Planning a 44'x60' pole barn

[rcsracing]

Hi folks!

Long time part-time lurker, now getting serious on having a garage built after things have settled.

Main uses - car work, track car hobby, minor fabrication, and learning home machining. I want to pick up home machining, more than my half a**ed try a few years back when I had a small shop, while my dad is still around to teach me (him and his living dad both were career machinists).

Rural residential area/zoning (western PA), permits required but after a phone call checking in at the township, I just need a building that meets some basic criteria (height, style, etc not in the mix). I have a 2 year old very ultra-modern style home, in between a working farm, a small horse farm on the opposite end, an HOA development with $$$ homes from the horse farm property being carved up and a mobile home on foundation at the opposite corner of my lot. Definitely a mix of styles.

I've settled on a 44x60, based on my excel "drawings" as well as getting some initial bids - pole building place, concrete, and site prep/excavator. Haven't checked the plumber or electrician. Water is city water but septic tank. Electric - part of a coop out here, I have my own pole in the yard, with what I believe is their transformer. 5 acre lot. Likely spring construction.

Anyways - I'll keep searching and digging up the tips/recommendations/regrets from other posts. Any initial thoughts based on what I attached here? I don't have an RV today - nor a truck/car trailer, as I sold everything a few years ago to relocated overseas for work. I will definitely have a truck/trailer again, the RV is a "someday maybe". If nothing else, the big pull through part just gives indoor room to more car projects

And if anyone has contractor/source recommendations, I'm all ears. I'm shopping the building through 3 places right now - Morton, Coblentz, and PoleBarnsDirect out of Ohio.

Thanks!
Rick

 

[jack stand]

Looks nice Rick!
Unless you're absolutely sure it's unnecessary, I'd make half the doors 12' wide and 14' high on the RV drive thru bay.
"Playing" with stakes and down paint in the grass is helpful for design and actual dimensions.

 

[rcsracing]

I'm looking at 14' high for the building, so 14' high doors would be a problem I have a 2 story on basement "salt box" (single slope roof, peak at back. From front, basement entrance is grade. so reasonable height.

What about a 12'x12' door?

I have it flagged/painted now. It's not super square, but gives a visual. Turn around measurements has been hard to plan, but I've found some DOT type measurements online. The flags helped the site prep guy get an idea of what I was thinking and how it would fit. He did recommend clocking it a bit on the lot based on the existing slopes to make better use of what's there.

 

[jack stand]

"Siteing" is important but can be difficult even on 5ac. It's nice to keep the wall with all the doors away from the prevailing wind and then you probably also have snow (off the roof) to consider piling up against the doors. A 2' overhang on a 14' wall will not look excessive!
I just built a 40x40 building for my sawmill and put 40" overhangs on a 12' wall (so that the rolling doors will operate) a it's a huge help with snow.

 

[rcsracing]

Here's the revised plans - dumping the full drive through lane, and really hoping a mezzanine is possible. Possible both technically (should be, poles on the edges of that will be fine in the design) as well as financially. Nothing on this build is exactly cheap, but I'm waiting for an updated full building quote.

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