The truth about Arched Steel Buildings...

[rebuilder]

Neanderthals?? I thought that was Michelangelo...

I'd be interested to see the floor plan for your 14 x 30 apartment. I just have a 'thing' about small living spaces, not that I want to stay in one for very long...

[EddieWalker]

I've never seen one built before, so your pictures really helped me understand the process. I'm not a fan of them myself, but the concept is sound and I can't fault the design.

If you were to do it again, would you?

Thanks for posting the pics, it really does make a huge diference.

Eddie

[scott_vt]

Mornin Rick,
Very interesting and informative ! You sound like you jumped out of the kettle into the fryin pan on this project Just a little scott_vt anology between workin and retirement !

It appears that preservance paid off, that is some labor intensive stuff for sure ! Thanks for posting all the pics, and Im also curious as Eddie posted, would you do it all over again ?

Thanks !

[rox]

I am totally facinated with your project. Please do kep posting oyur progress. How tall is it? Will you ever be able to hang anything from the walls? Like in a straight up and down metal building or stick built, you can hang shelves etc. how does tht work in an arched building?

[MotorSeven]

Rox,
It's 15'6" to the top rib, so about 14'6" interior height. One of the probs for me with a stick built steel building was the low ceiling...generally 10' or less. My doors will be 12' high, so i can park almost anything inside including a motorhome. The salesman pitched me that the walls were straight up till 6', but that is not the case...the first panel is about 4', then the first arched panel has quite a bend, so the wall actually goes out a few inches for a foot or so before it begins to curve back in....anyway, it is closer to 5' against the walls until the curve comes into the build. Hanging shelves would be a challenge, however the bolts do protrude in over 1/2 inch, so i plan on attaching the elec emt by strapping and adding a second bolt. This is also how the end walls will get attached...galv strapping that will catch 2 arches.

Scott & Eddie,
Well...yes, i would do it again, but, if i had not used the industrial base plate and tried to go "cheap" by pouring a 6" trough that the arches set into, i think it would have been a nightmare. On the same note, if the slab was not right, i would still be cursing! All in all, for 22 gauge, the thing is strong...my 6'4" 225lbs has been up on top crawling around fixin the odd wayard bolt gasket, and it does take the weight. We found out just how much tension is on the panels....for my building there are 7 sections to an arch. They have to be lapped corectly when built on the ground so that the water won't run inside...yep, you guessed it, i built one wrong and discovered it after another arch was up and bolted. It took us 3 hrs to remove one panel and change the lap, then re-bolt. It took a lot of force to get the panel back down to line up the holes. Makes me understand why an egg can take so much pressure. And, Eddie i know that you don't like the look of 'em, but i think they are neat, and standing inside gives one a feeling of open space.....even if it is all not useable.

Rebuild,
I have the sketches i drew, but no scanner....sorry. From the end of the build, picture a french door centered, 2x3 windows on either side, a 4x3 window a couple of feet above the doors. Inside the sleeping loft is 10'x14 and runs in the center above the doors, kitchen to the left, bathroom off the kitchen in the rear left corner, living area to the right, entry door to the workshop off the living area. Hope that helps...., cozy, but heck we are living in the 20' 1973 Airstream Argosy right now...cozy-er!

RD

[5030]

That is an interesting and neat looking building. 2 years ago, I bought a ClearSpan Storage Master arch building which is 30'9" wide x 80' long x 15' 6" high for equipment storage and round bale storage. My wife and I did all the erecting of the arches and end framing and it took us almost 2 years part time before I could get a crew of 8 strong guys (stronger with beer to drink) to pull the top cover over and secure it down and lace the ends in. Then it took my wife and I another 2 months to put the end panels in and then a couple of guys (beer again) to help with the roll up end door. I have my clearspan's arch feet anchored on 2X10X12 foot PT planks tied end to end with 1/8"x10"x10" steel plates. Each arch on both sides is anchored with a Clearspan screw anchor in hi-tensile concrete below the frost line. I had the site backfilled and laser levelled prior to the erectioin with the final grade 3 feet above the surronding ground and retained with a fabricated retaining wall to allow for drainage off the structure.

You are right about how big it is inside. The clearspan is white inside making it seem even bigger and I guess every manufacturer makes it seem easy. Clearspan touts the fact that a crew of 4 can erect my building in a weekend, right. A crew of 8 maybe. Working 24/7 for a week. I used my tractor with a 4x6 strapped to the QD forks to lift the arches which we completed on the ground. Our M9000 had plenty of loader (rated an 3 tons lift) but not enough height. I went up and down ladders so much my feet got sore and it's a lot of grunt work but would I do it again? Probably not. I know a few shortcuts now but next time and there will be another, even bigger one going up this year, I'll sit back and watch a paid crew do it and smile. All-in-all, it was an extremely good buy, even taking into account all the work my wife and I did. I paid $1500.00 for the site prep, another $1000.00 for the retaining wall and drainage and $5200.00 for the building complete and delivered. I'd better include another $1000.00 for the anchors and concrete for a total of $8700.00 and no real estate tax increase because it's an agricultrial building. Besides, snow slides right off and it's completely weather tight.

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[billbill1]

I built this in 2000, 40 X 60.

[Timber]

That was great, Good luck and enjoy you new world LOL

[weldingisfun]

I would build another one.
They are not all that difficult to build and the end result is a solid, tight and open barn, storage or work area.
Bought ours from Steelmaster, out of Canada. It is 30' x 50' with end walls and doors. It is a drive-thru with sliding doors, 14' wide by 12.5' high. The building kit cost $8,100 add the $1,200 for the slab and about $800 to pay the highschool kids who helped and we have a building that will be around longer than us.
Here are a couple of pictures to show how we did ours. Looks just like MotorSeven's pictures, just different people.

[have_blue]

Motor7,

I built a smaller building for a tractor shed by US Buildings. I have never been sorry. It took me, the wife, and teenage son nearly 2 weeks of short days to finish it. My building is not the "S", or rounded roof, but the "A" style, with a more pointed roof. It's 12'6" at the top, and it got scary on an 8' ladder and a home-made scaffold in the high wind. I used the "C" channel and heavy-duty 1/2" expanding anchors. I had leaks around the base until I discovered the cause and formulated a remedy.

I like the strength of that building. It went through Hurricane Rita (pretty rough here) and Hurricane Lili (direct hit!) with zero damage. I also like the open interior space, and the appearance inside. It's almost cathedral-like with the high, unsupported roof. Outside, it looks like a big squeeze box accordion. Oh well, you can't have everything. But overall, I am very happy with it.

Be glad you built a big one to start with. You can never have too much storage!