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School me on metal buildings

WeiserBucks

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
  • Feb 13, 2017
    1,587
    1,997
    Weiser , Idaho
    Looking at putting up a metal garage/workshop. Stick built is out of the budget . There's only about 789,621 companies that deal in metal buildings and I have no idea where to start.

    Any particular companies to check out or avoid? For those of you that have been down this road is there anything you would have done differently in hindsight?
     
    i went with a local company. found a few guys that used them and gave good reviews
    IMG_4262.jpg
     
    Hi,

    Suggestions....

    1. Install more electrical outlets than you first decide on.
    2. Install electrical outlets in the following pattern.....1 low, 1 counter height, 1 low.
    3. Plumb water to both sides; sewer too if going that route.
    4. Run air lines connection(s) to all corners of the building for ease of connection later down the road.
    5. Install auto rollup/roll down doors...the chain roll and manual push up shit gets annoying.

    Sincerely,
    Theis
     
    $25 a sq. ft. is about the going rate to get a slab, red steel building with 26 gauge panels and assembly... Should include at least 1 overhead door and 1 man door. That would also be a standard 4" concrete slab. Ive priced out steel buildings from 5 or 6 of the big players in the country and they were all right at that ballpark give or take a dollar or 2.

    Anything else(electric, plumbing, insulation, lighting, etc...) is going to be above and beyond that. Thicker concrete, higher PSI, etc... will also cost more.

    Pole buildings can be done for $15-ish a sq. ft... Concrete costs are WAY cheaper because the slab isnt anything special and not engineered.

    Whats your use for the building?

    What part of the country are you located in?
     
    I like American buildings, a division of Nucor Steel. Usually you pick a contractor first and see what distributor they are tied in with.

    Run a bunch or conduit under the slab for future utilities. For $2 sf you can add pex and insulation to slab for later hydronic heating.

    If your gonna have a lift, spec it out and get footers poured while doing slab. Buildings are relatively easy to change, concrete is not.
     
    Make sure you have a roof or metal framing that allows you to lift whatever you want from it with a come along or crane.
     
    LED lighting for sure. Not sure why anyone would do anything else. Consider additional task lighting where the gunsmithing or motor work happens and if you aren’t going to heat the whole thing a radiant heater where you’re working is good.

    And your contractor should do this for you but pay attention to how the water drains away from the building.
     
    Check with your county appraiser and determine the annual taxes prior to building.

    On the surface metal buildings look alike. look at metal thickness, solid vs laminate beams, doors, windows, door rollers, latches, hinges etc. Astro makes a great building.
    Lot of local companies will be cheaper and use cheaper materials. It’s all in the details.

    Also get lien wavers and contact all subs to verify they were paid prior to paying general contractor. No exceptions.
     
    Last edited:
    LOL. we posted that at almost the exact same time. You have a shitshow with them too? Mine was a nightmare, and a half
     
    There is a Morton office in Boise it looks like. They are going to be more of an all in one builder where they do it all. Morton builds a nice building, but they arent cheap.

    Just a google map search of that area shows quite a few in the Boise area. Gotta put feet to pavement and go talk to them and see where they are at and what they build. Ive physically inspected 4 buildings by different builders(3 steel, 1 post)... saw what I was getting, got pricing, etc... Two red steel were within 4k bucks(26k), but I was going to have to act as the GC and arrange 4 or 5 subs, the other they did everything(30k). One steel was 2x2(or 2.5x2.5) square steel like a versatube, but not versatube. I would have been my own GC, but I could have put it together myself with a buddy and renting some scaffolding, so saving 5-6k bucks in labor(22k). The pole building was cheapest and that was a complete building and concrete. Under 18k for a 30x40 with a man door and 10x10 overhead door with 4" concrete.

    You may come in above that due to snow load, although here in TX we trade snow load for wind load engineering so maybe not to different.

    And your concrete prices might be cheaper... Ours are out of control right now. If you can find concrete plus the dirt work for under 9 a sq. ft. you are getting it cheap. Our new house build the contractor will pour concrete/dirt work for $7 sq. ft. so im having them pour the approach drive to my shop, but they wont pour the slab.
     
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    In my opinion pole barn aka post frame type construction is very flexible.
    You can make it a farm looking building or make it look like a garage or your house. Steel siding or vinyl etc. Roofing can be steel or conventional fiberglass dimensional etc. if you put wood trusses at two foot centers you can drywall and insulate like normal. 6x6 corner post with 4x6 intermediate post allows you to frame the wall with 2x6 for normal insulation and drywall and electrical.
    If you are zoned ag would be helpful to your taxes if not you might have to get some farm animals see if they go for that? No goats.
     
    So far I'm just getting the runaround from the various steel building companies that I have contacted. Had a local contractor quote $35k for a 30x30 pole building, seems excessive.
     
    I wouldnt pay over 20k for a 30x30 pole building unless it included insulation, electric, etc...
     
    The construction market is still hot. In another six to twelve months it will cool down. We’ve dropped prices 15%.
     
    I'd say that depends how complete it is. The original quote for mine was 26k for a 40x40x16 with 2 man doors and 2 overhead doors. That's not insulated and with no concrete. Figure about $200/yard for concrete. I don't remember off the top of my head what insulation was. The money adds up quick if you think about electrical service, light fixtures, wiring, and heat.
     
    Looking at putting up a metal garage/workshop. Stick built is out of the budget . There's only about 789,621 companies that deal in metal buildings and I have no idea where to start.

    Any particular companies to check out or avoid? For those of you that have been down this road is there anything you would have done differently in hindsight?


    Ask for Steve.
     
    i paid 31 for my building, 50x50 with a 15 ft overhand in the front with 18 ft eaves installed. two 16x16 roll up doors and one walk through. i had the concrete poured.
     
    LOL. we posted that at almost the exact same time. You have a shitshow with them too? Mine was a nightmare, and a half
    yea, a small car dealer down the street got raped by them. Tried to warn him. He found out later, they keep 4 full time lawyers to ward off lawsuits and try to keep their name clean on line.
     
    if u want to get a cost without labor, go to one of ur big lumber retailers, Menards, Home Depot, etc, they have programs that u can put in what u would like and it will give u a cost and some a list of materials. U can change it as needed from there. Take ur plans to a local concrete company and they can give u a cost on concrete and make recommendations as far as what u need for code. U can submit ur plans to a local electrician and have them give u a bid. From there u can decide if u want it do it yourself with some help or at least you'll know what u want bid as far as doors, windows, width x heigth, etc. You can always run electrical later depending on your financial situation. Some contractors will also not have a problem with bidding labor only and let u bear the cost of material. Just some things to check out. I had my own construction company for over 26 years, age finally caught up with me and i found out selling liquor is a little easier on the body :)
     
    • Like
    Reactions: HayStax
    Hi,

    Suggestions....

    1. Install more electrical outlets than you first decide on.
    2. Install electrical outlets in the following pattern.....1 low, 1 counter height, 1 low.
    3. Plumb water to both sides; sewer too if going that route.
    4. Run air lines connection(s) to all corners of the building for ease of connection later down the road.
    5. Install auto rollup/roll down doors...the chain roll and manual push up shit gets annoying.

    Sincerely,
    Theis


    Also add water supply and a shitter
     
    Im trying to get a shop built pretty quick after the wife and i finish the house we are currently building so im up to speed on stuff, at least down here in Texas. I cant imagine pricing is THAT much different in other parts of the country. Im leaning towards pole barn because its way cheaper than steel and I cant be convinced that its a lesser building.

    My only plan beyond the building and concrete is electrical to the shop and im setting the house up to be easy to pull from the 2nd panel(getting 400a service on the house) and get a trencher to run out to the shop. I'll do all the internal wiring and my master electrician buddy will pull the permit and do final connections for everything which will save me some money. Going to run fiber optic at the same time and maybe a water line.

    Im not planning on running any plumbing to the shop outside of MAYBE a water line and an outside spigot as the price for that was stupid when I asked my buddy who is a plumber... He quoted me 6k to rough in a half bath... said hooking to the septic and pulling water from the house is the main driver. That was him doing 100% of the work including trenching... he said if I trench on his plan, that will cut down maybe 1500-2000 since he would have a full day in trenching then filling the trench back in. Still 4k is a lot for a rough in... I can walk 150ft to the house to piss.

    Spray foam will likely run my 8-10k bucks for the whole building. If I do only the under side of the roof, likely 4k. With a pole barn with 6x6 posts you can frame it out with 2x6 in 24" centers, throw batt insulation in for way less than spray foam, then finish drywall. Insides of red steel beam buildings are a little harder to finish out for a nice look(if thats what you are going for).

    I cant talk about in slab heat as I am not interested in that. But for you up in ID, I would look hard at that plus a boiler. Probably the cheapest way you will heat that building. Down here I am more concerned about A/C and will likely do a small mini split system. The Mr. Cool DIY systems have good reviews over on Garage Journal. They are also wifi connected so you can run them from the main house. You should also be able to get a wifi thermostat for a boiler for in floor heat.

    The more you can do the cheaper obviously. I would LOVE to be able to do my own concrete, but ive never worked concrete before and I dont want to learn on a 40x40 slab... I MAY do the dirt work as I am planning on picking up a JD X758 with a 3 point hitch so I can get a box blade(and other implements). It might take me awhile to do site prep, but if its free, fuck it.
     
    Just did a red iron 40x40x14, added a Challenger CL10V3 2 post lift in blue. I could type for days on this, lol.

    -14' wall at the min for a lift, this will allow for a 12' overhead door
    -put pipes in slab for electricity/water lines
    -determine where exhaust fan will go if you plan on welding
     
    Is the building going on the site you'r home is on or a different independent site?
     
    Spray foam. Huge improvement over the fiberglass.

    Yes bigger than you think.

    I built a 40x40x16. One roll up door, one walk through.

    Now I have added 30' of porch off the side for parking equipment, toy hauler, other random crap. Still not really big enough.

    There has been some interior build out which is all climate controlled with the exeption of 16x 40 area that has the roll up door. ( Welding, grinding, woodwork....) I wanted to be able to control temp and keep clean in the other section.
     
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    Got it. That seems about perfect. Some folks put them too close and it is a negative factor to the home. Your distance provides easy access, perhaps a shared driveway, but is not imposing on the residence. Good Luck! Wish I had the space for an outbuilding.
     
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    If you are at all handy a pole building is stupid easy to put up. A couple weekends with some rented equipment and you’ll be roughed in.

    Lumber yards typically have pole barn packages and know contractors that specialize in that type of stuff.

    being your own GC means begging every good sub to talk to you and then dealing with all the shitty ones on your dime.

    After you’re done building your own you will understand why things cost what they do...
     
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    Pay someone to pour yourself a slab then bolt one of these kits together yourself.
    They shed snow like a champ and the wind blows right around and mostly over them.
     
    Insulation and electric outlets are the cheapest friend you can buy. Don't skimp on either.

    in my 60x100 (14' sidewalls), which is split in 1/2 for machine shop on one side and retail shop on other. I spray insulated, as well as regular insulation and blew in 12" in the attic. 110v outlets are every 4' (alternating bench height/knee height every other) and each wall is on its own breaker. 230v outlets on each wall in machine shop (on individual breakers), along with disconnects for each big machine (individual breakers). LED lights with the highest kelvin rating for the brightest light to reflect off the white walls and ceiling. Ceiling is white metal. Walls in machine shop are: bottom 4' metal with pegboard on top. HVAC is controlled with 2 mini splits.
     
    Itll be about 100' from my house.


    Consider running underground 'raceways' from your house to the shop. On mine, I ran (3) 4" lines of PVC from the house to the shop. 1 line is for "data" (phone, internet, cable, etc.). That way if I want to add something, all I have to do it pull it thru the underground line with a pull cord) Line 2 is for electrical and line 3 is for water. For the water, I did not want to dig up my water line, in the event of a leak later down the road. So, I ran 3/4" pex inside one of the 4" PVC lines. That way, the water going to the shop is not subject to the ground heaving, causing a leak. (I am NOT a plumber! I have the WORST luck with plumbing. lol)
     
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    Look up surplus buildings. Often you can pay 30-40% less for one that is used or in many cases new but built and never delivered.

    These are a drain on their holding costs and many will dump just to clear the loss. It will take patience to wait for one that suits you.

    Have slab poured and rent a small crane for a day. Less than 1k. Then do it yourself. It will save you a lot of time and money. It’s no harder than an erector set. Just bigger.

    For most when your building arrives check thoroughly for missing or incorrect pieces. You don’t want to find out after you have hired a crane.
     
    Im trying to get a shop built pretty quick after the wife and i finish the house we are currently building so im up to speed on stuff, at least down here in Texas. I cant imagine pricing is THAT much different in other parts of the country. Im leaning towards pole barn because its way cheaper than steel and I cant be convinced that its a lesser building.

    My only plan beyond the building and concrete is electrical to the shop and im setting the house up to be easy to pull from the 2nd panel(getting 400a service on the house) and get a trencher to run out to the shop. I'll do all the internal wiring and my master electrician buddy will pull the permit and do final connections for everything which will save me some money. Going to run fiber optic at the same time and maybe a water line.

    Im not planning on running any plumbing to the shop outside of MAYBE a water line and an outside spigot as the price for that was stupid when I asked my buddy who is a plumber... He quoted me 6k to rough in a half bath... said hooking to the septic and pulling water from the house is the main driver. That was him doing 100% of the work including trenching... he said if I trench on his plan, that will cut down maybe 1500-2000 since he would have a full day in trenching then filling the trench back in. Still 4k is a lot for a rough in... I can walk 150ft to the house to piss.

    Spray foam will likely run my 8-10k bucks for the whole building. If I do only the under side of the roof, likely 4k. With a pole barn with 6x6 posts you can frame it out with 2x6 in 24" centers, throw batt insulation in for way less than spray foam, then finish drywall. Insides of red steel beam buildings are a little harder to finish out for a nice look(if thats what you are going for).

    I cant talk about in slab heat as I am not interested in that. But for you up in ID, I would look hard at that plus a boiler. Probably the cheapest way you will heat that building. Down here I am more concerned about A/C and will likely do a small mini split system. The Mr. Cool DIY systems have good reviews over on Garage Journal. They are also wifi connected so you can run them from the main house. You should also be able to get a wifi thermostat for a boiler for in floor heat.

    The more you can do the cheaper obviously. I would LOVE to be able to do my own concrete, but ive never worked concrete before and I dont want to learn on a 40x40 slab... I MAY do the dirt work as I am planning on picking up a JD X758 with a 3 point hitch so I can get a box blade(and other implements). It might take me awhile to do site prep, but if its free, fuck it.

    Dude,

    Rent a trencher & do the lines to the shop for the Thomas.

    You will kick your own ass as you get older if you don’t do it now.
     
    Dude,

    Rent a trencher & do the lines to the shop for the Thomas.

    You will kick your own ass as you get older if you don’t do it now.

    My shop will be used as car storage and for my JD tractor... I dont know if any work will ever get done in there. 3rd garage bay attached to the house is getting all the tools, lift, etc...
     
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    Any idea what a shop like this might run. 70x50 fully finished inside. 1/3 walled off w/ 8' ceiling and storage above. Bathroom, electric, HVAC.
     
    Last edited:
    Somewhere between 100k and 150k would be my guess.

    Bare shell would probably run between 80 and 90k. Then all the finish work.
     
    Depends on the area and if you pay a GC to handle it.

    Using the same numbers from my smaller one; steel, labor to erect and concrete pad would be $55k easy. That doesn't include electrical, epoxy floors, baths, hvac.