Farrier
Well-known member
Build a stick building. Tired of reading pole barn threads.
Pole Building Vs Stick Built (With pricing included!)
- Thread starter Clemson
- Start date
Fix Until Broke
Well-known member
Another consideration would be to build it "the other way" with wide trusses but initially a short length of the building.
Typically a 30x50 building will be 30 feet wide (with 30 foot trusses) and 50 feet long. If you flip this the other way and make it 50 feet wide (with 50 foot trusses) and only 30 feet long, you end up with the same square footage, but then have the ability to easily add on another 30 feet down the road when time and $$ might be more available.
Nobody has built a shop and said "this is too big, I wish I would have gone smaller". So I'd recommend to always build it with expansion in mind, even if it seems or looks a bit odd at the time.
I'm in the stick built camp FWIW - Better to do it "right", within your budget, even if it's smaller than you'd like right now, but with the idea of expanding in the future.
jives
Well-known member
Stick framing is far from "right", in fact, it was developed as a way to involve cheap labor with cheap materials. Just consider the millions of cookie-cutter tract homes using stick built -- cheap labor using inexpensive materials and a lot of nails. Post frame building (poles in ground or not) is perhaps the most common way to build in the world using lightweight materials (i.e., not mud, brick, concrete, stone). The basic skeletal frame of skyscrapers use the same concepts of a pole barn, including piles driven deep into the ground.
When done right, a post frame structure is arguably "better" (individual definition) than even a well-built stick frame house.
Bluedodge
Well-known member
If the same contractor is going to put up both buildings, go with stick. Get as large a foot print as fits into your budget and finish out the interior over time as finances and time allow.
He will be able to use the same siding, soffits, windows, trim, exterior lights, etc for both buildings and tie your property together so it looks nice.
Nothing worse than a beautiful house coupled with a different color motif/siding material on the out building. It looks cobbled together at that point.
He will be able to use the same siding, soffits, windows, trim, exterior lights, etc for both buildings and tie your property together so it looks nice.
Nothing worse than a beautiful house coupled with a different color motif/siding material on the out building. It looks cobbled together at that point.
Fix Until Broke
Well-known member
For me, "Right" means that there is a permanent (no maintenance), impenetrable to critters and water, barrier between inside and outside of the building. Whatever you want to put on top of that (posts, sticks, steel, etc) is likely determined by what you want to do with the building and cost. I prefer sticks because there's consistent structure to attach walls, outlets, utilities, etc to, it's easy to insulate very well, it "fits" with standard materials, etc. If the building is just basic storage, then there are other approaches that may be more beneficial to that use.
I'm not a structural engineer, but my intuition is that a 2x8 stick built structure would be stronger than an 8x8 pole structure of the same dimensions. There's the same (or more?) material, spread out over the same area and much more interconnects between those materials than on a pole building. Seems that would be stronger?
The problem: Getting someone to build it. Around me most pole building have metal sides. They are utility buildings .... very few turn into nice conditioned spaces. Asking for that gets into a skill set that they don't have.
My studio addition is SIP's .. another outlier. For a utility building open to another with only 3 windows and a 8x8 door at the end .. nothing came close to the performance for the price. But, it required surface mounted electric as the panels came w/ drywall. It worked because we had someone in the area doing them ...it was much cheaper vs doing a stick matching the performance.
ekimneirbo
Well-known member
Fix Until Broke said:For me, "Right" means that there is a permanent (no maintenance), impenetrable to critters and water, barrier between inside and outside of the building. Whatever you want to put on top of that (posts, sticks, steel, etc) is likely determined by what you want to do with the building and cost. I prefer sticks because there's consistent structure to attach walls, outlets, utilities, etc to, it's easy to insulate very well, it "fits" with standard materials, etc. If the building is just basic storage, then there are other approaches that may be more beneficial to that use.
My opinion he got it exactly right. Finishing the inside is much easier and better. Something else to consider is that metal buildings are the norm these days, so I wouldn't worry about matching the house exactly. People that judge your building by the fact that you don't have matching brick and shingles are also the people that don't have a building of their own. Secretly they wish they had what you have.
Use metal and you won't be replacing a roof in 20 years. My metal building is already over 20 years old and looks fine....doesn't need anything. If it ever does, it can just be painted or coated instead of replaced. My house is 40 years old. I've already replaced the shingles twice....and it costs a heck of a lot more these days. If you are worried about matching roofs, use metal on the house. Lots of houses are converting to metal and properly done, they can look very nice. They will still look nice down the road when shingles need replacing.
My opinion he got it exactly right. Finishing the inside is much easier and better. Something else to consider is that metal buildings are the norm these days, so I wouldn't worry about matching the house exactly. People that judge your building by the fact that you don't have matching brick and shingles are also the people that don't have a building of their own. Secretly they wish they had what you have.
Use metal and you won't be replacing a roof in 20 years. My metal building is already over 20 years old and looks fine....doesn't need anything. If it ever does, it can just be painted or coated instead of replaced. My house is 40 years old. I've already replaced the shingles twice....and it costs a heck of a lot more these days. If you are worried about matching roofs, use metal on the house. Lots of houses are converting to metal and properly done, they can look very nice. They will still look nice down the road when shingles need replacing.
jives
Well-known member
Understood, but the same can be had with a pole building when built correctly with finishing in mind. My barn has sheathing and house wrap and I could have sided it with anything the main house has. The inside has commercial girts that enable consistency in putting up wall material and insulation. Around here, huge numbers of free standing commercial buildings -- mini-marts, gas stations,etc. -- are post frame buildings. Framing for windows and doors and placing electrical is no problem.
I urge the OP to check out websites such as Morton and the other biggies. Perhaps won't save money over stick, but good to go in with eyes wide open.
I'm not sure about code compliance now a days (without having plans for your building with an engineers stamp) BUT back in the 1980's before the Permacolums ever existed.... I used concrete poured inside Sonotube below grade with 1/4" welded up steel brackets with 1/2" pieces reinforcing welded to the base piece of the bracket that was set down into the concrete. The brackets were made to accept whatever the triple 2 X's were speced to go from above grade and ran to the roof line. My selling points were not only rot and bug infestation of the lumber below grade but I also thought this would be much faster if one ever had to rebuild after a fire. It is much more time consuming up front getting your layout right but after the concrete columns and brackets were done, you could fly.
jason94gm
New member
I just went through this same decision and I'm also in SC (near Columbia). I ending up with a pole building from Armour Metals out of Augusta, GA and I am happy I did, for a 36x36x14 with concrete i'm into it about 25k with the inside completely unfinished except for radiant insulation. That's over 10k cheaper than it would have cost me to stick build.
jason94gm
New member
treated 6x6 in the ground
jason94gm
New member
This was the day after the floor was poured.
Attachments
Fix Until Broke
Well-known member
Generally (it depends on the specific lift) you need an absolute minimum of 12 feet from the floor to the finished ceiling. From a building standpoint this typically means a minimum of 14 foot sidewalls to insure that you get enough height inside.
outdoorspace
Banned
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2014
- Messages
- 356
I was gonna go with them but I their pressure treat level wasn't good enough for me. Maybe the sales guy didn't know right. The place I went with used UC4B level treatment.
Dragfluid
ALLIANCE MEMBER
LOL!
I wonder how many "Stick vs Pole" threads there are here? I'm not going to do a search.
The Pole people are never going to win over the Stick people, and visa versa. They both do the job.
(except pole just does it better)
OP, take a look at my build thread. The basic 72x42 shell was $33,000. I built a 12x36 apartment inside. The walls are dense pack walls are R36 with house wrap. The ceiling is R60+. During the week, I work out there all day in my 8x12 office, which is also insulated. Usually just the two computers keep it warm enough, but I have a small baseboard that will put out some heat quickly. On Saturdays in the winter, I turn up the 75,000 BTU propane furnace and it keeps it at whatever temp I want it to be. Usually about 66F. The 3 ceiling fans keep it down where it does some good. In the summer, when it's HOT, the small 5,000 BTU A/C keeps it nice. Have only had to run that maybe a total of 7 days in the past 3 years. I have stuff hung on the walls with no problem.
After the shell was up, the rest of it was done for about another $25,000. All quality materials.
I wonder how many "Stick vs Pole" threads there are here? I'm not going to do a search.
The Pole people are never going to win over the Stick people, and visa versa. They both do the job.
(except pole just does it better)
OP, take a look at my build thread. The basic 72x42 shell was $33,000. I built a 12x36 apartment inside. The walls are dense pack walls are R36 with house wrap. The ceiling is R60+. During the week, I work out there all day in my 8x12 office, which is also insulated. Usually just the two computers keep it warm enough, but I have a small baseboard that will put out some heat quickly. On Saturdays in the winter, I turn up the 75,000 BTU propane furnace and it keeps it at whatever temp I want it to be. Usually about 66F. The 3 ceiling fans keep it down where it does some good. In the summer, when it's HOT, the small 5,000 BTU A/C keeps it nice. Have only had to run that maybe a total of 7 days in the past 3 years. I have stuff hung on the walls with no problem.
After the shell was up, the rest of it was done for about another $25,000. All quality materials.
I finally decided on a pole building. My father in law and brother in law can help me on the interior. I will be able to get a lot more building for the $$ and finish it over time since we are already forking out $$ on a house.
Pole rot, critter invasions, etc. I'm putting those thoughts to rest. If it bites me down the road so be it.
Your thread was very helpful. You need more pictures!