Arched steel building...yes or no?

[MikePA]

Still looking for something to live in while i build the log house. A trailer is out of the question(been in one for the last 3 years). Since i want a workshop anway, i am considering building that first and living in one end. How many of y'all have put together an arched steel building? I did a search and read a couple of posts that don't recommend them at all, and others that had no problems. I am thinking a 30x50 would give me both living space and work/storage space...........can anyone else chime in? I do understand the difficulties of wiring and insulation, but the interior enclosure would be designed to be removed when the house is finished.

People's comments fall into 2 categories; Form and Function.

While I don't care for the form, they seem functional, assuming you don't have the snow load issue. Before you go too far down this road, you might want to check with your local building inspector, just to make sure the building you're looking at will pass inspection for human occupancy. In our area (perhaps everywhere?), there are different codes for storage buildings/garages and buildings where people will live.

 

[MotorSeven]

Wow, i didn't know the 'look" was so unappealing to some of y'all....i kinda think they look cool . The stick built steel buildings look warehouse-like to me,.... overall i prefer a wood structure and a good ole "z" tin roof, but i am saving that for the barn. Anyway, a foot & a half of snow a year, so that is not a factor. I gues i am leaning towards them do to price, around 6K for a 30x50. I would have to do the slab & enclose the ends myself which i prefer anyway. The spray on insulation in the living area...defintly! As for the building code........"we 'ain't got none!" Just a septic inspection and a electrical sign off. I am still researching and will look at the frame/steel next.
RD

 

[mjncad]

MikePA makes a good point concerning the building inspector and what the county will or will not let you do.

My wife and I have thought about getting out of our gentrified neighborhood and find some dirt in a neighborhood without a HOASS (Home Owners ASSociation). We didn't want to do the trailer/mobile home gig that so many people do while building a house.

We got the same idea of building a shop/garage with temporary living quarters. The county we live in now says NO WAY. A couple of miles away in the next county, they say sure as they would prefer people do something like this instead of having a worthless mobile home no one wants littering the land after a house is built.

Unfortunately we are stuck where we are at for now. Could be worse, it could be a traditional burb neighborhood with the nearest house 10-feet away from you.

 

[CurlyDave]

Wow, i didn't know the 'look" was so unappealing to some of y'all...

I would be very hesitant to put up a structure with the aesthetics (or lack of them) that you describe.

If that many people hate how they look, this building will negatively affect the value of your land. You may not be planning on selling right now, but life is full of surprises. If something forces you to sell in a hurry, an ugly building is going to compound your problems.

 

[BB_TX]

Like Eddie Walker, I put up a Mueller Steel Building, 30'x40'. Very pleased with it. As far as insulation, I bought the insulation option with the kit. The insulation came in 6' wide rolls that were precut to length for some and you cut to length for others. For example, the roof pieces were cut long enough that you started the roll at one eave, went up, over and down to the other eave, all one piece. Then you just drop the roof panels on and screw them down.
Wiring was really no problem either. I put all mine in metal conduit and routed it around and under the side purlins or along the roof purlins. You barely notice it unless you really look for it.
I also put in a bathroom with commode, sink, & shower and a small kitchen area. Our plan is to live in it someday while we build a house there.

 

[MotorSeven]

Eventhough i like the arch style, i priced some stick built steel, and i am looking at a big price dif: 30x50x15 Arch(open ends) 7K.....30x50 stick-14K. So an arch on a slab will run under 12K which is within the budget. Also, the arch are 22 gauge steel vs 26 gauge on the stick, and both are galvalume. If i go with the arch i will post a thread on it's construction on site.
RD

 

[moeh1]

I went thru about the same process.
We built a 25x40. Took a full weekend with 6-8 people. Would have been fairly straight forward if I had the time to pre-assemble each of the arches.
I poured the foundation and pre-installed a fair amount of PVC conduit so it surfaces periodically around the perimeter.
I bought the kit option that has the steel track around the bottom, really helps with the building process.
We bought the full steel back wall, but put a log siding front on it where it faces the house, and were careful to angle it exactly so you can't really see the steel much from the porch.
Overall, i am very happy with the barn ( 6 years now). I don't understand the snowload comments, unless they put a southern unit up north. My barn was engineered for our snowload, it is the proper gauge and had stamped engineered blueprints. We see some real snow and mine is well-built, I am not concerned about the snow.
By the way, we didn't install the front until after the logs were put inside by the forklift, that made sure everything stayed safe and dry throughout construction...
I went with the taller style A building, straight sides up about 8' and I have a 12x12 overhead door and a walk-in door on the log-sided end.
I didn't need insulation, the sprayed on stuff is probably a good way to go. Or maybe you can build a smaller room inside with insulated stud walls?
Best of luck to you.

 

[MotorSeven]

Moe,
You are right about the industrial base plate....definatly the way to go. I will build the end walls and interior apt wall out of 2x6 insulated. Thats a great idea for the electrical....running the conduit thru the slab..hadn't thought of that! The biggest thing now is picking the Mfg, because there are alot, and all very competive on their price. I have an opportinity to see a plant so this week i will take a tour.

Thanks to everyone on the replys, it has helped a ton!

RD

 

[moeh1]

If youu scan some of my old posts, you'll see a couple of pics on the slab with conduit stubs coming up thru the cement. BTW, I think that there is really only about 4 true manufacturers. I shopped alot for price, ended up with a company, whose paperwork name changed after I paid for the barn. Ended up being one of the big names.
Best of luck.

 

[orgt]

Wow, i didn't know the 'look" was so unappealing to some of y'all....i kinda think they look cool . The stick built steel buildings look warehouse-like to me,.... overall i prefer a wood structure and a good ole "z" tin roof, but i am saving that for the barn. Anyway, a foot & a half of snow a year, so that is not a factor. I gues i am leaning towards them do to price, around 6K for a 30x50. I would have to do the slab & enclose the ends myself which i prefer anyway. The spray on insulation in the living area...defintly! As for the building code........"we 'ain't got none!" Just a septic inspection and a electrical sign off. I am still researching and will look at the frame/steel next.
RD

If I were in your boots I'd concern myself about the "looks" of the actual house, not the workshop but hey, it's just me.

I just LOVED your building code snippet ........"we 'ain't got none!" excellent!

One thing you might want to consider under the circumstances is build your "living quarters box" a few feet away from the metal structure, and simply stack straw bales nice and tight all around and on top. If /when well done and if you use the wide side of the bales you will end up with insulation that is FAR better than just about anything out there, and better yet, for a small fraction of the price. Just run your wiring clean in/out and keep your machinery or anything that could get hot away from the bales (although contrary to what many people think, a typical strawbale house is a lot harder to burn down than "normal" structures, there's simply no steady and easy oxygen supply in tight bales and therefore fire has a very hard time spreading.)

Once you're in the new home you could keep it as is and have a super-insulated workshop or take it down and re-use the straw for mulching/gardening.