Anyone live in a metal "shed"? (Kalispell, Ronan: countertops, appliances)

[GLS]

I see a lot of metal storage buildings for farm equipment, hay storage, etc.
I want to build a huge garage/storage area, two bedrooms, 2 baths, and one big area for a kitchen-living room-dining room, However, I priced a "stickbuilt" house and it's too expensive.

I know you can get these steel buildings with insulation. Has anyone combined living quarters with storage by just partitioning off some interior walls? I don't care what it looks like on the outside.

[SouthernStar]

There are companies for steel homes, I would definately try that first before I bought a shed. They are built to last, and to withstand harsh conditions.

Here is one. They are in Arkansas but I'm sure you could find others.
Kodiak Steel Homes | Metal Houses, Prefabricated Homes, Pre Engineered | Home Page
You could buy the package and do it yourself, if you're so inclined. Or I guess you could contract out to have the work done.

You definately win the award for most random thread title ever!

[bigtrees]

I'm not exactly sure what you're asking, but perhaps some more clarification will help.

Are you wondering if it can be done? I don't see a technical reason why it couldn't. As long as there is sufficient insulation in the floors, walls, ceiling, adequate heat, it's easily doable. Lots of people in Montana have metal buildings that are heated. I think the most common metal building that has living quarters is one that has the living quarters in the attic (2nd floor) and the garage down below, but a guy could rearrange it to put the living quarters on the same floor or in lieu of the garage.

Or, are you wondering if it is permitted per code? Many parts of Montana do not have building codes and there are no building inspectors. In those locations, you build what you want to build and live in it without having to ask for permission from anyone. (Certain trades still require state inspection, such as electrical). If that's your question, then yes, it's allowed.

My personal preference would be to build a garage with living quarters directly above. That way you have a nice garage and any heat from down below heats up your living space, and it's a nice compact package. But that's just me.

[AQHA]

Cleary Buildings. They built my metal horse barn. Very nice buildings... but I wouldn't want to live in it.

[GLS]

Originally Posted by lgmagone

I'm not exactly sure what you're asking, but perhaps some more clarification will help.

Are you wondering if it can be done? I don't see a technical reason why it couldn't. As long as there is sufficient insulation in the floors, walls, ceiling, adequate heat, it's easily doable. Lots of people in Montana have metal buildings that are heated. I think the most common metal building that has living quarters is one that has the living quarters in the attic (2nd floor) and the garage down below, but a guy could rearrange it to put the living quarters on the same floor or in lieu of the garage.

Or, are you wondering if it is permitted per code? Many parts of Montana do not have building codes and there are no building inspectors. In those locations, you build what you want to build and live in it without having to ask for permission from anyone. (Certain trades still require state inspection, such as electrical). If that's your question, then yes, it's allowed.

My personal preference would be to build a garage with living quarters directly above. That way you have a nice garage and any heat from down below heats up your living space, and it's a nice compact package. But that's just me.

Thanks for answering. I'll try to be more specific. While a two story gives you the lowest cost per square foot, I can't handle the stairs. My location is outside Ronan in a cattle pasture. Therefore, I don't anticipate problems with permits. I was hoping to find someone who had experience in converting part of a storage building into living quarters. What are the pitfalls and is the end product much cheaper than a stick built house.
Hypothetically you could take a 30 by 40 ft metal "barn" and have a low cost/sq. ft. The shell is relatively cheap, but would it be expensive to heat, plumb, wire, etc. The outside should hold up to the Montana winters, and it would seem a single pitch (3/12), single wall height (10 or 12 feet) would be less expensive than a lot of decorative dormers and multiple roof pitches.

If you had one long building like a strip mall you could hang the windows at 9 or 10 feet for a great view and use roll-up metal doors to seal it up in the winter. Sorry if this sounds stupid, but I am looking for a creative, but cheap way to get a small number of rooms, but big in size without having to span 30 feet with expensive wooden Glu-lams.

[GLS]

Originally Posted by AQHA

Cleary Buildings. They built my metal horse barn. Very nice buildings... but I wouldn't want to live in it.

How about if you put in granite countertops and stainless steel appliances?. Seriously, in constructing your horse barn, did you run into any surprise costs that they didn't tell you about up front? Did you pour a concrete slab and rough in water and electric?

[jimj]

Our friends were just about to buy a steel 50x60 shop and wall off some of it for living quarters until they found another house. So yes it's possible and in fact I do believe there was just a septic permit fight just outside of Kalispell last year over someone doing just the same thing.
Use spray on foam insulation, cover it with sheetrock and build interior walls, why wouldn't it work. Naturally you'd want to lay plumbing in the pad and wire the walls before insulating and pouring.

[johnrex62]

My dad told me about the time he was 8 and their house burned down. They moved into the barn for a couple years until money was available to build or move (don't recall which they did). It was a tin roof, wood walls, hay floor and no bathroom or kitchen.

Not exactly what you asked, but then you may not have asked the right question. You probably wanted to know if anyone has converted a metal building to residential use and what was involved, right?

[GLS]

Originally Posted by johnrex62

My dad told me about the time he was 8 and their house burned down. They moved into the barn for a couple years until money was available to build or move (don't recall which they did). It was a tin roof, wood walls, hay floor and no bathroom or kitchen.

Not exactly what you asked, but then you may not have asked the right question. You probably wanted to know if anyone has converted a metal building to residential use and what was involved, right?

Points to you for an interesting story. My wife is going to want a kitchen, and if she gets a kitchen, I'm going to need a bathroom! I don't think either of us is ready for a hay floor.

[AQHA]

Originally Posted by GLS

How about if you put in granite countertops and stainless steel appliances?. Seriously, in constructing your horse barn, did you run into any surprise costs that they didn't tell you about up front? Did you pour a concrete slab and rough in water and electric?

I poured a slab and had electric put in. I also framed in an office/tack room, a storage room for my wifes seasonal stuff, a bay for the boat and horse trailer and a small feed room. The barn is about 50x55 if I recall and the cost was $50,000 for just the shell. I probably have another $10,000 into it with the other stuff I did to it.

I used Cleary out of Great Fall, I would recomend using another crew, they were not real honest. Cleary has several teams in the state that build for them.

Heres my barn...