Did anyone here build a metal building /shop around 30x50 or 40x60 and how did it turn out? I am planning on getting one soon to have a decent place to work in.How tall do you need to put a lift in it? What would you change if you could? Pics would hep.

 

I built a Miracle Truss 42'x60'x14'. The drawings and manual were complete, it looks good, quality trusses and siding. They were a pleasure to deal with, I got exactly what I ordered and it was shipped complete and on time. I'll try and get a few pics up this weekend.

 

30 X 50 my walls are 16 foot tall my doors are 14 foot tall one is 16 foot wide the other is 12 wide. height is almost free, I now have a home depot shelf unit on one side and an office in one corner with a mezzanine on top for storage.
i would never build one 30 foot deep again, I run out of room all the time! ie motor homes, semi's even crew cab long bed trucks fill it up.

<a href="http://s527.photobucket.com/albums/cc359/mrhelifixer/?action=view&current=IMGP3474.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/cc359/mrhelifixer/IMGP3474.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

 

to purchase call Steve Maury at best building systems 866-875-8790. he is in Colorado
stay away from cheep buildings, the engineering on the slab bill be atrocious as the slab on a cheep building will be part of the structure,

best price on clopay doors is steelbuildings.com (they have cheaper buildings but "they are cheaper")

if you are thinking about a lift you will need a 6 inch pour for a 12,000 lb lift.
most lifts will fit in 12 to 13 foot ceilings

 

here is the edge of my lift and the start of my office
my lift is a 12,000 lb bend pack asymmetrical extra wide

<a href="http://s527.photobucket.com/albums/cc359/mrhelifixer/?action=view&current=IMGP3799.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/cc359/mrhelifixer/IMGP3799.jpg" border="0" alt="walls sheared windows in"></a>

 

Thank you for the replies and photos. I requested a quote from Mueller Metal Buildings for a 35x56.I stopped in one of there stores and had a chance to look at and put my hands on their material.The 6" slab for a lift and office are something I will use on my build.

 

I can't wait until I can afford to build my shop- 40x60, right hand side will have a full-length bay with an alignment lift at one end and asymmetrical at the other with a full-length overhead crane, while the other side will be an office, bathroom, well and pump room, and then a 20x30 perfectly flat fab area with beam grid poured into the concrete, jib-mounted wire feeder and it's own overhead crane and single end door.
Once I get some money going-

 

Go at least 40 feet deep. If you have a 178" WB Ford and need to pull an engine, you will find you need every bit of 30 feet to do it.

Narrow does not matter too much, go with 12 foot wide doors. Makes backing a 8ft wide trailer in much easier.

Make provisions for installing lolly columns behind your doors into the floor. That way people can't ram trucks through without leaving the truck behind.

I would go 20 feet tall at least. Reason being if if you have a 8 foot tall vehicle and lift it 6 feet, if the building is not at least 20 feet tall, you can hit the roof. You want enough room to build an attic for storage too. Plus, it makes a good dog house or relaxing spot. If you live in the country you can use it for shooting practice at critters - 2 and 4 legs.

Outside what I like to do is install 4-6" cement filled lolly columns in front of each door edge about 2" into the door space. Reason being is it avoids you hitting the garage and forces you away from the door tracks you could take off with a rigid mirror. Then one between both doors and in front of the main door.

What I like to do at the corner of my buildings is install a lolly column too. If is easy enough to fix a flat sheet of metal, but, backing into a corner with a trailer is a real hassle to fix. More so with brick. Those type of accidents usually happen in the rain, backing up with junk after a long road trip.

FWIW: A metal roof under an oak tree can get real annoying between the dead branches and acorns dropping all the time. Insulation on the roof is always a good investment.

 

I ended up going with a 35x54 US Metal Buildings and was downtown Houston trying to get the permit and some old lady crossing the intersection got fataly run over buy a woman driving a BMW SUV just a few cars in front of me.Then when I was returning to get my truck from the parking lot none of the street lights or crosswalk signs where working and there was a lot of confused drivers and cops all over the place.Then they hit me for $12 for 40 minutes to park. I always try to avoid downtown like the plauge.

 

good luck with your build

 

i like the photo, as whole process is described in this photo, from make a separte room in metal bulinding and the notice that we should insulate our separte room from cold metal building.

 

I'll add my two cents as someone who has owned and built more than a few steel buildings over the past 34 years, starting with a 50 x 70 we built in 1977 and took down piece by piece in 2000 and re-erected at another location...

Yes, as Helifixer said, 12' walls are high enough for a lift, but 14' to 16' is better, especially if you intend to work on large or tall vehicles.

16' walls are a minimum if you want to build interior rooms and use the "attic" space. Yeah, you can do it in a 12', but you won't have much attic, and in a 14', you'll still have to duck if you're 6' or taller. DAMHIKT. The other issue with height would be if there are any restrictions on the height of accessory buildings in your area. Granted too, buildings with walls taller than 12' will be harder for do-it-yourself construction.

6" slab is a wise choice if you intend to install any heavy machinery or drive a forklift or other heavy things on the slab.

If you want climate control of any sort, ceiling and wall insulation is something I'd always consider, and it helps a little with noise reduction too (not that it really helps much on that). At least do ceiling insulation with a vapor barrier, as it will reduce condensation. It won't entirely eliminate it, but it will make a big difference. How you do it, and with what materials and what kind of vapor barrier, depends on where you are, humidity and temperature wise. I'm only familiar with what works in the arid southwest.

Standing seam roofs are better than lap joints, especially if you're in a high wind area, and/or where you get wind-driven rain. The extra expense is worth it in the long run IMO. They're also easier to deal with if you intend to add any roof mounted equipment like HVAC, and even for skylights or roof vents. Whatever you do, make sure the roof panels are full length, and not lapped in the middle of the rake.

12' wide doors are a good choice, and fairly common, so they're at a good price point. Wider than 12' are heavy if they're tall, and expensive to boot.

Agreed on 40' being a decent minimum depth on the "drive-in" dimension, if you have the space for it. That from someone who thinks his 80' x 125' building is too small...

Joe

 

We put in a 20x20 metal building at my office for some additional storage and to park out big forklift in- man oh man do I wish we had gone with something bigger. The forklift alone takes up about a third of the space, and it's not the easiest thing to maneuver so the actual usable space is not a lot.

It didn't seem tiny until we started putting stuff in it.

Also, the guys who put in our concrete pad were apparently incompetent...the pad has a low spot in the middle, so every time it rains the water goes right under the door and into the middle of the building.

 

Older thread but some good info. And pics!

 

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