, i have a little time to do some more research, tax man told me to hold off untill my trees start producing before putting the shop up. probably about 3 years. If you are looking for a good contractor, let me know we were very happy with him on the 2 previous buildings, i dont know if he would go up near you to put one up, but it would be worth a call to find out, he is a good guy.

 

[Alphacowboy]

my only recommendation is that you have it issulated with the spray in expanding foam. few reasons, it completely seals it off, no way for a "breeze" to get through. Steel buildins are not really known for being air tight. number 2 reason, rodents! with a steel building, damn mice will live in the walls, as again, they are not known for being very "tight". THe sprayed insulation gives them no "crawl space" as it fills every gap, every hole. Number 3, regular fiberglass bats tend to "sag" and fall down on a steel building, it has alot to do with the first reason I posted. When you get high winds, it will blow around in the walls, and will actually make the bats move. I know this, because we have this problem with my dads shop. If he does move and build a new shop, the next one is getting the sprayed foam.

 

[rubberneck]

Interesting, thanks for the tip, i am going to check into that as my shop will be going in the middle of an orchard and we have mice. I hate friggin cats, but at least they do help keep the mice under controll. It would be my luck thought to have the b*****$ds make a nest in the walls of my new shop :-{}

 

[Matt400]

If you are looking for a good contractor, let me know we were very happy with him on the 2 previous buildings, i dont know if he would go up near you to put one up, but it would be worth a call to find out, he is a good guy.

Cool, PM me his number or just ask him if he goes to Arnold.