Pole Barn Size - Best bang for your buck?

[ovrszd]

We have roads that are constantly being redone. The amount of salt that is placed on the roads every years ensures that our vehicles will die a good decade earlier than most of the country. When I travel for business, the number of cars over 15years old really stands out. We do not have sewer, but we have water. Every year when my county tax bill comes, they include a separate page that outlines just about 100% of the bill is unfunded mandates from the state. My kids go to schools that are just average for the country, yet the state averages ~$22K/student on spending. Over 1M people have left the state since the dictator governor has come into power.

That's too bad. Our infastructure support here is minimal but our taxes are cheap. Only State/Fed roads are paved. Township roads are minimal gravel.

 

[jasonzee]

What ever you can afford go with that.

 

[jjp8182]

I fled NJ a few years ago, taxes doubled in 12 years, far more tax increases than my wages, I was drowning. Local cops made more after 3yr pay step than I was making as an advanced technical systems architect with 20yrs experience, they retire in 20, collect 85% pay immediately for the rest of their lives with full medical. School board had a similar scam going but they vest with a pension in 3yrs, and most of them were making $300-$700k/yr, they go town to town collecting and stacking those pensions.

So many people are leaving NJ that they slap a 2% mandatory penalty on your home sale before you can leave the state and close the sale. They fine you for leaving their serfdom.

Don't want to de-rail this thread, but it's things like these that leave me amazed at just how much more state and local government employees can make compared to federal ones. In the case of the latter all the pay rates are publicly available and can be mapped to all the different types of positions (which is identified as part of the job announcement), and all are capped to be fraction of the president's pay rate.... really seems like there's a lot less accountability and transparency at lower levels of government.

Which (getting back on topic) inevitably seem to add a whole host of hidden costs to improving a person's own property. In some of the counties around here, it's seemingly cheaper (especially over the long term) to use a collection of 20' shipping containers instead of constructing a building (of either permanent or "temporary" construction).

Locally a 20' container costs about $2700 (with delivery), and it provides 146 square feet (so ~ $18.50/sq. ft.) and it's not considered a building so there are no building permits required or property tax implications.

Obviously a container isn't suitable for all uses, but in some of the neighboring counties I've seen and heard of the farmers going down that route for storage (and I'd assume it's because it's the likely the lower/lowest cost solution over the long term). ...not sure if any have gone down the route of stacking/combining/modifying multiple containers into a single larger structure yet (even though that is a possibility).

 

[jaxs]

I was led to believe things are free for the asking in NY.

 

[NorTracNY]

I was led to believe things are free for the asking in NY.

Not if you are legal or have any money left.

Double-Dipping is very common here for gov't jobs. Lots of police "retire" and collect nice pension and then go back to work in another police job. I believe their pension is based upon just their last 3 years, so they do tons of overtime then. That being said, no way would I want that job now. NY is removing cash bail for the vast majority of offenses. An officer I know said he's going to be done with LE in NY very soon. He said that someone can get in a physical altercation with him and he can't arrest him (unless it goes beyond a certain level). He can only give him an appearance ticket! For a domestic situation, police won't be able to arrest someone and let things "cool down." Again, it'll be an appearance ticket! It's nuts! Judges and LE are not happy.

 

[electrycmonk]

Fascinating the the NE/NE corner of the 'Rust Belt' is so we'll represented in this thread.

I'm wondering what the going stats are for here in North Texas.
I'm very intrigued by the idea of talking with contractors to tweak a footprint to same money.

4-5 years ago I was "oh so close" to getting a 40x50 steel barn/shop but, identify theft sent us into a chaotic spiral that took many months to pull out of.

Now I'm taking the mothballs outta the box & dusting off this plan again but, all my notes with all the contractor info is also gone.

I'm currently trying to finalize a DIY wellhouse upgrade that's gonna be something close to 10x20x8' tall sides with 'red iron' frame. I'm not even sure what the price per sq/ft would be(shrugs) as I was just calculating the raw materials for my self to cut and weld it up. The frame & c-purlin rafters only is looking to be about $800 not including the trusses as I hadn't figured out what size tube I wanted to use.

After this summers fun of building a chicken coop and run with a nice galvalume roof that's partially attached to our pipe fence and seriously glued to the rocks that the glaciers left here eons ago.i don't want to do a stick built wellhouse. Wood warp in Texas heat is no fun to work with/work against/work around.....it's already proven the 40-50+mph winds are not to be a concern. I hope the 55-75mph straight line wind gusts to come will also be held at Bay. Rebar and cement went into the bedrock for the coop & run.

So yeah, interesting to see what's the cost in Missouri and the Alabama reference too. I have often played with the design of using a couple 20 or 40' shipping containers for wall or corners as they are becoming more and more visible down here for fast framing a barn or shop with. They have a few fast designs with a few trusses and 'bam ' it's done. My problem is then your limited with the 8x8-ish box for a room to work in. But, then again..... (Sigh) I have seen some massively impressive designs of stacking and cutting parts of the containers and making very user friendly 2 story houses and apartments ....so yeah. I'll stop now.