Struggling with shop build, need advice

[oilfieldtrash4]

I'm looking to build a shop in the near future. I'm not looking to do much or any of the work. I'm struggling with going stick built or metal building. I'd prefer metal but insulating it scares me and it's too hot if I don't insulate it. I live in north Texas. I've heard that the foam insulation will eventually rot the metal due to trapping moisture which makes sense. Especially when down the road the screw gaskets fail and they start leaking. I have a metal roof on my house that after 18 years of being on is being replaced. I know from first hand experience about all the leaks they develop. The vinyl backed isn't much better and can allow rats to live in them. Is there a way to sufficiently ventilate a metal building with fans or something without insulation. I don't need it air conditioned. Just cool enough in the summer where it's about the same temp as outside so I can do some tinkering or whatever.
My budget is 25k. Not sure how much of a stick built I could get for that? I've got a quote for a 30x40 for 22,500 metal I beam construction with 26 gauge panels. I'd be okay with a smaller stick built shell but not sure on pricing on one? Any insight would be appreciated.I could add insulation, electric, and drywall later.
The land is pretty level with good drainage. Out of city limits so no permits or restrictions.

 

[txvwnut]

I live in north Texas as well and have a metal building. You want insulation. Whether it’s rolled fiberglass that is trapped between the structure and the metal or foam sheets installed afterward, like I’ve done in mine, you want something. I had a non-insulated metal building once and in the summer it was like an oven and in the winter a deep freeze. I’m currently looking at moving and building another shop which will most likely be a pole barn due to the budget I’ve set for myself.

 

[u2slow]

I'm looking to build a shop in the near future. ....
The land is pretty level with good drainage. Out of city limits so no permits or restrictions.

Get quotes for site prep and concrete. That was easily half the cost of my shop.

I'm outside city limits too, but no free lunch. Still within the regional district - although the rules are a little more relaxed than actually being within the city limits.

 

[oilfieldtrash4]

Get quotes for site prep and concrete. That was easily half the cost of my shop.



I'm outside city limits too, but no free lunch. Still within the regional district - although the rules are a little more relaxed than actually being within the city limits.

Yeah I think I'm going to have the pad built separately from the building.

As far as restrictions I'm really out in the sticks. My neighbors are more horses and cows than they are people. There are seriously no restrictions.

 

[niget2002]

I live in north Texas as well and have a metal building. You want insulation. Whether it’s rolled fiberglass that is trapped between the structure and the metal or foam sheets installed afterward, like I’ve done in mine, you want something. I had a non-insulated metal building once and in the summer it was like an oven and in the winter a deep freeze. I’m currently looking at moving and building another shop which will most likely be a pole barn due to the budget I’ve set for myself.

Agreed. I'm in the same area. You want the insulation.

I was lucky enough to move into a house that already had a well built shop. The previous owner did pretty much everything the same way I would. He had even sprung for insulated doors. It's really nice in both the summer and the winter.

 

[oilfieldtrash4]

Agreed. I'm in the same area. You want the insulation.



I was lucky enough to move into a house that already had a well built shop. The previous owner did pretty much everything the same way I would. He had even sprung for insulated doors. It's really nice in both the summer and the winter.

What kind of shop is it? What do you like about it? Would you change anything if you were to build it over?

 

[K'ledgeBldr]

Can you hit a bit more specific about area?

The reason I ask is because of soil. Being from TX I'm quite familiar with the soil "problems"- specifically "Black Gumbo"! I've seen pole barns/buildings do weird things on that soil. Then again, I've also seen slabs do weird things also- but most of those were done wrong from the get-go- a well done slab can float and move without breaking.

I've also dealt with the pockets of "sandy loam" in east TX. Older homes built on crawls that practically walked across the ground. Slabs work fairly well- especially PTC mono-slabs.

 

[oilfieldtrash4]

Can you hit a bit more specific about area?

The reason I ask is because of soil. Being from TX I'm quite familiar with the soil "problems"- specifically "Black Gumbo"! I've seen pole barns/buildings do weird things on that soil. Then again, I've also seen slabs do weird things also- but most of those were done wrong from the get-go- a well done slab can float and move without breaking.

I've also dealt with the pockets of "sandy loam" in east TX. Older homes built on crawls that practically walked across the ground. Slabs work fairly well- especially PTC mono-slabs.

It's the black gumbo. Godley TX. Any tips on how I should proceed?

 

[lawhorne]

I live in southeast Georgia and have a 24x60 with 16' peak steel building (red iron frame) metal building. Whiteish color with silver roof (can't see from ground (12/1 roof pitch) I insulated the roof with the silver reflective "bubble wrap" type insulation when it was erected. I'm sure it does some good, but it still gets hot in the summer (May - October). I added an insulated 10x12 office wood framed 2x4 inside with AC (rolling portable unit vented to outside wall), and I also added a large ceiling fan (8 foot span with 9 blades - quietly moves ALOT of air) in the main area to augment the 30" portable pedestal fan (not so quiet). You want insulation.

Permits aren't all bad, they provide an opportunity to get your work inspected to help protect YOU from sub-par work (concrete rebar/footing, electrical wiring) at the right times.... Just my two cents....

 

[readhead]

The foundation is an integral part of the building design and not just a lump of concrete you decide to build on later. It is especially important with metal buildings because of the column reactions.

 

[K'ledgeBldr]

You're actually in the "Western Timbers" region- not a part of the "Blackland Prairie"/ "Black Gumbo" region. Western Timbers is not as clay-rich as Blackland; possibly a good thing for you.

I was involved in a few projects of Quonset style buildings on big ranches in NE TX. They are sitting on Black Gumbo- w/PTC slabs. These are the big units- they hold two or three JD harvesters along with p/ups, tractors, balers, etc.

Overall, PTC (post tension cable) mono-slabs work well in TX versus pole buildings. I would definitely do a mono-slab with a stick-built (wood or LGS) structure. The exterior could still be steel panel with vinyl enveloped fiberglass insulation.

Your best bet is pricing both type of buildings and asking erector companies what they recommend for foundations based on the soil you're dealing with.

 

[pmiranda]

If you're worried about screw holes leaking (I am) you can go with concealed fastener panels, at least for the roof. Insulation is important for comfort, especially in N Texas since we see some pretty good weather extremes. Foam won't automatically cause corrosion, especially if you have something between the foam and the metal panels, which is a great idea if you ever want to be able to remove/replace a panel. An experienced local concrete guy will know how to handle your soil for a slab. For a metal building the slab needs to be designed for the building so make that decision before you break ground. And of course think about any pipes, electrical, etc. you want to have in the slab.

 

[niget2002]

What kind of shop is it? What do you like about it? Would you change anything if you were to build it over?

It's an all metal shop on a slab. The enclosed area is 26'x50'. There's a 20ft carport on the front and a full length 15' covered porch on the side.

The shop was setup a bit like a party barn. There's a full width garage door on the front, a glass 10' garage door on the side with the porch, and a 10' door on the back. There's a few windows.

The only thing I wish is that there was a garage door opener on the large front door. Since it's insulated, it's very heavy. I can lift it, but I don't enjoy doing it.

One thing I really like is the previous owner put an electric door look with keypad on the man door. This keeps me from having to remember to grab the key when going out to the shop.

There's no 220 circuits on the shop, but there was a dedicated 30A 120 for the dust collector. The shop has it's own electrical panel with a 200A service. I can easily add more circuits as only half the panel is currently being used.

The previous owner put a 5 ton AC/heat pump on the shop. I've used it more than I thought I would. I want to replace the thermostat with another Nest so I can set the temp before going out there. It only costs a couple of bucks to cool the shop in the heat of August for a day.

I'm currently only using half the shop because we still have some leftover furniture from the move living out there. It's still more than twice the room that I had at the last house as I had to share a small '2-car' garage with the wife's car and my motorcycle. Since both of those vehicles live in the garage at the new house, it leaves the entire shop for being a real shop.

There's water ran out to the shop with a carbon filter. The previous owner had a big industrial ice maker in the shop for entertaining. I'm thinking about hooking it up to a refrigerated drinking fountain. Maybe one with the bottle spigot for filling my cup.

The previous owner also had a conduit ran from the garage to the shop with pull lines. I used that to run a cat6 cable to the shop. I have a dedicated Wifi access point in the shop. No mesh networks or P2P wifi to try to get internet into the shop.

If I could make one change, I'd want the shop to be a little taller. I plan on putting a small loft in one corner of the shop. It'd be nice if there was more headroom above it.

It has one small crappy ceiling fan. I plan on replacing that with a larger industrial unit. I also need to add some air filters to catch smaller dust particles from my woodworking.