Anyone built a steel building to use as a combo garage/shop & living quarters?

quad

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There are up sides and down sides to every thing. I have built all types commonly used. A post and beam wrapped in metal is most certainly the cheapest route. However, if you skip getting quality metal that is less then 24 gage and lacks a quality Kynar finish, you'll just have expenses deferred down the road. If you foam insulate metal it is superior in r- value and insect and rodent resistant. It also adds ridgeddy to the structure. BIG however! Metal that is sprayed can't be removed or replaced without total destruction. Foam insulation adheres to the panel and makes removal extremely labor intensive.

Decide how big you need the space upstairs and the garage downstairs and I can recommend a layout.

This is a rendering I recently did for a potential client that wants an efficiency above horse stables, tack, feed and wash room.View attachment 1641927

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Looks nice! I don't like foam insulation. I prefer rigid and would even choose batt insulation over foam. Foam is too permanent for my liking. I like to have the option to take things apart again without too much work.
 

Black02GT

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Vertical sleepers would help by creating an air cavity behind the metal panels. Sometimes vertical sleepers are installed on the substrate and then a second layer of horizontal sleepers over that. This might be needed if you wanted to install your siding vertically. Since the vertical sleepers goes down first it helps promote drainage down the substrate. Or the sleepers could be installed diagonally.

This is sometimes referred to as a Rainscreen. I would place insect screen at any open joints to prevent spiders and bugs from making a nice home in the air cavities. You can imagine what kind of mess this would create over 20 years.

Rainscreen - Wikipedia

Op asks about a Civic you guys start talking about McLarens lol. Some cool shit though.
 

Kevins89notch

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Always thought this was a cool idea. I always wanted a garage with a house attached to it :D. I seen this video and thought I would love to have something like this.

Guy gives a really good overview and provides his opinions and costs involved. Kind of long, but interesting for someone who is actually looking to do this.



That was pretty interesting. I took a completely random guess as to the price and wasn't that far off. I'm from the midwest, so I figured that couldn't be over 200K, so I went in at 150K. Almost slightly makes me want to move back to IL...then I watched his 5 minutes video of the house being made, saw the snow and remembered why I left.
 

earico

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Your cell phone reception will suck.

I have been drawing steel buildings for over 20 years and you can do some amazing spans. I'd use rigid board insulation around the perimeter and clad it in wood, brick, stucco or anything you can think of. You don't have to do the skin in metal. I would do a metal roof though.
 

BigPoppa

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The wife and I are considering a barndo for a piece of land.

I will admit that I would prefer burying a few shipping containers to protect against storms and saving energy on heating/cooling.
 

CobraJohn01

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Always thought this was a cool idea. I always wanted a garage with a house attached to it :D. I seen this video and thought I would love to have something like this.

Guy gives a really good overview and provides his opinions and costs involved. Kind of long, but interesting for someone who is actually looking to do this.


I'll definitely have to watch this later when I have a chance. Thanks for sharing that.
 

CobraJohn01

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He talks about insulating the garage. He should have done it on the outside of the building with 2"-2.5" rigid foam insulation. That way it covers the framing and eliminates thermal bridging that occurs when you place insulation between stud cavities.

Pardon my ignorance, but how would that work? Build the steel building, fasten the foam boards to the outside of the metal skin, and then secure essentially a second layer of siding to the foam boards? Or are you saying to sandwich the foam between the metal frame and the metal skin of the building?
 

CobraJohn01

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Decide how big you need the space upstairs and the garage downstairs and I can recommend a layout.

This is a rendering I recently did for a potential client that wants an efficiency above horse stables, tack, feed and wash room.View attachment 1641927

What we're thinking of is a building that's got 2-3 roll-up garage doors and then a living area on the side of it, as opposed to above it. I say that because since it would be my dad living in it, he's already starting to have issues with stairs so it's best to keep it at ground level. I'm sure an elevator wouldn't be cost effective to install in order to have the living area above the garage area. lol

Without seeing an actual floor plan to visualize it, we're thinking around 600, maybe 650 sq ft at the most for the living area.
 

dynasty_v6

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There are up sides and down sides to every thing. I have built all types commonly used. A post and beam wrapped in metal is most certainly the cheapest route. However, if you skip getting quality metal that is less then 24 gage and lacks a quality Kynar finish, you'll just have expenses deferred down the road. If you foam insulate metal it is superior in r- value and insect and rodent resistant. It also adds ridgeddy to the structure. BIG however! Metal that is sprayed can't be removed or replaced without total destruction. Foam insulation adheres to the panel and makes removal extremely labor intensive.

Decide how big you need the space upstairs and the garage downstairs and I can recommend a layout.

This is a rendering I recently did for a potential client that wants an efficiency above horse stables, tack, feed and wash room.View attachment 1641927

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
Wrap the vertical posts tightly with house wrap before adding the horizontal studs the metal siding is attached to. This will give you an air gap and prevent the spray foam from coming in contact with the metal.

The panels are now easy to replace and no rust issues?

I met a guy that did this and apparently it was awesome. But I'm no building expert either.

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lOOKnGO

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It seems you are saying he totally enveloped the wall substructure (the posts) then nailed on the girts (horizontal members) to the post. The issue with that is he created an exterior vapor barrier. The metal will most definitely sweat on the backside also with the larger space between the metal and conditioned space means a larger temperature variation that will cause more condensation then if the insulation came in contact with the metal. The use of closed cell foam to the metal creates a solid piece with no temperature break that would cause condensation.

It takes time but typically the metal panels will start rusting where it was sheared. Both ends of the panel primarily bottom first. It also rust on where the screws break through for attaching. Then show up around the screw head.

I see no advantage in that method using that large of an air gap.
Wrap the vertical posts tightly with house wrap before adding the horizontal studs the metal siding is attached to. This will give you an air gap and prevent the spray foam from coming in contact with the metal.

The panels are now easy to replace and no rust issues?

I met a guy that did this and apparently it was awesome. But I'm no building expert either.

Sent from my LGL722DL using Tapatalk
 

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