turn this into personal auto shop?

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jerryb

jerryb

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thoughts please. This could be mine soon. 60x40 12'wall. (small office, lift, insulate)
Middle Alabama.

Salvageable or start over? 6x6 columns, 12' OC, appear sound. NO verifiable age. Dug down two feet and check one. Looks great. Slight patina on sheet metal roof.
I want to see if you guys say what the home inspector said (idiot) Sewer pump/inspector guy, and 80 year old neighbor, who was the one who I should have paid instead of the inspector.
Looking at these pics again, it seems a complete waste to tear this down and start over.
I don't know jack about metal trusses.

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I would say it depends on the condition of those posts. On the other hand, if you are contemplating a concrete slab, siding, HVAC, etc. then you should compare the costs to a new building. Congratulations on the purchase.
 
I would be worried about a wind load.
As you enclose it there is more surface area, hence more force trying to push the building over.
Setting more 6 x 6 posts on the ends and framing will give you more strength.
Its a doable project for sure, and like my divorce lawyer once told me: "Its only money Bob".
 
looks pretty decent but my concern would be the condition of the posts below ground, theyll tend to rot out starting a few inches below the dirt line. i would also want to look at what it would take to be able to bring the building up to code for occupation and weigh the cost of potentially having to retrofit the building to come up to code vs just getting a butler building and starting form scratch.
 
bigredmachine said:
looks pretty decent but my concern would be the condition of the posts below ground, theyll tend to rot out starting a few inches below the dirt line. i would also want to look at what it would take to be able to bring the building up to code for occupation and weigh the cost of potentially having to retrofit the building to come up to code vs just getting a butler building and starting form scratch.
Click to expand...
I don't think he will have to worry about code and/or inspections. However, I would always want my buildings built to code for structural and electrical.

I share your concern about the posts. Even if they look good now, how long will they last after you invest all the time and money into the rest of the building? Also, as @Bob Morazes said, wind load will change once you side in the building.
 
i would be more concerned with structural loads with adding on to whats there and being able to withstand hurricane force winds. another consideration would be will insurance cover the lose of the building if it wasnt permitted and up to inspection, i dont think that they would. i could see them easly saying too bad so sad, try again, not our fault that it wasnt up to code so we dont have to cover it
 
All valid.
I dug down 2 feet on one post last week one day after multiple drenching days. The posts are perfect. later this week I'm going to expose one of the ends to bottom. It's all sandy red dirt at least two feet down.
House inspector said- why don't you add another ply to the posts? Not an outlandish idea.
Sewer guy, younger, said spray foam the ceiling and close it up. It's fine.
Forever resident, street named after him said it's been through tornadoes and nothing happens to it.
Insurance is a concern, I'm still getting quotes. Code has been a topic, as is age and worth. Currently though it's a hay barn.
I'll get some pros there sometime. If I get it.
thanks.
 
Looks 15-20 years old to me. Pretty young for what it is.

First, set up a transit and check the height of the framing at the top of each post. Buildings like that, without any sheeting, can move quite a bit and settle really bad. I'd pull string lines too and maybe plumb bomb from centerline out to the strings at each truss.

You can deal with an inch or so from straight, but if anything has shifted inches, IMO, it's better to take it down and rebuild it than try to straighten it and make it look right (been down that road before, never again).

If it's straight enough dig down like you say you're going to do and check for the footing size under a post. The footing should be atleast 24" diameter and 4ft down.

Now if you find the posts are poured in concrete check that the posts are sound where they enter the concrete. Posts in concrete rot off quickly.

Then I'd say if it's straight with good footings you should have no problem enclosing it.

Enclosing a building like that does not weaken it by creating more wind resistance. The sheeting strengthens the structure and the wind goes around the building instead of trying to lift the roof up like a huge airplane wing.

Oh, and one more thing- Pull some screws out of the roof. If the screws or rubber washers are toast you will be rescrewing the entire roof with oversize screws or you will have a nice shower inside whenever it rains.
 
Personally, I wouldn't invest the capital in that skeleton. I would use it as a stop gap as I built a properly engineered building for my wants/needs/use. Maybe pour a slab in there for 1/4 to 1/2 of the SF so you have somewhere to work out of the dirt. Dumping $20-$30k into a buildout with that skeleton is a waste IMO. Spend the additional $10k for something that will last your lifetime.
 
EWheeler said:
Personally, I wouldn't invest the capital in that skeleton. I would use it as a stop gap as I built a properly engineered building for my wants/needs/use. Maybe pour a slab in there for 1/4 to 1/2 of the SF so you have somewhere to work out of the dirt. Dumping $20-$30k into a buildout with that skeleton is a waste IMO. Spend the additional $10k for something that will last your lifetime.
Click to expand...
I tend to agree. I would put down a few inches of crusher run and use it as a rain/sun shelter for equipment, etc. Build a real shop nearby.
 
jerryb said:
thoughts please. This could be mine soon. 60x40 12'wall. (small office, lift, insulate)
Middle Alabama.

Salvageable or start over? 6x6 columns, 12' OC, appear sound. NO verifiable age. Dug down two feet and check one. Looks great. Slight patina on sheet metal roof.
I want to see if you guys say what the home inspector said (idiot) Sewer pump/inspector guy, and 80 year old neighbor, who was the one who I should have paid instead of the inspector.
Looking at these pics again, it seems a complete waste to tear this down and start over.
I don't know jack about metal trusses.

View attachment 3596975View attachment 3596978View attachment 3596977View attachment 3596976
Click to expand...
I would say it depends on how redneck you are - don't be offended, I'd definitely go the redneck route.
If you're planning on a lift then you'd need to pour a pretty solid slab to install one since I wouldn't expect the trusses or posts to support that kind of weight. And if you're pouring concrete you might as well start a new building.

The redneck route would be to forego the lift and put down gravel, cross brace the walls, enclose the building. If fact, I'd probable just finish/close off maybe half of it for more secure work/storage area and leave the rest open as a garage. Looks like you have an electrical pole close. If so, it shouldn't be too hard to tie in a breaker box and run wire. You could have a pretty decent out building for not a lot of money but it's not going to be the clean office/shop that I think you're envisioning.
 
I thought of the half way route, looking back at 1200 square feet makes it small. But then it would be what I wanted to build in the first place.
I'm doing septic work tomorrow, I might have time to expose a column.

Yes, it's Alabama, he's right. It's build what you like.
 
jerryb said:
It's all sandy red dirt at least two feet down
Click to expand...

drainage around the posts should be fairly good in the sandy soil but i would still dig out the posts a bit and try to back fill with rock to help with the drainage and add some stability to the ground

PIP said:
Posts in concrete rot
Click to expand...

very true, moisture will get in teh posts and will just stay there. you could pour the post footings but i would only use that as a more temporary solution and plan on changing that later
 
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