[williamgwoodward]

I am new to the forum and wanted to start off by asking a basic question on building types: What are the pros and cons for you folks that have one and are there some companies that you recomend and trust for quality, price and set up ease? Thanks, Woody

 

[Lola Ranch]

I am new to the forum and wanted to start off by asking a basic question on building types: What are the pros and cons for you folks that have one and are there some companies that you recomend and trust for quality, price and set up ease? Thanks, Woody

Welcome, we've had an abundance of new members signing on from Washington State! I'm near Wenatchee.

The choices of building types were not listed in your question. I will just assume that you are choosing between: Pole building, Metal building, or conventional wood frame.

I would guess that most new shops being built by forum members around the country are the pole type buildings. These are basically treated posts set into the ground with concrete which support a truss and purlin roof frame. Then the posts are laced with flat 2 x 6s horizontally then the whole roof and walls are covered with painted metal roofing panels.. I would also guess that this is the most popular type of building being used because it is the most affordable.

I would consider myself an expert in residential construction and light industrial retail type buildings with some limited expertise in pole building construction. I built my shop/barn/storage multi purpose building in 2009. It is a hybrid meaning that the barn portion is built as a pole building and the shop portion is built on a concrete foundation with conventional wood framing above. I chose this method because in my opinion conventional framed structure offer the best finished product on the interior and is more energy efficient and air tight.

I don't know any contractors in you area but I do know a very good pole building contractor here where I live. You might call him and he could give you a recommendation. If you want that info send me a personal message and I'll get it to you.

Bret

 

[Pirate]

I'm also interested in building info, as I'm planning on a new shop.
I'm also considering a block building.

 

[mmwood_1]

Hi Woody,
2 years ago, I bought a place that had a pole building shop as Bret has described. It has a slab floor, metal siding and roof, and a sliding door. It's about 740 sq. ft, with 10' side walls and a 13' peak on a gable roof. It was not insulated, though. The 6" x 6" posts are 9' on center, so I basically had to frame in those spaces with 2" x 4"s in order to insulate. I put in R21 fiberglass and sheetrocked. I mounted 1 1/2" rigid foam insulation to the back of the sliding door. I have a small woodstove in there and it keeps things warm enough in the winter, though we seldom get temps below 20 degrees here. In summer, it stays about 10 degrees cooler than the outside temp. All in all, I am happy with the structure. The framing I put in allows a lot of wall storage for me, and since the shop is not huge, much of my storage is up the walls.

So I don't know what the cost comparison is between stick framing and pole building, but for my needs, I needed to frame regardless in order to insulate and sheetrock. It's something to consider. Also, if you put a garage door in, the slider is okay, but there are sizable gaps along the top and bottom. I believe a snugger fit would be had with an overhead door. If it got a lot colder here, I'd have to do something about that because that door is the weak point in my shop's heating/insulation.

 

[Tommie Hockett]

welcome to the forum and I will solve the whole problem for you....you need a big one a really really big one the bigger the better and then you need to fill it with tools mine is about the size of two city lots....it's my backyard lol :thumbsup::laughing:

 

[Steve Neul]

A lot more info is needed to answer that question. If you are in town most cities dictate what type of building you can build depending on where it is. They don't want an industrial metal building put in a residential zone. You would get more shop for the buck with a metal building though. In the area were I live you can purchase a kit for about $10,000 for a 5000 sq. ft. building which comes with everything except the slab to put it on. The drawback is you would need a lot of help or heavy equipment to put up the steel beams to frame it. Another option would be a pole barn which would from the outside look like the steel building but would be erected with wood framing. You could also build a building with wood framing and put siding and a shingled roof like it was a house. There are just unlimited scenarios. It would just depend on what you want and what your local government will allow.

 

[GeorgeC]

I think that from the way the question is worded the original poster is looking for a pre-fabricated building.

He needs to provide more information.

George

 

[bandman]

New shop build

Welcome. Around 6 years ago I started building my dream house and shop. I decided to build the shop first so I could build all the cabinets and make all the baseboard/casing trim for the house. I went to my local buildings material supplier that I had been using for the last 35 years and gave him my plans and materials list. I was very surprised by the cost of the materials. After shopping around I found I could have it built by a national company for just around $1,000 more and it would be done in 2-1/2 days....it was a no brainer on my part. I had Cleary Buildings build me a 65 x 30 building w/full garage door and one passage door for under $14,000!! I have been using it ever since. It is basically a pole barn type structure and I love it.

I am, of course, in no way associated with Cleary Buildings, I just wanted to tell you my experience. I am sure there are other companies who could do the same. Please, if you decide to build your own you must treat it as a house and get all the proper permits/etc. Besides marrying my fantastic wife in 1972 and raising my kids, it is the best thing I've ever done. I would make sure you run plenty of electricity, water w/restroom and full heat if you can.

Best wishes,

Bandman