The truth about Arched Steel Buildings...

[MotorSeven]

Since this topic just came up on another forum, I guess it is time to update my thread. We have been living in the 500 sq ft living quarters for over 2 and half years. The sprayed on foam insulation has been fantastic. We have a small window unit that usually only gets run in the evenings for a couple of hrs in the heat of the summer. A 1500 watt cube heater is plenty for the winter. I put a old wood stove in the uninsulated shop so I can work comfortably in the winter.
The biggest drawback was the 30x36 shop.....WAY TOO SMALL WHEN FILLED WITH "STUFF". If you are going to build any shop, go bigger, bigger, bigger!
I have zero regrets and would build another in a heartbeat. Once I got ours all dialed in on the apt side, my wife looked at it and said, " Why didn't we just build a bigger one and make it our permanet home? (Hand smacking on forehead).........grrrrrrrrrr! I had no idea she would actually like a "Man Cave"

Anyway, yes we have started on the log home:http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/p...ct-begins.html

I have helped build a 50x80 hay storage quonset nearby. The owner had no clue, poured a crappy trough, bent the first arch like a pretzel. I went over there, loaned him my tractor boom & came up with a way to mod the trough so we could anchor the arches. I also took the bent arch apart and pounded it back into shape. Once we got it up and a few more the rest went up in a week. If you are going to build one, please do some homework and you can keep the blood pressure under 250

RD

[westcliffe01]

Motor7: I guess you might not have heard of the fire hazard posed by poly insulation when not protected by a fireproof layer ?

This: http://www.foamrun.com/wp-content/up...e_and_foam.pdf is a very good and honest assessment of the risks involved and you will see quite a few destroyed buildings in there.

The least that is required for an application like yours is a layer of chicken wire followed by sprayed on plaster (what some casll the gunnite process). The geometry of your building makes it very tedious to do it another way.

Be safe
Keith

[MotorSeven]

Keith, yes I am aware of it. I am not going to cover it, just be carefull with any open flame. The interior walls are painted OSB, so not so fire proof either. My log house will be made out of 6x6 cedar...so I guess I will just "live on the edge"

RD

[westcliffe01]

If you read the article, they say that with a large surface the foam ignites so fast and burns so hot that you would be extremely lucky to even get out of the building in time. It is not like a wood fire at all, closer to ignition of a liquid fuel with the heat intensified by the insulation properties of the foam. The danger is much higher than with a wood (or paper) structure.

[MotorSeven]

The fires cited were started with either a welder or torch. The shop side of my building is un-insulated where the welder and torch live. The apt side does not have a source of that kind of flame, but thanks for the info.

RD