Barndominium/Shop or "real" House?

[ETD66SS]

Sounds similar to what's been happening here.

One of my clients hired a guy to build a shop for him before Covid. He put money down to order the metal, and then waited. They actually started construction about a month ago!!!! I think it was a 3 year wait for the metal.

Another client has been trying for over a year to find somebody. I've offered suggestions, but they are not replying to them. They have cash, and they are wanting to spend it, but everyone that does that type of work is already too busy to take on any more.

Where I live, people are moving here like crazy. Mostly from CA and NY. Businesses are relocating, and there are a lot of massive projects going on all over the area.

Yeah, I mean I told all these contractors that this would be a cash job. But it's still not helping to get things moving...

 

[EddieWalker]

I'm a wood guy. I like to build wooden buildings. My only use of metal is for roofing, which I attach to wood purlins. I suggested to my client that they reconsider building with metal and look at wood, but that's not what they want.

The company that I like to buy my metal roofing from also sells all the metal for metal buildings, but they just sell the materials, they don't do any of the work. I suggested that they go there and ask for a list of contractors, but they haven't done that. It's a shot in the dark if you get a good one or a dud, but it's a place to start looking. They want to hire somebody that their friends have used before, but they don't have any friends that have done this before. It's a very odd conversation with them, but in the end, I'm sure they will figure it out.

If I was wanting to build a metal building, I think I would go there and ask for a list of long time contractors that have been around for awhile. Seems like they are the ones who get the job done. Getting it weathered in would be the main goal, the rest can get done later.

 

[ETD66SS]

I'm a wood guy. I like to build wooden buildings. My only use of metal is for roofing, which I attach to wood purlins. I suggested to my client that they reconsider building with metal and look at wood, but that's not what they want.

The company that I like to buy my metal roofing from also sells all the metal for metal buildings, but they just sell the materials, they don't do any of the work. I suggested that they go there and ask for a list of contractors, but they haven't done that. It's a shot in the dark if you get a good one or a dud, but it's a place to start looking. They want to hire somebody that their friends have used before, but they don't have any friends that have done this before. It's a very odd conversation with them, but in the end, I'm sure they will figure it out.

If I was wanting to build a metal building, I think I would go there and ask for a list of long time contractors that have been around for awhile. Seems like they are the ones who get the job done. Getting it weathered in would be the main goal, the rest can get done later.

The only metal in my design is in the roofing siding and trim (and the metal brackets/rebar cast into the perma-columns). The rest of it is basically a pole barn made with laminated wood columns, wood roof and floor trusses etc.

I looked into an all metal building but it's not done much up here for residential or personal shops etc. Most everyone up here puts up a pole barn.

 

[ETD66SS]

Got my water far enough along to have the water company come turn on the water to check for leaks.

Hopefully there are no obstructions in the line anywhere because I already hooked up all the fittings.

I don't want any spigots on the outside of the structure, the yard hydrant will be the only water source outside the building.

 

[ericm979]

I don't want any spigots on the outside of the structure, the yard hydrant will be the only water source outside the building.

Is that for fewer penetrations of the building, or are hydrants better in some way? I'm going to have to make that choice soon.

 

[ETD66SS]

Is that for fewer penetrations of the building, or are hydrants better in some way? I'm going to have to make that choice soon.

Fewer penetrations. And just from experience I hardly ever used them on houses I have owned/lived in.

 

[ETD66SS]

Final grading of the approach, started on the forms for the stone. Ran out of lumber for that, but it was too hot outside today to get my sawmill up and running to mill more lumber. I have not used it yet this year. It's still covered, and a bunch of weeds growing up through it.

The grading worked out well for me doing the vast majority of it by eye. I was only off in areas by about 1 inch form where I wanted to be.

 

[Carl_NH]

Wow - looking good - looking forward to this build - putting in forms for the stone entrance is treally attention to detail!

 

[ETD66SS]

Wow - looking good - looking forward to this build - putting in forms for the stone entrance is treally attention to detail!

I know most people would think it's a waste of time but it makes grading out the stone a lot easier when I have the forms as a guide. Plus with a sawmill and plenty of dead standing Ash trees, the lumber for the forms and stakes only costs a bit in fuel and sweat.

 

[ETD66SS]

Driveway approach is completed, for now:

Hit a bit of a snag last week. The transmission in my 2013 GMC 3500HD stopped moving. 190k miles, was hoping to stretch that vehicle out past this barndominum build, but had to go buy a new truck:

Took the dealer a week to get this truck for me, not even the color I wanted (wanted black). Also hurts my cashflow for this build project.

It seems like I found a GC, he took all my stamped plans and is getting a building permit and hopefully we can get going with the build soon.

I'm pretty much done with all the site work except a drainage basin and landscaping up to the forms I have in for the approach.

Those forms should last until next year if I need them to, so not in a hurry to get the landscaping done.