OT: bulding a garage/workshop

I am planning on building a garage/workshop and want to know the pros and cons to different roof styles such as the traditional barn style roof (gambrel roof) as opposed to a low pitch gable roof . Why would some one build one rather than the other?

Reply to
habbi
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Aesthetics & covenants should be your guide. Gambrel framing allows more space for a storage attic. Consider using 2x6 framing for the walls and some rigid foam insulation under the slab. These two items will add slightly to the cost but you'll save a lot in heating bills later on.

Reply to
Tim Killian

Reply to
RoyJ

Asthetics will not play a part as it will be in the forest and nobody will see it. I assume that gable roof building are built with pre-made trusses as opposed to a gimbrel which would use rafter made on site? What about usable space in relation to material used to build? This will not be insulated, actually it will only have clear plastic walls (like a greenhouse) with a asphalt over wood roof and a concrete floor. Where does a pole barn fit into this. The size will be approx 30' X 35'.

Reply to
habbi

Habbi,

Get Low Cost Pole Building Construction book by Wolfe. Pub by Storey books. Sounds like that wld be just the right thing for ya.

Reply to
bluedog

Thought about a gambrel, but opted for a full second story (more/better storage) with a 5/12 gable. If I had it to do over, I'd just build more at ground level - I've got plenty of land, and the second floor means a lot more slowdowns in building - staging to move around, roof is 21 feet at the eves, stairs take up space on both floors as well as time and materials, etc. With a gambrel, it will mostly be additional complications/time in the roofing of it.

Reply to
Ecnerwal

Or you could use a high pitch gable. My shop, going up now, will have a

10/12 pitch roof giving a 12' x 40' room over the 28' x 40' shop.

Steve.

Reply to
SteveF

Could you explain this more to me, How high are you walls, will the roof be built with rafters or trusses, if trusses how can you have a room in them? Wouldn't higher walls and a lower pitch roof be better? Thanks

Reply to
habbi

YOU will see it, every day for a long time if you're lucky - so aesthetics has to be figured in.

You can make almost any roof you want with pre-made trusses, including a gambrel. Factory built trusses can save you a whole lot of futzing around with a chop saw during framing. Once the walls are all up, you can bring in a small crane or a telehandler forklift and have the trusses up and nailed off in a day.

The only fancy thing I would do with a truss roof that is an unfinished open attic is to cut chunks of drywall and fireproof the trusses strategically around the stamped nail plates that connect it all together. Because in a fire, it does not take long at all before those nail plates heat up and fail, then the roof is coming down, fast. My brother found that one out the hard way...

A gambrel done with open trusses does give you a stand-up attic almost to the walls. They can make "Open Attic" trusses that have a full open floorplan, or ones with a center vertical kingpost at each truss and each side is wide open.

For a gambrel, they can make trusses with triangular sections that give you a finished flat ceiling and vertical walls in the attic, and a bit of attic space and knee-wall attic available for utilities and ductwork. And then any walls you want to add are non-bearing.

A flat roof is a waste of time - they are always a pain in the ass to keep a leak-free roof on. A low-pitched regular gable roof of 3/12 or better has no usable attic space but it's a whole lot easier to keep a dry roof on, and you have the gable ends for vent louvers.

Hip roofs are too much angle work for a service building, unless you need to match the house architecture.

You better rephrase that, it will be plastic walls /for now/. You'll get the bug to make it a bit more secure eventually.

If you plan on making it a fully enclosed and insulated building and do all the groundwork now, it'll be a whole lot easier later when you decide to actually do it. Put the J-bolts in the slab and install the sill plates, and the framing for the outside walls now. You'll still need to fasten down the wall plastic to keep it from blowing away.

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Reply to
Bruce L. Bergman

Pole construction (pole barn) is just that: constructed on poles. the key thing is that the poles are set several feet in the ground, have a concrete collar at the top. This means the poles will take the side forces (think wind) and you don't need to put in shear walls or other side bracing.

What you are describing is a natural for pole barn construction. Just set the poles vertical according to the plans, add your choice of rafters on top. I'd suggest that plastic walls are not the way to go. The sun will deteriorate them, the wind will rip them, the local urchins will just go through them.

Around here (Minnesota) the going price for 1000 square foot building, poles, 10' metal sidewalls (your choice of 20 of so colors), roof trusses, metal roofing, garage door, entry door, a window, and delivery to your site runs in the $3500 to $4000 range. Labor and concrete is not included. This is for a snow load of 40 pounds per foot. If you don't have snow and don't need side walls, price should be less.

Additional price for higher side walls (up to 14') is pretty nominal. At

14' you can have a big shop area for trucks or equipment, add a mezanine area for storage. You want your storage area to have a minimum of 6-1/2' headroom, easy to see in the shelves, enough head clearance for most of us 6 footers.

habbi wrote:

Reply to
RoyJ

With an "attic room truss". Standard item, costs a bit more than a plain truss for the same roof, as the square hole in the middle means other parts have to be bigger to carry the load.

See my other response. If you must be inside a particular footprint, yes

- if you have horizontal space, I no longer think so, having built it - but I also don't think the extra-room-truss is the solution; just build longer, wider, or another building entirely.

Reply to
Ecnerwal

If you can get away with lower pitched roofs (depending on snow load, etc) think dormers on th' 2nd floor. I used post and beam with

2 1/2"x12" I-beam ceiling joists and gained a 16'x32' 2nd floor room above a 24'x32' 1st floor. Th' dormer only drops 2 1/2 ' over that 16', not flat, but not much pitch either. So far it's 6 years old and located in th' PNW, with nary a problem.

More net sq. footage for lots less money. Hell of a lot easier to work on too . I'd advise a metal roof covering for anything with that little of a pitch however.

Snarl

Reply to
snarl

My walls will be 9'-6" and trusses are used although you could also use TJIs like TrusJoists to stick frame the second floor. Go to your local truss maker and they can design some trusses with a center room.

Higher walls won't increase your floor square footage. A partial second floor does. Some might prefer a larger building but I think it is cheaper to get the 480 sq ft this way.

Steve.

Reply to
SteveF

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