Shop Build...should be a fun journey...

[Leigh Betsch]

I also considered scissor trusses to gain head space but then I realized that I could go with attic trusses for $1900 more and gain a usable attic.. The shop ceiling stayed flat at 10' but I have a 8'x40'x5'11" (I'm 5'10") attic above the ceiling to house my dust cyclone, dust pipes. air compressor and storage. For $1900 I think it was great decision. It did drive the decision to go to spray foam insulation which is more expensive than blow in, but the shop is tight as a drum.

[Jim Becker]

I briefly considered "attic" trusses, too, but that would have created a much taller building and would stand out a bit more than we want on the small property. The proportions of a 24x36x10 with 4/12 pitch are pleasant for where the building will be sited.

Spray foam is on the menu...I'm a believer and have been for a long time, but it will also come down to economics. Some of the additional cost of spray foam could be absorbed by not needing to put in a ceiling and that's not a small number in itself. I'll be exploring that with a family friend who's in the business once I get a little farther along.

[Zachary Hoyt]

Will you be digging the post holes too, or only doing the grading type of site preparation?

[Jim Becker]

Will you be digging the post holes too, or only doing the grading type of site preparation?

Just the grading and compacted base that will be as level and "perfect" as I can make it. My goal is to require minimal work inside prior to concrete work other than laying down insulation. The post frame company will do the drilling as part of their responsibility. They actually like to do that in advance of delivering the materials and putting it up as many jurisdictions want an inspection of the holes before construction starts. I'm actually glad that's their thing because it's linked to their layout. I also sold my PHD (post hole digger attachment) years ago because it was never being used. That one wouldn't have gone deep enough anyway.

[Bob Riefer]

As a reference point: In our recent home addition project (about 500 square feet worth of 9 foot walls, and 300 square feet worth of vaulted ceiling) spray foam ended up being about $400 more than batts, which made it very easy to decide what to do.

[Jim Becker]

As a reference point: In our recent home addition project (about 500 square feet worth of 9 foot walls, and 300 square feet worth of vaulted ceiling) spray foam ended up being about $400 more than batts, which made it very easy to decide what to do.

Good information, Bob. I appreciate it!

[Curt Harms]

As a reference point: In our recent home addition project (about 500 square feet worth of 9 foot walls, and 300 square feet worth of vaulted ceiling) spray foam ended up being about $400 more than batts, which made it very easy to decide what to do.

One thing I've wondered about spray foam insulation. If someone wanted to add wiring of some description after the spray foam was in place, how would they do it? I assume the spray foam fills all the cavities and is flush with drywall. Any wiring goes into interior walls which are not insulated?

[Jim Becker]

One thing I've wondered about spray foam insulation. If someone wanted to add wiring of some description after the spray foam was in place, how would they do it? I assume the spray foam fills all the cavities and is flush with drywall. Any wiring goes into interior walls which are not insulated?

That's a good question and one I have actual experience with at the old property in the media room...I needed to get some additional cables in the wall between a large screen and the gear on a low table below that were inadvertently forgotten during pre-wiring in the build. In one bay the spray foam in the 5.5" deep bay wasn't all the way to the drywall for most of the run and I was able to fish it down behind the drywall. In the other bay...it had been oversprayed. No way to fish it. That particular wall was 2x4...as were most of the walls in the addition to save money that in-turn helped cover part of the spray foam cost. Closed cell spray foam when properly installed in a 2x6 wall generally shouldn't have the bays filled, but it happens. 2x4 walls would generally be a nearly full fill so a high percentage of the time, fishing would be hard or impossible. Open cell (which isn't of interest to me) is often over sprayed and then trimmed back to full fill thickness. Same challenge as closed cell, although easier to "dig out to get down through the wall between point A and point B.

So the alternative (and easiest, IMHO) method is you cut out a strip of drywall, make a channel in the foam for the wiring and repair the wall. But honestly, I had to do that here at the new place with just regular insulation when fixing a serious electrical issue that the previous owner left in the wall.

For a post frame structure, the walls are "very deep". The posts are typically nominal 6" plus you have the exterior girts at 1.5" thick before the exterior wall material and on the inside, it's typical to use horizontal girts, too, which adds another 1.5" That's almost 10" of space...and you'd never fill that with spray foam. Now for my building, the only wiring that will be "in" the wall is the general utility stuff...lighting, a couple of basic 120v circuits, etc., most likely. I tend to favor surface mount for machine circuits so they are easy to move/change/extend, etc. I may not really know where everything is going to be located before putting up the interior wall surfaces, honestly.

[Charles Coolidge]

Height question...is going taller only price per foot of height more expensive e.g. 10 feet divided by 10 * 12, 14, 16 or does going taller jump more substantially than the price per foot of a 10 foot tall building?

[Jim Becker]

Height question...is going taller only price per foot of height more expensive e.g. 10 feet divided by 10 * 12, 14, 16 or does going taller jump more substantially than the price per foot of a 10 foot tall building?

Height increases cost for longer laminated posts, more horizontal girts and taller sidewall metal. Until you get to a substantially larger building, the cost adjustment is likely somewhat linear, but there may also be a need for more structural beef in the posts and how the posts engage with the ground at that point. For the size of building I'm putting up, it's generally unusual to do more than, say...12' walls...although one might do 14' if they are going to be housing a large RV to allow for overhead door clearance. I played a little with the thought of a 12' wall, but could not justify it for my personal needs for both cost and proportions. 10' seemed like a good choice for my solution. It provides a level of headroom that's comfortable for material handling and the feeling of spaciousness while not pushing lighting into more expensive "high bay" fixtures and more material for interior finishing.

BTW, the one quote I got for a quasi-stick-built building (wall panels pre-manufactured for fast build) was pushing $40K because of material costs as well as foundation requirements. Right now, I've committed to about $26K including concrete for the same size building via post frame construction. Since I need to still add electrical and interior finishing to those numbers, I think you can probably appreciate why I made the choice I did.

[Bryan Lisowski]

Jim, glad you finally picked a builder and can really start getting excited to have them start building!

[Curt Harms]

.........
BTW, the one quote I got for a quasi-stick-built building (wall panels pre-manufactured for fast build) was pushing $40K because of material costs as well as foundation requirements. Right now, I've committed to about $26K including concrete for the same size building via post frame construction. Since I need to still add electrical and interior finishing to those numbers, I think you can probably appreciate why I made the choice I did.

I'd wondered about pricing on quasi-prefab. We looked at that type of construction for houses some years ago and it was pretty attractive. Substantial difference between $26K and close to $40K though.

[Jim Becker]

I'd wondered about pricing on quasi-prefab. We looked at that type of construction for houses some years ago and it was pretty attractive. Substantial difference between $26K and close to $40K though.

Yea, I thought it would be more competitive. But between escalated material prices and the need for "more' material (lumber, trusses, sheathing, etc.) plus the heavier foundation/floor requirements, it adds up. I got general pricing from two different firms for the pre-manufactured wall panel format and both were substantially more than I expected. The metal (carport style) building was very attractive in cost but when the heavier monolithic slab was added to the cost plus some things missing because they couldn't provide to my specification (doors/windows/gutters), the wood post frame was the best financial choice. I've been a fan of the format for a long time anyway, so I'm comfortable with the choice.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

What a fun project Jim, fun for us too!

[Charles Coolidge]

What are you going to do on the inside walls, stud & sheetrock? I built a post frame on a local post frame builder's virtual build your shop tool. It looks like this type of building just has metal siding and the post framing.