30x40 newbie questions. . .

[JackQT]

Need unbiased advice. . .or biased advice as long as it is an acknowledged bias

Background. . .selling 40 acres/house to buy 123 acres (with a ton of improvements but an unusable existing house). Thinking a 30x40 building, half garage/half living space. No idea how long we'll live in this. . .maybe build a "real" house (and rent out this "apartment"), maybe end up using the full 30x40 as living space.

1) Post tensioned slab worth it? Our current place has foundation issues and I'm determined not to deal with that in a new place.
2) Build a metal frame for a loft/bedroom, or just do stick built interior?
3) Sheetrock attached directly to girts/purlins?
4) If (3), will it crack?
5) Bolt or weld up building?

Yes, I'm sure all this info is available here with the search button, but on some of this I'm not even sure what to search for to get answers!

 

[7bigbenrings]

Need unbiased advice. . .or biased advice as long as it is an acknowledged bias [emoji106]

Background. . .selling 40 acres/house to buy 123 acres (with a ton of improvements but an unusable existing house). Thinking a 30x40 building, half garage/half living space. No idea how long we'll live in this. . .maybe build a "real" house (and rent out this "apartment"), maybe end up using the full 30x40 as living space.

1) Post tensioned slab worth it? Our current place has foundation issues and I'm determined not to deal with that in a new place.
2) Build a metal frame for a loft/bedroom, or just do stick built interior?
3) Sheetrock attached directly to girts/purlins?
4) If (3), will it crack?
5) Bolt or weld up building?

Yes, I'm sure all this info is available here with the search button, but on some of this I'm not even sure what to search for to get answers!

I would do a block foundation, stick build it and put at least an 8/12 attic truss on it for living space. Easy to insulate and heat. And as you progress on the property you'll already have a kick *** garage built

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[JackQT]

That may have raised more questions than answers. . .but it did give me something else to go Google.

By block foundation you mean a cinder block perimeter, with a monolithic slab poured inside the perimeter? What is the benefit of that over other types?

 

[ConCretin]

For residential applications post tensioning is used in certain regions to deal with specific expansive soil conditions. While there are benefits to PT in any application, it is pricey and if it’s not commonly used in your area, you probably don’t need it and won’t be able to find anybody to do it.

If you have normal soil conditions, you should be able to build a perfectly serviceable and durable slab using more typical construction techniques. I’d do a traditional mono-slab with a concrete or masonry curb wall on top to lift my wood framing up a bit from the exterior grade.