Looking for planning help for polebarn style workshop to be built in the spring

[DeadheadNM]

Thanks that's one fine shop!!

[NONHOG]

Mine is a pole building. Have a build here and on TGJ. I am happy with it but looking back.......... Having the company place poles, do the roof then leave would have been nice but really would have taken me forever to finish.

In my dream world I would have:
Eliminated at least one post and set a beam, bit of a pain to work around.
.
Stick framed my work area even if its in between the set posts. Insulation and wiring like previously mentioned would have been so much easier.
Then storage area (separated by a wall) could be regular pole building.
.
Added pull pots in floor.
.
Added more windows (up high out of easy viewing) just for natural light.

Sure I'll think of more.

Maybe learn a couple things not to do here..... http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=266634

[hard3]

Not sure if they are in your area, but Menards has pole building software in the store that you can design your own. It meets BOCA codes in states that sure them. They will give you an itemized list and price for the materials. In our local store, there are local builders posted that work with Menards to erect the building. I built a 28x36 garage a few years ago and had no problems . I used the liner panels to cover the inside walls . My big shop is 40x60 with 14 ft walls. It is separated into 2 areas . 1 is 16 wide and 40 long with heat and A/C for a weather work. the other side is on concrete slab with 2- 16 foot wide x 12 high roll up doors and 1 8 foot wide door. I built a loft area across the heated area 8 foot up and 8 foot out for overhead material storage. I also have a loft in the back corner of the big side with 16 wide and 12 out storage . Still don't have enough room ! adding on a lean to next spring 18x40 . Check out the local metal suppliers to see if they have the inside liner panels in reverse roll. painted on the reverse , so the rib stands out from the framing and gives a lot flatter surface for hanging stuff from. I used it in the garage on the ceiling and ran it horizontal for the walls. I used gray for the lower sheet and white for the next 2 sheets for a 2 tone look.

[mx289]

Hey Pete.

Congrats on the shop build.
This is just about the size I want to do someday.

I was thinking a 35x45'.Just to be able to put pallet shelving on the back wall and still fit 2 trucks front to back.
And if you wanted to,2 more trucks could be stuffed in the center.

_Ogre makes a lot of good points .
I was a carpenter for 10+ yrs so I would vote for a stick built building.Shocking right !


You are on the right path.
If you ever think I can help,drop me a line.

[Sickfast1964]

I will throw another wrinkle in. If 30x48 will be big enough in your head, you will fill it up the first day you open up shop. Go as large as you can possibly afford.

Next. I would also budget to put a loft over part of it. with 12 foot side walls, that would give you a 4 ft head room on the sidesm and with a 4/12 roof pitch, you would have pleanty of room as you get away from the sides.

My side walls are 10 ft, 15.5 in the center. not ideal for storage, but its awesome having 200 sq ft of storage to put my car parts while im doing the project.

Good luck and post lots of pictures.

[DeadheadNM]

Thanks again guys. Since I don't plan to break ground until spring keep the suggestions coming. Maybe I'm getting too wound up about the cost of excavating the hillside for the site - will def go as big as possible.

As an aside, a neighbor built a garage for his RV - it's dug into the hillside and has a 12' door, 40' deep. Would be great in many ways to do something similar but I can't imagine that's a less expensive route.

[_Ogre]

ask your neighbor how much he has in his building and the process
usually people are happy to share their knowledge to someone willing to learn
a lot like this forum

did you get utilities located? anything in the way?

pm me your address. i lived in town at 834 6th ave w, sw corner of town
had a sweet upper floor of an old house with a big yard

[DeadheadNM]

Only the TV cable runs across the site and roughly corresponds to the red arrows in the pics. I'll have to confirm that the pipe for the well water doesn't cross the site but I have a very low degree of suspicion that it does.

I had in mind excavating the lot to get the shop more or less level with the existing driveway (allowing for good drainage of course) - re-routing the TV cable shouldn't be problematic. The more I think about it the more I like the idea of having it level with the gravel road that parallels the driveway and in effect pushing the back north boundary up the hill.

Yes, I'll have to ask my neighbor more about his garage - a setup like that could also serve as a well insulated emergency shelter Too bad I can't move it over a few acres onto my place.

I'm constantly impressed by the good will and helpfulness of the members here. It's a great community of folks. C'mon back to the Flathead! PM sent...

[_Ogre]

Originally Posted by DeadheadNM

C'mon back to the Flathead!

no thank you, the day i left kalispell it was 30* below zero, hadn't been above zero for a month

not sure how much property you have; if your married there are advantages to having your shop further away from the house

[mdw]

I agree with building as big as you possibly can. I had room for 4 cars plus work space until I started putting in my equipment, I have a 28x40 shop, once I got my rollaround box in , the 4 post lift, the welding equipment and bench, sand blaster, brake lathe etc, I can squeeze 2 cars in now.

[duallyjams]

make the ceiling tall enough for a lift and plan a spot for air compressor drill press and such so it doesn't eat up parking space

[DeadheadNM]

What's a clear minimum for a lift - 12' to the rafters from the floor?

[PGSigns]

Here is a link on solar heating a shop. If I was going to build a new shop and had the southern exposure i would include it in the build. You can build this type of panel easily. I am working on adding solar heat to my shop now. http://www.iedu.com/Solar/Panels/
Jimmy

[_Ogre]

Originally Posted by DeadheadNM

What's a clear minimum for a lift - 12' to the rafters from the floor?

12 ft should be fine unless you have a big van
3 of 4 hoists in our shop are 11'6'' and 1 is 11'10'' so 12 feet should be fine
unless your built like an ogre and buy the extra-tall hoist, even then the tall ones are only 6'' taller

[DeadheadNM]

Thanks!

[Advanced Design]

Have you been able to get any prices for excavating? Any possibility of hitting rock during the excavation? Imagine that would have an impact on what you will build.

Really like the idea of making the building entry level with the existing driveway. Would be convenient for use and project movement....and would of course take more excavating.

I agree with the advice others have given about size...go as big as you can. Our shop is 60 x 100 and we want more space.

Good luck and have fun with the process.

[BlueBullet]

I measured my lift today it is a 2 post Benpak and it is 12'1" to top my sidewalls are 14'. You could also look into pored walls up to dirt elevation them build up from that to stay at drive away elevation. Hope that makes sense.

[DeadheadNM]

Originally Posted by Advanced Design

Have you been able to get any prices for excavating? Any possibility of hitting rock during the excavation? Imagine that would have an impact on what you will build.

Really like the idea of making the building entry level with the existing driveway. Would be convenient for use and project movement....and would of course take more excavating.

I agree with the advice others have given about size...go as big as you can. Our shop is 60 x 100 and we want more space.

Good luck and have fun with the process.

Thanks! I haven't had time yet to meet with an excavator but have the number of someone with a good reputation. Hopefully no rock but I have a neighbor who excavated a garage (more like a cave) for his RV literally into the hill and will ask him about rock. One excavating company told me all their equipment is working the Bakken oil fields in North Dakota and aren't looking for local work at all.

Originally Posted by BlueBullet

I measured my lift today it is a 2 post Benpak and it is 12'1" to top my sidewalls are 14'. You could also look into pored walls up to dirt elevation them build up from that to stay at drive away elevation. Hope that makes sense.

That makes sense and is a big help. Looks like I may be moving more toward a slab/frame structure. Thanks!

As an aside we've had some snow in the valley. I caught these guys the other morning - they're actually so numerous as to pose a danger while driving

[Sickfast1964]

Originally Posted by bowtieguy79

Just last summer I put up the same building you are talking about doing. 30x40x12.5 ceiling. I used Cleary Building company. They are nation wide and was a one stop shop.

I chose to only have the shed put up, outside finished, with concrete floors. I will run my own electricity at some point, but I did have doors with openers installed. ( so far 125ft drop cord works )

This is the best pic I have at the moment...

Currently I just use it as overflow, park the toys in it. C10,SUB, Blazer, 94 Silverado, antique one wheel camper, 317 deere mower, 3 honda quads....etc etc...
House garage is 28 deep and 36 wide and I still work on things in the attached house garage.

Bow tie. Before you spend the time and money running elect from your house to your shop, look at running separate service to the shop. That's what I did. I pay about 15 dollars a month for my service and there was no fee to hook it up. I put my own meter base up, per code and saved me a tone of money

[Cash3481]

Originally Posted by Sickfast1964

Bow tie. Before you spend the time and money running elect from your house to your shop, look at running separate service to the shop. That's what I did. I pay about 15 dollars a month for my service and there was no fee to hook it up. I put my own meter base up, per code and saved me a tone of money

This is a good point! I am running my power off a 4' pole away from the house with a separate meter and the same for propane too. reason being is... if I decide to get a truck business of some kind down the road, it's easier to write off the expenses. Just thought I'd throw in some additional thoughts.

[DeadheadNM]

Update -

I had a well recommended contractor come out and work up a quote. His estimate for 40'x40' stick/slab construction (not polebarn), Hardie concrete board sided, 6/12 pitch metal roof with attic trusses, two 12' conventional front and one 8' roller rear garage doors, six windows, one door was $39k and change.

That's excavating, building a 5-6' tall 40'-plus long retaining wall, and roughing in the plumbing. Six windows (four 4'x4' and two 2'x6') in that price.

Electrical, insulation, and heating (likely wood stove) not included in the price.

[NONHOG]

Originally Posted by DeadheadNM

Update -

was $39k and change.

Wow! wish my smaller shop, on level ground 7-8 years ago was that cheap.
Course Wa state vs. Montana might have a little to do with it?

[DeadheadNM]

Originally Posted by NONHOG

Wow! wish my smaller shop, on level ground 7-8 years ago was that cheap.
Course Wa state vs. Montana might have a little to do with it?

Yeah he had an itemized list of material from the supply store showing true expense and he seems like a straight shooter. The Valley here isn't so large that you want to yank people around and hope to last in the business. I'll have to check references, etc. still.

[Advanced Design]

Did you decide to go to the same level as the existing drive?

Sounds like a really nice building!

Friend priced his 50 by 60 building a few years ago and compared stick build to pole barn. Stick nicely finished was only $800 more so he went that route.

[DeadheadNM]

Thanks that's good to know. With a slab my property tax could go up unlike a polebarn (so I'm told). It's more economical to not go level with the existing driveway. We'd have to do much more concrete work and re-route electrical lines to the house. Doing so would also cut out a route to the top of the pasture. If it works out, the existing design will be a pass-through from front to back.