Pole build vs stick build

[CRAZYBOBDS]

Hi everyone, I've been looking at a garage / shop build for a few years. I currently have a 2 car attached garage in Delaware. But I was hoping to expand that to a 4 car. The prices are prohibitive to expand. I'm being told 50k.

I have enough lot on the other side of my house (free space 100 x 80) I'm on a corner. I've been thinking of putting a 30 x 40 shop over there. It is very residential neighborhood with all brick houses. The stick built with foundations are very expensive. I was reading on here about pole barns. They seem like I can use one of those with some upgrades to try and make it fit in the neighborhood better.

Wondering what you guys think. Pole vs stick. Pros / cons. Things to consider. Am I crazy? lol. Thanks for your input!!!

Bob

 

[NUTTSGT]

First, do you have an HOA that you need to be concerned about ?

Personally, I like stick built with a foundation. If everything is brick around you, you might want to consider doing a lower section , like wainscoting, with matching brick. After that, just about anything nicely done, should match fairly close, whether it be vinyl or metal siding, stained wood or hardi-board or something like shakes.

 

[bdamico]

Comes up quite a bit

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/search.php?searchid=24838063

 

[w33b8t1]

My thoughts were the same as yours.

My plans were denied.

I stick built.

I am glad I did.

 

[pjboy]

I WENT pole barn because of price plus i can do it by self most of it,I,m sheathing the whole thing havent decided on siding yet. maybe hardiplank ,I,m in rural setting though.

 

[Kevin54]

Everything I built, I built stick style on a foundation all due to the fact I am more comfortable doing it that way. I can't ever find poles that want to stay straight more than two days in a row.

 

[ford33]

Your city or village likely has building codes that may determine what is suitable. Check with your city.

 

[CRAZYBOBDS]

I can do either in New Castle county. All of the posts I seem to read on the other forum threads seem to stick being the best option. I also see the money people are spending on some of these garages and it looks crazy. lol.

Wondering if the people that are stick building were less concerned about cost. hmm..

 

[rattle_snake]

I went through similar dilemma recently, I have decided to go stick over pole. I am building 34' x 40' so similar size. I have priced all aspects of building both, multiple ways;
-Pole w/ sheet metal
-Pole w/ T1-11/shingle roof
-Stick w/ T1-11/shingle
-Stick w/ stucco/flat roof
Material wise they were very close. Cement for pole is cheaper by about 3k

Both have same fixed cost for permits, site clearing and dirt work.
Both have same cost of electrical (plumbing if any) and extra concrete other than bulding slab.

Here in PHX, no one builds pole buildings. Everyone knows stick.

For a minimal total cost increase I can build same construction as house (santé fe; stucco, flat roof) which is only 6 feet away. This delta money will pay back in property value for either resale or appraisal value to get rid of my PMI.

Either way you can do outside with material that goes with neighborhood better than metal. good luck

 

[matt_i]

I think I'd go for a separate shop. Adding on needs a lot more care to manage transitions for the floor, the concrete walls, the roof, maintain alignment and square etc. Some parts of the new foundation or floor will probably be nearly inaccessible for concrete trucks. However you gain back in the ability to share utilities (heat, electrical, plumbing) without running new service feeds. Some modifications for access for heavy earthmoving machinery and concrete trucks may be needed depending on how much access they have without destroying landscape, septic, existing concrete, etc.

In my opinion, making the shop match your house, at least from the front view, will increase your property value. If its done less expensively, but doesn't match, it almost becomes a drag on the property value. You're spending nearly the same either way, I'd much rather have that money work for me down the road a few years. So, you could do 1-side brick, 3 sides brick, 4 sides brick.

 

[nonhog]

I've had 2 pole buildings and they are o.k. but depending on the climate,
stick could be better. All depends on the use.
A hybrid is always a possibility and if you want some conditioned space and some just storage space. Something to consider.

The money I saved going pole vs. stick probably wasn't worth it after dealing with the insulation and sheeting.

Insulating a pole building *****!

 

[Daniel Dudley]

Where I live, a barn that looks like a barn is pretty acceptable. If you go with a pole barn and you aren't building it yourself, find a specialist if you want to save money. Tell them what you want up front.

Lots of guys stick build on a monolithic slab. Depending on your soil and elevations, this could get you into a stick built cheaper.

As a builder, I can tell you that in my opinion, what will save you money is finding the right builder for your project.

 

[foamer01]

I posted this on how I had done mine a few years back.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=124121

Hi everyone, I've been looking at a garage / shop build for a few years. I currently have a 2 car attached garage in Delaware. But I was hoping to expand that to a 4 car. The prices are prohibitive to expand. I'm being told 50k.

I have enough lot on the other side of my house (free space 100 x 80) I'm on a corner. I've been thinking of putting a 30 x 40 shop over there. It is very residential neighborhood with all brick houses. The stick built with foundations are very expensive. I was reading on here about pole barns. They seem like I can use one of those with some upgrades to try and make it fit in the neighborhood better.

Wondering what you guys think. Pole vs stick. Pros / cons. Things to consider. Am I crazy? lol. Thanks for your input!!!

Bob

 

[CNGsaves]

Haven't mentioned 3rd option . . . . Steel frame with metal skin building.

If you planned the concrete for brick ledge, you could put bottom few feet in brick to match the house/neighborhood and do rest of building with steel. Roof could be either steel or composition shingle to blend in with neighborhood.

Overhangs on the building make all the difference IMO to blend in with houses and not just look like barn/shed.

 

[ptgb]

How about a little bit from column A and a little bit from column B. It is not common outside my area of the country (very common here), but I had built a "hybrid" building with a pole building foundation and then stick built from there.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=196027

Did a 24x32 for about 10K with the convenience of real walls (for insulation, finishing, etc) and the low cost of pole building foundation.

Don't know if building codes in you area will allow it, but I am convinced it is the way to go cost v. quality.

 

[jives]

I urge you to look over previous threads on this topic with a quick search. I will say, however, that most folks put "pole barn" or "post frame" buildings in a lesser category of quality vs. stick built. That is a flat out mistake. Keep in mind that stick built only came into use because of (1) cheap lumber, (2) cheap nails, and (3) cheap labor. Stick built became popular because low skilled workers could cut a board to length and drive a nail.

From an engineering standpoint a stick built building has nothing over an engineered pole barn, and may offer less inherent design flexibility.