I need a garage

fourtrax

fourtrax

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2007
Location
Just below the Apex
tired of working in the weather looking to build a garage. wanting it to be about 25 x 40 with 12-14' side walls. (want room for a lift one day). Looks like a metal building is going to be cheaper then a stick built. any recommendation or warning to avoid any pitfalls? looked at Southeastern Building Products they have what looks like a pretty good design and like the fact that the use 2"x3" trusses and they are all welded. some of the other seem to usu 2.25" -2.5" square and self tapping screws. both designs seem to be certified so don't know if it matters much.
 
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fourtrax said:
both designs seem to be certified so don't know if it matters much.
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from working in a metal building place, "certified" doesn't mean crap. Don't let that be the selling point.
Look for: welded trusses def a plus (unless you plan on moving the garage lol)
the gauge of material...DON"T settle for the 15g crap, make sure you get minimum 14g or even better 12 or 13, but honestly make sure if you pay for the thicker stuff, make sure you get it (I've seen people pay for 13g and they actually get 15g material not knowing what they are looking for).
best advise: whatever building you go with, get your trusses/studs 4ft OC rather than 5ft and do a A-Frame not the "classic" rounded style. A-Frame is stronger period, and if you get the trusses 4ft OC it drastically improves strength.
Finally, once you get whatever building you choose, and it's closed in, the best you can do is braces, braces and more braces lol. Metal buildings like your looking into are well, weak! That's why they're much cheaper (unless we're talking the big I beam style which we're not). All I mean for braces is add extra 2x4x12 in your roofing system and brace the walls from bottom corner to top corner of each leg. This will pretty much give you the piece of mind that you have it as strong as you are able to get it to withstand much higher wind loads, snow loads and the such. Good luck in your searching.
 
and the 2x3 trusses vs 2.25/2.5 isn't as big a factor either. It's the gauge of material that matters the most. All the trusses and tubing we used at the place I worked was 2.5x2.5 tubing with 2.25 on the legs fitting into the 2.5 and those held up very well for what they are in the big snow last year.
 
Decide what you want and or need.
Figure out what the biggest thing you'll ever need is.
You're wrong.
Double it.
Get as big as you can afford.
Check into pole barns/buildings.
I used to build the pre-fab steel buildings.
IMHO, the biggest benefit was time ..... they go up fast.
 
thanks for the feedback, Harnett county said i needed a certified building but, that's about all they said so far, guess ill find out more when i submit the plans to them once i figure it out. +1 on the gauge size being important. i don't know what the prices were so not sure how the tariffs have impacted the price. my research from the web on a 28x40x14 building seems to be about 17-21k and then add another 5k if you want them to insulate it. but, the price doesn't include the slab. i have called about 7 different concrete contractors and none of them have called me back. so far the foundation is looking like the hard part. i did find general steel and requested a quote from them as well. I have been thinking pretty hard about putting some tubing in the floor before it is poured for some radiant heating, I need to research it a little more and find out what kind of insulation i would need under the slab for our area. so many question i haven't even thought of yet. the way the property is 26' is about as wide as i want to go and 42' is about as long without impacting other plans.
 
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fourtrax said:
thanks for the feedback, Harnett county said i needed a certified building but, that's about all they said so far, guess ill find out more when i submit the plans to them once i figure it out. +1 on the gauge size being important. i don't know what the prices were so not sure how the tariffs have impacted the price. my research from the web on a 28x40x14 building seems to be about 17-21k and then add another 5k if you want them to insulate it. but, the price doesn't include the slab. i have called about 7 different concrete contractors and none of them have called me back. so far the foundation is looking like the hard part. i did find general steel and requested a quote from them as well. I have been thinking pretty hard about putting some tubing in the floor before it is poured for some radiant heating, I need to research it a little more and find out what kind of insulation i would need under the slab for our area. so many question i haven't even thought of yet. the way the property is 26' is about as wide as i want to go and 42' is about as long without impacting other plans.
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Unless things have changed, my contractor back in the day told me you bought things in 10 foot sections. That means you’ll pay for a 30x50 and they’re just gonna cut the excess off and throw it away. That’s speaking “generally” of course. I’d try to squeeze in some more square feet if you ask me.
 
BigSouth said:
Unless things have changed, my contractor back in the day told me you bought things in 10 foot sections..
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My ceiling is a 30ft continuous piece 48" wide sections

20190904_143123.jpg
 
i hear you. but, at 30' wide it is chewing into the driveway width meaning i wouldn't have enough room make the corner around the house. l not sure i want to give up that access for a couple feet more garage. 26' works, 28' is tight, 30' = path closed unless i tear down the back porch. on the other side i have this imaginary line called a "setback" the county said i cant cross.
 
Lizooki said:
Figure out what the biggest thing you'll ever need is.
You're wrong.
Double it.
Click to expand...

Nothing to add other than 4 years ago I thought a 30x40 would be plenty of shop, today I need about twice as wide and 3 times as long (that's what she said). Oh, and outlets outlets outlets, I'm not sure it's possible to have enough outlets.
 
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