txav8r's new barn construction (RV but could be boat)

[GiddYupJoe]

Can't wait to see how a rv and a boat will fit! Looking good Mel.

 

[OperationROL]

Mel, that building is looking good. This is great experience to prepare you for the next building that will house your new 2017 242 LS!

 

[txav8r]

Here it is, disasters averted, 5799 nuts and bolts, 5600 pounds of galvalume 22 GA panels, and the main shell is finished!!!

 

[swatski]

Here it is, disasters averted, 5799 nuts and bolts, 5600 pounds of galvalume 22 GA panels, and the main shell is finished!!!
View attachment 50414 View attachment 50415

They should be using those pics in their promotional materials!!!

--

 

[Zarrella]

Mel,
Will you be enclosing the ends?

 

[txav8r]

Yes we will, @Zarrella . It will have a 14'x12' wide front overhead door and a 14'x10'wide rear overhead with a walk thru door in the front too. And we will wire it with overhead 4' LED fluorescent style fixtures and then spray foam the inside. It will be a very nice building.

 

[txav8r]

I wanted to take some time to share my opinion about this type construction and the end result. First off, don't confuse "sales" with factory support. Sales will tell you things that simplify yet are not exactly correct. I will stop short of saying that is intentional, and just say that they aren't the experts at these buildings. Tech support on them is outstanding in that they almost always answer the phone and give you that needed guidance. If there is a negative there, it is having a large product line, and they may sometimes tell you something that doesn't apply precisely to your product. An example of that is the techniques described in the assembly manual and those shared by the tech support team from the factory (engineering department), may vary due to a disconnect between what they know works and what won't work due to differences in the building you have purchased. I was told all along I could assemble a single arch, and lift that arch with the help of 3 to 5 people, using ropes and lift sticks (2x4 or 2x6 lumber). After several attempts that just didn't get results expected, we stopped short of bending the arch and tried other methods. When I shared that with the factory, they agreed whole heartedly that my building was too big to assemble a full arch at once without a spreader bar and a boom or some kind of lift that could support it without bending it. We ended up putting the two wall panels connected to the eave curve up on each side, supported by the scaffolding. Then placing the two flat roof panels connected to the peak curve right on top of them and securing them. The first few arches are very flimsy and need external support to keep them from falling over. Two arches together probably wouldn't fall or bend unless you were dealing with wind. After three arches were up, we felt they would support each other but didn't remove any external support until we had four arches up.

It is almost impossible to keep your foundation perfectly level, square, and perpendicular. We had a rise of maybe a quarter inch in the elevation of the foundation after about 5 arches, and it threw that arch into a bind and it was difficult to adjust and correct. And truth told, you can't really correct it, you just have to adjust and possibly allow for the lift in height on that side. It is typical of any construction project. There will be issues and you will have to make adjustments. Once we had an additional two arches up after that frustration point, we sailed pretty well until we were 4 arches from completion. At that point, we started seeing some binding again on the same side. On every rib (each side of an arch), there are two layers of metal panels, except where the two panels connect and overlap the adjacent two panels, and at those points there are four layers of metal and it is very stiff obviously. Getting those to align can be impossible, and at times, you will have to resort to drilling out the hole to connect them. Being reluctant to drill saves later issues, but also takes work, time, and a bunch of cussing, to get the panels together without it. At some point, you just drill and move on. One drilled hold means you have solved that issue and introduced more on down the building.

As good a product as this is, and as good as their manufacturing process is, it isn't perfect. They design a 1/16" tolerance in every connecting hole, and that isn't enough at times. And...they miss drill holes occasionally which will really frustrate you. We had 21 panels that were supposed to be drilled with double rows of connecting holes for panel end to the next panel end, in the flat roof panels...that had a single row of holes. Meaning that we had to align as best we could, and drill 6 holes in the end of those panels. According to the factory, we mistakenly received lower wall panels for a 14' high building instead. They use common parts in a variety of sizes and different building models. As they say, shit happens. We could have stopped and forced them to send new panels at their expense, but they may have fought that, claiming that I signed and agreed to a 30 day missing item policy. I just drilled them. Oh, btw, the panels they supply are not drilled, they are punched on a big hydraulic press. And the panels that were not drilled and a few others along the way, contained holes that the punch didn't punch, and I had to drill those too. And many holes have slag or a rough edge, that will chew up the washer when the bolt is torqued. The factory says that is inconsequential but I wonder. The washer is thick and doesn't break, but the edges get peeled as well as seeing some washer particles when torquing them. They also say because the bolt head is cupped toward the work, that the washer is housed and literally pressed into the hole the bolt goes through. I am 99% sure that the building seals watertight. But it still makes you wonder as you build it.

This is a good building. It is a building that will last 30+ years and probably well north of 50 years. The material alone carries a no rust no deterioration warranty of 30 years. I'll let you know about that if I reach 90! I thought I could build this with just my wife and I, and an occasional friend stopping by. Don't kid yourself, you need a crew! It took 9 days from the time the first panel was bolted together, with a minimum of 3 working and a maximum of 6 working 4 days of that straight. We had 4 most of the time, and that doesn't account for clearing, pad construction, foundation, setting base plates for mounting the building to the foundation, or prep such as trimming trees/building wood support/setting up bracing or scaffolding/gettting needed supplies and tools. Oh, and running utilities is additional also. It also didn't include any of the upcoming end wall and door installation. I basically have an open ended blimp hangar at this point! Well, how about an open ended motorhome hangar! Even tightening bolts, all 5799 of them, have to have two people, one to hold a wrench on each and every bolt, and someone putting bolt in by hand or tightening with an impact wrench. You have to get on the roof of the building many many times. It is plenty sturdy when loose and braced, and after completion, it will hold 5' of wet snow on top! So you could have 20 guys up there and the building wouldn't move. But it is HIGH, and there is nothing to hold onto. So rigging safety equipment is paramount as well. Your helpers will all get over zealous and way braver than you should allow. No one was hurt on my job site that will admit to it. My hands may never recover and for some reason, the area under the tips of every fingernail on my hands literally throbs, and BIL was pulling arches back into 24" OC, and had an S hook bend and pop out under pressure that hit him in the back of the hand, he won't claim damage but I am sure he will feel that for years. My feet hurt and legs and back still too, but it was fun, stressful, challenging, rewarding, and let me know that I have a great many family and friends that rally around and are willing to go to battle with me.

Someone up this thread said they couldn't wait to see the motorhome and boat in there...it won't hold that! The interior dimensions will be 18'11"W x 43'4"L x 17'2 5/8"T, and the motorhome is 12'10" tall, 8.5' wide (not including mirrors), and 39' long (not including mirrors or rear roof ladder), so it will have plenty of room to open all slides inside the barn and still walk down both sides and around the front, but won't have room to walk around back I fear, unless the rear barn overhead door is open. I should have gone to 46' long, and honestly, I could have done 24' wide and that would have given a bit more help around the sides with all slides open and then compartment doors open too. I have a sewer cleanout just off the driveway, and I will have a power pedestal outside as well as in the barn, so I won't have to have it in the barn to load, but we should be able to. Only 6 bays are on the slides, the rest are under them. I hope this thread motivates some to consider their own projects and what can be accomplished, because is a couple of 60 year olds an do this, anyone can! But then again, I am a young 60!

The most frequently asked question on the job site, and here for that matter, was, and I will quote it as if one of the family said it..."Uncle Mel, when are you going to get another boat?"!!!

 

[Zarrella]

Mel,

Maybe you should add on to its length before the end walls go up! You know.....while you are still a young 60!!!

 

[txav8r]

I moved my power pedestal temporarily, so I could park in the barn and still connect it to 50amp service. It requires pulling in forward vs backing in, and once finished I will back it in. Pics have both and I opened the slides to show the room. I can actually walk around both ends as well as open all compartment doors and be able to walk by them too!

 

[swatski]

Holy cow. I did not appreciate how big that thing is... (your motor yacht of a camper), LOL.

--

 

[txav8r]

@swatski , yeah, most 39-40' diesel pushers have multiple slides and provide a wonderful layout. It actually has 466 interior sq ft with the slides all open, and that is bigger than my very first 2BR apartment! But the barn kinda dwarfs the coach too. lol

 

[Zarrella]

You can always upgrade the coach to a 45 footer. You know you will want a larger one just as soon as you close it off!

 

[txav8r]

Nope! I won't be adding on to the RV barn!

 

[justason]

Nice Job @txav8r

I see you didn't put any joints in the main slab. Did you add a fiber to the concrete mix or do you feel the rebar will be enough to stop it from cracking ? How thick is it ?

I'm about to pour a 30x40 slab and want it to be joint free. My current garage that is 30x30 is this way, and after 8 years its still in great shape/crack free. I cant get hold of the original builder to see what he did to achieve that, or how thick the slab is. I'm thinking 6"

 

[txav8r]

@justason It's not a slab really, it is a foundation. I don't know of foundations with joints, at least not here. Anyway, the slab portion is 6" thick, and the beams are from 3' to almost 5' deep. And they run around the perimeter and across the middle. There are 9 15' deep piers under the foundation. The bus weighs 31,000 pounds, so it can't just be flatwork. They did put an expansion strip between the barn foundation and the drive they added between my existing drive and the barn foundation.

 

[txav8r]

I am prepping for lighting and electrical, although I still have to build end walls. I have overhead garage door contractors coming today to bid on doors. I have a bit of a narrow situation that I wanted help on that anyone has ideas or experience with. The front end wall has. Too narrow an opening for a standard (3' wide) walk thru door between the side wall and the overhead door. Interior and exterior doors are available smaller, but steel clad doors are hard to find narrower. Ideas?

 

[MIDLIFECRISIS]

Check at a mobile home dealership. most side or rear doors on the older models are narrower than standard doors, or custom order from Lowes.

 

[zipper]

I am prepping for lighting and electrical, although I still have to build end walls. I have overhead garage door contractors coming today to bid on doors. I have a bit of a narrow situation that I wanted help on that anyone has ideas or experience with. The front end wall has. Too narrow an opening for a standard (3' wide) walk thru door between the side wall and the overhead door. Interior and exterior doors are available smaller, but steel clad doors are hard to find narrower. Ideas?

Three feet is standard for minimum egress, but you could probably order narrower as mentioned above. I have also seen overhead doors with a "people" door built in. You could see if that company has that option. There are a few on the internet Clopay, Passthru Door are a few to start

 

[txav8r]

My overhead doors will be insulated steel, overhead doors, so I'm not sure about a walk door in that. I should check clopay and will. But a dedicated walk door would be preferred. I could do a 32 but with no room to spare. A 30" needs only 32.5" rough opening and that will work. It's just right and non traditional in how it ties to the building. So I would like to have a framer frame it.

 

[AZDANSX230HO]

I assume the structure is anchored to the concrete with bolts in the concrete? How do those types of buildings hold up to tornadoes, snow load, etc.? I need to build an RV Garage to hold our 35 Ft Travel Trailer & 23 Ft Yamaha Boat, been thinking going the steel building direction as building a typical wood framed garage is extremely expensive.