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i am looking to have a metal building constructed 40x30 we are thinking does anybody have any good bad or ugly suggestions as far as companys that make these buildings.........maybe some pictures of your buildings to

thanks

I don't have any suggestions on a manufacturer. But, I do have a list of things I wish I had done when we had ours built:

I wish I had gotten the shop insulated at the time of construction. Would've helped tremendously in keeping dust levels down inside (west Texas) and would've been cheaper then and easier than after I filled it up.

Since I don't have heating or cooling in mine, I wish I had another overhead door installed at the opposite end to allow breezes to come through while working in it.

Wish I could've had it plumbed for a sink.

Anyway, good luck with yours!

I helped my neighbor put his up. steelbuilding.com inc. is the company he bought his from. 40x30. He liked dealing with the company. We did run out of that double sided tape and he had to buy extra.

Following RyanTX's post... We had ours insulated and I put roll up doors on both ends. I'm glad we did. It's best if you can have all you're going to do on it done at once rather than coming back later. Considering the roll up doors, we had 2 that are (I think) 14' and one that is 7', what we were told is the average garage door height...go with an 8' instead of a 7'. We had lean-to's added on both sides and I'm super glad I did that.

At some point I'd like to have gutters put on with rain barrels to catch the run off to use on the garden, watering chickens, etc...maybe I'll do that this summer.

Leaving to hunt and probably won't be home until Monday night or I'd get you some pics...sorry.

In for the read. I would like to do the same thing this summer.

I have 15,000 sq ft of metal buildings & here is a good choice.

http://www.vulcansteel.com/

Morton

I did a lot of research on buildings when I was ready to put up my first one 15 years ago (it was a 30x40 as well) and the best, strongest, and easiest to construct I found was Miracle Steel. They were purchased by Worldwide Buildings, and I put up a 40x70x14 two years ago. They are free-span truss with 2by material for purlins and girts on 2' centers.

Build on top of 32" of block. No dents, and you can wash your floor.

I built metal bldgs exclusively until about 15 years ago. Now I do all commercial/industrial structural steel.

Not sure what manufacturers are still in buisness around you, or what new ones have started.

Insulation, as said is a must. Overhead doors for cross ventilation, also mentioned. If you think you want skylights, I would go with wall lights instead. You may also consider ridge vents to help with ventilation.

Keep in mind, different gauges of your wall and roof panels. In other words, compare apples to apples.

One other thing. If you need a 30x40, GO BIGGER!

If I were you, I would look into a 50' length for your building, as 25' bays are the norm. You may also consider putting a "rigid frame" as one of your end walls, so you can continue to add bays on at a later date, assuming there is room.

thanks for the info guys

back up for more comments

I had a 30x40Morton Building when I lived in Kansas that was a barn with box stalls in it.

Previous owner also had an office and dog grooming business area.

It was pretty nice, but my only experience with that style.

In the summer, I used a blower from a furnace to move air.

This is good advice. I have bought, sold, and erected metal buildings for 17 years. I could give a dissertation, but his advice is concise and spot on.

Always build bigger (expandable endwall is a great option if you plan to add-on), say no to the live load/tributary reduction (this saves money, but lessens the amount of steel. Building will meet code, but not be as strong), insulate (R-13 in the roof and R-11 in the walls are minimums for east Tennessee), try to find a way to afford the 24ga. standing seam roof, walls 26ga (not the cheaper 29ga), no skylights (they will leak), and find a good erector. The erector is as important as the manufacturer.

I buy and erect Nucor-

http://www.nucorbuildingsystems.com/

Some good advice by previous posters. As a civil/structural engineer that has been involved with pre-engineered metal buildings (PEMB) from specifying to litigation precipitated from collapses, I'll add a couple more thoughts:

Not all manufacturers are equal in what will get delivered. Look for differences between vendors or various options from the same one like structural steel and bolts vs bent gage metal and TEK screws.

Think about expected or potential loads to the structure beyond the local building code requirements like a monorail hoist beam the length of the building or a welded lug to an interior frame's roof girder for pulling engines and such. Those will have to be included in the design calcs and contract documents. Retain those documents should you decide to sell the property in the future.

Think about access options now. Removing/modifying frame braces, wall girts and such to add something like a man door later will compromise the structural integrity of a PEMB to the point of collapse. You'd be amazed at what I've seen done to PEMB's by ignorant owners.

You'll buy the PEMB as a deliverable but the foundation/slab will likely have to be designed and constructed as a separate contract. Think about utilities, interior and exterior perimeter drainage, lighting, interior spaces, mezzanines and the like that will have a bearing on the design/construction. If you're going to heat the space, make sure that the slab is properly detailed to preclude moisture vapor causing a number of problems....

I could go on, but that should be a good start given my fee for this project....

bump

1. Use a good contractor to do the erection, Not the cheapest.
2. See ABOVE
3. Slope the slab
4. When installing the framework leave the bolts slightly loose and then do the squaring after the frame is loose bolted together
5. I really like the skylights in my main shop 120' x 80', during the day we never use the lights. (but they leak) your choice. My other shops 60' x 30' and 45' x 24' do not have them
6. Some of the newer LED lighting is remarkable but place them where you have access or ability to get to them (not 20' in the air) or buy a scissor-lift
7. Plan the inside of your shop first then build around that and then double the size (kinda like gun safes)