I'm lined-up to buy a little piece of land here in the next 2 months. The wife and I can't get out of the cookie-cutter neighborhood fast enough (extreme time crunch required it when moving to this city). We are going to build a 40'x80' metal building (Mueller style, but not Mueller). 18' eve height, 1:12 roof, weld-up. 40'x30ish will be living. I searched the Outdoor and Home Improvement Boards and didn't find this question (but I did find some other cool things to think about)

My question is about framing the walls for the living space where it coincides with the metal building wall. I've come across multiple different option, each with their own pros and cons. I'll list the options below, I'm hoping that someone on here has built a barn house and knows which method was used and if they are seeing any negative effects from that method.

1. Frame your exterior living walls totally SEPERATE from the metal building. In this method the windows are the only part where the living walls and the metal building walls touch. You basically build a house inside the metal building. The though here is that it allows the metal building to sway and flex without hurting sheetrock. You also can achieve a nice dead air space to better insulate the living space.

2. Frame your exterior living walls WITH the metal building walls. In this method you frame your exterior living walls in between the horizontal purlins of the metal building wall. Basically frame up a bunch of 4'-5' tall walls and place them in between the horizontal purlins (and attach them to the purlins). This seems to be the most common way but it means any flexing the metal building does, the sheetrock will do too.

3. Finally, the most "out there" option. Frame your exterior living walls AS the metal building walls. In this method there are NO horizontal purlins on the metal building in the living area. Instead, you frame up 2x6 walls and place them in between the columns of the metal building (and attach them to the columns). Then sheet the outside of the wall with plywood, then add the metal sheets on top of the plywood. I haven't seen this method used but it is interesting.

Anybody on here done any of these methods and have feedback on the results?


Cross-posted from Outdoor board.


TL;DNR - How did you frame your barn house walls where they coincide with the metal building? Feedback on your method?

We did two with my FIL place. Used 6" metal studs and 6" purlins and bracketed vertical studs to purlins.
Electrical up and down for outlets, switches and ac lines were more pain than wall framing. Did blown in insulation on his now would do closed cell foam. His is 24ft walls but is extremely stout.
Also while everyone knows what a barndominium is, insurance companies don't. It's a warehouse with office/living space. Barn=livestock and they will either not issue a policy or charge you a crazy rate.

Have designed plenty of these but thinking maybe you hire a metal building guy like Micah Garza metal buildings Caldwell 224-4400 who already has these details figured out and can fast track your whole deal.

I am currently working with 2 different metal building guys in the area. And I've got family that does them for a living back home (different market). The real issue is that I'm going to be doing most of the work myself. So while they will tell you their way of doing it, they also tell you of the other ways of doing and say that it's my choice on which to do. I'm just looking for people that have done one of these methods in the past and are familiar with the long term results.

I appreciate the re'q though, I'll keep his info handy.

In laws did the separate housing inside steel building. They have ONE window with a wide sill over the kitchen sink that connects housing with building/outside. That sucker is air tight and it can be storming outside and inside you won't even know it! This is just a two room cabin built into their garage and they lived there about 2 years while planning/building their retirement home. It's flat topped to allow for storage above. My fil was class of '50 civil engineer and meticulous about structural execution.

That said, he chose Mueller and the build is in Stonewall. Mueller contracted with someone locally to build the steel building. It is totally insulated then has chicken wire to hold all in place. Two double garage doors and one single walk through door, all insulated. In construction, the insulation was put too low or the siding was not quite low enough(I can't remember the cause) but it allowed the insulation to wick rain up the walls and that created a rust issue with the bolts and siding. Mueller rep came and inspected entire building and absorbed entire cost of redoing both insulation and siding even told my mil she could choose another color if she desired! Top notch operation!!!