roadside metal barn/carport "kit" versus real bilt pole barn

[jclaudii]

From pros and home owner views to just general life experience what are your views on "are they worth it" type questions. Our little farm needs a structure to raise some animals in and my wife keeps seeing those "0 down same as cash" type sheds/buildings on the side of the road that seem to be everywhere. I always wanted to build my own or hire it built but I have no idea what the cost discrepancy is between the two building types for us to compare. In comparison, lets assume there is no concrete slab, just post in ground or simple bag concrete piers that these structures will sit on. I am not sure a size but lets just say about the size for 2 or 3 vehicles wide so 20 to 28 feet wide and at least 20 to 30 feet long. While comparing, lets just say I build it myself and most of those carport/barn kits have the delivery and/or assembly already built into the final cost.

My observations from my computer chair:

1. I can get good deals on materials if I can shop around. Examples are clearance sales on seconds or cancelled orders or projects. I could basically get 26 gauge for the price of 29 in some cases IF they have enough to fulfill my project
2. to be competitive in price it would more than likely have to be built out of lumber (Which is not horrible as I live in Arkansas and there are about 5 lumber mills within 30 minutes of me). The other option is to be creative and look at scrap metal yards and the like for pipe or pallet shelving
3. If I build it my self time is the big factor, can my wife wait on me to make it or is impatience and necessity needed more.
4. My rough guess is, just guessing here, is building a wood with metal roof and sides or getting a "barn" delivered would be very comparable in price but is one "better" than the other structure wise?

I appreciate your time today in this discussion. I just don't have a good idea on if a particular product I am looking at is worth it or not. It's like going to a used car dealer and liking the car you want, but no idea if that car is worth what they are asking for it.

 

[Jstpssng]

Anytime somebody advertises "0%" there is a cost involved someplace; there's no such thing as a free ride. What I see with shed sales up here are "rent to own" deals where they jack up the prices just as a "buy here pay here" auto dealer does.

 

[thepumpguysc]

Max steel buildings dot com. has a good interactive site.
I got a 24x32 from a diff. co.
It was put up in 1 day on my already poured concrete pad.
I had the inside bracing upgraded to "hurricane steel" which bumped the cost up about 2k.. I paid 8k total.

 

[s219]

Around here carports are advertising based on price, usually something like $695 for a starting price. See them all over the place, so clearly they are a successful product. They seem sturdy and appear to last a long time.

I think if I needed a permanent shelter to go up quick and I didn't care about specs, looks, custom size, or custom features, I would buy one of these carports even if it cost a little more than I could do myself. For anything else, I'd build it myself with lumber. Pole barns are very inexpensive if you can pare it down to the basics and take advantage of the concept. They also go up pretty quick and smaller sizes can be built by one man working alone.

I normally dig the post holes, pour a footer or drop in a pre-cast cookie, then put the poles in the holes loose. Start working around the poles attaching the wall girts (purlins) temporarily with nails partially pounded in, or clamps. Work your way around and square things up, get the posts lined up and level, make diagonal measurements to square the footprint, then finally backfill your post holes. In other words, use those girt boards as braces and jigs to help you poke and prod the posts into position, and don't bother with strings, lasers, etc. Getting the posts and walls up is really the biggest part, but the pole barn concept and technique makes it pretty easy to do since you're using the girts as jigs in a sense. Once the posts and walls are up, the rest is easy and can go at whatever pace you want. Sometimes I pick at it a little bit over a period of a couple weeks.

I know some folks will meticulously position and level each post, then backfill it, one at a time. They'll have strings running all over the place to keep everything in position. So they start with all the posts set in place and only then begin to nail up the girts. That works fine (and may be required for really tall posts) but it's a very slow process that doesn't take advantage of the framing concept at all.

 

[EddieWalker]

If this is something that you want to use for a long period of time, then you can build it better then they can.

If you have the time and ability, you can build it better then they can.

If you want bigger or a different shape/height then they offer, you can do that better then they can.


Having said that, there are some sheds/carports out there that are a good deal for what you get. They have figured out to the penny what they can save money on in materials and still make money selling them. I've had clients what have asked me to build a shed of similar dimensions and I can get the materials for less then the cost of the building, but when I figure out my time to do the work, the cost doubles for them, so I always recommend buying the already built shed if that's the exact size that they want. To make it worthwhile to hire somebody like me to build it, they have to want it to last longer, or be a different size then what's available.

If I wanted a shed, I would build it myself.

 

[kenmac]

guy up the road is having a 30x40 put up for 7k. the installers are using old reclaimed chicken house 2x6 trusses and metal.
the metal is in very good shape to be reclaimed

 

[Sono]

Prefabricated Steel & Metal Buildings Canada & USA | Future Buildings

 

[ustmd]

Not sure, if this will help or not.

For a tractor cover 10 years ago, I bought a metal carport--I think it was ~$1100 assembled. Two guys came and put it up in 3 hours--it does not have sides. It was a good deal.

For my 16 x 24 woodworking shop, I built it myself. I looked at the pre-built buildings (my shop is the size of a large garage) and for the money (I think most of them wanted ~$8K), I could do a better job myself. I also wanted the experience and satisfaction of doing it myself. I enjoyed the process and the end product.

Sometimes it is about money and sometimes it is not about money.

 

[Ken45101]

If you are building it yourself, having it done by a crew is a LOT faster. I am in the process of putting a 12x48 loft in an old barn. Rough work for me, holding a tape measure across a 12' span, holding 2x10x12' rafters in place and nailing them by myself, etc. It might be easier for a younger person, I'm 72.

I've had a couple of pole barns put up (40x48 and 64x60) and we had one of those 20x24(?) carports put up as a woodshed. The carport went up in 2-3 hours and cost $795 at the time. That was 10-12 years ago and it has been very good, erected on a windy hilltop.

OTOH, I'm thinking about putting up a small, open shelter (12x30?) for equipment and doing it myself.

 

[Alien]

Hoping to do something similar to this in the near future. Concrete cost is the killer but you have to have it. I want a vehicle lift in the center section.