18x24 carport on slab? or pole building?

[flusher]

I desperately need a place to start storing some stuff and am on a seriously tight budget. I was thinking about pouring a slab and having one of those $700 steel carports put on it for now, with the idea of eventually adding walls.
should I consider a pole building instead? I know I'm going to hit ledge in some spots a couple feet down.
I'd appreciate anyones experience along these lines.

Here's my 20x36 ft carport at the end of my gravel driveway. Sides are 9ft tall.



Carport was about $2700. I did the footings myself--there's about 6 yards of concrete in the footings at $100/yard plus cost of the rebar, forms, etc.
I paid extra for the side-draining roof option. I'll probably put sides on it one of these days.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

dont know what kind of a budget your on, but personally where i live (Idaho) I see those portable sheds either collapse or blow apart in the winters here.

Keep in mind, Grs, that in other states a strong wind is what we'd call a gentle breeze. Also, in other states the snow that falls in November doesn't stay until April.

 

[oldboyscout]

flusher, is that a concrete footer that runs along the ground?

 

[flusher]

flusher, is that a concrete footer that runs along the ground?

Yep, about 12" wide and 18 to 24" deep (because of the ground slope), 36 feet long. Had to do that to satisfy county building code for a structure this size. No ground augers allowed.

 

[oldboyscout]

I suppose I should check about code here. That may have some impact on my decision

 

[Soundguy]

around here we can get away with non permitted 'ag' structures if it has no power or water and land is A-1

 

[grsthegreat]

Here in Idaho, no portable structure needs a permit. If it is stuck into concrete and over 200 SF...permit time.

 

[Gary Fowler]

The only permit I needed when I built my house in Arkansas was a sewer permit. Perhaps if I had a bank loan or something, they would have wanted some additional inspections but the county was happy with the sewer. When I put in a sprinkler system, the county wanted inspection to assure I had a backflow preventer in place. That is about the extent of county requirements. I dont live in an incorporated area so no city regs to follow.

 

[RPW]

You might look at the 8x8x20 or 8x8x40 steel containers. You can also find the 8x9x40 containers. With a little bit of fabrication to replace end door with a roll-up and framing in a walk-through you'd have a respectable shop. Price is usually less than $3000 for the 40ft units. I've seen them converted into many different style offices/barns etc.

Good luck.

 

[oldboyscout]

yes I'm leaning toward just using gravel under a steel carport for now. I really could use a flat slab for welding and assembly projects but it'll have to wait.

What happens to these steel buildings when they're just bolted to a driveway with no footer?