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Posted by brianlanning on October 5, 2006, 3:39 pm
Bob Morrison wrote:
> I assumed you were asking for the best professional advice I could give.
> I responded accordingly.
thanks. i respect your experience.
>Your idea to use a pre-engineered metal building
> for housing is most certainly a "new" idea.
I'd say it's unconventional, but I'm certainly not the first. I have
half a dozen examples from tv shows alone. I'm sure there are many
more.
>However, there are reasons
> people don't attempt to make housing out of these type of buildings. If I
> didn't give you enough then here's a quick summary:
>
> 1. Energy efficiency - metal buildings are not efficient.
The website i'm looking at says 6" of insulation in the walls and roof.
I don't remember the R value off hand, but 6" in the walls is more
than most stick built houses. After that, it's all about BTUs and air
movement. We're also thinking about geothermal. It costs a lot more
up front, but it makes the monthly heating and cooling costs really
low.
> 2. Modifications at some later date are more difficult.
>From what I hear, if you want to add a window or door, you simply cut a
hole in the metal and put it in. You don't need to frame up a header
since the building isn't supported by the wall panels. And as far as
inside is concerned, there's nothing there. Put the walls where you
want them.
> 3. Egress - each bedroom or sleeping room must have 2 exits.
yep. that's planned in. Everyone gets a door and a window, just like
a normal house.
> 4. Plumbing and wiring are more difficult than with stud construction.
Plumbing unfortunately will most likely have to be under the slab. But
that's true for a stick built house on a slab as well. Electrical will
be surface-mounted on the exterior walls which is fine with me.
Interior walls would be stick-built so we can run the conduit inside
them if we want.
> 5. Resale value - you or your family will need to sell the building
> sometime.
Maybe. Maybe we retire in the building and give it to our children.
The resale could be lower if the execution is poor. What if it's not?
What if it's unique and worth more? Where else can you get an 11
bedroom house? I don't really care.
> Wood framed buildings have been used for hundreds of years because they
> are efficient, can be easily modified and if maintained tend to hold their
> value.
Have you ever left the country? Wood framed buildings are used *here*
because of the natural resource situation. Many builders own the
forests where the SPF comes from. I'd say they have a vested interest
in using wood. In places like greece for example, wood framing isn't
used at all, it's all stone and concrete. Marble is considered cheap
and common, whereas wood floors are considered really expensive and
high-end. It's all about what's close by.
> Are there other options to conventional stud construction? Certainly.
> Think about SIPs, or steel studs, or logs, or some combination.
We have. And we still haven't ruled them out.
> Here's a rule of thumb I use for commercial metal buildings:
>
> Cost for the shell with slab on grade and minimal wiring and plumbing is
> about $75.00/SF.
>
> To get the space to be habitable you should think about doubling the cost
> to $150/SF. For that kind of money you can build yourself a pretty nice
> house.
That's making *a lot* of assumptions about what's going in to the
building.
brian
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