Pole barn versus stick built for shop?

[David G Baker]

Brian,
I have seen several pole buildings that were high enough to store full size motor homes in.
Another suggestion on the heating, have one side of your building facing East. Check out the Mother Earth passive solar heat article. It is much easier to add while the building is being built. I am thinking seriously about adding passive solar heat to my shop. The thing that gave me the idea was the roll-up door I have on my pole barn that points East, it is painted dark brown and in the middle of Winter if the sun is shinning the inside of the door is so hot I can't touch it.
The passive solar heat will not be my primary heat source but will cut my heating bill considerably.
David

[Al Killian]

I am all for pole barns. I worked out of one for about five years working on tractor trailers. I would like to add that the are also much quicker going up. A crew of three can have it up and ready for plumbing and wiring in less then a week. To insulate it get the blankets that go between the metal and the poles. For adding sheetrock just run a couple of 2xs across the poles and zip it up.If the poles are put in proper they should out last you. I have worked on farms that have pole barns over 40 years old and are in great shape. They only thing that couses them to rot out is standing water, so gutter are a must on any building.

[John Callahan]

Going through the same process at the moment- researching pole vs stick built. Morton Buildings has what they call they call an Energy Performer package which looks like it could be pretty effective. Blown in fiberglass for the ceilings, and fiberglass blankets for the walls. The blankets cover the entire wall- there's no thermal breaks like in a stick framed wall where the studs are. Price- don't know yet. There were a bunch of pole barn folks at the State Fair .......... was most impressed with Morton. Large factory network, insulation solutions, and interior choices (unfinished, metal, drywall etc etc) Biggest advantages to a pole barn that I can see is they go up fast and maintainance- Kynar 500 should hold up well. No hard numbers yet but I suspect price may be a pole barn advantage vs a conventional stick framed, sheathed, sided, and roof building. Biggest problem at the moment is a place to put the building - we're in the process of selling our current home and buying a place in the country- keeping all fingers and toes crossed and knocking on every piece of wood I can see till the process is over.

[Jim Becker]

Pole barns can be very functional and cost effective, but don't forget the cost of "framing" out inside when you are planning a more finished working area like a typical woodworking shop will be, unless you are fine with the sheet insulation that can be used in exposed situations. (Steel buildings have the same issue in a sense...you sill need something to support the wall material and infrastructure)

[John Callahan]

Morton's insulation is unfaced ......... they cover it with a poly vapor barrier and then horizontal 2x4 nailers roughly 2' apart between the poles to hang the interior walls (metal, drywall etc.). Looks to be a pretty decent solution and a less expensive one. Trying to get some R values and maybe talk to an actual owner.

[Ed Breen]

FWIW we've got two 30x50x12 pole barns. One is my shop and its too small since I became abyserrated. The second is the domain of She Who Rules. I use a granger radiant heating system, Betsy uses a woodburner. Each cost around 10 thousand with a concrete floor. Since we are both mature we dont worry about longevity of the buildings. Here in rural Oklahoma folks are building pole barns and converting them to live ins.
Ed

[David G Baker]

Another suggestion whether you go with stick built or pole built, check the grade of the land around the building site to make sure that the building floor is high enough to keep moving water from migrating into your building. I know a couple folks that built their own pole buildings and did not take this into consideration, they get water into their buildings every time it rains. I had to add 14 inches of sand under my slab to protect it against melting snow and rain.
David

[David G Baker]

FWIW we've got two 30x50x12 pole barns. One is my shop and its too small since I became abyserrated. The second is the domain of She Who Rules. I use a granger radiant heating system, Betsy uses a woodburner. Each cost around 10 thousand with a concrete floor. Since we are both mature we dont worry about longevity of the buildings. Here in rural Oklahoma folks are building pole barns and converting them to live ins.
Ed

Ed,
Went on line to find the definition of abyserrated and didn't have any luck, can you enlighten me.
David

[Brian Elfert]

roof building. Biggest problem at the moment is a place to put the building - we're in the process of selling our current home and buying a place in the country- keeping all fingers and toes crossed and knocking on every piece of wood I can see till the process is over.

This sounds like my plan. I want to sell my house in the suburbs and move out further where I can have upwards of 5 acres for a house and shop. I was originally going to build a shop here, but the city changed the rules recently and basically no outbuildings if you have an attached garage.

My plans really hinge on what I can sell my current home for. It is only five years old, but was built with lots of upgrades and has a lake view. It is not your typical new home with cheap vinyl siding and all that. The market now is a little soft, but that means I can buy for less too.

A number of people have said I should be able to easily sell my home for a good price because it is not located in a cookie cutter subdivision and it is a new house located in a mature neighborhood. We'll see what the realtor says on Monday.

Brian Elfert

[Jim Becker]

Ed,
Went on line to find the definition of abyserrated and didn't have any luck, can you enlighten me.
David

It's a term from the SMC Turning Forum...liken it to "assimilated"...the reference is to the turning addiction.

[David G Baker]

Thanks Jim. I thought it might be craft specific but didn't know which craft.
David

[Jim Becker]

David...it's an "SMC Exclusive", invented by Andy Hoyt (I believe) when SMC members started funding/donating mini lathes to worthy members who really needed to be introduced to turning. If you do a search on the word, you'll find threads and threads of good deeds!

[Rob Will]

Here is a pic of my pole barn. It is 48' x 80' x 16' high with a stick framed interior room for the woodworking shop. The other posts here are correct, there is a lot of cost involved with in effect..... building a building inside a building. Having said that, pole barn trusses on 4' centers with a white metal ceiling applied directly to the trusses is a good thing. Blow insulation on top and you're done.

BTW: I also have a storage bay / finishing room on the side. You will like 18' wide a lot better than 16'.

Rob

[Bob Smalser]

In earthquake country, by the time you finish paying for the engineering and meeting the shear and tiedown requirements, you'll wish you'd stick built, because you'll spend more.

[Matt Meiser]

Having said that, pole barn trusses on 4' centers with a white metal ceiling applied directly to the trusses is a good thing. Blow insulation on top and you're done.

That's how I did my ceiling too. My trusses are 24" OC and after seeing the pictures of Steve Clardy's shop, I don't think I'd want them too far apart in snow country.