Bus barn ideas

[Emcemv]

In 2014 we are working towards moving up to the coast of Maine. Our plans include getting the bus inside and having a work area with a 2 post car lift. I am thinking of a 30'x50' metal building with a 14' ceiling height and 14' overhead door. Does anyone have any experience or opinions on building vendors? There seems to be a ton of them on the web and that scares me. How about the concrete slab, is a 6" slab ok for my 73 MC-7? Any thoughts and guidance would be appreciated.


Bruce

[luvrbus]

How do install a 14 ft door in a 14 ft building ? metal building are engineered to the area just be sure they furnished a engineered and signed set of plans if not permits are going to be a problem for you 

I have a Impact building and a 6 inch slab will work just use 4000# concrete with a good base concrete is only good as the base under it   

good luck

[jackhartjr]

Exactly what Clifford said! Our county permit office says a lot of folks buy metal buildings without the proper engineering plans and then have to spend big bucks to get it permitted!
Jack

[dukegrad98]

Bigger.  I have a 30x50 shop.  If you put a bus in it, you would take up 1/3 of the space, and essentially be unable to use the door you brought it through.  Mine has a 12' eve height, and a 16' peak, with 10x10' doors centered at each end.  It was built for working on cars and storing agricultural equipment, not for an RV.  I had a local contractor build it, but lots of my friends have had great luck with Mueller buildings.

Cheers, John

[Emcemv]

Thanks to all for the answers, Clifford door height will be 14' so roof peak will obviously be higher, I'm looking at one vender that does custom engineering plans for local codes and supplies engineered, signed plans and I will be able to talk to the inspector before purchasing the building so hope to minimize any code issues.

I can't really afford to go larger than 30x50, we have only one acre of land to work with and have house renovations to finance as well so 30x50 it is.

John, I will check on mueller buildings, thanks for the lead.

Bruce

[David Anderson]

I built it myself.  Mueller buildings are engineered, and easy to assemble.


http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=24831.0


David

[luvrbus]

There is not going be any difference in any metal building except the price there is a place in Phoenix that rolls the metal for 35 different metal building suppliers fwiw they all use the same gauge steel ,paint even down to the screws

good luck

[RJ]

Bruce -

My nickel's worth:

If you can squeeze it onto the property, try going 30x60.  Only having 50' length just gives you 5' on either end of the bus - hardly enough to open up the engine compartment to check the oil with the barn door closed, let alone squeeze in a ladder to change the wiper blades.

A 16' door would be better than a 14 - think roof A/Cs, solar panels, fridge vent, Fantastic Fan vent, antennas, etc.  You wouldn't want any of them on the floor because the door scraped them off, would you?

Are you planning for the car lift to be in the same "stall" as the bus, or a separate one?  If the same, a single door will do, but if the lift is in an adjacent stall, then you're going to need an additional door for access.

Another thing to consider is shape, which may or may not increase/decrease the cost.  Think either a "b", "d" or "P" design, where the bus stall is 15x60 and the car stall is 15x30.  If you make the back wall 30' ("P"), then you could have a driveway or car port in front of the car stall.

Oh, be sure to install drains so you can wash down the floor!  Heck - if possible, maybe even a dump station for the holding tanks!

I don't know if these suggestions will make a huge difference in the initial budget, but the deeper length for the bus will pay BIG dividends in useability and convenience over time.

FWIW & HTH. . .

[bevans6]

Up here in Nova Scotia the more popular type of building is a regular stick built frame with trusses and metal siding.  Not sure of why, but that's what both of my buildings are, and if metal was better or cheaper I'd see them around.  My big building is basically 12 foot at the walls, 50 feet deep and 60 feet wide with clear span engineered wood trusses and 2 by 6 walls.  The smaller building is 40 feet wide by 60 feet deep, with 16 foot walls.  I think one reason is it's easy to insulate a stick-framed building.  Anyway, Maine being the same climate and region that might be something to look in to.

Brian

[luvrbus]

Wood trusses are popular in the cold country with a heavy snow load,the materiel is cheaper but labor cost offset the prices between the 2 

In your area Brian probably the box stores like WalMart and HD will more than likely have wood roof trusses or wood faced steel trusses 

good luck

[Ericbsc]

My shop is a metal building with 16' sidewalls. I built the bus barn out of wood. In 1997 metal was about 30% less than wood. Today it is the opposite. Metal buildings are engineered by region for snow/wind loads. There are wood post companies that do the same. One is Hoover. I built the barn similar to such. I went 40' x 60'. Everyone is right about the 50'. You don't reall have a lot of room around a 40' coach at 30 x 50. The cost is not much more until you go over 40'. I have 16'-4" from the bottom of the truss to floor level. The doors are barrel doors with a 14' ht. I had to buy 22' 6 x6's. They are the big ticket item. A 16' was app. $ 35.00, but the 22'  were $95.00 We needed to put the post at least 5' in the ground due to bld ht. The trusses are spaced @ 20' on my metal building, and 10' on the barn.

[luvrbus]

Really all you pay for is the extra siding (6 sheets) and a small charge for the extra purlins length to go to 40 ft it's not a problem to space trusses 30 ft apart on a steel building using the dee type purlins the roof pitch changes for snow country pour a 30x50 slab and come back later and pour the extra 10 ft 

The concrete work has gotten where it cost more than the building I am one of the old school guys I want river rock no crushed rock or fly ash in my concrete 

good luck

[bevans6]

My buildings are just plain old frame buildings, 24" on center studs and joints.  But I had another thought about "the north country".  Be sure to consult with local builders, they will know what is best practice in your new home.  Big buildings with thick concrete floors are very prone to bad condensation problems up here.  The floor stays cold into July/August, and it can be raining inside when it's sunny outside.  A lot of people run hydronic heating in the floors.  I know one guy who does it with a wood fired boiler that was old in the middle of the last century, and a diesel fired pump.  But getting the slab warm is about the best way to both heat and to kill the condensation.

Brian

[Emcemv]

Well, I knew you guys would have a lot of advice! This has been great, thanks all for the help,

I am actually having a local builder quote doing it stick built and I am looking into the metal building route to see which is less expensive.  We also have something out here called a pole barn which is pretty much what Eric posted the pictures of so that may also be a better option. You really have me thinking about the 60' size now.  The 2 post car lift will be beside the bus so access to it would be difficult with the bus inside if I only go 50'.
I'm really thinking I'm ok with the 14' door, I'm actually under 13' right now and am trying to take things off the roof of the bus, not adding them because I just think the bus looks so much better with less stuff on the roof.

Thanks again guys, great help!!

Bruce

[chessie4905]

   Mine is a Morton building...48x60x 15 foot ceiling, 12x12 doors,  9 inch insulation in walls and 12 inch in ceiling with floor in attic for storage of lighter items. 6 inch concrete floor with mesh and rebar and 35 foot pit with air and lights. If kept closed in summer, temp stays in low 70's, even when it is in the nineties outside. Stays just above freezing in winter with no heat for weeks, although I have a waste oil furnace I use when I'm out there working. Changes I would make? 16 foot ceiling with 12x14 doors and maybe 54x72, but I'm totally happy with what I have. I did just add a 30x 18 addition on the back for tractor, attachments, couple of barrels of oil and waste oil and other items to clean up main shop.
  If cost is a consideration and you don't mind the looks, those Quonset hut type buildings are a nice alternative that with some help can be erected yourself. Just make sure you start with enough width to start with, as you can easily add more length anytime you want easily, if you have enough land behind it for expansion. Here is an example, not necessarily a recommendation:
Duro Steel 40x100x18 New Metal Building Factory DiRECT Quonset Hut Farm Storage ( as listed on Ebay)