Looking at building a steel shop?

unioncreek

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I’m going to be putting up a shop sometime this year. I’ve been looking at steel buildings, but I noticed that a lot of them use 14 gauge tubing for the frame. My question is the 14 gauge frame sufficient for the structure?

Bob
 

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I’m going to be putting up a shop sometime this year. I’ve been looking at steel buildings, but I noticed that a lot of them use 14 gauge tubing for the frame. My question is the 14 gauge frame sufficient for the structure?

Bob
Snow, wind and static loads all have to be accounted for. If you buy a building it will come with engineering drawings and it should be designed for your snow, wind and static loads. Some clown from down near Anaconda, MT tried to sell me a steel building a few years ago. I kept asking for the drawings but he wouldn't provide them. Finally he showed up with the building on a truck and I told him that I need to see the drawings. Turns out it was designed for Salmon, ID with a snow loading of around 15lb/sq.ft. At my house the snow load is closer to 60lb/sq.ft. He wanted money to cover his time and fuel. Nope, not happening!!

I've put a lot of time and thought into steel buildings over the past two or three years. I can't stand working with wood, can't stand how wood dries out, warps, dry rots etc. As a welder in a previous life I want everything made of steel. I've got trusses designed, have pipe for two buildings and just need to get holes punched in the ground and start cutting welding. This spring I hope.
 
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Trapper Bob

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I am going with a hybrid (I think). Wood walls & steel trusses. Something like this.
IMG_9026.jpeg
IMG_9027.jpeg
 
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Russell King

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@Trapper Bob
Where did the trusses come from?

Who designed the structure? What is the structure type called (stick built, pole bar…)? Seems like a lot of studs in the pictures…
 

GreensvilleJay

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What are the local building codes ???
The city hall idiots (engineers ??) demanded that a 20x40 timber frame building have holes bored down the centers of the bents ( trusses) to have threaded rods installed to join them together with 1/2" thick steel plates...
When using wood or metal, think WATER ! Do whatever you can to keep standing WATER away !!
 

Trapper Bob

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@Trapper Bob
Where did the trusses come from?

Who designed the structure? What is the structure type called (stick built, pole bar…)? Seems like a lot of studs in the pictures…
Bear with me on this. I have seen & visited with 2 customer's/buildings that are 2 years old. No complaints. I talked with the business owner, he said all the right things. Does 5.5” concrete with re-mesh & footing, himself, properly cut. Bends his own siding & roofing metal. Pole barn style buildings are engineered for area. Says the steel trusses are over engineered for the area. Uses closed cell spray foam (R33-37), doesn’t like the vinyl back batts, but will use if you insist. Several times, the owner stated his preferred method of building because he doesn’t have any problems. I’m thinking he’s not having problems because owners are not having problems. I’ll get more info when I visit a job site Monday. Not cheap tho.
Don’t mean to hy-jack your thread, unioncreek, my apologies.
 

Motion

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Take your time and see what others in your area chose for their building type. If you can afford to get the shop of dreams in one shot great, if not consider expandable end walls, height for future lean to, etc.
Here's a question can a shop every be too big?
 

Yooper

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To answer your question, 14ga is plenty strong in the right configuration. My question is, what shape do they use and at what spacing? I would also want a good corrosion resistant coating, preferably galvanized.
 

fried1765

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Take your time and see what others in your area chose for their building type. If you can afford to get the shop of dreams in one shot great, if not consider expandable end walls, height for future lean to, etc.
Here's a question can a shop every be too big?
Investigate.... "Morton Buildings".
They are a nationwide company with an impeccable record.
I have a 36' x 40' Morton building that just turned 40 years old.
They ain't cheap, but they are excellent buildings!
 
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Sawdust&Shavings

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Investigate.... "Morton Buildings".
They are a nationwide company with an impeccable record.
I have a 36' x 40' Morton building that just turned 40 years old.
They ain't cheap, but they are excellent buildings!
I second the Morton Building suggestion; my wood shop is a 960sqft Morton Building built in 2016 and is fantastic, took two weeks from arrival to finish.
 

TheOldHokie

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I’m going to be putting up a shop sometime this year. I’ve been looking at steel buildings, but I noticed that a lot of them use 14 gauge tubing for the frame. My question is the 14 gauge frame sufficient for the structure?

Bob
I have no idea what sort of building you are considering but if its an engineered building it should be fine. Here is a picture of my engineered clear span shop going up. Came with three copies of teh engineering calcs - one for me and two for the building permits department. The purlins and girts are all 14ga. In addition to gauge a major factor is cross section shape and dimensions. Z purlins are stronger than C purlins. A larger 14 ga purlin may be structurally stronger than a smaller 12 ga purlin.

Dan

IMG_0391.JPG


IMG_0423.JPG


IMG_0471.JPG
 
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mcmxi

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I have no idea what sort of building you are considering but if its an engineered building it should be fine. Here is a picture of my engineered clear span shop going up. Came with three copies of teh engineering calcs - one for me and two for the building permits department. The purlins and girts are all 14ga. In addition to gauge a major factor is cross section shape and dimensions. Z purlins are stronger than C purlins. A larger 14 ga purlin may be structurally stronger than a smaller 12 ga purlin.

Dan

View attachment 119980

View attachment 119979

View attachment 119978
Now that's a building. Very cool! (y)
 

TheOldHokie

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Now that's a building. Very cool! (y)
Retirement gift to myself but to get approval from my lovely wife of 50 years I had to partition and finish a piece of one end bay for her "craft shop" That's her private entrance and picture window on the front left corner.....

Dan

IMG_0711.JPG
 
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mcmxi

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Retirement gift to myself but to get approval from my lovely wife of 50 years I had to partition and finish a piece of one end bay for her "craft shop" That's her private entrance and picture window on the front left corner.....

Dan

View attachment 119996
Is that 40ft x 60ft or 30ft x 50ft or something else? I like the size and what a great shop you have there.
 

TheOldHokie

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Is that 40ft x 60ft or 30ft x 50ft or something else? I like the size and what a great shop you have there.
Thank you - and in 2006 it was incredibly inexpensive.

Overall its 75 x 40. The wife got 20 x 25 out of the first bay and theres a full depth loft over it. There is also a bathroom and small office at the rear of her craft shop. Center bay has a 20 x 10 overhead door and a two post vehicle lift. Bay 3 houses my little machine shop and has a 15 x 10 overhead door.

My only complaint is the heating bill....

Dan
 
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mcmxi

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Thank you - and in 2006 it was incredibly inexpensive overall its 75 x 40. The wife got 20 x 25 out of the first bay and theres a full depth loft over it. There is also a bathroom and little office at the rear of her craft shop. Center bay has a 20 x 10 overhead door and a two post vehicle lift. Bay 3 houses my little machine shop and has a 15 x 10 overhead door.

My only complaint is the heating bill....

Dan
That's awesome! Pretty much a dream set up for many of us here. How do you heat it? I'd love a heated space for all my welding projects that get put on hold over the cold winter months. Once I get some sheds built this year I'm going to look at a heated metal working area.
 

TheOldHokie

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That's awesome! Pretty much a dream set up for many of us here. How do you heat it? I'd love a heated space for all my welding projects that get put on hold over the cold winter months. Once I get some sheds built this year I'm going to look at a heated metal working area.
I have a ceiling mounted 150K BTU LP unit hearer hanging in the middle of bays 2 and 3. It will keep that area at a very comfortable 70 degrees. It will also chew through $1K of LP in a month. Consequently I only run it when the shop is in use. Insulation is good enough to keep it above freezing overnight and most mornings its around 50 when I turn on the lights
 
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Vlach7

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I regret not insulating mine when I had it built over 25 years ago, but now I really get to enjoy it being retired. Love the skylights and going with heavy metal beams, not the lightweight construction, able to hoist 2500 lbs from the peak. Now I have also an 8250KW PV system on the roof which works out great also. No I don't heat the workshop, just wear extra clothing.
 

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NorthwoodsLife

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In my niche of the sticks, there's barns, pole barns, and engineered buildings. Different things. Local authority and laws vary.

Heating by wood stove is my preferrence
 
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Runs With Scissors

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I think mine are 14 gauge as well.

But like others have stated, the design is the key. (i.e. roof pitch, truss's, local snow load requirements...etc)

One thing I'll mention, just because I was recently talking to a buddy about it, is to be careful of how you insulate it, if you do.

My buddy was telling me of a guy that "spray foamed" his metal building and it buckled the hell out of the skin of the building when it set up.

He says it looks like the building belongs in a Dr. Seuss book now. 😂 😂 😂

I can't remember the details, cause I was laughing so hard, rum and seltzer were shooting out of my nose...😂😂😂

Apparently, he should have lined the the walls with some sort of Tyvek or something to prevent the insulation from sticking to the metal skin.
 
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