Got a Price for Florida Workshop Building

The web says 5 tons equal 60,000 BTU's. So twice the size of the building I'm looking at, and around 2.3 times the BTU's I expected to have to pay for. Correct for the smaller size of my building, and it's about the same.

I don't know why the builder hates spray foam. Is your foam spray or panels?
 
My 40x60x14 red iron building has 6 inches of insulation in the ceiling and 4 inches on the walls. Garage doors are 2-inch-thick insulated sectionals. I don't run AC, but in the wintertime I can get it toasty in there with the wood stove and it being freezing outside.
 
I can't fathom 29 gauge, it's only .0136. Even I work on my old cars fixing rust and they are 20 gauge which seems flimsy.

I suppose the ribs would add rigidity to the 29 gauge.

I built a pole building 24x40, 18 years ago and its never big enough, sigh
 
My builder recommended spray foam. He said and I agree after the foam is on the building is so much more ridged. If you have ever walked on a metal panel roof you know you cant walk on the ridges or they will bend in. After one is spray foamed it is like walking on a hard surface. Very solid.
 
Spray foam that is that hard is closed cell and probably very expensive. I spray foamed our house about 10 years ago and the cost then was about double what open cell was. There are advantages to both and you have to do some homework to decide which one is best for your application.
Joe
 
I found a site that says foam can make large metal panels deform.
 
it sounds like you are not looking at what i would call a "steel building". what i think of may be called red iron - ones that have a large rigid frame rafter about every 25' then rolled insulation is captured between the purlins and roof or walls

have you looked into steel truss pole barns? you can get them enclosed or enclose them yourself. (there are only poles or wood posts on the perimeter)

i see no issue at all with the spray foam - except cost. can't think of a rational reason why that would void a warranty. and what would the warranty be for? rust?

having owned several steel buildings (all with rolled insulation) the insulation gets tore up and soiled near the floor area and looks like hell in a short time. my current building i put in 29 ga "PBR" panel roofing from the floor to the first purlin. made a huge difference

for me i'd be leary with 29 ga on the exterior
 
You speak of a high ceiling to allow a "mezzanine deck" or a two story structure in places. Might I suggest air conditioning for the internal portion and a large (3 or 4 ft) in the peak for the nonenclosed portion.

A fan in the peak wouldn't provide a breeze to cool you at floor level, that would be a matter of a smaller fan where you were working. The large fan in the peak would help keep the roof cool(er). Another option would be a "roof over", similar to mobile homes I have seen in north Florida.(a long time ago) Six inches air space to keep the sun off the inner roof works wonders for cooling.

As a rule, I am opposed to airconditioning in general. Especially for a space that has limited use. The first power outage puts that attitude in good perspective. Further, mechanically (electricly) cooling a space with a high ceiling is a killer. Heating is even worse, the heat rises so that the ceiling is toasty but the floor is chilly.

Being so far south of the termite line makes wood framing near the ground less suitable. The afore mentioned footer pads can be filled with SakRete rather than using wooden inserts. Basicly metal and concrete within a couple feet of the ground. I used the old style pressure treated (40 years ground contact in wet location) yellow pine. But that stuff has been outlawed for a while.

Concrete flooring can be laid in in sections, after the building is erected. A good gravel base will compact over time making a still better base as concrete is added for machines. There is a plastic compound sheet that must be placed below the gravel base. Preventin plants from starting roots. . . I don't know the proper term, a friend referes to it as "visquene" from his military time. There are many variables involved in what you are proposing. My inputs are mostly from a theoretical perspective, giving ideas rather than advice.

.
 
Bi11Hudson said:
I don't know the proper term, a friend referes to it as "visquene" from his military time. There are many variables involved in what you are proposing.
Click to expand...

In the 60's, we used plastic sheeting that was clear and had a product name of "Visquene". My dad and I called it "Visquene" for years. Today, it is just 10-20 mil plastic sheeting.
 
I have a 17x36 shop with a 17' ceiling. The insulation is closed cell foam and I cool it with a Mini-Split. I also have "Mezzanine" 2nd floor for about 1/3 of the overall space. Lately the highs have been around 103-105F each day and the mini-split is generally keeping up. While it is not cool, I have a number of fans that work together to make the shop reasonably pleasant. I guess my point here is that a second floor area can be usable with a good fan to stir the air up and with some good insulation, you can manage a reasonable climate control over a high ceiling shop space. As always, YMMV
 
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