Pole Barn Project

[Junkman]

One thing to also consider that doesn't cost a lot of money when you are building, but can save you lots of money later on plus convenience. Install PVC pipes with risers at each end in the slab as 10" intervals in both directions. That way, you can snake a wire through the pipe to service any wall that you would want later on. Use 90 degree sweeps where the PVC meets the walls and cap them for future use....

 

[rambler]

Seems most folks are only talking regular garage doors, but there are many kinds.

Sliding - they are hard to make air tight, so you probably don't want....

Residential garage doors. Probably get spendy & heavy at that size..

Roll-up - these can work real well with a chain to operate by hand, see lots of these in ag places. I believe they can require 2' at top to handle the 'roll' tho?

bi-fold doors - like airplane hangers. Very popular on machine sheds these days, close well, get out of the way for height. But probably best with electricity.

I'd at least look into the roll up doors, even if just to cross it off the list. Best to sort this out _first_ as you are doing.

--->Paul

 

[MossRoad]

<font color="blue">bi-fold doors - like airplane hangers. </font>

We had these on both ends of one of our hangars. Bad thing about them was if you opened one end towards a strong wind, and the safety latch wasn't engaged on the other door, it would pop open the other door and then we had a 70' wide X 20' high door flapping in the wind. I guess what I really didn't like was that when it was opening, it is hinged across the entire top and it only had two points where it was attached on the rest of the door: one wheel on each lower corner. I just didn't like them and recall lots of repairs being made on them. We had far fewer problems with doors that were hung from the tracks and slid open to the sides of the hangars or the overhead type doors like standard garage doors. We even had one hangar the had three overhead garage doors across the front. The two center tracks were aluminum and had a chain that you could pull. That released a latch and allowed the track to be removed. It slipped into a socket that was embedded in the concrete at the bottom. Bad thing was there were no switch lockouts, so someone could send the doors down without the center tracks in... made a big mess /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

I will say that the bifold door, when secured with the safety latch, made a good seal and kept the weather out very well... better than the overhead and sliding doors. Very easy to heat in the winter.

One more thing... consider putting tubing in the floor for heating the slab. Even if you don't heat it now, in 10-15 years, you might want a heated shop. Put in several zones, so you can heat just a portion of it, if you want. But it won't cost that much to put in the tubing now, VS later. A heated slab is the most comfortable thing to work on. You won't regret it.

 

[Docsknotinn]

Great ideas! I will look into the Insultarp. Most builders in my are will not install other than standard garage doors. Ie sliders etc. Or they will but they will not honor any warranty. I will be using standard doors. As far as heat goes I have a pretty endless supply of firewood. Once a propane genset is up ( in the future ) I will have a wall heater as well. In regards to the electric in the floor that's a good idea but why not just run across the rafters ? I assume that all wiring will need to go in the metal conduit any how. For now I will just be using a portable generator. Dave

 

[Inspector507]

Metal conduit.....?? Whats that?? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Use PVC man, it cheaper, lighter, and won't rust. Besides a can of glue is cheaper than a pipe wrench /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Docsknotinn]

LOL, good point. But there are two things I really, I mean I REALLY don't like. Heights and electricity. So I always leave that to the pros. They have those nifty little tools like pipe benders and such /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif I never really think they are that expensive as I am usually pretty amazed at how quickly they get a job done that would take me a lot of Fudge work. That sure seems like a money and time saveing idea. Dave

 

[Junkman]

The reason that I suggested the PVC pipe under the floor is that it is less expensive to run shorter lengths of wire and gives you more flexibility in future changes if you sheet rock or insulate the walls. PVC is cheap and very easy to work with. You can even run plastic water lines through them.