Help, need shop ideas.

[Ed of all trades]

I need a 1200 sq ft shop for a sharpening business I need to get going. Would like to just build a pole building and go from there, however the only level place I own has my house sitting on it. The place I would like to put it has about a 5' drop from one end to the other. Anyone have any ideas on a way to build a shop without having to barrow the whole bank.
Thanks Ed.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Confirm with county building inspector or county engineer that you can build on stilts instead of a foundation. Ask questions about footings and if you can use engineered poles from the footings straight up your walls to the top sill plate and what are approved attachment procedures for your floor's stringers and joists (or some approved variation). Ask if there are any pre-approved engineering solutions so you can avoid the cost of engineering (i.e., a pre-approved design can carry X loads and your building weighs less than X and so forth).

When I sat down with my county engineer, he was eager to help (in a county with a full-time population of 18,000 people).

 

[Cat_Driver]

You say 5' drop to the end. Wouldn't that mean moving 2.5' of soil and moving it to the shallow end to build that up 2.5'? We need pictures

 

[varmint]

If you don't anticipate needing a shop where you can drive vehicles into it, and won't have any heavy machines shaking things up, then the building on posts seems easy to build. But, a concrete slab over a cut and fill situation probably will be more versatile and a better investment over the long haul. A Cat, some crushed stone, and good compaction will produce a fine slab.

 

[Ed of all trades]

Thanks building on posts with a floor is something I had not thought of. Had thought of the cut and fill but I would have to do it with my Massey and that would be a job plus water problems on the up hill side. Thanks again. and I will keep on thinking. Will let you know what I deside.

 

[handirifle]

Yea I agree with the stilts, especially if there is a potential water issue. Either way, any uphill drainage should be rerouted around your slab or stilts. Erosion can get under your building easier than you think and someday you might come out to go to work and find the building downhill about 50 ft. The underground erosion is what causes so many of our landslides here in CA.

Even buildings that have concrete posts down to rock base have had issues with underground erosion.