Wood vs metal garage

[Jesse69]

Knowing what u know now what would u do and why? I’ve was looking to sell my house and by a house with acres in California to build my garage. After 2years of looking and fires here in Solano county I would cost me a premium for insurance and I would need put a large down and or sell my house or rent it out and I’m close to paying off, and I was not loving the idea.

So I bought a house with 2.5 acres in Nevada 2 1/2 hours away its close. Now I can keep both houses and have a second home and build what I want.

The garage I want it to be 35’ to 40’ depth 4 car garage multiple doors not sure on length work shop area I have a mid car lift I want a full hight lift maybe 4 post lift. I’m amateur welder I want to paint couple cars. Basically have fun with it all.

I have a 69 charger I’m redoing everything , now I’m ready to paint it , 68 charger, 69 valiant, 68 valiant, 69 barracuda and looking still for more projects
There’s a 30’x 36’metal garage on it at some point make it a spray booth? Not sure.

So metal vs wood garage metal is cheaper u have condensation, and heating it? more bang for your buck but it gets cold in Nevada
Wood easy to insulate more flexibility in design COST is way higher .

Thoughts and ideas are greatly appreciated .thank u in advance Jesse

 

[My Old Tools]

Metal isn't hard to insulate. Condensation isn't an issue if you insulate.

 

[Modifieddriver]

I'd go with a wood post building. Posts 10" on center to what height you want. Roof and outside are steel. Insulation blanket package the inside. The wood gives you flexibility on the inside. I did mine 40' x 90', 10' is an open outside porch, then a 20' x 40' work shop for my wife and the 40' x 60' to store my cars.

 

[My Old Tools]

You need to define 'metal'. Red iron is infinitely flexible in design options. Very strong. Easy to add a clear span loft. I added a 1 ton overhead hoist on an i-beam traveler.

 

[BKB]

I was dead set on red iron building and the thought of wood rotting in the ground just disgusted me. But once i got the footer and concrete quote i thought woods really not that bad. Now after the fact im so glad i went with a pole barn. It saved me so much money that allowed me to do other more important things with the money. Since i did much of the interior work myself as money came in i cant imagine how difficult it would have been to do the things i did to a steel building. I built a mezzanine, craft room, bathroom, man cave, Full floating HVAC, insulated. The building in steel was twice as much, the concrete quotes were 5 times higher. I paid $36k for a 40x64x16 with a lean too 12x64 with tin ceiling, two tone outside tin, 14x14 garage door, 2 man doors, 6" concrete inside, 4" concrete outside, 2 coppola's, and some windows, lifetime warranty.

 

[Kaizen]

It was cost for me and aesthetics. Up here Not a lot and if not in the area costs go up. Also not common to see if not on a farm up here so wanted to not build an eye sore


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[Jesse69]

Define metal roof, exterior walls I’m not sure. BKB had some good points that worked for him.
I just want to get ides what worked for the guys out there, and if they would change anything what would it be and why? thank you all that replied appreciate it

 

[CraigStu]

Some of the supposed less costly metal garage is eaten up when you build a wood garage inside of it so you can have insulation and nice walls. Depends on your plans. Usually the prices you see advertised are for a bare shell. I would decide how you want the interior to end up and try to figure how much it will cost to get you that interior w/ a wood vs metal exterior.

 

[glentre]

Metal or wood IMO, depends on your neighborhood. 2.5 acres is not much with a house, a 30x36 and a new 35x40 building. If metal is common in your area, then do that to keep costs down. But, if wood out-buildings are the norm, you will be affecting resale for yourself and your neighbors if you go with metal.

Glen

 

[finn]

Both of my shops are 2x6” stud walls on a thickened slab, and steel siding.

If initial cost was a stumbling block, and I didn’t care about insulation, pole construction would be my choice.

Red iron seems popular in parts of the country that don’t have snow loads, per my observation, but you rarely see them in severe climates.

I wouldn’t do a steel tube building, but some people are happy with them.

 

[justanengineer]

Unless you’re building is large (>2k ft2) or you don’t finish it, there isn’t much cost difference between stick and other structures, so building anything else is pretty silly, hence why spec home garages are always stick. Stick gives you a 50 year design life vs 25 otherwise. On only 2.5 acres I’d want any outbuilding to match the house bc it’s never out of sight, and steel sheathing is ugly no matter how you spin it. OTOH pole and steel buildings are often easier to permit due to their 25 year “temporary” classification.


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[bradpac]

How bad are the termites in Nevada?

For me with a 30x30 stick built versus metal, the metal came in about $35k and the stick built closer to $60k With the stick built that was trusses which forced a higher eave height to keep room for a lift. My metal building is 6:12 pitch with just main beams and purlins, I have plenty or room in the peak to lift a vehicle into. So for me, the metal was a no brainer and I don't have to worry about wood eating insects either.

 

[BKB]

It cost me maybe $200 to have them install a 2x6 between the post so i would have a 23" pocket to insulate. I do see people that build a pole barn then stick build walls inside to add insulation, what a waste. I bought all my insulation at HD and lowes when they had bulk pricing $21-24 a roll so around $750 to insulate my walls on a 48'x64' building.

 

[Jesse69]

How long ago was that build garage looks great

 

[BKB]

5 years ago

 

[My Old Tools]

Unless you’re building is large (>2k ft2) or you don’t finish it, there isn’t much cost difference between stick and other structures, so building anything else is pretty silly, hence why spec home garages are always stick. Stick gives you a 50 year design life vs 25 otherwise. On only 2.5 acres I’d want any outbuilding to match the house bc it’s never out of sight, and steel sheathing is ugly no matter how you spin it. OTOH pole and steel buildings are often easier to permit due to their 25 year “temporary” classification.


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There's nothing "temporary" about a red iron steel building on a slab. I don't know where you get that idea at all. The finish on the steel panels has a 25 year warranty alone.

 

[My Old Tools]

Some of the supposed less costly metal garage is eaten up when you build a wood garage inside of it so you can have insulation and nice walls. Depends on your plans. Usually the prices you see advertised are for a bare shell. I would decide how you want the interior to end up and try to figure how much it will cost to get you that interior w/ a wood vs metal exterior.

It's really easy to insulate a metal building. In fact, it's generally built in instead of after the fact. The ability to clear span almost any distance was a big factor for me. My loft has no post and no interior walls required to support it, and it holds heavy equipment.

 

[readhead]

A steel building be it tube, cold formed or red iron is a very permanent building. Do you suppose WalMart builds 25 year buildings? A steel building can be finished with any kind of finish for both the interior and exterior. I have done metal buildings with wood siding and shingle roofs. Properly speced no additional framing is required to finish the inside. The building can be up and used usually quicker than other types of construction.

As with all construction there are lots of other factors to consider. Budget. What can you afford? What I see all the time with metal buildings is someone gets on the internet and finds a 30x40 for $2,000 and says " Ma, Were going to build a new barn", never considering all the other costs. For whatever reason this is the one type of construction where a person looks for a building instead of starting with a plan. The plan is the important part. Any type of construction can be applied to any plan.

Back to what you can afford. In this area wood and metal cross at about 1,500 square feet. For smaller footage wood is less expensive. That doesn't mean that is the right answer. You may have height restrictions but need a clear span with no trusses. Now metal is your best choice.

I could go on and have in the past. My best advice is have a plan and then put that plan out to bid with wood and metal and see what happens. As for bidding metal make sure it is a metal building contractor that is local and not a GC that thinks "it can't be that hard".

 

[tez929rr]

We have two 2400 square foot Mueller buildings. They go up quickly and the price per square foot is less than stick built. Both are insulated; one has about 1700 square feet climate controlled inside. The insulation is good enough that it only costs about $50 per month in the summer to keep the finished portions at 75 degrees.

If we were starting over from scratch I wouldn’t hesitate to live in a steel building.

 

[bradpac]

Both are insulated; one has about 1700 square feet climate controlled inside. The insulation is good enough that it only costs about $50 per month in the summer to keep the finished portions at 75 degrees.

What type and how much insulation did you go with?

 

[tez929rr]

What type and how much insulation did you go with?

3” fiberglass in both buildings. When we built the first one the assembler offered 3/4 inch that supposedly the same r value, but it was a new product so we stayed away from it. I haven’t seen it on anyone’s building around here so maybe it didn’t catch on.

 

[finn]

A steel building be it tube, cold formed or red iron is a very permanent building. Do you suppose WalMart builds 25 year buildings? A steel building can be finished with any kind of finish for both the interior and exterior. I have done metal buildings with wood siding and shingle roofs. Properly speced no additional framing is required to finish the inside. The building can be up and used usually quicker than other types of construction.

As with all construction there are lots of other factors to consider. Budget. What can you afford? What I see all the time with metal buildings is someone gets on the internet and finds a 30x40 for $2,000 and says " Ma, Were going to build a new barn", never considering all the other costs. For whatever reason this is the one type of construction where a person looks for a building instead of starting with a plan. The plan is the important part. Any type of construction can be applied to any plan.

Back to what you can afford. In this area wood and metal cross at about 1,500 square feet. For smaller footage wood is less expensive. That doesn't mean that is the right answer. You may have height restrictions but need a clear span with no trusses. Now metal is your best choice.

I could go on and have in the past. My best advice is have a plan and then put that plan out to bid with wood and metal and see what happens. As for bidding metal make sure it is a metal building contractor that is local and not a GC that thinks "it can't be that hard".

I don’t think I have ever seen a steel Walmart building.

Steel trusses, yes, but the walls are concrete block or precast concrete panels dropped in place.

I was searching YouTube for shop videos yesterday after the Packers/Bears game and found several of steel buildings. Most weren’t exactly awe inspiring, and seemed rathertrmporary, with wide truss and wall post spacing, and cheap roll up doors.. More like a spindly skeleton or big carport with a tin skin, for protection from the sun These were generally in Texas or Oklahoma, where there is no snow load, and the frost line is only 18”.

The flimsy construction is what enables the incredibly low cost numbers that come from tha area. Works for them, though, in their climate..

 

[My Old Tools]

Really, you don't think red iron I-beams are strong? That's a 1 ton rated hoist in mine and the loft now has 2 lathes and 2 bandsaws, a RAS and a ton of miscellanious storage. By the way, that 16" Northfield jointer weighs over 1600# and was unloaded with the hoist. So was the 1800# Crescent bandsaw not pictured. The 13" South Bend lathe was a measely 1300#. No, we don't have snow loads, but we routinely have 100mph winds off of thunderstorms that take down huge oaks, along with the occassional tornado.