Maggie’s Metal Buildings

[Porksboy]

Wife and I are looking to get a metal building. I need somewhere to work on my cars and trucks, somewhere for reloading, and somewhere for wood working. This is currently done in the basement and is too crowded. We would like to make the basement into more of a den/ sewing or craft room.
We are looking at Buildings Direct https://www.bigbuildingsdirect.com.

I dont have the gumption to erect this myself so need someone to assemble it.
No HOA at my house, hell I dont even have neighbors and have plenty of land.

Anyone have any experience with these folks? What other reccomendations do you have?

 

[oneshot86]

How big, I just closed in a 40x60.
And im tight on the buck.

If you are remotely handy you can do what I did and save a ton. I'd be happy to talk to you about how and why I did things and how to shop for materials. Hopefully it would be relevant to where you live.

 

[Choid]

Shops/barns are like gun safes. They are never big enough.

 

[Porksboy]

I am still recovering from open heart surgery at Christmas. I also work full time an hour away, not sure I have the time. Start rehab next week.

I also would need someone to pull the permits, seems if you arent a contractor that is known to my county you will never get anywhere. I couldnt even get an address for the property so I could have my house built. I tried for 9 months about every monday. "you need to see so and so" So and so says I need to see such and such. I dont pull permits unless I am doing a big project.
Built a free standing deck and didnt, though the county says I needed to. Yeah, Ill get right on that. Uf you can see it from public I will, if not, nope.

 

[oneshot86]

I didn't have to pull any permits because of being ag land. I had to hire an electrician to give me electricity, because the power company wouldn't bring a line in without a electrical contractor holding a permit.
People have their horror stories w getting power lines run and power drops, but while I wished mine was faster, it was cheaper than I expected and wow what a good job they did.
Don't be afraid to take on some of the responsibilities to offset paying someone.
Down here, everyone was great to deal with

 

[Waorani]

No experience w/ that company but as above - go bigger than you think you'll need. My first shop was 40x40 enclosed w/ 20x40 front lean-to and it was always too full. New place has 50x70 and I like it a lot more. Consider height too, esp if you're going to put in a lift. Extra height can also allow for a second level for storage/other use. Lesson learned from first one - be there when the slab is poured and building erected to catch shortcuts. I wasn't and years later had trouble finding a suitable spot for a lift due to thin spots and I ultimately had roof leakage problems given how they skimped on panel length at the peak and gutter overhang. Also wish I'd just extended the gabled roof vs the lean-to style which would have allowed for more easily enclosing that area later.

 

[hino895]

I just had the Amish people build me a pole/frame steel building in Kentucky.
they definitely know how to build them in my opinion.
saved me 10,000 over a regular building contractor.
if you have Amish around you get to know them.

 

[Porksboy]

No Yoders near me, my granfathers neighboring farm was Amish. He was Indiana, I am in Georgia.
Was thinking about a lift.

 

[346ci]

Red iron is going to be the nicest, Arco Steel or Searcy. They should be able to recommend a concrete and erector guy.

Go at least 14' walls for a 2 post lift, could go shorter with a 4 post but I never liked those for brake or suspension work.

I did a Arco 40x40x14 in 2018, was my own GC and had seen the concrete guy's work on much bigger projects. Had a pro start me on the electric part and did the remaining my self.

 

[Waorani]

No Yoders near me, my granfathers neighboring farm was Amish. He was Indiana, I am in Georgia.
Was thinking about a lift.

Lot of Yoder's around Montezuma - nice restaurant but doubt they're doing any buildings.

Another thing to consider is interior finishing - floor/walls/insulation/wiring/lighting/plumbing/etc. Lots of options from nothing on up.

 

[TxWelder35]

Keep in mind steel prices are up like crazy right now and will be for the foreseeable future, so whenever you are getting prices and yours is way higher than what people paid even last year that’s why.

whatever size you think you need, double it.

16’ walls, and 12’ doors. That tall and you can build a mezzanine later on if you need more space.

 

[TurboTrout]

Many have had luck with these

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[Dingodog]

I did mine 40x30 with 14x12’ doors. Wish the building was bigger but it is about max for my lot.
if you can swing it have someone erect it for you. Not worth the hassle for the few grand you will save. Depending on where you live hire a contractor to do the permitting for you and getting the building but and wired. Finally got mine done as I did a bunch of work myself but the county was a pain to deal with.

 

[Blackcreek]

I had a local builder do my 40x60 and I did a 2x6 framed walls on 2' centers. There's a lot of variables. If you live in an area that can have termites or gets hot and freezes a lot a building with a footer and a frost wall make a lot of sense. Lots of pole barns around here with rotten poles in the ground.

Another thing is with pole barns is if you plan to finish on the inside with sheetrock or plywood you have to frame or put up a lot of furring strips up and the cost ads up quick over just stick framing it on 2 foot centers you can just put tin on the outside and finish the inside walls with nothing extra.

I had a concrete wall about 6-8 inch above grade all the way around. Had the builder do all the outside construction then myself and my father did the inside. Paid to have spray foam insulation in the walls and blown in the attic for half of it that's the work shop.

 

[lonegunman762x51]

Make it 40 feet wide and make the walls two feet higher than you think you need them, honestly. I have a 24'wide x 60' long x 12' high shop. I wish it was 40'x60'x14' highwalls. Fewer ground level windows for tweekers to crawl in and a cement floor is nice. 200 amp service if possible, a 50 amp 220vac plug for welders, some form of electric or propane heat is nice and if possible a bathroom.

If you make it 40' wide and 14' high you can park any RV inside and work with a car lift easier. A loft along the back or sides is easier and has stand up height for most of the width. If you can work yourself, do the insulation if you live where it snows. I work on vehicles, wood working, reloading and generally hide in my shop on cold rainy or snowy days enjoying the wood stove, beer fridge and the TV.

 

[Chris.E]

Wife and I are looking to get a metal building. I need somewhere to work on my cars and trucks, somewhere for reloading, and somewhere for wood working. This is currently done in the basement and is too crowded. We would like to make the basement into more of a den/ sewing or craft room.
We are looking at Buildings Direct https://www.bigbuildingsdirect.com.

I dont have the gumption to erect this myself so need someone to assemble it.
No HOA at my house, hell I dont even have neighbors and have plenty of land.

Anyone have any experience with these folks? What other reccomendations do you have?

Hi Porksboy,

One of my friends ordered a steel building from https://www.vikingsteelstructures.com/ before winter. Now, his building has been installed at his property. So, you can consider their leading time accordingly. Plus, he got free delivery & installation. So, I think - it can be easy for you.

I checked, they also have a 3D estimator tool https://www.vikingsteelstructures.com/metal-buildings-estimator where you can design your custom building.

They are also associated with different manufacturers, so you have the option to choose as the way you want. I hope, they can help you to get your metal building.

 

[FS1]

You can save a bunch of cash if you do a search for new never erected buildings. Sometimes manufacturers make them and for different reasons they never get delivered. If you find one of those in a size that suits you, big savings can be had.

 

[DirtDart]

@Porksboy
Look at Douglas metal, they are an hour south of Macon

 

[JRaven]

I built my building 4 years ago thinking it was massive at 92' x 50'. By the time I put my shop in one side and the gym in the other, I should have build a bigger building.

However big you think you need, go bigger if you can.

And be prepared to pay extra for material. My friend built a building last year and poured a slab to build another 2 months ago. In the 2 months since pouring and getting time to put the building up, the material cost when up 40% from what he paid last year.

 

[Missalot]

A big decision on going with metal vs stick construction is if you plan to insulate and climate control the interior. The savings of metal construction vs stick diminish quickly if you want it climate controlled. Insulated batting used for metal buildings isn't very effective and spray on is very expensive. If you pour a concrete pad, will the cement truck be able to get to the construction site or will you need to build/upgrade your driveway. Will you pour before or after the building is complete?

Check the warranty on the paint if you want painted steel. Who covers the repainting expense? I lot (a LOT) of the cheaper steel building paint starts to caulk after 5 to 10 years. If you can get warranty coverage, you may end up with a few 5 gallons containers of paint at your door. You supply the painter. Morton buildings warrants their paint for 40 years and will repaint it for you if it fails. However, you will pay a 25% premium for Morton to build your shop.

When shopping, be sure to compare the gauge of the metal used for both walls and roof. Thin walled metal dents very easily. Check the fold pattern on the metal so you can easily replace damaged panels. Morton uses a proprietary fold so if you want to repair or expand, you have to go to them. I owned a metal building constructed by Midas Muffler. The steel was so thick you had to wack it good with a hammer to dent it. My FIL's pole barn will dent if you press on it with your pinkie.

What happens if you buy a kit and hire your own installer and you don't have the right parts? Who is responsible if the installer and kit provider start pointing fingers at each other? Answer: You.

Bottom line, this isn't a project where you pick the cheapest guy and go with it. There are a lot of decisions to be made. My advice is to drive around your hood and ask neighbors who have nice buildings like you want to build and find out who built them. And the cost of building is going up daily and this probably won't change any time soon.

 

[Carlos Danger]

No Yoders near me, my granfathers neighboring farm was Amish. He was Indiana, I am in Georgia.
Was thinking about a lift.

Do the lift. Worth it.