quonset hut?

[roy697]

Question to you. I have 54+ acres with no buildings. Working on a shoe string. I expect to have my tractor ready for work shortly. Looking for cheap building to keep it in along with the rest of my stuff. The farm is 6.5 hours from home. Goal is to have a get-away. If every thing is out of site less chance of it walking & I have seen what leaving this equipment outside can do. Looking for opinions. I'm still not sure where to build. The pond was created when it was strip mind for the coal, just beyond the tree line was not touched.
Thanks for all the input.

[Rich Waugh]

When I was looking into inexpensive buildings to house emergency equipment down here, the best be seemed to be the steel buildings made for use in hurricane country. On a decent slab, properly anchored, they'll withstand hundred mph winds no sweat. There are a number of manufacturers, do a Google search. Look for ones that meet the Dade County codes or BOCA codes for hurricane survival and you'll get a good one that will stand snow loads, high winds (maybe not tornados over F7) and most other annoyances. Surprisingly cheap, too.

Rich

[roy697]

Thanks. I have been looking at them for a few months, just not sure what I am looking for. This is new to me & will be the first of many projects for there.
Would you give me an idea of what the codes are that you mention?

[Rich Waugh]

Check out:

bulk.resource.org/codes.gov/fl_existing_building.pdf

This is the current (as of 2006) building code for Florida and should giv eyou the wind loading guidelines, etc.

To find other building codes, go to:

bulk.resource.org/codes.gov/

Rich

[bradblazer]

I have a steel frame building from Heritage and I'm happy with it.
www.heritagebuildings.com/

I've helped assemble the quonset hut style and I like mine better. It's easy to insulate it when you attach the sheeting, the walls are square, it's easy to panel the inside walls and you can put a door wherever you want.

The arch buildings sound inexpensive but not when you include essentials like END WALLS and the plates to attach them to the slab. My neighbor actually made one into a house and in the end I think conventional construction would have been cheaper.

Brad

[Rich Waugh]

Brad has a good point about the arch style buildings being more difficult/expensive to finish out, though the slab connection wasn't an issue with the ones we built. It was included with the shell as I recall.

The biggest difference between the arch style and the rectangular ones is strength in a windstorm. No other style of steel building is stronger than an arch when subjected to side loading or downward loading. Down here, hurricanes are a real issue, so the flat-sided steel buildings are not a good option unless they're the full industrial-grade stuff with span beams, ties, rack bracing, etc, all done ext ra heavy duty. The arch buildings, by contrast, can be slapped up in no time flat and withstand a hurricane if you make halfway decent end walls, which can be simply framed up with 2x6 lumber and plywood sheathing inside and out. Windows are a bit of a pin in the tail on the arch buildings, but some of the manufacturers have so decent ones that are easy enough to deal with.

If wind isn't an issue, the square ones are easier and probably cheaper. If wind is a threat, go with an arch.

Rich

[roy697]

First building is shelter for equipment, basic, lockable. I don't see me insulating it. Thinking about a large camper. Put into the shelter when not there, pull it out when I am there.

[quicksandfarmer]

For a basic shelter a shipping container is hard to beat. Weather proof, rodent proof and lockable. You can get them on Ebay for less than $2,000.

[bradblazer]

Roy,
That's a beautiful piece of property!

[roy697]

The wife & I spent a lot of time looking. Wanted something closer to our home in North West Indiana but the cost was out of our range. Also looked at quite a few other places that we could make due but when we saw this place, well I stood on the shore line for 5 minutes looking back & forth & I could see my name all over it. I have a number of friends that plan on helping thin the pond of the bass. Once I get something down there that I can stay in there will be all kinds of projects. This is a get away thing. I think the grand kids can have a great time playing in the water, discovering all kinds of stuff. I want others to enjoy it with us, camp fires, walking around in the woods, building a fort..............................

Then we have my tractor project, hope it works out. Need to build some camp sites as well as a storage building. I need to put up a gate & fencing, buy some kind of farm critters, don't want to loose the farm status. All suggestions welcome.

The 4th & 5th pictures has the wife standing in the driveway.

[roy697]

Been getting quotes but still have not found what I am looking for.

[roy697]

Found a construction outfit in the area a couple weeks ago. Came out & looked the place over, made some suggestions. After I came home he called with a quote. It is workable so the wife & I are headed back to Kentucky for a over night stay & put a down payment on the construction.
30 by 40 with 14' walls & a 16' wide by 12 high over head door. I plan on having a stone floor for a while then have concrete poured at a later date when the money caches up.

[bradblazer]

Sounds nice.
Is it a pole bldg? Tall enough to put in a future mezzanine over your workshop area for extra storage, office, or whatever.

[roy697]

Yes it is a pole building. It will have some plastic panels for letting in light along 2 of the walls. Wish I could afford a larger one but I want to stay with in the $$ budget.

I did contact many places looking for best value including Heritage.

[roy697]

Made a trip to Kentucky to put a down payment on the pole barn. When I got their the dozer man was already on site working.



He did hit stone, a big vain. Suggested we move the pole barn North about 30 feet, not a problem. So he continued for a couple hours. Next morning about 10 am he came back to finish up. I talked with him to make sure we are on the same page.



This is when I left for my 9 hour trip home, wife & I took a different route home so that added a few hours to our trip. The goldwing ran just fine, total mileage was just under 800 miles.