Modular Steel Shop question

woodlandfarms · Feb 27, 2016

Has anyone ever designed and built a shop with a smaller footprint and then added to it (meaning you had only so many $$$ but wanted to plan for the future). Wondering about what issues everyone ran into on this.

BHD · Feb 27, 2016

we did for my son, put a second post, for the back wall so it could be moved, and built the back wall in such a way, that one can pick it up with a fork lift and move it,

remove a panel of tin, and a few short girts and unbolt the post, and move the wall and put in a few more trusses, and the wall back up, and tin it

and I have seen the end wall left, and just extend the building, a smaller place one can heat, and one for storage, or expansion of the work area,

we have not added the second bay to it yet,

newbury · Feb 28, 2016

I've SEEN a number of "Quonset hut" style buildings built this way. Especially in Korea, old US army buildings. Start out with a big front, build back.

/edit - I also think Lowes or HD sells a metal building that is in 10' sections, something like 12' wide, where you could add on another 10' section easily.

dieselcrawler · Feb 28, 2016

Not a steel building, but I'm designing a horse barn in plan to build this spring/summer, in such a way that I can simply make it longer if the need should arise. A gable end is easy enough to tie into to extend in the longer direction, and if the roof has enough hight, a 'shed roof' type addition can also increase the footprint if need be.

STx · Feb 28, 2016

Pretty much all of the steel building manufacturers have an option to put an end wall in that's designed for future expansion. If you're buying a building, talk to your sales rep about what your plans are and they can design it for the planned growth.