Wood vs metal buildings

[alpacamom]

We are going to build some run-in/3 sided shelters for our alpacas so they have shelter when we move them to the pasture. Would it be better to use wood or metal and why?

[MELOC]

metal will rust and wood will rot. with only three sides, i doubt the insulating value of wood places it above metal. so that leaves cost as one consideration. asthetics is another. i prefer the look of wood myself. a third consideration may be durability. i would go with wood as it won't dent if the animals get rowdy. it may also resist being blown by the wind a bit better than metal.

[georgec]

A good welder can put up a metal building fast and cheap. If you are doing the labor yourself then go with what you know.

[ET1 SS]

A pre-engineered steel building is far cheaper, and will not rust for 25 years. They can easily be much wider without any load-bearing supports in the middle.

[Rocky Fields]

Hey Paula.

I recommend a third choice...cement block on a concrete slab. You can hose it out and it won't rot like wood and metal...ever notice how many dairy barns are stone or cement block on the bottom? Also will take high winds the best. Nothing sharp or splintery to harm animals. And yes, I realize your talking 3 sided shelter.

Disregard the fellow above mentioning welding metal buildings??? The panels are usually riveted or screwed together. They dent relatively easy. Panels are easy to replace/repair.

Wood dampens sound better than metal. Wood has been the material of choice for hundreds of years. Wood is easy to work with.

RF

[rambler]

1. concrete is best, at least up 4 feet.

2. Wood is good, tho it will rot eventually. Depends on what you spend, for what you get. Spend enough, & you can get a wood structure about as good as anything.

3, Metal is easy & cheaper, so probably what you will get. It dents, rusts, & condenses moisture, so it isn't perfect. But is shelter.

3a. Welded metal & critter urine = instant rust outs, so I would _not_ go that route!

4. The fabric hoop buildings are pretty neat, tho in my prairie wind, blizzard, & tree branch location I'm still on the fence about them. They tend to be cheaper, simple. Might want to take a look at good (_but_ quality - not the bargin bin cheapies) version of these?

--->Paul

[Scrounger]

How big of building are we talking about? I am about 75% done with a 40' x 60' barn I built out of salvaged materials - metal over wood. I'll have a total of $1500 in it when it's done. It may not be the prettiest building out there, but it does the job.

[fantasymaker]

concrete poured slab and tip up walls? walls say 1 or 2 inches thik?

[ET1 SS]

I do not see why you need a slab for animals.

A concrete footer foundation will support either wood or steel, and is much cheaper.

A layer of gravel inside will drain very nicely.

[rambler]

To me it sounds like portable, on skids, type of building they want. These are more cheap, disposable, build again in 15 years.....

'Metal building' is also confusing - there are 3 types. Metal skin over wood frame, metal skin over metal frame, or arch type with deep ribbed metal skin which is also the frame.

We all get different visions in our head when we hear 'metal building' so hard to give good advise.

Metal is better for large building; wood is better for small building; concrete is better for long, long durability. If you are building yourself, then it depends on what tools, supplies, & experience you have......

--->Paul

[ET1 SS]

rambler -

Good points.

[Rocky Fields]

Hey.

A layer of gravel won't drain well if you have clay soil and it's been raining...

RF

[Jim S.]

Hey, will those alpacas be OK with 4 feet high? If so, why not call your county highway dept. and ask them if they have any old culverts they want to get rid of. That's what I did. Got a 48" used culvert 12 feet long that they tore out of somehwre, been a great shelter. Set it in the pasture, tah-dah! Free.

If you wanna get fancy bolt a piece of plywood to the end. We just oriented it sideways to prevailing wind and rain.

I also saw a guy make one out of pallets and tarps. Saw one made out of pallets and a pickup topper, too. Fancy, we don't do around here. Cheap, we like. LOL.

[alpacamom]

MELOC - I like the look of wood over metal better, but wasn't sure what would be best to work with and would last longest.

georgec - We don't know anyone who welds around here. The pole buildings we have on the property have metal riveted or screwed (I don't recall which...haven't looked closely) rather than welded. What kind of building would get welded?

ET1 SS - We have a 3 sided machine shed on the property that doesn't have any supports in the middle, so I can envision what you're talking about Are there any brands of building better than another? We have a Moriarty (3 sided) and I can't think of the pole building's manufacturer, but I've also seen Morton and others.

RF - My only concern with the critters being on concrete is winter...wouldn't it hold the cold more than a dirt floor? I know we'd have to put bedding down for them, but.... (I'm a city girl...this country living is all new to me, so I have a lot to learn!)

rambler - Very good points indeed! We have wood in the 3-sided building we have now from the original barn on the property built in the late 1800s. Some of it was used in the shop over the insulation and we put some up in the barn to protect the metal walls from the critters (kick boards??). I've seen those fabric/hoop buildings. Since we're on a hill surrounded by bean/cornfields, there isn't mucn to slow wind down, so I don't know how that would work out here. Hmm...something to consider though!

Jim S Our alpacas are about 5' tall, so I think 4' might be a little too short for them. That is a great idea, though, and will keep it in mind for if/when we get shorter animals! We've thrown around the idea of getting sheep, so you never know!

The kind of building we're thinking about will be about 8' wide x 8' deep x 7' or 8' tall with walls on 3 sides and a roof. I'd like to put a on the 4th side that only goes about 4' across the open side so they will have extra protection from the elements. We have some old barn wood on the property we can use for wood shelters, but dh is thinking that buying some pre-fab buildings would be much easier. Since he works full time off the property, it really limits his time doing things. I'm willing to give building a shot though, and I have 2 strapping young boys that are great helpers. I just wonder what would protect them the best from the brutal midwest winters and heat of summer?

Thanks for everyone's input so far! I knew I'd get a lot of help here and am looking forward to the day when I can give advice from my own experience

[ET1 SS]

Originally Posted by alpacamom

...
ET1 SS - We have a 3 sided machine shed on the property that doesn't have any supports in the middle, so I can envision what you're talking about Are there any brands of building better than another? We have a Moriarty (3 sided) and I can't think of the pole building's manufacturer, but I've also seen Morton and others.

Our house came from 'Freedom Steel'. A part of US steel. Which I think is a part of General Steel.

Our house is 40 X 60 with no supports in the middle, just one big open space. Which is hard to do with wood or concrete. Obviously you can get them much smaller, or much larger. Pre-engineered so they will withstand hurricanes / tornadoes / heavy snow-load / etc.

[Jim S.]

Paula, if you get one such culvert and cut it in half, then use pallets to make sides and the half-culvert for the top, you have made yourself a free hutch that will be 4 feet wide, as long as the culvert is, and maybe 6 feet high at the top. For very low cost, you can add two small tarps (8x8 are like $1.99 each sometimes) to each side's pallets and one to the back pallet for weatherproofing.

If you want to spend just a little more, get some cheap waferboard or plywood and tack it to the pallets for a windbreak. It would last longer than tarps.

Other ideas: If you have on hand any cattle panels, bend on into a bow, fasten both ends to the ground with stakes, stabilize the back with T-posts, toss a pallet up on the back side and cover all but the front with a heavy tarp. These are neat, easily come apart to be moved, and are not some permanent monstrosity you need to lug around.

[georgec]

With steel buildings you can either buy kits that you bolt together, or you can buy the raw materials and weld them together. If you can weld, that is the least expensive way to go. The advantage to the bolt together kits is that they are usually certified by an Engineer.

[watcher]

You can buy large tent like buildings for a lot less than anything else. We bought 18'W X 30'L X 12'H (at the ridge) not meant to be a permanent building about 3 years ago (for about $1100) to use as temp storage. A 12'W X 24'L X 12'H prefab storage building from Lowe's runs about $3,000. That gives me almost twice the building for about 1/3 of the money.

A hot wire around the inside would keep any critter away from the walls.

It has been up and used with only one problem since then. One of the kids left one open and a MAJOR storm came in and one of the tie downs gave way. Blew one end up into a tree. I got it down spent about $40 to replace a few bent poles and its good as new.

They offer ones that are meant to be used as permanent buildings in all sizes. From an 8'W X 12'L X 8'H mini garage to 100'L X 100W. I think you can even special order larger buildings which are supposed to withstand up to 90mph winds.

If you want more info I can give the company name and URL.

One last thing, because they are usually listed as 'temporary' buildings you don't need a lot of the permits you do for a permanent building.

[Scrounger]

Pallets covered with tin.

[Rocky Fields]

Hey.Hey.Paula;-)

This should answer your question for me about a concrete floor...

These alpaca people are in Ohio. Read what they say about winter, concrete floors,etc.:

http://www.alpacanation.com/articles...ters_Feb02.asp


These people have alpacas in Maine, so it's cold in winter there. Read what they say about concrete barn floor:

http://www.andesalpacafarm.com/index...category_ID=67


Read what these people say about concrete floors and alpaca nails:

http://www.credencefarmalpacas.com/i...d=25&Itemid=50


Others:

http://horses.about.com/od/basiccare/a/stabledesign.htm

http://www.singletreealpacas.com/farm.htm


RF