robertlynk
Well-known member
There is a lot of posts asking about steel building. After putting up one and all the after thoughts I came up with a list of things to think about. This is not a do all end all list. There are other ideas and suggestion that are very good.
disclaimer: A sentence is a group of words put together to convey a complete thought, the most difficult thing to convey is a complete thought
1. Is your significant other on board? It has to be a two-way street if you give a lot they need to willingly to reciprocate if you can't come to a good decision this is just going to cause misery for the rest of your life. Choose Wisely
2. What are both your dreams
3. What do both of you want
4. What do you need
5. What can you afford realistically
6. Go to your AHJ and find out what the limitations are for your building
7. Talk to your neighbors tell them what you want to do to make sure there are no problems. Be friends
8. Go to the area where you want to put the building lay it out with a string line or paint where you want the doors the orientation to the sun. Just in case you want to put solar up panels.
9. Walk around the area that you have laid out look at it think about it pretend you're working in the area and what will be the most useful layout to make sure the size and layout is correct. Use boxes to simulate tool boxes or Machinery or compressor put your car in there where you think you might be working on it or storing things. Go back in a couple days and review it. Go back again in a couple of days and review it.The goal is to make it a happy place a usable place with little to no regrets when it’s completed
10. When you pick the eave Heights remember if you are not going to live there forever resale value will increase with height because of allowable storage
11. What are you going to do in the garage, shed,
12. Are you going to put a bathroom or a sink or have floor drains if you're in snow country
13. Do you have an issue with rodents in the area squirrels, rats, gophers, etc? If so my personal thought is I want the perimeter of the Foundation to extend down from the foundation about 2 feet by 4 to 6 inches thick this will reduce the risk of rodents burrowing under the slab I've had this happen on my hay barn and my garage. I would also raise the foundation 6 to 12 in above grade to make sure that you do not have run off going into the garage or building or shed. You can always create an entry apron in and out as needed.
14. When you get bids to do the concrete work get everything in writing that the foundation will be square the anchor bolts will be laid out with a template so that you do not have to do any modifications to the holes in the columns. After the forms are set up and the templates for the anchor bolts are placed if they are embedded anchor bolts buy a big tape measure a hundred foot or whatever and make sure that everything is where it is supposed to be according to the drawings.
15. Go through all of your ideas on what you want inside of the building starting with Eve height whether or not you want to put attachments in there to put a bridge Crane in of some type. Do you want to put one or more lifts in because you’ll need overhead clearance. if you’re going to put the lift at the entrance by where the roll up door is you’ll need to make sure that the door is high enough to clear whatever vehicle you put on the lift. Are you going to put panels on the walls if so you need to have the wall girts run every 4 foot to make sure you can attach your panels and/ or Cabinetry and shelves. This also helps with putting your electrical because you can use the girts as cable tray to lay your electrical on. You also want to Ledger angle at the bottom to attach your panels to that mounts to the floor.
16. Electrical this is one thing that everybody has different opinions about I personally would put a minimum 100 amp service.
A. Receptacles every 10 feet each on its own breaker if possible
B. Receptacles for your garage door openers depending on whether it’s a jackshaft, screw or a chain drive separate breaker also
C. A welder receptacle one at each end of the building
D. And RV plug 120/ 240 volt outside
E. Receptacles outside next to each door and maybe in the middle of a run on the back wall
F. Exterior lighting connections above the doors and on the other walls as needed
G.Put 4 way light switches in at every man door. Also split the lights so that you can lower the output when needed
H. Connections for air conditioning or heating, swamp coolers, fans Etc. are you going to put speakers in the garage for your stereo system you'll want to run the wiring for that also
17. Run your electrical Underground when you put it in think about future expansion put in a minimum of 2 or 3, 2 inch PVC conduit it is cheap digging a trench later is expensive and it hurts. In one of the conduits you will run your main electrical feed. In the second conduit you will run cat cable for your internet and if you have cameras what you would do is put a hub or switch in the garage so you could hook your DVR in your internet put a little Wi-Fi router in and then you have internet in your garage and you can stream your music but also monitor the garage from the house.
18. Plumb the garage for natural gas or propane and put it in several locations inside and outside. The same with water put water on all four sides of the garage on the exterior and then wherever your bathroom sink wash station is. Don't forget your air compressor also when you comes to the plumbing
19. Insulation this can be such a controversial issue you have to decide. Depending on the type of insulation will depend on when you put in your electrical and your plumbing and your lighting. The system I went with thermal design required that I put all the electrical in before the insulation if you use spray foam you'll have to gauge when and where to do this but remember with spray foam modifications to the structure become a little more difficult. Determine how much insulation you need what R-value what are your outdoor temperatures the system I went with has 9 in of wall insulation and 12in of ceiling insulation when it's hot out it's comfortable in the garage when it's cold out it's comfortable in the garage without any added cooling or Heating. If no insulation at least put thermal breaks between the sheeting and framing
20. Other thoughts as far as lighting goes would be to put in solatubes I’ve have some in the house and they work really good I want to put some in my building to see if it'll help that way I don't have to turn the lights on when I go in during daylight hours
21. Decide if you are going to have anything hanging from the ceiling this information will be needed before hand so that the roof framing can be engineered correctly I E solar panels on the roof hanging your AC or heater from the rafters Etc
22. Door another controversy. Carriage type, roll up, insulated Etc. what are you going to put in the garage do you have a truck or an RV if so the door needs to be at least 10 feet wide preferably 12 minimum. Door height what are you going to put in there 9 foot barely clears my dually and the exhaust on my tractor but I can’t put my horse trailer into work on it under the axles or underneath. My preference would be 14 foot high. Man door 3 foot minimum width this way you’re not always opening the roll up door to move something big in if you don’t have to.
23. As I get more ideas from other or think of anything else I will add it when available
Robert
disclaimer: A sentence is a group of words put together to convey a complete thought, the most difficult thing to convey is a complete thought
1. Is your significant other on board? It has to be a two-way street if you give a lot they need to willingly to reciprocate if you can't come to a good decision this is just going to cause misery for the rest of your life. Choose Wisely
2. What are both your dreams
3. What do both of you want
4. What do you need
5. What can you afford realistically
6. Go to your AHJ and find out what the limitations are for your building
7. Talk to your neighbors tell them what you want to do to make sure there are no problems. Be friends
8. Go to the area where you want to put the building lay it out with a string line or paint where you want the doors the orientation to the sun. Just in case you want to put solar up panels.
9. Walk around the area that you have laid out look at it think about it pretend you're working in the area and what will be the most useful layout to make sure the size and layout is correct. Use boxes to simulate tool boxes or Machinery or compressor put your car in there where you think you might be working on it or storing things. Go back in a couple days and review it. Go back again in a couple of days and review it.The goal is to make it a happy place a usable place with little to no regrets when it’s completed
10. When you pick the eave Heights remember if you are not going to live there forever resale value will increase with height because of allowable storage
11. What are you going to do in the garage, shed,
12. Are you going to put a bathroom or a sink or have floor drains if you're in snow country
13. Do you have an issue with rodents in the area squirrels, rats, gophers, etc? If so my personal thought is I want the perimeter of the Foundation to extend down from the foundation about 2 feet by 4 to 6 inches thick this will reduce the risk of rodents burrowing under the slab I've had this happen on my hay barn and my garage. I would also raise the foundation 6 to 12 in above grade to make sure that you do not have run off going into the garage or building or shed. You can always create an entry apron in and out as needed.
14. When you get bids to do the concrete work get everything in writing that the foundation will be square the anchor bolts will be laid out with a template so that you do not have to do any modifications to the holes in the columns. After the forms are set up and the templates for the anchor bolts are placed if they are embedded anchor bolts buy a big tape measure a hundred foot or whatever and make sure that everything is where it is supposed to be according to the drawings.
15. Go through all of your ideas on what you want inside of the building starting with Eve height whether or not you want to put attachments in there to put a bridge Crane in of some type. Do you want to put one or more lifts in because you’ll need overhead clearance. if you’re going to put the lift at the entrance by where the roll up door is you’ll need to make sure that the door is high enough to clear whatever vehicle you put on the lift. Are you going to put panels on the walls if so you need to have the wall girts run every 4 foot to make sure you can attach your panels and/ or Cabinetry and shelves. This also helps with putting your electrical because you can use the girts as cable tray to lay your electrical on. You also want to Ledger angle at the bottom to attach your panels to that mounts to the floor.
16. Electrical this is one thing that everybody has different opinions about I personally would put a minimum 100 amp service.
A. Receptacles every 10 feet each on its own breaker if possible
B. Receptacles for your garage door openers depending on whether it’s a jackshaft, screw or a chain drive separate breaker also
C. A welder receptacle one at each end of the building
D. And RV plug 120/ 240 volt outside
E. Receptacles outside next to each door and maybe in the middle of a run on the back wall
F. Exterior lighting connections above the doors and on the other walls as needed
G.Put 4 way light switches in at every man door. Also split the lights so that you can lower the output when needed
H. Connections for air conditioning or heating, swamp coolers, fans Etc. are you going to put speakers in the garage for your stereo system you'll want to run the wiring for that also
17. Run your electrical Underground when you put it in think about future expansion put in a minimum of 2 or 3, 2 inch PVC conduit it is cheap digging a trench later is expensive and it hurts. In one of the conduits you will run your main electrical feed. In the second conduit you will run cat cable for your internet and if you have cameras what you would do is put a hub or switch in the garage so you could hook your DVR in your internet put a little Wi-Fi router in and then you have internet in your garage and you can stream your music but also monitor the garage from the house.
18. Plumb the garage for natural gas or propane and put it in several locations inside and outside. The same with water put water on all four sides of the garage on the exterior and then wherever your bathroom sink wash station is. Don't forget your air compressor also when you comes to the plumbing
19. Insulation this can be such a controversial issue you have to decide. Depending on the type of insulation will depend on when you put in your electrical and your plumbing and your lighting. The system I went with thermal design required that I put all the electrical in before the insulation if you use spray foam you'll have to gauge when and where to do this but remember with spray foam modifications to the structure become a little more difficult. Determine how much insulation you need what R-value what are your outdoor temperatures the system I went with has 9 in of wall insulation and 12in of ceiling insulation when it's hot out it's comfortable in the garage when it's cold out it's comfortable in the garage without any added cooling or Heating. If no insulation at least put thermal breaks between the sheeting and framing
20. Other thoughts as far as lighting goes would be to put in solatubes I’ve have some in the house and they work really good I want to put some in my building to see if it'll help that way I don't have to turn the lights on when I go in during daylight hours
21. Decide if you are going to have anything hanging from the ceiling this information will be needed before hand so that the roof framing can be engineered correctly I E solar panels on the roof hanging your AC or heater from the rafters Etc
22. Door another controversy. Carriage type, roll up, insulated Etc. what are you going to put in the garage do you have a truck or an RV if so the door needs to be at least 10 feet wide preferably 12 minimum. Door height what are you going to put in there 9 foot barely clears my dually and the exhaust on my tractor but I can’t put my horse trailer into work on it under the axles or underneath. My preference would be 14 foot high. Man door 3 foot minimum width this way you’re not always opening the roll up door to move something big in if you don’t have to.
23. As I get more ideas from other or think of anything else I will add it when available
Robert
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