60' x 100' Pole Barn Build / Questions

[ArkOma]

I am putting things together to build a 60' x 100' (maybe bigger) pole barn / living quarters and I have a couple of questions.

I am going with 20' side walls as I will be storing lumber etc. on cantilever racks that are 16' tall. The living quarters / office will also be 2 stories.

My first question is the infamous steel vs wood question. I have heard the bigger you go, steel is more economical. Does anyone have any first hand knowledge of that? I like the idea of wood as I am a carpenter and have worked with it for years and enjoy working with it.

My next question is on slab thickness. I will not have any heavy equipment on the slab except for my telehandler / 9000lb forklift. I am leaning to a 6" pour with fiber.

If this was your project would you go with 26ga or 29ga wall / roof panels and why?

I know I have some other questions right now but they are slipping my mind. Once I remember them, I will add them as well.

 

[BeezFun]

My first question is the infamous steel vs wood question. I have heard the bigger you go, steel is more economical. Does anyone have any first hand knowledge of that? I like the idea of wood as I am a carpenter and have worked with it for years and enjoy working with it.

I just priced this for a building I plan to put up and the costs were almost identical if I include everything. The trim pieces, flashing and screws for metal siding are disproportionately expensive, so if you include everything the cost between Menards metal siding and T-111 for example is almost identical. One big expense for the wood is paint. I figure 200sf per can of solid stain for T-111 because it absorbs so much paint. That adds quite a bit to the cost. Personally I prefer wood siding for lots of reasons so I'd pay a bit more to get it.

My next question is on slab thickness. I will not have any heavy equipment on the slab except for my telehandler / 9000lb forklift. I am leaning to a 6" pour with fiber.

I used 4" pour on my garage floor, that's plenty assuming it's a good mix and it's poured under reasonable conditions. I'd put wire or rebar in it, that's probably worth more than the extra concrete.

If this was your project would you go with 26ga or 29ga wall / roof panels and why?

I'd pay more attention to finish process and warranty than guage. It doesn't need to survive a meteor hit, but it will leak and look bad if it rusts.

 

[grsthegreat]

By steel vs wood, do you mean a wood framed (pole building) vs steel frames? or are you talking about outside siding????

 

[ArkOma]

I was talking about the main structure.

 

[grsthegreat]

I have been told that depending on your snow load, a steel structure will be able to span the entire 60' distance whereas a wood structure may not be aqble to (depends upon load). When i built my 30x60 i priced both, and wood was cheaper. in todays market the price of wood is down, but the price of steel is very high. I would think the wood would be cheaper.

 

[rasimmo]

I would go with the 26ga for the roof and walls. It will cost a little more, 20 cents/linear foot around here. I don't think you will find much difference in the cost of steel versus wood framing. At least that is my experience. I have used steel, but that is just personal preference.

 

[ArkOma]

I am located in SE OK and wont have to worry much about snow load, but I do want it to be a clear span.

 

[grsthegreat]

I am located in SE OK and wont have to worry much about snow load, but I do want it to be a clear span.

Here in Idaho no structure can have a wood clear span greater then 40 feet, but i believe that is due to snow / wind load. Not sure about your neck of the woods. I know that cause i was looking into an arena awhile back with a clear span roof. Over 40 feet it has to be steel

 

[TRR]

I have a 40x40 shop with storage over on 2nd floor with a clear span in the shop. Design criteria usually says deflection of 1/360th of the span is "normal". That's 1.3 inches of movement - I don't like bouncy floors. So I went with 18" I beams on 10 foot centers which gives me about 125 psf floor loading on 2nd floor. Doesn't move much at all even when jumping on it. I don't think it is practical to do this in wood even though I'm sure it can be done. So decide what you really want for a design and price it both ways. Pick the one you prefer.

 

[BeezFun]

I was talking about the main structure.

Sorry, thought you meant metal vs wood siding. They make 60' wood trusses so you could have a clear span, especially without a snow load, but I have no idea what the relative cost is compared to steel.

 

[MotorSeven]

GG...have you bought much lumber lately? It's at an all time high around here. I cringe when I have to grab something from the store....most of the time I cut a tree down and roll my own on the sawmill.

 

[blueriver]

You can clear span 60' with an engineered wood truss. Lumber is very high right now. A clear span steel building may require additional concrete footings where the main beams will be setting ... I know of one that had "per code" needed 4'x5'x18" footer with rebar both ways. And then the 6" slab poured over them.

 

[rasimmo]

All this talk about codes makes me wonder why I have never checked those.:ashamed: I always check with an electrician friend of mine to make sure I do that correctly. I have never gotten a permit or checked codes for a barn or any other outbuilding. I should probably check on that next time.

 

[grsthegreat]

GG...have you bought much lumber lately? It's at an all time high around here. I cringe when I have to grab something from the store....most of the time I cut a tree down and roll my own on the sawmill.

Very odd, here in North Idaho wood prices are lower than they have been for years..maybe for as long as i can remember. No one is logging here cause you cant make enough $$ to pay for the loggers. They are cutting the crap trees fopr pellets is all i see.

 

[RPW]

I did a 30 x 50 shop and went with steel mainly for a maintenance issue. I didn't want to paint, didn't want to worry about insects, or fire and I'm getting on in years. I had a 4" slab poured on grade with 20" footers. According to the concrete contractor it would hold > 10,000lb load without problems. Cost for material minus concrete was under $15k.

Good luck.

 

[ArkOma]

Thanks for all the info!

I am leaning to a steel building but will keep everyone updated once we get going. I will also post the plans next week when I get done with them.