Planning stages for new garage. Steel vs pole barn vs traditional build

[Doc]

I'm considering adding a 3 stall garage next fall or depending on cost might be spring of 2023.

I looked at one a friend just built, 40x50 steel, fully insulated. He bought it in 2020 but just finished it up. Cost back then was 20k for materials. 13k for the concrete. Very nice building.

Not sure steel can work for what I want. I don't have room for 40' deep for all 3 stalls. I'm looking at 40' deep for one stall and the other 2 stalls would be 30' deep. A telephone poll, underground electric and underground gas line preclude me from going 40' deep for all stalls.

Thoughts / ideas welcome.

 

[bczoom]

Running out the door right now so will come back with thoughts on building.
First question is the gas line. Is that gas line for your house or is it part of large gas line where they have a right-of-way through your property?

 

[FrancSevin]

Some 20 years ago, I built a 35' X 54' pole barn for my BIL near Indianola IA. Only I used treated 2"X6" s' nailed, screwed, and glued to form an "I" beam pole. It stays straight for decades and is much easier to attach Braces, Headers and Nailers.

It also gives you vertical channels to run and cover wires and pipes.

Using treated round poles or even square ones you run the risk of them warping and racking the wall.
Easier to do yourself than steel and so far, seems just as strong. And floor plan modifications are much simpler.

We did the poles on 12' c/c in both directions. But the system works well at 16' c/c.

If you nail them together, use 6" barn nails. I did both nails and screws.

Corrugated metal sheathing walls and roof. As a horse barn, most of the floor was 1' gravel.12'X24 office/tack room/bathroom had 5/4 decking for the floor. Plywood overlam. Indoor outdoor carpeting. Office-bunkroom was finished for living quarters. Runing water and heat.

Total materials at 1997 prices were well under $20K.

All that said, there are great advantages to steel.

 

[Doc]

Running out the door right now so will come back with thoughts on building.
First question is the gas line. Is that gas line for your house or is it part of large gas line where they have a right-of-way through your property?

The gas line is mine. We have a well at rear of our property and the line is our 'free' gas hookup.
The gas line is behind the telephone pole and underground electric lines which are more of a hinderance. If it was only the gas line I could reroute that.

 

[FrancSevin]

I saw this U-tube video. It uses the post frame method I described earlier. The only difference is that I used three 2x6's nailed and screwed into an I-beam instead of solid 6x6 posts.

Girts and nailer's are then nailed, or screwed, to create the post frame structure.

Corners are braced with 2X6's at 45 degree angles. You can make them flush with the posts using galvanized stich plates or just nail them to the outside face of the post. I used the plate method. When you connect these to the horizontal girts, the structure becomes very stiff even without the siding attached.

Post Frame Construction U-tube - Bing video

www.bing.com