I need your construction advice

[bluebayou]

I know that political differences aside, there are some very clever folks on here.

I just bought my house.  There is an existing utility building on the property.  I would like to add a floor and finish the missing wall (adding a door).

The immediate need will be to store wood for projects so it doesn't HAVE to be enclosed yet, but it would be nice.  Anyway, any advice would be appreciated.  Here is what I can tell you:

The C-channel steel is on the ground and about 10-12" tall. 
I think that I am supposed to use pressure treated wood if 12-18" from dirt. 
Pressure treated wood will corrode metal.
The roof is the first issue.  No overhang has resulted in all of the insulation that the previous owner took the time to install being a rotten mess now.

Construction wise can I lay some kind of decking across the C-channel as long as it is isolated by vapor barrier or asphalt or something?
Can I screw down larger sheetmetal onto the roof to make an overhang to keep water out of walls?



That's a tarp hanging down on the right side of the exterior shot.

[williamlayton]

My personal opinion is that it will be better too remove the old structure.
Pour a new concrete pad and build a structure of stick frame construction.
You have a great opportunity to invest in a structure that will bring many years of pleasure and good service.
It is a good long term investment.
Blessings

[rk4570]

William has some good advice, It might be best in the Long Run to pour a concrete slab or frame a wooden deck & start over.

You could salvage most of the material from the walls & roof. Make it a little smaller so you would have the roof overhang that you need. Add the doors & windows as you want. Depending what part of the country you are in, build the new one to resist the forces of mother nature.

If that is not in your plans , I would start by raising the existing structure at least 6" above the ground.
Use pier blocks & frame in a new floor from the inside. Then you may be able to do something with the roof.
                        Hope this helps, Good Luck!

[bluebayou]

I appreciate the advice, it isn't what I expected though.

We are in North Texas so it has withstood thunderstorms and potential tornadoes for 15 years or so according to former owners.  It is made from salvaged parts to start, but is square and plumb.  Just designed funny. 

Thanks for the thoughts.

[rex6666]

You can buy longer corigated tin roofing, it looks like it has a single slope, so the high side will need to be turned down some.
I really think it would be easier to tear down, salvage and start over, like William said.
Concrete pad would be best but heavy wood deck on concrete blocks work well also, lots of
pier and beam houses 100yrs old still good, then you can put windows and doors where you
want them. Aluminum windows at a builders surplus are pretty reasonable. Remember you don'r have to do it all at once.

[Graybeard]

Normally a shed of that size and construction is erected on a concrete pad not on bare ground. That the former owners did it wrong is why you now are faced with the situation you are. I really don't think I'd try to make it work as is but that's me. I agree with Bill's advice. I'd tear it down and begin anew on a concrete pad. You should be able to salvage the sheet metal to use as roof and maybe partially for walls of the new building you erect.

I don't think I'd try to go the wood floor route on the current structure. You'd have a heck of a time stopping the water leakage and even with PT lumber you'll have problems with a wood floor if it's continually getting wet when it rains.

I'd live with it as is and with the limitations it places on you or tear it down and do it right the next time.

[DalesCarpentry]

I would have to agree. If I had a customer come to me and ask me to fix it I would turn down the job. The reason being anything you do would be a patch job at best. It is a shame that the person that built such a large shed did not do it right to begin with. I don't know if you could you could jack it up without it coming apart but if you could you may be able to built a floor joist system under it and then set it back down on it. Then again it kind of looks like the C channel you speak of may have been the floor system in the past. Maybe if you could take some more pictures so I can better see what you have going on. I might be able to help you figure something out. Dale

[crustaceous]

I think you can create a serviceable structure without tearing it down. Granted there is no foundation but it looks like a solid steel stucture and it's been there 15 years so it's probably not going to settle any more than it has, if any. It needs a floor. If you want to put a wood floor in it you'll need additional floor joists to support it ( a lot of work). You could fill it with gravel to the top of the existing floor joists and pour a concrete slab on top of it. I would fill it with a finer aggregate like road base and call it good (I could live with a dirt floor in a shed). If you're worried about the buried steel members rusting paint them with an asphalt paint. You should be able to stop the water intrusion with angle flashing and caulk. Check with metal building suppliers for available products. If not you could also buy longer sheets for the roof and create a roof overhang. Get a hollow metal door and frame, more siding and flashing and some wood to close it in and you've got a great place to hide from the wife and kids.

[DalesCarpentry]

After looking closer at the pictures. I think you could probably jack it up because of the existing cross members that I do believe were the old floor system. Those cross members will help hold it together while jacking it up. Once you build the new floor system and set it back down on it you will need to flash the outside to keep water from running under the sill and onto the new floor. Also it is a little hard to tell from the pictures how flimsy the C channel is along the bottom on the outside. If it strong enough and would not fold under from the weight of the walls and roof you could remove the existing cross members. Then screw the outside channel down to the new floor system. Dale

[beemanbeme]

Put me with the tear down, salvage what you can, design what you want, and start over group.

[SHOOTALL]

An open building in the wind is one thing close it up and it can turn into a different animal .
you will invest alot to make it sound if that is possible , why not spend a bit more and have better ?
that said what weight load do you expect the floor to see ? store much wood ? then concrete .
rust paint it , but if you use concrete and stabilize the base what will the top do in the wind with no flex ? maybe nothing , maybe tear loose .
from the picture it appears you have a steel frame with horizontal roofing / siding run vertical . check out the car-port people they use similarly construction .

[bluebayou]

Dang.

You guys might be right.  It is a shame because this thing is built like a tank.  The steel beams are welded and bolted.  It must be a found and salvaged structure with sheet metal bolted onto it.  I will get a professional to come to look at it.  Meanwhile there are other projects.

Need somewhere to store my project wood for now.  Will put it in here under tarps. 

[victorcharlie]

My bet is if you tear it down and re-build it....the tax man will soon be sending you your new assessment.....the codes department will likely site you if you don't get a building permit.....

While tearing it down and rebuilding might be a better option, because of the above I'd probably try to make it work......unless you are willing to pay the extra rent (property tax) as there is no such thing as private ownership of property in this country anymore...........

[williamlayton]

Well, he has given me some information not available when I posted.
The climate in North Texas is a bit dryer than most places.
I would consider raising it on concrete blocks--not cinder blocks.
It is not going to save a nickle to save the frame because you are going too have need to restructure the frame with wood too rebuild.
Build it with 3/4 treated ply for the floor and restructure the frame with 2x construction practices and salvage the siding. I would restructure with 2x construction in order to insulate the whole building---though that is unnecessary if you are going too use it just for storage.
Take my advice though---AT some point you will want too work in there---that is a guarantee.
It is all going too be a wash cost wise, for the basic frame---and may be a little more difficult to frame too the steel.
Blessings

[quickdtoo]

I think I'd jack it up, put it on pier blocks, then run some stringers across the steel joists, and have at it with some underlayment plywood or whatever they're using these days, then finish it up with flooring of your choice. Strip the mess off the walls, put up some furring and then insulation, then paneling or whatever you could get that's inexpensive. That's all dependent on what you can do for the roof tho, if you can't get some overhang so you have some eaves and gutters, it's gonna be wet. Maybe a false roof above it to shed the weather, something like folks do for their travel trailers, sort of a carport affair that someone mentioned before.

Looks like William has similar thoughts whilst I was typing.

Tim

[35Rem]

What about building trusses to set on top and build a pitched roof, peak down the middle long ways?
Would give overhead storage, as well as place for lighting.

If possible, get it off the ground, but it will need to be tied down, like a mobile home.
I don't see a real problem with wood flooring over the steel, especially if off the ground.

[plumberroy]

I think I would listen to the carpenter he does it for a living

[DalesCarpentry]

I have only been doing it for 23 years though. Dale