Steve Moskowitz Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 I just know you guys have some thoughts on this. Ok, I should be working but took a few minutes to check our site. I am looking at a few acres to build a new house on here in the Hershey area. Naturally, the "garage" for my cars and "crap" must go up first! I know I want room to store and work on my cars and leave expansion for about 10 cars total. I also want a nice "club house" area to socialize and display all my memorabilia so washrooms, refrigerator, etc. will be important. Not sure of pole building versus metal. All ideas greatfully excepted! Please do not get carried away as I need to build the house too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nearchoclatetown Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 Steve, I have a steel building for 30 years and love it. The only thing I can advise you on your garage is, it won't be big enough!!! If it is I'll bring some stuff over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Kinker Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 Mine is just being finished. I had a "pole barn" type building built. It is nothing on the order of what you described, but it is 60 x 28, 3 garage doors, 1 entry door, floored 2nd deck. If I can figure out how to post pictures, I will send one in. Maybe I should take some first. It should house my collection, with a little room left over for "STUFF" BTW, my dream garage is already too small and haven't started moving in it yet! This pole barn has metal sides & roof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6219_Rules Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 My dream house is a garage, four cars wide by four deep, with lifts, an oil bay and a spiral stair case to the second floor where there is a full two bedroom apartment, 1/5 baths and a deck on top with a garden. All the comforts of home and a fully heated/airconditioned garage for my cars. Now if only I had the money to build it. <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" /> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R W Burgess Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 Steve, Like Bob, I'm going to build a pole shed, not hightech, but cheap. I, too, want living quarters/office space in one end. Will live in garage as I build our new/last home. I know it won't be big enough, but I don't want all 18 acres under roof. Got my septic put in last month. That's as far as I got, but living near the water I have to get the hard stuff done, before they change the rules. Politics and ecology is changing the neighborhood down here in Virgina. W. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Hoover Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 Steve,Personally, I like block buildings. However, we just completed having a 42' X 44' pole building put up last month at my parents. I'm very happy with the quality of the job and the building itself. Contact me and I'll put you in touch with the contractor. He's only a couple miles from HQ. Better yet, if you want to see the building before we cover the frame work and complete the interior, let me know. Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CTW Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 Steve - you haven't been watching enough HGTV!regarding the type of structure I have no input there. However, I can do well with the decorating & floor plans Good luck and keep us posted - would love to see pics while in the process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R W Burgess Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 Claire, Do you vacuum and wash windows too? <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> You don't need to ask why I want to know. <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Moskowitz Posted November 14, 2003 Author Share Posted November 14, 2003 Wayne, behave yourself! Claire, I got the decorating thing down already but I don't think you will find the finished product in Better Homes and Gardens! Thanks for your thoughts, I have seen a lot of buildings and it is kind of like buying a trailer. Don't want to make a mistake. I do want to heat and a/c the building and want my work area separated from the display part. Not sure about a paint room yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ex98thdrill Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 Steve,Follow the advice, big will still be too small. My dad's house has a two car garage with a full drive out basement, my house has a two car garage with a drive out basement, and we have a 50x100 shop that is full, we've got another 30x70 storage building on another site, and our daily drivers and car trailer STILL sits outside. Our main shop was a steel truss building and inside of it we took a quarter of it (25x50) for use as a wood shop and a paint room. The advantage of a steel truss building is that it gives you a clear span which allows you to put in a car lift later on (which we did). Our building is clear all the way to the peek of the roof (about 25 feet). With our shop area being 25x50 we put a loft above it with shelves which allows us to put a lot of our spare parts up there which keeps our floor clear for vehicles.Consider with a wood pole barn:1. When you bury wood poles, sooner or later they will rot away.2. Your ceiling height will be limited based on the height of your eaves.3. Many of the roof trusses won't allow you to store much in the rafters, and you will lose storage space because of it.- whatever you decide, it'll all come down to space, finances, time, and even building codes for your area. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Hoover Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 I couldn't agree more in knowing you'll never have enough space with any building. However, today I believe more in smaller buildings. I use to have a lot of faith in large steel truss buildings. We had two of them. The keyword there was, "had". One was a 50 X 70 and at the time we were told it was the best money could buy. It lasted a whole 10 years until it fell in 1994 from snow. Then this past February, we lost the other building which was a 40 X 88 from snow as well. (see attachment) That one we had better luck with though. It stood for 25 years. I'm not knocking all steel truss buildings, as I have friends that have them and had no problems. Thank goodness! But I know of 5 others steel buildings here in our area that fell this past winter also. It's just that after experiencing the losses of two of them in less than 10 years apart, I'll stick with my block building anyday. Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 Rick;What failed on your steel truss buildings, the wall structure, or the roofs?And what kind of roof structure do you have on the block building(s) steel trusses or? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Hoover Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 Ken, The first one to fail was a combination of both walls and roof. The beams bucked and brought everything down flat to the ground. The second one was mostly roof failure. The block building has wood trusses and it's 30 years old. Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amphicar BUYER Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 Proper snow load is crutial here in Colorado. Most of the time standard loads are OK (~5lb/sq/ft), but when we get a particularly heavy snow like last year (~12+lbs per sq/ft), it can be heavier than you can imagine. (@ 5lbs per sq/ft on a 50x70 = 17500 lbs of snow!) Two feet of snow can easly be enough to test your structural integrity beyond the limits. Would you be willing to park the weight of the cars inside, on top of your garage? A co-worker just finished rebuilding his home after all the walls (2x6) bowed out and stopped just short of a complete collapse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
48LCCOUPE Posted November 15, 2003 Share Posted November 15, 2003 We haven't had two feet of snow here in years. Years I tell ya!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poci1957 Posted November 15, 2003 Share Posted November 15, 2003 Hello Steve, great post on a subject I have been thinking about a lot lately. Old Cars Weekly did a recent feature saying one is either a garage, pole barn, or quoinset guy. The thought was a pole building gives you the most space for the money, but the appearance is an issue in some locations. If I had my way, I think I would prefer two or more garages, one for storage and clean display and one for work (and dust). They will look better with the new house and property, enhancing values and neighborhood relations. Mostly, I like the idea of controlling dust, heat, air conditioning and light as needed, hard to do in one single large space. Will be interested in other opinions, Todd C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R W Burgess Posted November 16, 2003 Share Posted November 16, 2003 Dave, Haven't you realized yet that you're not located in the Continental United States? <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> That's what "AL" said, honest! <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil w Posted November 17, 2003 Share Posted November 17, 2003 The foot print should be as big as financially possible, but don't forget about height. At 36'X60' I ran out of room before the floor was in. At 12' clear height I had room on each end to put 2 "shelves" that are each 36'X16'. My zoning forces me to call them "shelves" even though they're strong enough to put a few cars up there. With my 12' height I have 5.5' of under shelf space for cars and 5' above. If I could do it again i'd raise the roof 2'or4' higher for a more comfortable storage space above and below. Also more room in building center for my lifts. Building up a few feet more isn't that expensive. I'm 45 miles east of Hershey and could show you.P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom M Posted November 17, 2003 Share Posted November 17, 2003 I am jealous my new add on was only 14'x22'x8'. My little add on This look from existing garage through a 4' opening I had cut into the back wall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R W Burgess Posted November 17, 2003 Share Posted November 17, 2003 My brother found another pole shed builder out of Pa. They also have a dealer/installer in Delaware. Their web site is www.fettervillesales.com . I guess they have the type of building I can afford and not worry about it lasting about 25 years, the life left of the owner. <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> I've got to get working on this, so I can have mine up before Steve. Then, I'll attach a picture and make him jealous. <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil w Posted November 18, 2003 Share Posted November 18, 2003 I checked into a lot of those pole barn builders and ended up with a LOCAL home builder, same or better quality, at about the same price. My money stayed in MY community, I got LOCAL references. I doubled the "legal" number of trusses from every 8' to every 4' of roof, and made them out of 2X6 instead of "legal" 2X4's. I tend to overbuild everything! Good thing, a few years after it was up there was 3' of snow on the roof! Yes, here in S.E. PA. The builder later told me if it were built to orig. specs. there would have been damage. That's one call J.C.Taylor did'nt get. I spent only a few evenings figuring out exactly what I wanted and the builder said no problem, as long as it was before he started. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter J.Heizmann Posted November 18, 2003 Share Posted November 18, 2003 Phil...good points on over-building and the 3 feet of snow.Sorry to digress, however, it is relevant: Insurance -- "Be certain you folks have "AGREED VALUE" on the old iron, not, "STATED VALUE".I doubt many of us will forget the photo in Old Cars some years ago that showed about 40-45 collector convertibles reduced to junk after a fire. To make it more of a nightmare, the owner did not have "AGREED VALUE" and lost a pile of money on top of the junk.Regards, Peter J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
48LCCOUPE Posted November 18, 2003 Share Posted November 18, 2003 We haven't had two feet of snow here in years. Years I tell ya!!! Let alone Three!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R W Burgess Posted November 18, 2003 Share Posted November 18, 2003 Dave, If I could throw that far, I'd throw rocks at ya! <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Mom and Pop's down "there" for the winter. I don't even ask them about the weather anymore. I don't want to know. Wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
48LCCOUPE Posted November 19, 2003 Share Posted November 19, 2003 preparing for cold snap supposed to hit tommorow or the next day. all the way down into the 40's they say, but you know how the weather people tend to over dramatize so I am trying to keep the family calm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ex98thdrill Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 WOW. I'd never seen that happen, and that's the first I've ever heard of it too. When I first saw your post I figured that it was a flat roof, and that wasn't the case either. I know several people here in my area that have had the Morton buildings and have been very pleased with them. That doesn't mean that our shop will fall in like that, but it sure would be nice to know what caused that to happen. Most of your big chain stores are built the same way and usually only have a brick facade on it to dress the place up. I guess at this point I'd have to say that nothing is sacred from the elements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Kinker Posted November 25, 2003 Share Posted November 25, 2003 just a little trim work to go, and a good cleaning, and I can officially move in!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R W Burgess Posted November 25, 2003 Share Posted November 25, 2003 Hi Bob, Is that a pole shed? Looks nice. Wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Boudway Posted November 25, 2003 Share Posted November 25, 2003 Hi,You might want to check with people in your area for a Mennonite contractor who specializes in barn (garage) construction. We had a 24' X 38' addition to our garage built recently. A Mennonite crew near here put it up in two weeks for 2/3 the cost of the next higher bidder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
48LCCOUPE Posted November 25, 2003 Share Posted November 25, 2003 Bob, very nice. Identical looking from the outside to my friends, with one extra garage door. very nice, good luck with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Kinker Posted November 26, 2003 Share Posted November 26, 2003 Wayne, thanks for the kind words. Yes, it is a pole barn type building. Lots of room inside, also, has that floored second story. Now I have to work on filling it up!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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