# How is regular 'stick built' as cheep as pole barn or metal?



## Mcompton1973 (Mar 17, 2013)

We have 40 acres in East/Central OK (one hour east of OKC). 

We had thought about Manufactured (doublewide) and although I dont plan to move...I am worried about resale, and also worried about durrability. I know they are made so much better than in years past...but I was told that same thing back in the mid '90s when I lived in North Carolina...and I look now at manufactured homes built in the mid 90's and they are NOT holding up well over time. Of course...that can be the people living in them and the maintenance they do. I am not sure that I believe it. Am I wrong here?

I had been leaning towards a simple metal building/pole building...and it seems like most people think that it is not any less expensive to build than a stick built. I dont understand how that can be. For 25k I can have a totaly dried in building with barn type building errected for me. I have not priced it...but it seems like I can not touch that with a regular stick built home...can I?

So considerations. I can not have a basement...too much rock. I have no restrictions/covenants and virtually no county codes to worry about. We plan on building a simple rectangle with covered porch across the top. One story only (I know that 2 story is less per sqft but wife has one eye and stairs can be a challenge....and we are 40+ already...so no stairs. lol)

I would love to think I could do a lot of building myself...but this is not something I have any experience in. I am a salesman...have always been pretty good at fixing things like cars and electonics...but never been good at making bird houses and building things. lol.

Would love input and thoughts. Thank you.


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

A pole barn would be cheaper than a stick built house. But converting a pole barn into a house would be costly. A pole barn has no studs to attach drywall or place for insulation. Pole barn has roof trusses 4 feet apart, no way would drywall span that distance. 
If you intend on living in a metal box, pole barn, I guess you could. But if it is your intent to build a house out of a pole barn, that's quite another thing. 

Go look at the inside of a pole barn. You aren't mixing up pole barn with storage building?


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

You can dry in a pole barn building cheaper than stick built. But the exrta costs to finish off a pole barn to a livable structure would be more than the savings.

How are you going to insulate and finish off the inside? You'll need to add nailers for sheetrock to the walls and ceilings. Those nailers are already included in the stick built structure.

WWW


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## Robotron (Mar 25, 2012)

Go here and download the guide. Do your research and it maybe not as bad as indicated. There are more post frame buildings out there then many know about because they don't look like it once finished. 
http://www.postframeadvantage.com/content/publications/


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

All of the above and the floor, concrete is usually used in a pole building. Good concrete floors are much more costly than just pouring concrete on a few inches of tamped rock. Although a stick built home can be built on a concrete slab, also....James


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## farminghandyman (Mar 4, 2005)

even when it comes to a pole barn, 

you have at least three 2x6" nailed together to create the post, and ever 2 to 3 foot on the side wall your running a board to screw the tin to, ok say your posts are 8 foot spacing, and you want to go 24 oc, just your posts are only one short of an 8 foot section of wall, your wall purlins will do your top and bottom plates and most likely take up the lumber for your extra stud, 

so your wall lumber is not that much different, and the roof is not a lot of difference either as instead of them running across there going the long way, 

my guess is you save very little on lumber, and if you would sheet it with steel no cost difference, on a stick built one most likely will sheet it with some type of sheet material that will cost more, but in the long run most likely be worth it. IMO,

the problem with converting a pole barn to a house is to put up walls and ceiling one most likely will need to built a stick walls and roof inside the pole barn to have a living space, I have seen some use the purlins that the tin is screw to closer and on edge so dry wall can be attached to them, but normally one is building a building in side a building, 

I built a smaller chicken house as a pole building, (my son in law) was telling on how much you saved and how great they were, I felt I ended up saving nothing on lumber, the tin was used, I could have put the tin on horizontal and use the stud framing yes I most likely would have sheeted the rafters, for a better roof deck or I could have just use some stringers like one does on normal pole barn and put the tin on that way. by the time the concrete floor was poured , I felt I did not save money or time, 

may be on a larger building there may be some savings, 

but I think the biggest savings is in the cheapness of construction, on a pole barn, 

no footers, only tin for walls and roof, 

if no floor is wanted and no need for more than tin for a wall, yes there some cheaper, 

but a good roof will consist of a deck and moisture barrier, and roofing materials,

same for siding and walls, 

If one wants a floor you still want some depth on the edge so critters do not dig under it, thus you still end up with monithlic slab. 

so why not pour your floor correctly and build on it? 

I have been farming and ranching for most of my life, and those life time fence posts they sell, still rot off, I have been replacing some I put in about 35 years ago, 
now 35 years is not bad for a fence post, and may be the post in a pole barn will last longer, I do not know but what a mess to have to repair the posts on the house your living in, 
( I know most of us do not think we will be here 35 years or living in the same place so why worry about it, one you may want to sell it, and if the damage is obvious the sale may not take place, you may be leaving a can of worms for you family down the road, 

( I live in the homestead house my grand father built in 1900 or so, he built it right and it is still a good building), 4 family's have lived in this house, 
my grand father 5 kids, 1900-1920, his friend and family 1920-1940, my dad 3 kids 1940-1980, my family 4 kids 1980 to present, 

I am glad it was not just a tar paper shanty knowing he would not be here in 20 or 30 years,


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

In Oklahoma any extra construction money spent on insulating the structure will pay off in heating savings over the life of the home. You don't want a home set on an uninsulated concrete slab. Been there, done that, NEVER again! Every winter our feet FROZE! When your feet are cold you never really feel warm. 

Question for consideration, do the modular homes include wiring and plumbing? What would be the cost of wiring and plumbing a metal/pole building?


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

Enclosing space is cheap... it's the interior walls, finished floors, walls, ceilings, etc., that'll run the price up...


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## Bubbas Boys (Apr 11, 2013)

As everyonas said putting the pole building up is cheap nd usually fast but... the interior is expensive and even if you don't have fine tastes for finishing it is costly. My father in law put up a pole building in 2005 I finished the interior for him so am speaking from experience. It endedup costing him a whole lot more than he had thought. Then last year my wife and I started to build our home on the same property. We built a 2100 sq ft ranch style home with a crawl. We are totally enclosed with metal roof but no siding yet. We have everything wires and most interior walls covered besides where plumbing goes. So lots to go but right now we are $17,000 in to our home that is including driveway(450 ft) as well as the cost to get the power to us. Granted we did not hire one thing done, it was all my wife and I with some family help on the weekends. My father in law paid $14000 just for the shell of his 30x 40 pole building. Not sure if any of this helps but though I would give our experience. Good luck!!


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## farmerted (Dec 21, 2012)

We are getting a 20x20 metal building on Tuesday, it cost $4,400. That being said I am concerned my chickens might freeze to death if we have another winter like last year. A metal building is not for humans to live in. A tornado would shred one of those buildings in a second.


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## NorthernMich (Apr 30, 2006)

Keep an eye on Craigslist, in my area I have seen metal pole barns cheap if you remove them...need a trailer and they are screwed together, lots of steals out there!


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## big rockpile (Feb 24, 2003)

farmerted said:


> We are getting a 20x20 metal building on Tuesday, it cost $4,400. That being said I am concerned my chickens might freeze to death if we have another winter like last year. A metal building is not for humans to live in. A tornado would shred one of those buildings in a second.


I really find this funny. When we first moved here we lived in a Metal Lean To, enclosed on 3 sides open on North side, dirt floors, no insulation. Tornado came through first night there, June, 12, 1994. That Winter we was living in the same just put Cheap Blue Tarp over the front, put Wood Heat Stove towards the Front. Temperatures at night well below zero. We became so acclimated we would be outside below zero in Shirt Sleeves.

Well most people wouldn't.

Our second Winter there, had put Wood Floors in and Metal on the front. Still no Insulation, Electric or Water.




big rockpile


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

My MIL would call the house and if she got the answering machine, she'd carry a conversation until the tape ran out. Didn't seem to matter to her. It was as if she just called to talk and not listen.
The OP wrote over two weeks and about a dozen comments ago. Not a reply or comment to any of these replies. I feel like we've been talking to an answering machine. Not a single "good idea", "what I meant to say"or "let me clarify what I asked". Nothing. 
How is a stick built cheaper than a pole barn? It isn't. How is a used house trailer cheaper than pole barn? Because it is less useful and doesn't last as long.


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## farmerted (Dec 21, 2012)

big rockpile said:


> I really find this funny. When we first moved here we lived in a Metal Lean To, enclosed on 3 sides open on North side, dirt floors, no insulation. Tornado came through first night there, June, 12, 1994. That Winter we was living in the same just put Cheap Blue Tarp over the front, put Wood Heat Stove towards the Front. Temperatures at night well below zero. We became so acclimated we would be outside below zero in Shirt Sleeves.
> 
> Well most people wouldn't.
> 
> ...


Sounds kinda 3rd world. I like the comforts that America offers.


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## chuckhole (Mar 2, 2006)

If you build a barn-o-minium, you will have to build a structure within a structure. Metal buildings and pole barns are not meant to support a traditional home. Also, because of the difference in materials (expansion/contraction from heat/cold), you do not want to attach any of the interior structure to the building shell..

So if you are looking for cost savings in construction, don't look any further. Call me crazy, but this is exactly the method that I intend to use. An insulated metal structure with a traditional stick built home on the inside of it. Let me explain why:

The traditional stick-built home has to have a good siding/veneer and it must be kept up and protected.....even if you use brick or cementicious fiber board. An all metal skin has a consistent color and longer warranty than most other coverings for both roof and sides.

A well insulated metal skin also provides that extra thermal layer and air space you don't get with traditional homes.....hence lower cooling/heating costs.

Lastly, the taxes are lower for us because it gets taxed like a shop building and not a house............I assume that is because they use Google satellite images to find your new buildings for tax purposes.

My metal 40x60x16 shop has 86 yards of concrete under it. The slab cost $14K with labor and the building was $18K (no labor except mine) with 4 skylights, 3 ten foot industrial style ridge vents, 2 12x12 sliding doors, gutters and down spouts. Then add in another $4K for a 210 foot underground run for 200A service and water along with interior wiring in metal conduit with 4 high-bay 400W lights.

The costs add up very quickly as you can see and I have not even started the bathroom, utility room and shop office space. And no, this is not a business, it is a hobby........I just like to run my hobbies like a business. Call me insane or just what I am, a computer geek........same thing.

My next big project, the Barn-O-Minium....... Good luck to you.


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## chuckhole (Mar 2, 2006)

big rockpile said:


> I really find this funny. When we first moved here we lived in a Metal Lean To, enclosed on 3 sides open on North side, dirt floors, no insulation. Tornado came through first night there, June, 12, 1994. That Winter we was living in the same just put Cheap Blue Tarp over the front, put Wood Heat Stove towards the Front. Temperatures at night well below zero. We became so acclimated we would be outside below zero in Shirt Sleeves.
> 
> Well most people wouldn't.
> 
> Our second Winter there, had put Wood Floors in and Metal on the front. Still no Insulation, Electric or Water.


Rockpile,
This is why I have always enjoyed your posts. Knowing what you have done in your life always humbles me and reminds me to give thanks for what I have.


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## Muleman (Nov 8, 2013)

Rockpile you got the right idea.


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## bigjon (Oct 2, 2013)

neither is as cheap as a log cabin-buy a kit-invite some friends


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

farmerted said:


> Sounds kinda 3rd world. I like the comforts that America offers.


Sometimes you do what you have to to get by. When dh was a teen all they had to live in was a couple metal sheds.


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## Freeholder (Jun 19, 2004)

Cheaper isn't necessarily better. In that tornado-prone area, I would want something sturdier! Cement blocks (with insulation on the outside) are one possibility. One of those ferrocement domes, although I think a dome would be hard to finish on the inside. Earthbag construction might be the cheapest, if you could manage the labor.

Kathleen


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