Steel building?

[dkn1997]

I have outgrown my 2.5 car garage and I was thinking of building a detached 2 car in my back yard. I was considering a steel building, anyone ever use one?

 

[jstbecauz]

Steel building are loud in the rain. Other than that they are a great alternative and will help save you some dough.

 

[Bob]

Yes, they are loud in the rain but some insulation and some type of wall sheathing on the ceiling and walls can sure help that issue a lot. I would love to have the room to build one.

 

[gb387]

Yes, they are loud in the rain but some insulation and some type of wall sheathing on the ceiling and walls can sure help that issue a lot. I would love to have the room to build one.

Where I work all our shops/garages are steel. I agree with above a little insulation and sheathing will help the issue. We have both insulated and non. Also... not sure how much snow you get where you live but when snow/ice piles up on the roof it tends to "sheet" off rather than melt so when everything starts melting and/or the heat in the building starts to loosen the accumulated snow and ice on the roof, move your vehicles out of the way of falling snow and Ice and the Ice. Also the insulation will help the heating if you choose to heat it.

 

[Kevin54]

For a two car building you are just as well off going with a stick built garage. With the price of steel the way it is, then having to add in between with 2 x's to add insulation and finish off the walls on the inside it is almost cheaper to go with a stick built. Around our area both run neck and neck in pricing, but the stick built has definate advantages.

Kevin

 

[dkn1997]

thanks for the insight....

stickbuilt might be better for me because I can do it all myself and take my time. I would not have the first clue how to put a steel building together. plus, it will be easier to blend a stick built garage into my property/neighborhood.

 

[OzCop]

I built a 40x50 steel building two years ago, and have never regretted it. I did have the white insulation wrapped up the walls and over the roof structure prior to having the walls and roof installed. Primarily, I needed a place to park a 35' Class A RV, and still have enough space for a shop. It works great. I can park the RV on one side (12x9 door) and park up to 6 cars on the other side. (8x8 door) This building, complete with 6 inch concrete floor and 25' concrete apron cost me half of the cost of stick/brick. I have been sufficiently pleased with it, low maintenance, easy to clean, no more noise in rain than my house, and I have access to wiring and electrical outlets, allowing easy addition of electric boxes as necessary. I would recommend a steel building to anyone. However, mine is not a bolt together, it is welded throughout. I'm told welding makes for a more solid construction, but others opinions may vary...

 

[fromnwmt]

A couple friends helped me put up a 30x40x12 Rhino steel building with insulation last year there is a small learning curve but went together with ease... We did have a backhoe onsite to set the large main beams but other then that is was all hand tools, ladders and scaffolding it would have been quicker with an electric man lift. I did install 2x4x8 interior walls and covered them with 1/2 plywood after installing all the wiring etc.. I have no regrets going steel over stick built since i am not a carpenter by trade and wanted to do it mostly myself.. Things i would do different would be steeper pitched roof and 16ft walls instead of 12" so i could have a taller storage area over a little "meat cooler" we installed in one corner and add two 12x12 doors instead of one 10x10 and one 12x12.... I am loving it so far...

 

[AbitNutz]

My wife suspects and I can confirm, that if I were to put up a steel garage that was like 60x60 it would have small living quarters and I would never come back to the house. It's a dream....Car lift, welder, compressor, tools, gun reloading area....big screen TV, radiant floor heat, air, leather couch....not her or the kids and grand kids that somehow have moved back in. I'm about there....the other day I came down stairs and I only knew half the people at the breakfast table.

 

[nehog]

I had no problems building my steel building. Not noisy in rain but I do have full insulation too, which helps. I've had steel buildings in the past without insulation (in the tropics) and though noisy, it was not unpleasant.

Overall I have no regrets going steel, as mentioned a bit of a learning curve, and a few, uh mistakes, but nothing that didn't work out in the end.

 

[Typo41]

I never understood why there is a question of sound insidea metal building in the rain?
Isn't these the same buildings we are pounding, grinding, usuing saws, cutters and sometimes inside aircompressors??
With that said I have the lifetime chance to build my shop/office out here in 'It never rains in Southern California, except today'. For ease and time I am looking at a 30 X 40 metal building with 12 foot walls, one man door and 3 roll ups. We have a installer out here that says he can bring, drop, and install on my slab for $14,000.00. This is my first and will be my last building.
Any thoughts?

 

[OldracerJones]

I just finished my 30 x 50 ft building with two roll up doors in the front and a drive thru in the back. Insulated with 4" of fiberglass and a 40 x 20 covered driveway. I like everything about it.

 

[brianh]

Built a 40x60 olimpia steel building I am almost done, I have r38 insulation in the walls and ceiling it is very easy to heat with just a 55.000 btu salamander I will be putting a permanent heat system in later.

Here is my build thread
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=81618

 

[Provincial]

Having done both a stick built and a metal building, my recommendation is for your 2-car size garage to go stick built.

As the previous posters noted, you can do the stick built yourself, perhaps with a little help and rental machinery. It is also easier to find help (friends, relatives, etc.) that are familiar with stick built construction. If your project were larger, I would have a different suggestion. As far as a roof goes, architectural shingles are a good choice, since they are quiet in the rain, last a long time, and look good. If you decide to go with a metal roof, I would recommend a standing-seam style with no exposed fasteners, since I have experience with the screws leaking, despite the rubber washers.

A metal building is more practical for large buildings with higher walls. A steel post-frame building will have more usable height due to the lack of trusses. Metal is cheaper to build for a large volume building (length x height x volume) while stick is cheaper for small buildings.

Steel roofs are not very loud if you have insulation under the metal, and at R21 or greater is not an issue from my experience. I have an old machine shed that has corrugated aluminum roofing and it is very loud in a strong rain storm, but the noise is not an irritating sound. My house has a cedar shake roof and it can be noisy in a strong rain storm if you are upstairs.

 

[synergy321]

How do you guys address running electrical lines and boxes? Do you just cleanly run the wires along the walls and then do you need a special box to mount to the metal? I haven't looked into them a great deal.

Also, what about shelving/mounting cabinets? I'm guessing that's kind of out of the picture unless you stick frame it within the metal.

 

[autoclassicnut]

Although this is an old post... here's mine (also have several updates)...

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15772

 

[Provincial]

Metal buildings have metal horizontal members between the I-beam posts, called "girts." When you order the building specify that one girt be placed at four feet and another at eight feet. Make sure that these are positioned so that you can screw OSB, plywood, or other type of panels to them. To attach the bottom of the panels, you will need to either specify a u-channel attached to the slab the is the same width as the girts to anchor the lower end of the siding and the panels, or attach a galvanized angle to the slab just for the panels. I use 1/2" plywood and attach the electrical conduit and boxes to that.

I used EMT and metal boxes because I believe that this is the most durable option for work shops. You could use rigid PVC for the exposed work if you prefer. I would not use romex in a metal building, although under some circumstances it may be approved by code. MC (metal armored) cable can be used where you can't contort conduit easily. enough.

 

[MFortie]

I never understood why there is a question of sound insidea metal building in the rain?
Isn't these the same buildings we are pounding, grinding, usuing saws, cutters and sometimes inside aircompressors??
With that said I have the lifetime chance to build my shop/office out here in 'It never rains in Southern California, except today'. For ease and time I am looking at a 30 X 40 metal building with 12 foot walls, one man door and 3 roll ups. We have a installer out here that says he can bring, drop, and install on my slab for $14,000.00. This is my first and will be my last building.
Any thoughts?

I'm in sunny (today) So Cal as well; mind sharing who this miracle worker is?

The wife and I are offering on a 5.5 acre parcel with a couple of rundown homes and I want a shop darn it!

Thanks,

Mark

 

[Bronson]

I never understood why there is a question of sound insidea metal building in the rain?
Isn't these the same buildings we are pounding, grinding, usuing saws, cutters and sometimes inside aircompressors??
With that said I have the lifetime chance to build my shop/office out here in 'It never rains in Southern California, except today'. For ease and time I am looking at a 30 X 40 metal building with 12 foot walls, one man door and 3 roll ups. We have a installer out here that says he can bring, drop, and install on my slab for $14,000.00. This is my first and will be my last building.
Any thoughts?

I have a 30x40 steel, with 12 foot walls, one roll up and two man-doors. Cost of the building alone was about $12000. I hired a crew to erect (3 days) and then had 3-5 inches of foam insy sprayed on all inteior walls, and ceiling. I was dissapointed ONLY in the fact that the rain is VERY loud. As in, You cant hear TV or stereo if it is raining. But, it never rains here, anymore, so no big deal.

 

[peghead]

I have steel building, and I love it. Wish it was bigger though! I like the high ceilings!