30'x48' pole barn owners/users please critique

[SALIV8]

im about to start my pole barn build. I have everything planned out, drawn to scale, and this works well for my needs and my budget. my wife is cool with it and it will be my new shop

i originally wanted to go bigger but its not gonna happen (more $ than i will spend on this project) and this size will work for me on paper.. thats where my question comes in.

you guys with a 30x48 (mine will be 14' high) can you give me some complaints, suggestions, cautions, etc? is there something that you would have done different no matter what the cost increase was?

my (2) large main overhead doors will be on the eve end and this will fit (4) cars/trucks side by side.. this gives me a bit of space in front for the quads and tools/shelves. I will have a service door and an 8'x8' overhead door on the gable end for access to the quads and whatnot.

I tried searching but didnt come up with a thing.

 

[finn]

Eave end doors are a PIA because the snow slides off the steel roof and compacts in front of your doors. 30' is a good working depth, but a little deeper allows you to park 2 small cars nose to tail (for winter storage). If you don't need 14' ceilings for the entire building, consider a stepped roof (mine is 10' 1nd 12'). It breaks up the lines and has more eye appeal on a (non-farm) lot. Also helps with heating, ie less cube volume. 12' is enough for most vehicles on a 2 post lift.

 

[Cougar]

I wouldn't say at, no matter what the cost.

Things I would have done different.

Gone 12 or 14' high like you did.
In floor heat.
Put the overhead doors on the gable end. (I have 2 doors on the eve end now)
Have it built with trusses that will hold a finished ceiling.

 

[SALIV8]

thanks guys.

the roof will be shingled and the trusses can be finished if i decide to do the inside.

the snow shed problem i have thought about, but cant design my needs to fit with just the gable end doors.

i will have gutters also and im hoping the snow doesnt shed too bad as the house doesnt shed the snow now with the same roof.

im not planning on heating this anytime soon also.

 

[Cougar]

thanks guys.

the roof will be shingled and the trusses can be finished if i decide to do the inside.

the snow shed problem i have thought about, but cant design my needs to fit with just the gable end doors.

i will have gutters also and im hoping the snow doesnt shed too bad as the house doesnt shed the snow now with the same roof.

im not planning on heating this anytime soon also.

Make sure they design it with trusses that can support a snow load and finished ceiling.
When I decided to finish mine I called the company that built it for suggestions on how best to finish the ceiling. They got the plans out and told me, yours wasn't designed to have a finished ceiling. They gave me a price to come out and add trusses and finish half the inside, the estimate was more than I paid for the entire building.

If you think you may add heat some time down the road, and it's in your budget, in floor heat is nice.

 

[Jimmies63]

Watching this thread with great interest. I'm in the same boat. Building 40x72 this spring. I've been hot and cold (no pun intended) on floor heat. 90% committed now regardless of whether I need it now or not. Figuring I am more likely to want it in the future than not and figure a heated floor will do well on resale. Can't image forced air in the future. I am going to zone shop and storage floor.

One cautionary tale from the floor guy - if your going to park winter vehicles in there in the winter, it will bake on the salt. He suggested also a floor drain just in case.

Lastly, I was going to do the basic trusses that would hold insulation and liner steel. I think doubling down trusses and going with drywall has to be smart at this stage.

 

[larry_g]

With that height wall you can have a loft. I raised the roof on mine to specifically have room for the loft and designed it into the building. Check it out below. The steeper the roof pitch the more usable room in the loft area..

lg
no neat sig line

 

[600SL]

Here's my 30 x 48' concept. I went with 10' because that is all I need to lift my cars or pickup truck. I have over 13' in the middle. I also have a separate machine shop so the 30' x 28' garage part is only for two cars or 4 staked.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=230835

 

[03HD-F150]

go 32x48 instead of 30x48. I really wish I had the extra 2ft.

 

[Jay W]

Mine is 30x48x14 with a 14x13 door on the gable end and 1 man door on one eve side. One thing I didn't do but added later was a second man door on the opposite gable end for ventilation and easier access to the back of the building.

 

[justin1795]

going to do a 28x48 deep wanted a 30 but just to much slope. my buddy did the infloor heat. I think I would do it if the insulation were cheaper.( just run lines and insulation) he was on a strict budget and it didn't have a concreate floor for 2 years while he was saving for the floor. I think he could of skipped it and had 2 more years in his building. he has used it a few times but without the finished ceiling it just costs to much to run.

 

[Jimmies63]

Mine is 30x48x14 with a 14x13 door on the gable end and 1 man door on one eve side. One thing I didn't do but added later was a second man door on the opposite gable end for ventilation and easier access to the back of the building.

Ventilation at either end is a good point. an extra man door isn't a lot to add.

I was going to get eave light put in along my storage area but going heated now I will have to for go the natural light. When I went and looked at other pole barns, it was recommended to have some natural light high up for security and on the wall vs. roof to keep flies from raining down when they die.

 

[jaker10]

Check into getting snow brackets installed. My 30x48 has a steel roof and when the snow slides off it hits hard and PACKS. It's a pain in the *** to shovel. Snow blower cant get through it. If your going with shingles it might not be a problem. Also think hard about how many windows and where you put them. You lose wall space but the air flow is nice on hot days. I don't know if your going to put an over hang on your building but I think they look a lot nicer with one.

 

[bygasper]

Put in the biggest overhead door you can fit/afford.

I put in raised-chord trusses which allowed the center of my ceiling to be about 2' higher than the walls. This allowed space for ceiling fans, heaters, etc without hanging below the garage door tracks.


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[Ohio Auto]

My building is 30 x 48, it's in my signature if you want to check it out.

I put my doors on the eave side....WOULDN'T HAVE IT ANY OTHER WAY!!!!!

I can move projects in and out without having to move stuff around....absolutely the best thing I did on my build. We get a ton of snow around here too....don't really understand the whole snow coming down the roof discussion...never been an issue for me. Just use insulated doors, I put follow the truss doors in...works great.

Secondly..you're not going to like hearing this....go bigger. You won't regret it. I wish I would have put one more 12 foot section in...30 x 60. I'm maxed out and running out of space.

Mine is fully insulated, heated, running water. I spend a lot of time out there and love it. Good luck on your build. Private message me if I can ever help.

 

[Diesel Dan]

i originally wanted to go bigger but its not gonna happen (more $ than i will spend on this project) and this size will work for me on paper.. thats where my question comes in.

you guys with a 30x48 (mine will be 14' high) can you give me some complaints, suggestions, cautions, etc? is there something that you would have done different no matter what the cost increase was?

my (2) large main overhead doors will be on the eve end and this will fit (4) cars/trucks side by side.. this gives me a bit of space in front for the quads and tools/shelves. I will have a service door and an 8'x8' overhead door on the gable end for access to the quads and whatnot.

Floor heat, in ground 2 post Rotary smart lift, closed cell spray foam.

Use LVLs for truss headers on the eave side with all the door openings. I went with one piece LVLs(40').
Power vent in the ceiling for exhaust fan.

 

[Diesel Dan]

Secondly..you're not going to like hearing this....go bigger. You won't regret it. I wish I would have put one more 12 foot section in...30 x 60. I'm maxed out and running out of space.

Same here but I have left room for expansion.
During the build I framed for another man door on opposite side of the current one. At a later date I'd like to add another 24-30' of length to the barn but it will be a stone floor and unheated area for storage.

 

[SALIV8]

Thanks for all the advice guys. appreciate it.

 

[rburke65]

Most lumber is based on an eight foot increment, that is why I went with 32'x40. Good luck.