I will shortly have a 30' x 65' metal shop, storage type building constructed.
I want to specify construction that is above the norm.
Any thoughts and additions to my list would be appreciated.
Heaver Gauge steel 24 vs 26 vs 29?
Standing seam / hidden fasteners for the roof, instead of exposed screws with rubber washers?
Overhang's all sides 12" or xx"?
Gutters?
Roof pitch?
Panel width?
Roll up door vs garage type door?
Man door width 32", 34", 36" or xx"?
Storage area on the side?
Carport type area on the front?
Rafter spacing?
Thanks,
Jim
That's good sized building.
Always go with heavier metal if you can afford it. Thinner metal moves more, has less strength and is more prone to leaks around the screws if you go with R panels.
Standing seam is nicer looking and doesn't have screws going through it, but construction is totally different. It needs decking under it, which means trusses or purlins every two feet max. Then decking and paper just like a shingle house roof before it can be installed. This is a big increase in the cost of your roof!!!
Metal roofs don't really need an overhang. It's more for looks and getting some of the water off of the walls as it comes off the roof. Gutters are great if you can keep them clean or you have good guards on them. Water coming off of a roof and splashing on the ground is the number one cause of rot at the foundation. Or rust in a metal building. Shrubbery helps, but isn't a good alternative to gutters. The reason a house a has an overhang, or soffit, is to allow air to enter the attic space. With R panel metal, that ridges provide that opening for air to get in. If you go with Standing seam, then you will have to have an overhang and proper soffits with vents. Again, more money for a standing seam roof.
Metal roofs cannot be any shallower then 2:12 pitch. I personally like 4:12 the best because it sheds water quickly and allows pine needles and leaves to slide off the roof. It's easy to walk on and it has a nice look to it. Steeper sheds water faster, but it gets hard to walk on. Sooner or later you will have to go on the roof, it's nice not being afraid of sliding off of it.
R panels are 3 feet wide, standing seam are 1 foot wide.
A roll up door is nice if you want a big opening with more height then a standard garage door. They have electric openers if you want to spend more on that, but they open easily with a chain at the side of the door. Mine is 10x10 and that's worked out alright for a workshop. If I was parking something in there, I think 12 feet wide would be a better minimal width. Ten feet high has been very nice, I wouldn't want any lower. Garage doors cover up a lot of ceiling space when opened, so you have to consider your lighting and the low height inside the room when working on projects inside there. I think they are better for parking cars in there, they open faster and the remote control openers are cheaper. I honestly don't even know if you can get a remote control opener for a roll up door?
Exterior walk through doors come in two standard sizes. 32 and 36 inches. These are going to be the most cost effective. You can go bigger, but the price increase is huge. Go with the 36 inch door. If you are carrying anything in or out, that extra width will only be barely big enough.
There is no such thing as too much storage. It's always cheaper to build it all at once then come back later and add it. If you have the space, then adding lean to's to both sides is a very wise investment. Sooner or later you will put stuff in there, fill it up, and probably want to enclose all or part of it. This is one of those things that always happens!!!
Again, if you can afford it, having a carport in the front is very nice. All doors should be protected, but it's rare that a garage or shop door has any sort of protection from the rain. Water hits the door, wind drives it into any openings, and it takes longer to dry out once it's inside an opening. Rot at the bottom of garage doors is very common. Other then protecting your doors, a roof over the front of your garage will give you shade when working in there. I've gone back and forth on how big to build one in front of mine. From going out 30 feet to create another work area and safe place to park if there is hale in the forecast, to half that size, and now I'm leaning strongly towards 6 feet to create a walkway, porch area that goes out on either side of my door. I recently enclose one of my lean to's so I could build my wife a second kitchen to work on what she grows in the garden. I want a front porch over that door that includes my walk through door into my shop and then across the roll up door for a clean, finished look.
Good luck, the more you plan it, the better it will turn out.
stupid gophers..... Build it like you mean it. Cutting a corner now might be really hard to fix later.
