Steel building advice

Ernie Leimkuhler spluttered in news:160120040221358539% snipped-for-privacy@stagesmith.com:

Grrrr! My 2 cents, I'd talk you into as big as you can afford.

Those look pretty nice Ernie.

If I ever did one (NE Ohio), the spray-on type insulation would be a choice too.

It looks like a good deal Ernie. My only caution would be to check the snow load rating. This is going back thirty years but here in Canada there was a problem with formed galvanized sidewalls designed by some engineering firm. It ended up in lawsuits and the designers up on the carpet before the engineering society. The problem hinged on inadequate strength in winter conditions. Randy

I helped my Dad put up a 24 by 24 Steelmaster

called and got quotes from about 10 different suppliers. Only one was made in the USA, the rest were out of Canada. The American guy told me he couldnt buy the material for what I had in the Steelmaster shipped to my door. Most of the steel buildings call for a funky looking trough(sp?)in the floor that the wall sections fit into, I purchased 12ga galvanized sheet and had it sheared and broke into a base, Steelmaster offers an existing pad mounting kit but didnt feel like waiting for it to be shipped. We put it together with a six man crew in 8 hours or so, except for the one endwall we had to fab and putting the power tools to 2600 nuts and bolts.

Just compare all the costs before deciding. I looked at steel for my shop building, and while the low price seemed attractive, by the time I had put in everything I wanted (decent insulation, etc) the price was a wash with other methods. I went with structural insulated panels instead. YMMV.

Ernie Found this using Google Groups search:

dated

2003-03-29

I have been dealing with American Duro Span 1-888-848-2011. They have been great over the phone. Prices are also about the best I found. Building does have endwalls also(lot of them don't). Not at all pushy like a lot of the other ones I had called. I am seriously considering buying from them. Their price includes freight also. There doesn't seem to be any hidden costs! Website

Brian

You might try contacting Brian to see if he bought.and what he thinks. Lane

Something to think about, but we get snow about every 4 years here. We just got ours last week, so I am not too worried about snow load. I will make sure the building passes local codes before proceeding.

Thanks I'll check with him.

There used to be a guy down in Port Orford (southwestern Oregon) that sold machine tools from a prefab metal building. He said it was a giant pain because there was always a ton of condensation inside. The only solution I know of is to insulate, and so since our climate isn't very different I'd recommend looking into cost of insulating.

Grant

Ernie Leimkuhler wrote:

I purchased a 40 x 100 x 14 building from steelbuildings.com and just loved the experiance of putting it up. the only thing wrong was 1 girt plate that was 4" to short. called on the phone and within seconds had a confirmation that they had screwed up on the size. they offeredto overnight one to me but i declined as i got more scrap steel laying around than i know what to do with.

overall i would do it again in a heartbeat. bill mccandless pleasant garden, nc

No, but I strongly recommend you pay with your Visa or MC. This way if the deal goes bad all you do is make a phone call to get your $ *cheerfully* refunded.

(¯`·._.· £ãrrÿ ·._.·´¯)

--Ernie, I'll sell you one that's 30x72ft for $4k; come and get it! :-)

Ernie,

I looked at every make of steel building and pole barn known to man before building my shop in Poulsbo and the condensation problem was a deal killer. I ended up building a wood shell over steel bents and the bents carry the load of my crane which runs the length of the shop. I heat the shop with a radiant system in the slab and it runs off a 50 gal hot water heater. I typically keep the thermostat at 50 degrees F. and never get any condensation.

Ed Angell

30' x 72' is longer than my backyard. My yard is 58' x 65'.

Could it be cut down?

Ed, I've seen the condensation problem on un-insulated overheads.

I had a pole building put up in 1985 just South of Oak Harbor with the "standard insulation package". I think it was 3" or 4" vinyl covered. I never had the condensation like my neighbor did with his 'bare metal'.

If your building code and neighborhood covenants allow it, metal pole buildings are the way to go.

PS: I had to add 'plugs' around the bottom edge of the walls to keep the critters out.

Larry

Ed, I've seen the condensation problem on un-insulated overheads.

I had a pole building put up in 1985 just South of Oak Harbor with the "standard insulation package". I think it was 3" or 4" vinyl covered. I never had the condensation like my neighbor did with his 'bare metal'.

If your building code and neighborhood covenants allow it, metal pole buildings are the way to go.

PS: I had to add 'plugs' around the bottom edge of the walls to keep the critters out.

Larry

They misquoted Bert Gummer. The correct quote is,

"The possibilities for disaster are endless."

Where does it say that? I couldn't find any links to engineering specs.

Gary

Ok, I had my fun, now maybe something useful. Here's the URL of their website

Still no engineering data, but you can see how they go together.

It is basically a modified Quonset hut. The major problem I see is the *many* joints which can leak. Since the metal will expand and contract with temperature, you always seem to be getting new leaks with this type of construction. Condensation problems are a bitch too.

My shop is metal skinned, but the framework is wooden post and beam. That seems to help with expansion/contraction issues. There's

8 inches of dead space between the metal and the inner walls. A vapor barrier and insulation in the dead space solves condensation problems. I looked at all steel buildings, but the way I built mine turned out cheaper when you include finished out costs ($13,500 from a wooded lot to a finished 1800 square foot shop), and I think better.

Gary

To bad that some of the website is broken - check out accessories...

Mart> >