Cost of a metal building 26x30 

One project I have in the works is my old car in there. Another one that is close is a 17 ft pathway from the house to the shop. I will be posting soon on the pathway. I’m always up to something. The honey-do list never seems to be any shorter.

The color is taupe. It was the closest to matching the house I thought. Been to mart a few times. It’s home to a big wind farm now a days.

So the concrete person I hired for the driveway didn’t have a coring bit. So he used a 1/2 concrete and kind of chipped a bunch of smaller holes. I needed 3 holes. He did one of that tells you anything. I bought a coring bit for 30 bucks I think and my 2 look better than his one. That’s a good tip though I didn’t think about that. I was just a little upset he did that to brand new concrete. He also put a heel print in the brand new driveway. He was asked not to return

@@centexav8931 I have poured a lot of concrete over the years and I completely understand your position. I used to build fuel stations and install automotive lifts, air compressors, waste oil tanks, exhaust systems and everything that goes with it. reputation and quality of work are everything. mess up once they tell a hundred, do the right job and they tell ten. wish you all the best. great shop

Thank you for comment. It was more expensive to do the curb of course but my thinking was I may as well spend the money now than to have a possible downpour and it flood everything inside. I just wanted piece of mind and sometimes, that costs money. Now if your yard if flat and open I would still say build it up six to eight inches to keep the water out with some rain gutters.

That is just down the road a bit. Thanks for watching. I had a couple contractors say that don’t build in the city limits because of all the red tape. I had a good vibe from pioneer steel in Waco. They don’t build them, they have a list of people they use but the person I talked to was very friendly. You need any more info on anything just let me know. I enjoy helping.

Hey I’m looking into getting metal because of termite problems in our area. What type model building you getting and how big. Thank you

@@josephpuchel6497 I’m getting mine from carports and more , and my size will be 25 wide x 30 x 12 high, I may change it to 11 high

Thank you! I only put the windows in for light. I only put them on the side that faces the house for that very reason. The whole back yard has a privacy fence so if someone is looking in there, they are already in trouble!

So, it is as big as I wanted to make it and not run into the house. It is pretty tight with all the tools and all the car taken apart. If you had a car in there it would be better but, I have a full size truck in there as well as a motorcycle. Everything fits but its tight.

The edge is notched for the sheets to set down on. They used full sheets on the front but had to cut the other 3 sides since it set up higher. I would do it again though. It gave me piece of mind to know I wouldn’t ever get water in the shop. I had to dig out a French drain in my back yard due to the drainage issues. So with that and the stem wall I hope I have all the water problems solved in the back yard. I was where you are at. Research, research, research and ask a lot of questions. If you don’t feel comfortable then get a second or third opinion.

@@centexav8931 Thanks for the great ideas.

I people I hired to do the building said they could do everything. Kind of a sales pitch. They provided the metal and labor for the building only. They sub contracted out the concrete. They advised me to wait 14 days from finish to starting the building. The footers on the outside are 18 inches thick so they wanted it to cure before they drove anything one it to lift the metal I-beams and roof system.

I can just tell you. It looks simple to me. The opening for my door is 16X8. The city said no higher than 10 foot walls. The builder said the highest I can go was 8 ft. I also went with a segmented door and not a roll up since I figured a door that wide would wobble if it was a roll up. So the frame is made with 2in by 4 inch "C" purlins. Before I they put the door in I had to special order caps for the door frame, that didn't come with the building by the way. So I ordered 2 8ft. pieces and one 16ft piece in white. It was around 150 dollars for all of it. Once it was capped the garage door tracks were screwed right to the 2 inch portion on the inside capped "C" purlin. they used 1/2 self tapping screws. It really didn't take too long. After the door was in they screwed trim on the outside with the rubber flap to take up any small gaps. the garage door tracks have "L" brackets with oval holes so they can do alot of adjusting. They have already been out once already because my door was hanging up as it was closing. They were going to charge me 105 dollars and all they did was adjust the tracks and sprayed it down with the garage door lube. They said do that about once every 3 months. Hope this helps. I can explain more if you need.

Thanks for the comment. As far as an electrician. That's a tough one. I would say a couple thousand dollars with labor and that may be on the cheap side. You could always hire on the rough in the shop and then finish it yourself with outlets and lights. With all the materials being up in price right now I would say the electrical in there I have now, I would say I have almost a thousand dollars in materials. That's including all the connectors, boxes, light fixtures, wire, all the little things you don't think you need that add up quick. Its a pretty big undertaking depending on your application. I ran electrical from my main panel. So the length of wire, junction boxes, conduit, its pretty labor intensive. You cant forget about the permits either if you live in the city. I would start out with your power needs. What are you going to do in your shop? How many people will be in there at any one time working? Do you want high amp stuff like welders, AC/heat, Big woodworking saws? You can always wire it up with lots of extras and just blank off the boxes when you are ready to expand. I would be more than happy to help. I am not a professional by any means, but I do things the safest way I know how. let me know if you need any other help. I wouldn't mind helping you on your project if you need any ideas or guidance on anything. Just let me know.

I am leaving them as is. I screwed 3/4 plywood to one wall in case I wanted to hang any cabinets or anything else. I always like to think “what if” and then put in things I think other people might want or need. With the metal purlins it would be hard to hang drywall on it all without bracing behind it. Knowing me I would run into it and break it. The wall purlins just happen to be 4 feet apart so a 4x8 sheet fit just perfectly.

The contractor ordered the metal. I believe most of them get it from pioneer steel in Waco. I told them the size and options and they ordered everything. I didn’t order a thing.

@@centexav8931 can I get the info on your contractor? Looking to do the same. I'm in dfw.

@@s14colt I am not sure they go all the way up to the dfw area. I did not have a good experience with the people who poured the concrete or put up the building. I did have a good experience with a steel company in town. They don't put up buildings, but they have a list of people they use. I should of called them first. Let me know what info you need?

Yikes! That sounds steep. I think some of that may be that contractors have all the work they want so they can choose their jobs and prices. With most I dealt with on this project they made me feel like they were doing me a favor by working on my shop. I never got the feeling that they appreciated my business. My slab was 26x30 it has an 18 inch footing around the outside and they put plastic down and wire mesh. That was 5600 and some change. Then they charged an additional 1500 for a 6 inch high stem wall on 3 sides to keep water out. I would call around. I just had the metal building people hire the Concrete contractor. That way they talk about how the building will attach to the concrete. They also put a one inch drip ledge on the outside that the exterior metal sits on. Good luck. It is no small task I could of silent a lot more and said build this and be done. But I am always looking at ways to save. Anything I could do I did do. I am just one person so I couldn’t do a slab that big by myself.

18” footing? Im guessing thats 18x18 horizontal not deep. I got quoted 10k 2 years ago for a 24x36 in the PNW. How much was your shop itself? I bought mine for $10,4000 2 years ago for a 24x36 at 12’ high. Also word to everyone STEEL BUILDING PEOPLE ARE PUSHY. They are the slimiest salespeople ever.

@@albertcho4540 18" deep. I'm in South Texas, where it only freezes when you don't have enough power.

@@albertcho4540 The footing was 18 inches deep. I should of taken pictures but it was dark. They dug it out one day and poured it the next. I came home from work and saw the form. They told me since its a building it has to have a footing. It was 18 deep by 12 inches wide. Seemed like over kill and a waste to me but I had to have it done. Agree 100 percent on the metal building people. The ones I dealt with seemed kind of vague when I would as questions. We aren't dealing with small potatoes here, we are talking tens of thousands of dollars! My shop, 26X30, 10ft tall with a 6 inch stem wall on 3 sides was 14,500 that was 2020 before all materials went sky high.

Had to come back and update. Ordered my building, 24' by 26' with 12' legs. I also went for 4/12 pitch. Concrete slab was poured last week. 25 yards of concrete. I had a 3' drop corner to corner. $11,500 for completed slab. Going to wire with MC 12/2. Will spray foam first.

I went to Lowe’s and picked up some 36x36 windows. They had to put some sort of window pan under them so they installed them. All I had to do is mark the foundation with a sharpie where the center line is and they suggested the as high as the top of the door is usually what everyone goes with. I said sold!

Oh, and how's that insulation and mini split doing now that it's 100 degrees here in Texas?

@@dutch971 Mini split is doing pretty good. It gets it down to about 80. What is a real difference maker is, it pulls a lot of the humidity out of the shop which makes it feel a lot cooler.

What was the insulation cost

Insulation was 2300. The R-Value of the one inch closed cell is 7.5. They said if it isn’t enough they could always come back and spray another inch on it. Of course another 2300 bucks.

@@centexav8931 I know municipalities vary, but I'm trying to get an idea what I want to do- I already have electric ran. Can I have insulation sprayed over existing wiring? Great video.

@@patlarentz6500 hey Pat I would think an inspector would want to see inside the boxes. As long as you tape over the boxes so they dont get sprayed, I think you would be ok. My inspector walked in with a GFCI outlet tester and tried all the outlets and made sure the panel was labeled. Usually inspectors are not electircians. With that being said, I would do whatever they want so they would pass you, within reason of course. For example, he said I needed a GFCI in the ceiling. I think the code says something about GFCI outlets on "easily assessable" outlets. I asked how accessible is an outlet 12 feet in the air? So he let that go. Just make sure it is safe! I made mine safe. I also had to deal with 2 different inspector who wanted different things. So try to get the same one if you can. Any other help I can be just let me know, I love talking about this stuff!

@@centexav8931 Wow! A wealth of info. That helps tremendously. Just starting my journey to having my shop go from a lawn care owner repair/storage shop to an auto/party garage w/ insulated/finished- heat/air. Closed cell foam- definitely. Also know I will use a mini split. Still not sure on wall material. Tin is cheapest, but kinda ugly. Might do a combo of a few things. Thanks for the insight!

I have my 63 impala in the other side already. With that, my truck and motorcycle the shop got pretty full pretty fast. Amazing how so much space turns into not enough so fast.

#EMAW indeed! There is one lift out there called max jax for a short ceiling. It only moves the car up about 3-4 feet off the ground. They make creepers for it and oil change accessories. About 2500 bucks for it. All you have to you is still anchors into the floor and then when you want to use it you just bolt it up and then unbolt it and put it away when your done.

Look into. A Quick Jack BL - 7000 SLX. We sold our max jack lift & bought these, so much better , lifts our dually or a Tiny Jeep 🚙. ,best option,, after much research Quick Jack. Is not as low a price as Costco , but we purchased from Quick Jack “the bundle” $1699;00. Sets up in 3 minutes outside, inside anywhere you have level stable concrete ,Totally Portable H-D.

@@bonniedobkin6948 I have a Quick Jack 5000 and it only goes up 21 inches. I'm thinking of getting a proper car lift instead. I'd like to know why you prefer a QJ over a car lift.

I wish! the city I live in wont let you build anything higher than 10ft walls. Most lifts from what I saw like 12-14ft. ceilings. So I am going with out lift. There is a lift called Maxjax. its a "portable" lift. It only raises the car about 3-4 feet off the ground. But you can put the anchors in the concrete and move everything out of the way when not in use. It just doesn't lift it high enough for me but it looks like a good product

oh yes, the building was the "cheap" part. The foundation to sit it on and the garage door are almost half of what the structure cost. Now I put a few more bells and whisltes on mine which made the cost go up quite a bit, like the floor, AC/heat, insulation. But, yes the structure is the "simple" part.

My reasoning was it swung inward and against the wall instead of an opposite side swing that would swing into the shop space. When I spoke with the builder they asked me for eight of left hand swing. They didn’t for it to swing in or out. My door is framed inside by purlins. It you use long metal screws and screw into those purlins it would take a heck of a leg to kick it in. An additional deadbolt would help as well. Security is one of the reasons I don’t have any windows on sides I can’t see from the house. No points of entry.

Typically exterior doors are inswing so that the hinge pins can't be pulled out.

So I went in the other day and it was almost 90 outside with high humidity. I turned it on and in about 3 hours it was down to 75. I have a big truck in there a a classic car so it’s less open space to heat/cool. I didn’t see how cold it would get. It was towards quitting time on the car but I am happy with its performance. It is 18000btu/19 seer. I bought it December of 2020 for 850 bucks and I just looked (may 17). It’s just over 1000 bucks now

@@centexav8931 Thanks for the information! Much appreciated

I told the builder I wanted a 26x30 building with a 1/12 pitch (since higher pitched was more expensive), 2 sky lights, 16x8 garage door opening, 2 36x36 windows (which I had to buy). They then did a simple drawing and see if it looks like how I wanted. After I said that’s what I want they ordered everything. I bought the garage door and opener separately since the company had a high mark up. My only decisions were where to put the windows and the garage door and walk door and the sky lights. After that it’s not a good idea to change anything because they tried to charge me 250 extra dollars to put up a plate for the garage door opener which they already had planned for.

No condensation problems at all. When I turn on the Mini-split it takes the humidity down to about 40-50 percent which is a big difference than the outside air of these steamy Texas summers

Was the foam sprayed directly on the metal?

Oh, the mini split...that heat and air both?

@@teresagrigsby-rose8761 yes directly on the metal

@@teresagrigsby-rose8761 yes it does heat and air conditioning both

I went to my city. Same place you would go to get a fence permit or any other permit. I said this is what I am doing, so what do you need. The shop is at my house (residential) in my city all i needed to do is submit a drawing of the building and where it was going to be on my property. If you have an old survey of the property, you could use that. All I did was draw a square freehand with a pen where it was going to be and they accepted that. If it was commercial, you would need an engineered drawing I believe, in my city anyway. So I would talk to the code enforcement folks and ask what they want. Make sure you ask when they are available and how quick can they come out. The concrete contractor I used said he would charge extra if he had to wait on an inspector. The inspector came out once before the concrete was poured and one final time when the building was all done. My permit was good for 6 months. Hope this helps.

@@centexav8931 Oh my gosh that's so easy. I was looking at the stuff my city was asking for on their permitting website thinking I would have to get engineered drawings of poured slab, and engineered drawings of the building. The code my city uses is pretty standardized so I will try it this way and see if its enough to get approval. Thank you.

@@HellTriX It was easier than I thought it was going to be. Some cities have ordnances regulating metal buildings. Some cities may say that 75 percent needs to be made of a "natural material, or it can only be so tall, or take up so much of the yard. Just have to check. Some contractors I called didn't even want to take on the project since I live in the city limits.

I used a company called metal mansions. In my situation it was tough to find a company to put up the building. More than one contractor said they wouldn’t do it because it’s in the city limits and it’s too much trouble. This company would t start until I emailed them a copy of the building permit for the city I was in. I had to get 2 permits. One for the building and concrete and another permit for the electrical. My city charges more for every circuit. The 2 permits were $188.40.

2300 dollar in Dec 2020. 1 inch closed cell with an R-7.5. Sprayed all the walls and the ceiling. Took about 4 hours start to finish.

R-Value is 7.5. It was 2200, but that was in Dec. of 202 now.

Carla, It was 2200 for one inch closed cell insulation, but that was all the way back in December of 2020 in Texas

I am happy with it. With nothing on there that metal gets so hot on the inside, hot to the touch. It can always have another inch sprayed over it if needed, but I am happy with it.

From start to finish It was just about 30k. The concrete for the shop, metal, and labor was around 14,000. Electrical, driveway, floor, AC, garage door, insulation, was another 14k-15k. The floor by itself was 4000 so you could get away without that and the garage door is insulated plus it had an opener. Less expensive lighting and electrical would cut the cost as well.

@@centexav8931 Thanks for your response. It's a great help to have an accurate budget when starting a project. Over the years I've seen a number of projects that were started and left unfinished due to lack of financial planning. Regards, RK

@RATED_HEX $30K in Waco Texas

hey randy. It was 2200 for the whole place but that was 2 years ago now. I haven't priced it since then. That was for 1 inch closed cell with an R-value of 7.5.

So I asked about a bigger door but they told me 16x8 is as big as they could go for the door I wanted. I wanted the door to match the house. So that was a segmented door I could of gotten a roll up door but they said when you get that wide it starts to wobble in the middle since it’s so wide. I could of went with 2 doors but that would of been more expense with 2 openers as well. As for the pitch, it was 500 more dollars for a 4/12 pitch so 14/12 probably would of been a thousand or more extra. I used 3/4 plywood and some all thread for my storage in the corner up there. I can always get more plywood, but not with these lumber prices these days. I do need a lift system. I have some heavy stuff I can’t get up there. I have been looking at making something for just that.

I spent a total of around 30,000 dollars. One inch is enough for me. It keeps the heat generated from the metal out of the space. On a hot day it’s still warm inside but it’s tolerable. If it were a living space I would of done more but since it’s a shop it is good enough for me. The AC going and a fan..pretty nice in there. Also a dehumidifier would do wonders as well. It gets pretty humid in Texas sometimes.

Chad. I can email you if you like on all the particulars of the shop and everything if you like? Some of my experiences are good and some are not so good and I don’t want to post anything negative about a business in a public forum.

@@centexav8931 I would like that, thanks chadclower2019@gmail.com

@@centexav8931 Could you email details to me also? ufosaboveus@gmail.com

It isn’t a brand that I know of. It isn’t a Morten or a mueller building. The company I hired was local and they ordered the raw steel and sheet metal for everything. Everything they bought was welded, not bolted.

The concrete contractor poured a 6 in tall stem wall around the 3 sides to help keep the water away. I have rising terrain behind it so I didn't want it coming in.

11,400 sounds about right, maybe even a bit cheap. The price of metal fluctuates like lumber does. From start to finish was about 3 weeks. They had to let the concrete cure for a week before they started. It took them 3 days to form and pour and 3 days to erect the building. Mine was just a square though. It don’t have a porch like yours. They didn’t even offer me any upgrades. I had to ask about everything. They offered no help. Plus the spray foam helps a little so it doesn’t flex. My building was about half the total cost. You factor in the floor, door, electrical, heating and air, paint, any shelving it just adds up quick. But if you are putting one up I say go all out. You don’t want to be in there looking around and saying I wish I would of done this or that. Just be ready for the added expense of everything to make it your own.

I purchased it in December of 2020 through amazon. right before everything started going sky high.

I used a company called metal mansions. I do not recommend them. After I had it built I needed a metal trim piece for around the garage door. I went to pioneer steel in Waco, TX. They don’t build them but they have a list they use and were disappointed about not getting my business. Very helpful local business. Mueller buildings never responded and neither did Morten buildings. One company told me they don’t do metal buildings within the city limits, too much red tape. As for who made it. The steel is stock 4x4 square tubing, “C” purlins, and 8 inch I beams. All welded, not bolted. I think most of the Contractors get their materials from pioneer steel. The National companies, I believe have their own steel.

@@centexav8931 Thanks for the info! I have a Mueller close by, but I was considering using their 3d program to design the building itself & printing it out & taking it to the other building guys in the area for quotes. Did you seal the cinderblock on the outside w concrete or stucco mix? I'm going to have to do something similar with mine. Your shop turned out awesome. I'm looking forward to getting mine down & the new one up. Mine is already running a router, cat5, TV & sound bar...makes woodworking a little less boring 😁

@@ididit7742 Did I seal the block? There isn’t any block in the building. It’s a solid piece of concrete to include the 6 inch tall stem wall on the 3 sides. The concrete contractor was someone the metal building contractor had. That way I knew they would pour the slab to accept whatever building they had. Mine was a slab with 7 with 6x6 inch plates for them to weld the 4x4 box steel supports to. They also built in about a 1 inch ledge for the metal walls to sit on. I haven’t used anything to seal anywhere. The spray foam got into all those little places and nuts all metal so it won’t rot. Hope this answers your question. If not just let me know. It’s always exciting to talk about projects and I could talk all day. I ran cat6 to the shop. I ran all new drops in the house and had enough left over for the last drop. I ran conduit about 20 feet in the attic space only so I didn’t have to walk as far up there if I ever wanted to pull anything else into the shop.

That 899 was for the whole mini split. It came to the house on a pallet with 3 boxes. One had the mini split in it, one had the copper line set in it, and the other had the unit out back in it. Pretty easy install since it comes precharged with Freon.

Where did you buy that????

the garage door, no. The walk door leaks very little but the threshhold isnt elevated at all. Also it has to rain pretty hard for it to even leak a little. A steady shower, its dry in there.

Grew up in Manhattan Kansas and now live near Waco, TX

hey Robert, The walls are 10 feet. That was limited by the city I am in. If it were me would go at least 14ft. in case you ever wanted to put a lift in there.

I believe I was told the R-value is 7 for 1 inch closed cell spray foam

I hired a local company to do the work. They used a Polyurea with boxes and boxes of chips. The ones at the home improvemtn stores dont come with as many chips. They ground the floor down and laid down a gray epoxy and threw the chips down while wet. Then they scraped all the loose chips up and spread a clear poly with sharkbite granules in it to give it some grip when it gets wet. About 5 dollars per square foot, very expensive but the results are amazing.

Why?

@@teresagrigsby-rose8761 closed cell (from what I've been told) deteriorates from being painted.

Steve. Insulation was one inch of closed cell insulation with an R value of 7.5 I believe. I got it done for 2300. Another person priced it a hundred dollars more. They came around 8 AM and were done around 1 PM.

Did you foam the ceiling also? And do yo have any problem with condensation? Thanks

30 grand so far, yes. It would of been more if I didn’t shop around for a cheaper door and guttering. I also did all the electrical so that was quite a savings. The building doesn’t have a brand. I called a local company and told them the size and what I wanted. They ordered all the raw steel and welded it all together. It’s “C” purlins, 8 inch I-beams, and 4x4 box steel. Ceiling is I-beams with purlin braces. It has 7 4x4 box beams for the walls and they all have purlin supports at 4ft and 8ft off the floor. They had a big metal mitre saw and a jig to cut the I-beams for the roof pitch and to cut the purlins to length and for the shorter ones to frame around the wall door and garage door. They left all the scrap in the front yard so I had to clean all that up which cost me a trip to the dump and a sore back. Where the building sits I also had to move some sprinkler heads. I also had to rent a sod cutter since the concrete guy said I had to cut the sod where the building was going. I also dug out for underground drains but I did that for the rest of the house as well so I didn’t include that. The drainage was about 500 since I did all the labor. 4 rolls of 4 inch corrugated tube and some catch basins. Plus I rented a big hammer drill to core the curb to drain into the street. 4 hours for the drill and bit was 260 dollars by itself. I had to dig it all with a shovel since there is an irrigation system in the yard and I didn’t want to break any of it. Lots and lots of digging and my own labor, but at the end of the day, I wanted to do it myself so I could learn and do it on my schedule, not a contractors. Plus doing it myself I knew who to complain to if I wasn’t happy with the work