bret

bret

Well Known Member
Looking to upgrade the airplane factory-boat storage and I was wondering if any fello builders have built a kit building. Also is it worth it to have a crew build it? or can a couple of friendship help me put one up, I was looking for one around 40X60.
 
I have put up three of them, or rather the wife and I have. Pretty easy to assemble, I figured I made pretty good wages doing it myself.
 
I'm interested also. Give some details Don. Who made the kits you assembled? What special skills or equipment required? etc.
 
I got a quote this week for a 40x 60 Lester building at $12 sq/ft for them to build with dirt floor. Concrete floor 350 sq/ft. Met with a Morton building rep this morning and building only with sliding door was priced in the mid 30's. I would be interested in a kit. Save a lot of money by DIY.
 
Having been a building contractor and developer for 30 years, I would recommend having someone who has done it before there when you are putting it together. You will need a crane to set the posts, beams, and trusses. Knowing how to direct the crane operator and where people are safe and where they are not is critical. The trusses need to be braced properly or bad things can happen. If your walls are 12'-16' high, that is a long way to fall and anything falling from that height will hurt!

I am not saying it isn't worth doing it yourself. Putting together a steel - metal building is not nearly as difficult as building an RV. Just make sure you know what you are getting yourself into. An error building your plane normally just costs money. Make a mistake with a truss, you wake up dead.
 
I've never built one, but you can avoid the serious structural construction with these kits. I did see one that survived hurricane Charlie near Port Charlotte, FL, when I was there doing damage surveys. They are more unibody than the conventional column and beam construction.

http://usbuildingsdirect.com/a-model-steel-buildings.htm

As a structural engineer and former contractor, this is the way I would go if I was doing myself. Just try to stay off their e-mailing list.
 
After a quick look at these buildings, they do look like they are pretty easy to go together. Being able to do most of the assembly on the ground and tipping them up cuts down on quite a bit of the technical high work and makes it much safer. I have no idea on how they are cost wise, but I agree, this looks like a good way to go.

Thanks for the warning on the email list!!

nineninefour said:
I've never built one, but you can avoid the serious structural construction with these kits. I did see one that survived hurricane Charlie near Port Charlotte, FL, when I was there doing damage surveys. They are more unibody than the conventional column and beam construction.

http://usbuildingsdirect.com/a-model-steel-buildings.htm

As a structural engineer and former contractor, this is the way I would go if I was doing myself. Just try to stay off their e-mailing list.
Click to expand...
 
This summer, I built a 50x50 pole barn type hangar at H19, Bowling Green MO. It was right at 30K complete. The local lumber yard provided the plans/materials, approx 11K, Concrete 3.5K (not including labor), Cool-Air Inc horizontal stacker door, approx 4.5K, Electrical connection from transformer 300 ft. away, 1.8K. I contracted with three young men from the local area that were out of work (union plumbers) with pole barn experience. Total labor bill 8K. This will vary tremendously on your area. I installed the door (one week assembly/hanging) and the electrical inside the building. I also sealed/stained the floor. There were a few misc bills for equipment rental, i.e. a man lift for setting purlins on roof, and a boom truck for setting trusses/lifting steel onto the roof. I found these locally at a good price. The lowest contractor estimate I had was approximately 5K more, not including the door.

I've done a lot of construction over the years, and could have done it myself with friends, but it was more work than I thought, primarily due to size. There were also some techniques in terms of installing the siding, especially on the roof that were helpful.

Just another economical option.

Jerry
 
Steel building but not a hangar @ 70' X 75' X 32' eave. I planned to hire a contractor to build this building and all of them had to hire/rent a crane and manlift. My company had these on hand and I thought it was crazy to hire people that had less equipment than I did.
It was quite challenging for the first time builder and the 32' eave, added a lot to that challenge. I have three other large steel buildings that I had built for me, and some things are done better on mine and others are not quite as good. Overall I'm pleased with the outcome.
I was a bit apprehensive purchasing a kit from an unknown company in Texas but did my research and went ahead. I would have no second thoughts purchasing another building from Rhino Steel Building Systems.
It's a lot of work don't kid yourself.
Ron
 
The first was a Butler brand, low sidewalls, very easy to do single handed. Next came a 40 by 60, no plans no kit, lots of work engineering it and making the parts.
Last one was a 40 by 60 with 14ft sidewalls, kit by I recall I think "American Steel Buildings" or something close. Very easy to assemble, blueprints with great details of the process. I happened to own a backhoe, so dug the footings with it, and placed a pole on the bucket to raise the beams and heavy structural items. A crane would be overkill, but whatever you can borrow to raise the steel framework to position, you will only need it for an hour or so anyway.. You will need a helper when handling the large sheets of tin for roof and sides, when the wind is blowing go have a beer and come back at it later.
I would highly recommend a "kit" type affair with plans, makes it go up far faster, and costs are very reasonable since the parts are made in quantity.

diamond said:
I'm interested also. Give some details Don. Who made the kits you assembled? What special skills or equipment required? etc.
Click to expand...
 
I've built 2 steel hangars with the help of a few inexperienced friends. One was 40' X 60' X 12', the other was 45' X 50' X 14'. Used come-alongs to raise the beams. Not difficult, but takes some ingenuity. The first building was $10,000 in 1990 and the second one was $12,500 in 2003. Both prices were delivered, on the truck.
 
nineninefour said:
I've never built one, but you can avoid the serious structural construction with these kits. I did see one that survived hurricane Charlie near Port Charlotte, FL, when I was there doing damage surveys. They are more unibody than the conventional column and beam construction.

http://usbuildingsdirect.com/a-model-steel-buildings.htm

As a structural engineer and former contractor, this is the way I would go if I was doing myself. Just try to stay off their e-mailing list.
Click to expand...

I like this idea,last winter we had 75 MPH winds.
 
Steel Buildings

Bret,
I built quite a few over the years. The real savings is in being your own General Contractor. The beams will be twenty or thirty feet long ( depending on your span) and weigh several thousand pounds. It can be done by yourself with friends, but a little experience really helps.

There are some special tools required ie; lifts and high torque screw guns. what you spend hiring a couple of qualified subs you will more than overcome with efficency. In my opinion the single most dangerous aspect is in sheeting the building. A single wind gust can spell disaster if a sheet gets away from you.

Try sourcing your building on the internet (National Steel Buildings comes to mind). They will help you with all the aspects and the structure will have an engineered stamp, which might be required by local code. They will also be familiar with local conditions and engineer for wind or snow loads you might experience.

Last but not least you will have to decide what door your going to use as this will be a major factor in the design criteria.

Just my two cents,
Mark
 
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