Planning my pole barn, Suggestions welcome.

[PoleBarnGuru]

According to the blog on Hansen's website, dimensional lumber prices have about doubled in the last year. I can confirm this with my last visit to my local lumber yard. Holy cr@p did that suck.

Bummer for me too, I hope to build a 30x40 this year.

The good news is - the peak pricing in the lumber market has passed. For those who are planing on building, this is a good time to jump on board.

Just an example - in March 2012, 7/16" osb was under $6 per sheet. This Spring, I saw it at nearly $20, now it is back to just over $10.

 

[PoleBarnGuru]

The old rule of thumb for estimating the size of barns or storage buildings needed is to double the size you think your going to need. For your 32x42 building I would suggest at least 60x80. Its surprising how quickly they fill up.
cheers

The axiom is, "One's worldly possessions will expand to fill all available space, plus 10%".

After being involved in 15,000 buildings, I am waiting for the first client to call me and say, "You know, the pole building I put up, is just too big".

 

[PoleBarnGuru]

Ryan,
Why dick around with a pole building? Just do it right and stick build it. When you start with a pole building you fight it forever, there a bugger to insulate, you don't have to studs to hang anything on, you have to hit a perlin running side ways. I built my building in phases over 6 years. Started with a 28' X 36' 12" grade beam slab, three rows of concrete block, anchor bolts with coupling nuts and ready rod lined up so top plate is anchored to slab. 14' side wall with 12' X 12' door, 3' entry door front and rear, two windows in back one in front, 6" walls 1/2 OSB both sides, 12" blown in fiber glass in ceiling. 4/12 roof pitch. Heated with LanAir 140 waste oil heater. Second phase, 20' X 36' addition, same 3 rows of blocks, 10' wide X 8' tall, 3' service door one window in back same size as the shop. 16" Lam beams follow roof line, removed bottom row of screws pushed metal up and slipped addition metal under neath. Third Phase, mirror image of first. Fourth Phase; Concrete apron 64' X 8' all the way across, 24' X 20' in the middle. Fifth Phase; 12" cement board, aluminum sofit and facia, 2' overhang front and rear, 32" on sides. Sixth Phase; 12' W X 28' L X 10' tall on low side, lean to off back. Building is kept a 50 degrees f, takes 300-400 gallons of used oil, located in Northern WI
Here's a picture of the front 014.jpg Photo by Mark2X2 | Photobucket
Mark

Well - one good reason is the Building Codes prescriptively do not allow for load bearing stud walls to be taller than 10'.

 

[hslogger]

I have both kinds of structures, pole and stick frame. I don't really consider a pole barn building the real asset that a stick frame is. My pole barns are built pretty well and do the job I want. For a shop, stick frame in the long run is the real way to do it.
I recommend putting plywood down under the tin roof for anything. It stiffens it up and QUIETS it down and really helps with condensation problems. Paper sooner or later sags or the bugs get to it.

Generally speaking guys put up pole barns as cheap as they can, then want to add things later on like lofts and things that the uprights burried int he ground aren't really made to carry the load. Sometimes they sink in their holes. Pole buildings are real good shelters by and large, but still, they don't measure up to the real deal IMHO.

 

[jimgerken]

If you are still open to ideas for your building plan, here is a link to a thread I started to document my shop construction. It uses a combination of ideas for overall low costs of ownership (including construction, energy, and yearly taxes). Just look at the pictures, then read the details of the posts that interest you.

One of the features used is called "bookshelf" construction. As I am now almost finished with the building I can say how much I am glad I opted for bookshelf. It has made insulation and finishing easy, fast, and economical. Posts 37 and 38 of this thread show some photos of framing details where you can see the bookshelf girt method.

35X60 shop design in Minnesota