Any Aggie builders who put up metal buildings? I need a new ranch house in Webb county and thought a metal building (insulated) on a concrete slab would be fine.

I am returning from Iraq and would like to meet with some builders. I live in SATX and should be home in early Feb.

I dont have a rec for a builder, but I think that they are fantastic. My uncle built one for his acreage in Kimble Co. and I must say, it is pretty remarkable. Half of it is a shop and the other half is living quarters.

That is what I did for my permanent residence.
I have a 40 x 60. 2 overhead dooors in the shop with 960 sq ft living space.

All of my friends who come over are really surprised how nice it is on the inside. They get this weird look when you tell them you live in a metal building.

confucius-- can you post pics of your setup? I have always wanted one (when i eventually buy some land) and I always find myself saying "I want ____ in my shop one day" pretty much always looking for ideas.

I just realized I don't have any pics. I will take some this weekend and post next week.

This is all I have of my Uncle's shop/house.

quote:

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That is what I did for my permanent residence.
I have a 40 x 60. 2 overhead dooors in the shop with 960 sq ft living space.

All of my friends who come over are really surprised how nice it is on the inside. They get this weird look when you tell them you live in a metal building.

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The wife and I will probably do something like this with our garage/barn/workshop while building our house, then convert the living space into a rec-room or guesthouse when our actual house is complete. I know lots of poeple that have done this.

A friend of mine put up a metal building in Port O. Looks like a shop. 1/4 of it he uses for a shop and boat storage. Then you walk through a door and it is a finished out 2 bedroom, 2 bath with living room and kitchen. Damn nice. You would never know it is in there. Taxes on it are cheap too.

Yeah, it is pretty popular.

Keeps the tax man at bay as well. He has no clue how nice it is. All he sees is a shop/metal building.

I'd like to see some photos as well.

People in big cities pay huge $$ to live in part of an old warehouse.

Location location location, I guess.

I lived in my grandma's garage for most of a year once, while my parents were building our house nearby.

These guys did our barn. I highly recommend them if they cover your area. They do the "barndiminiums" also and I think they are fully turnkey these days (even the slab). You can design your building on their website and get instant pricing.

http://wdmb.reachlocal.com/coupon/?scid=1056238&cid=287084&tc=09012210022213491&dynamic_proxy=1&primary_serv=wdmb.reachlocal.net&se_refer=http%253A%252F%252Fsearch.yahoo.com%252Fsearch%253Fei%253Dutf-8%2526fr%253Dslv8-tyc7%2526p%253Dwdmb%2526type%253D

I didn't see Webb on their list of counties. If its close to one they cover, you might be in luck.

forgot to add......


My building is a Mueller. They can also help you design. They can also hook you up with an erector.

My cousin does metal buildings. He did the one he lives in and several others, including buildings on South Texas ranches for MLB players...

He's not an Ag, but family of one... let me know if you want me to get you in contact...

We built one ourselves long time ago but I loved the design.

Can't remember dimensions but say 60x120. yeah, big.

Idea was to put 4 private bedrooms down either side (8 total). Entire middle lengthwise was open (say 35 x120). Kitchen at one end and fireplace and big screen tv other end. Poker/pool tables/ couches, chairs etc in middle.

Ea br had 2 beds and their own bathoom. sorta like motel but with large meeting area in middle.

Nice link HECUBUS.

I like their slideshow of the Barndiminiums. In the pictures they framed the living area with wood. Is that what everyone else is thinking? Why wouldn't you go with metal framing?

I would also recommend wdmb--they are out of Pleasanton. I have a good friend who used him to build a house/barn in Artesia Wells--only about 50 miles from Laredo...so Webb shouldnt be an issue. I have used him on several barns/shop for my place...talk to Wayne Divin. Make sure you get a GOOD slab man.

Wayne Divin is the kind of guy who would answer that question. You should send him an email on that website. Wayne runs a first rate company.

^
By the way, his new add in the Co-op magazine claims he does the slabs now too.

Take a look at the add on the top left of page 30.
http://www.texas-ec.org/texascooppower/current_month/tcp0109.pdf

Here's the new link:
http://www.turnkeymetalbuildings.com/

Ha! They have a picture of my barn on the link "Just Country".

[This message has been edited by HECUBUS (edited 1/22/2009 3:59p).]

They are kind of pricey.

+1 on the pricy.

You should be able to get them to back off that pricing now. Substantially.

^
One of my neighbors said the same thing. Then, he watched them build it and said he couldn't figure out how they could do what they did so cheaply. They put it up in two days.

My neighbor builds barns also and gets just about anything cheaper than anyone in Lampasas County.

My slab cost more than the barn.

Oh, I'm sure the pricing was reasonable a year ago...still a bit high, but they look very professional.

They are probably hurting now. If they have decent crews and want to keep them, they will be willing to negotiate to keep them busy.

I believe the price of steel has dropped some, but I had him quote a couple of add-ons to existing sheds, and he wasnt real cheap--yet. I am going to hold off a little longer and see what the Obama economy does. This quote was done first part of THIS month. I heard steel was going to drop some more around the March timeframe--think his suppliers are still trying to get rid of their inventory purchased during the peak.

Wadd--out of the Poth area ?

+ for Wayne Divin (or W.D. in the link above)

He built my barn in 1987 and still no problems. It is 40 x 80 (I think) with two garage doors. The gutters have started to rust through but they are 21+ years old.

Even back then people could not figure out how he could do them so cheaply, as already stated in another post.

As also already posted, the slab needs to be as perfect as possible to allow the building erection without any delays, especially if the erector is traveling a good distance. My slab guy made a little mistake in one corner and WD worked around it. He told me about it but did not try to get more $$$$ out of me. If I was him, I would have asked for something for the extra labor required.

Thanks! When I get back from Iraq, I'll look the folks up and solicit bids. I am looking for a "turn key" contractor - slab and building. I can do the plumbing, electrical, and interior walls.