New Barn/Shop Build

[MickeyDBC]

Is this correct? 4,000 square feet of concrete and dirt work for $39,000? or $9.75 a square foot for the foundation?

Yes, that is right. To get it down to this price I acted as the general on the job.

 

[MickeyDBC]

The weather was supposed to be pretty bad today so the game plan was to inventory and clearly label the iron (bundles were labeled but they were not holding up in the rain) to get a jump on next weekend. Needed to move some prestaged pieces on the slab so I decided to test lifting some of the main uprights. Removed the forks from the rack on the tractor and strapped a beam to it and then lifted it upright and maneuvered it into place.





It went smoother than I had hoped but my X-Ray vision is on the fritz and was very hard to see exactly what I was doing. A neighbor came by and we were able to sling the rest of them into place in fairly short order.





The drizzle started getting heavier and I had a better handle on what was next so we called it an afternoon.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

We started building a new barn/farm shop at our ranch to replace a couple of older buildings that are about done. The first phase is going to be a 40' x 100' central building (16' side walls with a 4/12 pitch roof) and then add 24' shed roofs coming off of each side for equipment storage.

Sounds sort of like a monitor-style barn. I'm envious. I love to have anything for a shop. That said, I also just learn you guys don't do a thermal-break in TX.

 

[ovrszd]

Sounds sort of like a monitor-style barn. I'm envious. I love to have anything for a shop. That said, I also just learn you guys don't do a thermal-break in TX.

I really enjoy these threads. Especially to see the different requirements depending on location. Things I might do, you wouldn't consider or the opposite. Methods seem to be based on trial and error in the various climates and conditions.

 

[MickeyDBC]

After last weekend when I got a feel for how much aerial work this building is going to take and how much I really dislike working on a ladder I figured a scissor lift would be a huge help. Rental rates around here run around a thousand a month for a small 19 footer 32 inches wide and over $1500 a month for a bigger one with a little more lifting power. After thinking about paying that for two or three months I ended up finding an older Grove model that is rated for a thousand pounds lift. It will eventually need tires and the charger is a little on the lite duty side, but I figure I can use it for 3 or 4 months and sell it when I am done and come out ahead.





I am going to try and play hooky from work on Friday and see how much I can get done on a 3 day weekend.

 

[EddieWalker]

Smart. Takes a lot of stress off of you when you don't have to push yourself to return a rental.

Do you have a good source for parts?

 

[MickeyDBC]

Smart. Takes a lot of stress off of you when you don't have to push yourself to return a rental.

Do you have a good source for parts?

This thing is pretty simple. All analog control, no "black boxes" or digital readouts, and lots of grease fittings. I like new and fancy but for something like this, old and simple are more my style.

 

[MickeyDBC]

We got a bit more done this weekend, my neighbor who has been in construction for 43 years spent most of Saturday and Sunday afternoon on it with. Really learned some good tricks from him.







The scissor lift made things so much easier and safer. For standing up the lighter beams we used it as a backstop and put them up by hand. For anything over seven feet it was great. I have used little ones before but this wide deck wide base one is so much more stable feeling. Still don't like to drive around with it up more than about ten feet (I am not a great fan of heights and it has rather squishy dirt tires), but for going up and down it is great. We should be able to get the rest of the frame finished on Saturday and then square everything up on Sunday to get ready for siding.

 

[ovrszd]

Lookin good!!! Sounds like the lift was a good investment!!!

 

[EddieWalker]

Those 16 foot walls sure make your tractor look small!!!!

 

[MickeyDBC]

Still trying to figure out insulation. Just got a quote in for 2" of closed cell spray foam and it was almost 16K, and fiverglass roll insulation is about 5K. Has anyone put 3/4" Rmax rigid foam board with the metal panels screwed directly down onto the foam board? That would seem to help a lot with thermal bridging and be easier to handle than the fiberglass.

 

[ovrszd]

Mickey, I've never heard of doing that. Not sure why though. Sounds feasible.

Closed cell foam is around R6 per inch. So you'll have R12. But the beneficial gain is no air transfer thru the walls.

I certainly wouldn't pay 3 times more though. Especially in your location.

 

[EddieWalker]

Still trying to figure out insulation. Just got a quote in for 2" of closed cell spray foam and it was almost 16K, and fiverglass roll insulation is about 5K. Has anyone put 3/4" Rmax rigid foam board with the metal panels screwed directly down onto the foam board? That would seem to help a lot with thermal bridging and be easier to handle than the fiberglass.

On the walls, air flow is more important the R value. Kind of like wearing a super heavy wool sweater on a cold, windy day. The wool is great if there is no wind, but if the air gets through the wool, it's worthless. Same thing with walls. You want to stop the air first. That's the most important. Doing it with foam is a super expensive way to stop the air. House wrap is OK, but really hard to get it all air tight. Zip System is your best investment if you are building stick framing.

I would never foam walls, it's just such a huge expense that doesn't really achieve anything over a well sealed wall with fiberglass.

And don't forget, a good window is going to be less then R3, so why have a wall that's R20 or more when there are so many areas that are just R3?

 

[MickeyDBC]

We got more done last Saturday (it was misting and windy on Sunday so I did other chores) - used the scissor lift to raise the main trusses. We bolted them together on the ground and then used the tractor to put them on the lift and then up, up, and away. It went a lot smoother than I had hoped. Spent the afternoon putting up roof purlins and braces and only have seven to go. Still have to square a few places up, but overall it is pretty good. I hope to start hanging sheet metal next Sunday.

 

[ns_in_tex]

We did a 30x60 wood frame pole barn about 12 years ago. 20x13.25 2" foam filled overhead door. Used 1" closed cell foam insulation, walls & ceiling. I love it. We did several things, I read is the wrong way to do it, but if I had to do it over would do the same. No windows, No vents. No mice, very few bugs. Do have some very small spiders. Don't have to worry about freezing. Went through one spell, for 3 days, highs of 32 or below, lows 12/13. Did not freeze inside building, but was close. Almost stays dustless if keep doors closed. Did have to overcome woodpeckers breaking in by pecking out the insulation between roof ribs & sidewall panels. It also helps level out humidity.