New Guy with 30x50 pole barn

[dmitch1212]

I just stumbled upon this site and it seems like there is a wealth of knowledge tha I can benefit from on the site. I am new to garage/pole barn ownership and have a few questions before I have one built.

Bought some property in Northern WI and I am putting up a pole barn to store the toys until we build a cabin in 5yrs or so. It will be 30x50x14 metal building with a concrete slab. I want to frame in a 10x30 area on one end as a weekend living area. There will be a loft above this area as well. So basically two 300 sq ft areas. I am going to close in the area from the remaining portion of the garage with plywood and insulation and there will be a toilet/shower/sink. I plan to insulate the walls and frame in a cieling above the loft.

Here are the questions:

1) I do not want to put in LP gas tank for now so everythign will be electric. Will an electric tankless water heater work well for this application?

2) Will electric baseboard or space heaters work for winter?

3) If I put window a/c units with the back ends hanging into the open garage area, will there be enough air circulation or do I need to cut a whole in the side of the barn?

Thanks for any input.

 

[boiler7904]

In general, electric will work but it will be less efficient and have higher operating costs compared to propane or natural gas. Install price for electric equipment is probably slightly lower than gas (natural or LP).

If you have to use electric heat, use baseboards. They are much safer than space heaters and can be left unattended.

Using the garage area as an intake for the a/c units will never be approved during code review or by an inspector. Garages always have things like gasoline, solvents, and other petroleum product vapors in the air that you wouldn't want to pump into the living space. Put the holes in the exterior walls or do with out a/c.

 

[dmitch1212]

Thanks for the advise. I didn't even think of the fumes that would be pumped in. Don't want to turn blue any time soon...

 

[bens]

Dmitch,
I am doing a similar set up. Done so far is the 42x75 barn, concrete, well, roughed in drainage and electric. Up next, if it ever stops raining here, is septic. Then I'll finish one end (15x42) for bath, bedroom, kitchen and living area as you are planning.

For heat I am thinking about going with an electric furnace.

Like you, this was mostly built to store toys and for a workshop.
Good luck. Keep us updated with your progress.

 

[krooser]

Put enough insulation in the walls and ceiling and you'll be OK with the electric...not cheap to operate but you won't go broke in a small space like that.

My building had a tankless hot water heater that supplied the sink and shower and it worked fine...and it was just a tiny under-sink unit.

 

[dmitch1212]

Well I spoke with the local building inspector yesterday. I didn't say what I was planning on doing but he made it very clear that they would not allow divided rooms for living space inside a pole barn. Looks like this is going to be one comfy "workshop". Anyone else run into problems with passing inspections?

 

[wilbilt]

Personally, I have not had those specific issues with inspectors, but have heard plenty of stories.

Being a rural area, requirements for "ag buildings" are pretty lax. Just about anything can be built, and in most cases, is exempt from permits or inspection.

Moving up to "garages", the requirements change, as most garages have power. In the case of a garage, most scrutiny from the inspectors is focused on the electrical.

The flag-raiser seems to be when a permit for a garage with plumbing is applied for. It seems some people, when developing a property, will build a garage and furnish it as living space while building a permanent dwelling.

It makes perfect sense to me, but seems to drive the inspectors nuts. There are probably legitimate grounds for their objections, as many "garages" tend to become permanent dwelings, either because the planned house never gets completed, or the "garage" becomes a rental, etc.

It seems that around here, they would prefer you live in a trailer while building a dwelling, rather than in a temporary barn or garage. I'm sure this varies depending on location, but in this area, the plumbing permits are what seem to arouse the attention of the building department.

 

[customperformance]

Get your permit to build, finish building to minimal standards to get final sign off. Then down the road since your in the country build your temp living quarters in it and say nothing. And since you are going to plan to build a house there down the road it shouldnt be a problem with your utilities to get them to run gas water and electric to your land if nearby with out the county doing to much. Sometimes the less you tell them or hint at the better your off in the long run.

 

[kbs2244]

The easy way I have seen for living in the barn while waiting to get the house built was to "park" a camping trailer in the barn. You can't see them from the road because they are inside.
They come with heat and plumbing and power hook ups. You have room for a 35 footer in there. They can be pretty comfy.
It was kind of a open secret that a guy in west Racine Co did this for the 2 years it took him to build a half million dollar house on a 40 acre hourse farm. Maybe the inspector figured the future taxs were worth looking the other way?

 

[dmitch1212]

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions. The inspector said that it was okay to run water and septic for a bathroom. I guess I will scale down the Taj Mahal of pole barns a little. Just can't invite the neighbors over in case I piss them off in the future.

Any one have any luck with portable A/C units that have the plastic tube vent out a window? They say they can cool up to 400 sq ft but I wanted to check here first.

 

[wilbilt]

Any one have any luck with portable A/C units that have the plastic tube vent out a window? They say they can cool up to 400 sq ft but I wanted to check here first.

We are using one to cool an 8'x'12' server room. It does a good job , and was only about $500, as I recall. It has a single duct that we routed through the wall, and the condensate drain is integrated into the exhaust, so there is only one hole to worry about.