Advice for metal building kits

[am99gt]

I've been looking around this site for a couple weeks now. We are trying to figure out a path to take for build a house. We have the land. We are wanting 1000--1600sqft. We're going to try to finish it up as we get the money, but I am wanting to find a quick and cheap way to at least get the house up and weatherized. The foundation will be concrete slap. I called to today about a metal/steel building kit. for a 30x40x10 its $4892 includes steal frame,walls,roof,fasters,trim. It doesn't include frameing for windows and doors.
It sounded like a good deal to me...but this stuff is ALL new to me. The guy told me that he has sold buildings to people who turned them into houses. Does anyone know about metal building kits for houses? What are the downfalls to them.
                       Mandy

[Amanda_931]

The 5000 dollar ones I've seen tend to have a skirt-board along the ground instead of a floor or a slab (and if there's a slab it might be very rough indeed, not to mention non-insulated (tends to be cold and wet--I had a bedroom in an apartment that was made out of a one-car garage once, nicely shaped space, but good grief.).  Also no electricity, no water supply.

Also, one door, no windows.

AFAIK, the property owner is responsible for clearing and grading the land--if you get to hire that done, add another grand or so.

That said, I've considered it for here.  The plan would be to not side the whole building, maybe only a third of it, leave a center dog-trot.  Then put a small enclosure in one side--up on posts, with joists and a floor and insulation on all sides, ceiling joists and a storage platform up top.   Have the other side with their metal siding and skirt boards, use it for storage.

Monte Burch makes it all sound as if it was going to be easy for you to do with only a little help with the rafters or trusses--unless you are as level-and-plumb-and-90^o-angle challenged as I am.  Start with a hen-house, End up with a smallish out-building (the hen-house) and a second purpose built house.

One of the things I like about the book is that there is a table of round-wood sawn-wood relative strengths--round wood is stronger because the grain hasn't been cut, and besides it's round, all other things being equal.

I've been reading this book--or something very like it.:

http://www.amazon.com/Monte-Burchs-Pole-Building-Projects/dp/0882668595

This is from one of the reviews--it is followed by that by an architect who decided it was too awful to line bird cages with, approximately.  Burch decided in this book--he's written a bunch, thinks the simpler the better for non-builders, and besides it's just a pole barn:

I am not a "construction type person" (actually a pharmacist by profession) but with the help of this book I was able to build a 30'x 22' storage barn. The book was very clear on the basics of building a pole building and provided enough information to complete my project. I am 110% happy with the results of my barn (leaks just a little...which can easily be fixed...but I built it myself) and would recommend this book to anyone that has never built anything before.

[am99gt]

The place will sell insulation but its a pkg deal with some other stuff..It was an extra 4,000. We can do it for much cheaper not to mention the insulation is only 2in...we were thinking more between 4 and 5inchs. They are going to do the footings then come back out after we do the plumbing and stuff to lay the concrete. My father has a shop thats 30*48 that he did everything himself but since its a shop the inside is just open. We are going to make the inside part look like any other new home you walk into. His has only been built for about 6years now. We live in Arkansas...I would like to know how they standup to the weather....I don't want to build my dream home on the inside...and the outside fall apart!
Thanks for the reply!

[n74tg]

Welcome to the forum.  I am also in Arkansas (Hot Springs) and am building a house about the same size as your plan is.  I considered metal framing because I liked the no termite, no fire characteristics, but when I saw the price estimate I switched back to wood construction.  

Where are you located and where did you get that cost estimate from?

[glenn-k]

I have built around 300 steel buildings with my crews years ago.  Not too long ago I did one from Heritage in Arkansas.  They are a broker for many plants but do it as if it was their own.  They are pretty cheap and did what they said they were going to do for me.

http://www.heritagebuildings.com/

They list steel homes too.

There is no reason this couldn't be done - I have built offices in them that could have been a home.  There is a veterinary building here that they did away with the metal walls on and it is hard to tell it was a steel building.  Add a vapor barrier under the slab.

Insulation is hard to do unless it is attached to the part of the house you build inside.  The 2 inch gets sandwiched between the sheeting and the framing.  The insulation done in this manner doubles to triples the labor in my opinion.  I always lose money on insulation if I do it too cheap.  Last one the insulation was blowing straight out sideways as we tried to work on it.  Sheeting isn't much fun in the wind either.

The girt on the sidewall may interfere with stud walls for a house.  You could move it up before you sheet it if using steel siding to allow studs and ceiling joists to  clear if you want to build clear to the side.  Otherwise you could box around it.

[n74tg]

Heritage Buildings is located one hour away from me, so I went and visited them back in 2004.  They were quite professional and they had great literature on their product and very knowledgable people to discuss it.  My only beef with them was that since their home kits use "red iron" for columns, rafters, beams, purlins, etc that their home designs are "locked in" by the design engineering that has already been done.  In other words they can't be modified without doing the expensive ($10 to $15 thousand) re-design engineering.  

I really liked their stuff; they just didn't have a house design that would fit my lot.  

Now, there are other steel building companies who do not use red iron framing; and while their buildings may not be quite as strong as those with red iron (but probably still plenty strong enough), they are easier to make design changes if needed.   I also visited Metal Building Supply in Gravette, AR (up near Fayetteville).  Prices for a kit giving you an "in the dry" house were in the $30 to $40 thousand price range back in 2004; I would be afraid to see what their prices are now.

[glenn-k]

The strength of the red iron is an advantage if their design suits you.  One thing I don't like is steel stud framed houses without red iron.  I have seen trusses of them fail while they were being built.

It is possible that heavy gauge galvanized structural members may be used but they need something besides simple steel stud framing.

[Amanda_931]

The local builders of $5000 metal buildings use wood (probably 4x4, possibly rough-cut real 4x4) framing.

Some people up the road have one.

I've about decided if I can get my right-angle-vertical phobias under control I can do better on my own.