50x60 pole barn shop- Advice?

[N/E Sooner]

I'm going to build a 50x60x14 pole barn shop (hope to start within the next 2 months) so I'm asking for advice & opinions from guys that have built theirs start to finish. Anything from mistakes you made or things you wish you would have done to things your glad you did. I built my 24x30 garage a couple yrs ago and it was a stick frame build so this will be a new experience for me. I don't have my plans solidified yet so if anyone knows of a place to get building plans for a pole barn that would be great. For anyone in the Tulsa area that knows of a good concrete crew or a source on building materials I would appreciate the contact info.
Thanks

 

[Red Green]

I wish that I had added some southern facing windows. I would have added some solar heaters directly into the wall.

 

[gsport]

i've got a 45x60 that came with the house i bought.. this summer i finished putting insulation in it. sure wish it would've been built with the insulation already in....

 

[bmwpower]

Double the size.
Add running water, toilet and shower if possible
Add a separate office/relaxing area
Add a separate wash bay
Add a separate machine shop area
Add a paint booth area
Add radiant heat
Add at least one tall/wide door
Loft areas are nice too, but you wont have the height

 

[mad57]

My 30x 80 has 7 8ft doors wish i would have put in at least 1 16 ft door.

 

[bookman51]

N/E Sooner, There are always trade-offs. I have a 40 by 72 pole barn I had built three years ago. I had 15' side walls and a tall roll up front door and a more normal size back door. I had put translucent paneling along the top of the south wall, so I get good light. I just had 32 x 40 slab in the front part for my shop area. Of course, the bigger the building the more the costs for heat and light. I had the shop area and the ceiling insulated, but I did not have insulated the walls of the storage area. Maybe a mistake but more money. I hope to drop a curtain between the shop and storage area so I can heat the shop area a little cheaper. I may go with CFL lights. I have tested a few this winter and they work fine in cold weather. You probably will have even better experience where you are. I did put in lots of electrical outlets and 200 amp box and 220 for welder and air compressor. In the shop part I put up lots of white peg board to hang things. Oh yes, an overhead roll up electrical cord in the middle of the shop. Someday I may put an roll up air cord there too. Pretty handy. Plan to do more as budget allows, but the dream shop can become a nightmare as the costs mount. Lovin' what I got so far.

Bookman

 

[bookman51]

N/E Sooner. Oh yes, I had a frost free water hydrant inside right next to the cement slab and then a utility sink with a drain out to the nearby draw. Works pretty handy in the summer. In the winter, I disconnect the line from the hydrant to the sink (since water can freeze in the line). I do not have to heat the shop to keep water from freezing. Also, I put a frost free hydrant outside near the front door.

So far I am just heating occasionally with a salamander heater and some milk house electric heaters. Takes the chill off, but I need something more permanent without breaking the budget. Not sure cheap and good are possible with that size of buiding, but as I wrote earlier, I am planning to figure out some type of curtain between the storage area and the shop area.

Let us know how things work out. Good luck on your building. I am sure you will enjoy it.

Bookman

 

[N/E Sooner]

Thanks for the input guys. I pretty much know how I will lay out the inside of it. My main concern now is the actual construction of the shop. If anyone knows where I can buy detailed plans on a 50x60 pole barn or if anyone has a set they wouldn't mind selling I would appreciate the lead.

 

[raildawg]

going 50x80x16.stick on slab. if you plan to finish the inside,might not hurt to check into it.lots easier to finish and inside frame is already done.$26,000 is what I have in mine.

 

[krooser]

Have it built "flush frame" and it will be really simple to insulate and finish the inside... cheaper too.

 

[W_A_Watson_II]

I have a 54' x 44' x 14' Insulated, Two 12' x 12' Doors, an Office and a Half Bath Room (no Shower) with storage space overhead. The shop has Radiant Heat, Cable TV and Internet. I have 100 foot candle at floor florescent lighting and a 400 amp service.

What I'd do different?
Add a floor drain for a wash area
Wall off a separate dirty and clean shop areas
Do 16' Walls, and 14' tall doors. Not for me, but for re-sale as large motor homes need 14' tall doors.
I'd also do a single large overhead door, rather than two separate ones.

Will

 

[Daniel Dudley]

There are maybe guys out there who can build one of these things almost as cheap as you can buy the materials. Sub out the concrete yourself, and do the interior finish.

You should get a price on one of these from a couple of companies before you decide to do it yourself. Sometimes it just makes sense to hire guys who have already done a hundred. I have done smaller ones, but one like that is getting pretty big.

If I were building a big one on my own, I would probably make it like a horse barn, with a twenty or twenty four foot center aisle, and flanking sheds off the sides. that gives you poles running every 12 foot off the center, but it gives you a BIG storage loft.

The reason I myself would build one this way is because I could handle all the lumber and materials myself, or with one or two assistants. Whatever way you build it, if you use trusses, you will want a crane.

This is only me talking, but I would call for some prices. The right guys will be in and out, IMO, and you will still have plenty to do, trust me.

 

[nonhog]

Some real good ideas here already. I would have spent more on adding beams instead of poles. and had the contractor roof the place and cement and I'd do the rest.
Think ahead on how you want to insulate. I'm probably going to build walls within my walls(kinda wastful) to insulate the way I want to.

Consider floor heat if you can afford it, I thought it would not be worth the slow start up time or the initial cost but @45 years old it ***** being on cold concrete.

Floor drain?, In my area I can find a day to wash my cars all year long if I want
so I would never wash inside. But something to think about.
My truck gets parked in the shop almost daily and it drips leaving puddles on the floor which I sweep out depending on how big they are.

Where will the compressor go ? (noise)
Add a lift ? cement thickness ?

Dirty room, solvent tank/ sand blaster
Clean room, engine work.
Good luck thats all I can think of (for now)

 

[W_A_Watson_II]

Oh, almost forgot. Epoxy the floor, it's great for cleaning, and keeping the place looking better. But be sure to put the non-slip adative so it's not an ice skating rink.