starting down the rabbit hole of designing and building a shop, so looking for advice from people who has done it. First choice is pole barn vs stick built. i live in a neighborhood on a 3 acre lot. i have a f350 crewcab long wheel base, jeep wrangler, mower and yard tools, hunting/fishing ****. i want it to be big enough to get all my toys inside and still have room to work. also plan on storing a wareagle 1548 boat as well. will be heated and probably do without ac. also plan on plumbing in water source. I would like to have a covered porch to entertain as well. Was thinking about going with a 32x48 with a covered porch down the long side. i was thinking i could get slab poured and then stick build myself and finish the inside as time and money would allow. trying to figure out the most cost efficient method to build this. based on what im needing what would yall advise? also if we ever were to sale the house and move, how big of a hit do all think i would take?
new shop advice
- Thread starter Davis21
- Start date
sberry
Banned
If I had my hart set on a boat and it could be stored cold would add another dedicated storage bay for it lean to style other seasonal equipment in addition to that shop I increased to 36 ft wide all conditioned or heated. Not sure what the additional cost, maybe 10 large in materials but 36 lets you put 2 doors in the gables 2 cars wide and can walk beside them. 48 long would allow a hoist in the end of a bay. Use the other corner for tools utilities. Want it even better increase width to 40, will give it a ton of elbow room. Would let a guy work on 2 and park one without playing too many musical moves. Put drain in the parking in front of the hoist if nasty weather is a deal.
If you are self building every dollar in material is cheaper sq ft due to some fixed cost. Takes a couple more days to hang some extra really pays off and if its nice enough may make it **** an asset someone else will want it if the fundamentals are there.
If you are self building every dollar in material is cheaper sq ft due to some fixed cost. Takes a couple more days to hang some extra really pays off and if its nice enough may make it **** an asset someone else will want it if the fundamentals are there.
Last edited:
sberry
Banned
Put power in to it first.
matt_i
Well-known member
Do you know what your frost depth is locally?
If its like 12" deep and you could get away with a thickened edge slab to-depth I think I'd stick build as you could do your concrete work in a monolithic pour.
When the frost depth is 42" like it is here or even deeper going North of the Wall (just kidding GoT fans!) then its a bigger challenge and thus cost to get that far down into the ground for solid bearing. Drilling holes and chucking in a concrete cookie is far easier.
If its like 12" deep and you could get away with a thickened edge slab to-depth I think I'd stick build as you could do your concrete work in a monolithic pour.
When the frost depth is 42" like it is here or even deeper going North of the Wall (just kidding GoT fans!) then its a bigger challenge and thus cost to get that far down into the ground for solid bearing. Drilling holes and chucking in a concrete cookie is far easier.
I had significant square footage limitations (bylaws) so my shop (20x38) has a 13x38 lean-to on each side. Too big/tall a building to handle myself - I hired a builder to get to unfinished lockup. Shop has full ~80' frontage on the back street so there's no BS with getting past the house or through the yard.
Check your planned building site carefully. Find somebody that can assess that stuff. I had no idea I was on a crudely backfilled ravine that all had to be dug out and repacked with good solid fill. My building needed perimeter foundation/footings. I do wonder if different design needing only a big raft slab would have avoided that costly site prep.
My place has doubled in value (apparently) in almost 9 years. The shop helped that along.
My 2 cents.
Check your planned building site carefully. Find somebody that can assess that stuff. I had no idea I was on a crudely backfilled ravine that all had to be dug out and repacked with good solid fill. My building needed perimeter foundation/footings. I do wonder if different design needing only a big raft slab would have avoided that costly site prep.
My place has doubled in value (apparently) in almost 9 years. The shop helped that along.
My 2 cents.
MushCreek
Well-known member
The first thing to do is find out what you are legally allowed to do. Find this out from the AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction) which will be your town or county building department. All sorts of people will tell you all sorts of things, but you have to talk to the people who actually make and enforce the rules.
Next, I would play around with a free drawing software like SketchUp, and actually make sketches of the various vehicles you want to park and/or work on. Or, you can go old-school and simply work it all out with graph paper. In the old days, I'd make paper cut-outs to scale, and move them around on a proposed floorplan to see how it all fits. Make sure that there's enough room around vehicles to open the doors. Too many garages aren't wide enough to be practical.
Pole barns are supposed to be a lot cheaper, but by the time you modify it hang insulation and interior sheathing, the cost difference tends to fade. A metal building will get you in the dry the fastest, and can be pretty cheap, but they are ugly, and have their own challenges finishing the inside. Personally, I like to build on a slab, with all of the structure above grade. My barn is stick built, and the only thing I would have done different would have been to run a couple courses of block, then built on top of that. That makes it a lot easier to avoid rot and termites.
As for resale, you have to look around your area and see what your target audience might be. Do other houses have big shops? Out in the country where I am, a big outbuilding is a major asset. In town, a lot of buyers might be turned off, limiting your market. The appearance of the building is a factor, too. In more upscale areas, an attractive traditional barn will be more popular than an industrial-looking metal building. I built a very traditional gambrel roof barn, and everyone comments on how good it looks. My wife and I have to look at it, too, so it's nice to have a good-looking building.
Next, I would play around with a free drawing software like SketchUp, and actually make sketches of the various vehicles you want to park and/or work on. Or, you can go old-school and simply work it all out with graph paper. In the old days, I'd make paper cut-outs to scale, and move them around on a proposed floorplan to see how it all fits. Make sure that there's enough room around vehicles to open the doors. Too many garages aren't wide enough to be practical.
Pole barns are supposed to be a lot cheaper, but by the time you modify it hang insulation and interior sheathing, the cost difference tends to fade. A metal building will get you in the dry the fastest, and can be pretty cheap, but they are ugly, and have their own challenges finishing the inside. Personally, I like to build on a slab, with all of the structure above grade. My barn is stick built, and the only thing I would have done different would have been to run a couple courses of block, then built on top of that. That makes it a lot easier to avoid rot and termites.
As for resale, you have to look around your area and see what your target audience might be. Do other houses have big shops? Out in the country where I am, a big outbuilding is a major asset. In town, a lot of buyers might be turned off, limiting your market. The appearance of the building is a factor, too. In more upscale areas, an attractive traditional barn will be more popular than an industrial-looking metal building. I built a very traditional gambrel roof barn, and everyone comments on how good it looks. My wife and I have to look at it, too, so it's nice to have a good-looking building.
John in OH
Well-known member
I have to agree 100% with MushCreek, every word of his posting is spot on!! It takes a LOT of up-front thought, planning, and homework to achieve a successful shop-build.
Thanks for the advice guys. I’m in Arkansas so I wouldn’t imagine our frost line would be a big issue. I need to check with local authorities first. I sounds like consensus is what I was leaning towards-stick built. The way the property lays out my garage bays would have to be in back, down long side. I was thinking of doing 1 big garage to save wall space. As for the boat, I could do a lean too and cold store it. I was just thinking about if I ever wanted to park inside to not have to worry about thieves. Any idea on a rule of thumb for sq footage needed on average per vehicle?
CraigStu
Well-known member
I am with Mushcreek also. Especially about the extra rows of block. I know there are limits but it's easy to gain 2-2.5 ft of wall height w/ extra block. 8' + block = 10.5' ceiling. One other thought about stick build yourself. Yes you could, but 34+ ft trusses will be tough. As you get more details worked out, I'd carefully consider having a crew frame, truss, and roof it. They can slam that up in <week. You may have friends who will help but that is a lot of wall to build and how many can donate a couple of 2 day weekends all on the same weekend. Do your Tyvek wrap very carefully and you can skip siding for 6-12 months while you work inside.
Just a tidbit on trusses... my building is arranged in 3 bays, and each truss was actually 3 separate pieces. It was attractive for the truss plant, transport, and the builder.
Agreed on the buddies... trying to more than 2 of us together for one thing is like herding cats. The lumber dimensions, lengths, and the heights involved in my shop made me glad I got an experienced builder.
Delaying the siding I like. I should have done that to buffer the financial drain. I'd still get it done before I concentrated on the inside though.
ConCretin
Well-known member
Regardless of your frost line, building on a monolithic slab is the most economical foundation for a conventionally framed, detached structure. As long as your soils are stable and drain reasonably well, you can build on one anywhere. I'll second Mushcreek on everything including the benefit of a curb wall on your slab. It lifts your framing above grade inside and out. I prefer concrete but block works well too.
nadogail
Well-known member
The thing I find handiest in my detached workshop is the toilet in it's closet with a pocket door.