Hey folks,

I'm doing some very preliminary research on building a hangar.

The only relevant covenants that will affect me are no quonset huts, and a 3,600 sqft maximum (loosely enforced). I received a quote for a 60' x 60' metal building with 12' eaves.

$24,893 for the building kit from a reputable local company
$21,600 for the concrete
$10,000 approximate for the door (rough figure for 10' x 40' commercially made bi-fold strap door; willing to consider other options)
$10,800 for labor to assemble
Electrical and insulation not included in this price, nor is climate control.

The 60' x 60' building is bigger than I need to keep a Champ in, but I figure it may make it more marketable if I need to sell it down the line.

My main question is how to handle the living space I plan to put in it. Not for full-time living, just a place to crash once in a while, get cleaned up, etc. Also a plan B in case the wife ever kicks me to the curb, or I could use it as an office space down the line.

What do most folks do? Is is considerable more expensive to build a smaller, TALLER hangar and put in a mezzanine, then enclose it? Or build a large shorter hangar and let the living area eat up some floor space? What's the most economical layout of the 2?

Thanks,

10x40 is not a big enough door. If the next buyer has a Cessna with wingX it will be very tight. Even height wise I wouldn't go any short then 12' opening. I would recommend 12 or even 14'(think amphibs)×44. I think going higher is cheaper initially, but will cost more to heat, but maybe you're in a climate that doesnt require heating. My hangar is 14 high and I have a mezzanine in one corner that I use as an office. I suspended it from the ceiling so I don't have a post down to the floor. I plan to add a lean to eventually for a washroom and a bit more space. I think doing a lean to style is tough to beat price wise.

Where are you planning to build this hangar? (and, by the way, thanks for spelling it correctly.....might be a first).

If you're building this in the US, and on an airport which has accepted AIP funds from the FAA, there are serious restrictions on "living quarters". Depending on airport management, that may be interpreted strictly or not. At one such airport, management considers a shower evidence of living quarters, and will reject that in a building plan.

I agree with asa, a 40 foot wide door is waaaay too narrow. And, I'd go no less than 12 feet high. If you think there's ANY chance of an amphib showing up, 14 feet would be absolute minimum for a Cub type.

But, a wide door is definitely worth the cost, even if you have shorter wing spans. With that size hangar, a wider door will permit moving airplanes in and out without moving other airplanes stored there....and that's a big deal.

MTV

MTV

Don't forget the wedge of the bifold door, for a 14 high opening that would add 2 1/2 to 3 feet to the eave height of the building. When I was looking at doing a hangar a year ago a 44x12 bifold was $8700 plus installation. My builder didn't want to do the doors so the two quotes I was able to get were one for $2200 with me unloading the door when it was delivered and one for $3500 if they came out and unloaded it and then came again when they could hang it. Good luck with your project.

Tim

If the municipality you're dealing with has even a loose interpretation of the universal building codes don't ever mention the words "living space" and "Aircraft hangar" in the same discussion/document. You want to keep the plans as vague as possible. Once the building's up and everyone's cleared out hire a handy man to build a little apartment.

Fire Marshal's are particularly intractable with the whole hangar/dwelling idea. I'm 2 years into planning my hangar in Kitsap County west of Seattle and I still can't get a straight answer out of those people. I'm having to completely retool my idea as we speak.

You’ll need a “crew rest area”, or “watchman’s accommodation”, or at minimum, a “decontamination shower” for worker safety.

Most concise advise I can offer is to choose a door, then build a hangar onto the door, not the other way around.

Halestorm wrote:...... I'm 2 years into planning my hangar in Kitsap County west of Seattle and I still can't get a straight answer out of those people. I'm having to completely retool my idea as we speak.

Vaughn's?

60x60 would fit a T-6 and another plane, but you could never get a T-6 through a 40' door.

Agree on 14' height too, because a typical bifold door uses up a lot of vertical space.

Also agree that living space should be omitted from discussion. It's called a pilot lounge.

All of the above are very good answers. My 81' T210 is 9'5" to top of beacon on vert stab. My hangar rough opening is 14'H and bifold door stops at 10'6"H which gives me 1 foot clearance. I can sell to someone with up to a 310 or similar tail height so my market is much larger than single engine. BTW, my ceiling height is 16' because my door is situated on the side wall as opposed to an end wall which requires a larger carry through beam to handle door. There are now "free standing" doors available- pretty slick. Width= 44' or larger so as not to cut your resale options. Plus, bigger door is much nicer/easier to move multiple vehicles in and out-boats, cars, RVs etc. along with your planes.

Your 3600 SF would seem to want a taller building as going higher is much cheaper than spreading out. Especially for resale; and putting your "pilot lounge" above instead of taking valuable floor space. Also, much better for resale and using while you own- you could rent out space. My 2500sf hangar will tightly handle 3 aircraft- 2 high wing and one low wing- 3600 could probably handle 4 planes.

As they say; opinions are worth what you paid for them.

Jack

If I were building a hangar, I might consider an RV-type "wet bath" restroom, where the "shower" is a hand wand that pulls up from the sink (like a kitchen sink spray unit, only larger). Use a tension rod for a shower curtain, and your toilet paper stays dry... LOL

It doesn't look like a shower, and if you don't refer to it as a "shower", the inspector just sees a restroom...

And I agree that "pilot's lounge" is the right term. A comfy couch, small fridge and microwave, and maybe a hot plate stored in a cabinet. You could "lounge" there for quite a while, if necessary...

Halestorm wrote:If the municipality you're dealing with has even a loose interpretation of the universal building codes don't ever mention the words "living space" and "Aircraft hangar" in the same discussion/document. You want to keep the plans as vague as possible. Once the building's up and everyone's cleared out hire a handy man to build a little apartment.

Fire Marshal's are particularly intractable with the whole hangar/dwelling idea. I'm 2 years into planning my hangar in Kitsap County west of Seattle and I still can't get a straight answer out of those people. I'm having to completely retool my idea as we speak.

Words of wisdom!

For what the OP says he wants...some sneaky types may just accidentally have a floor drain in the concrete floor covered up with a piece of whatever when the final inspection is done. And maybe a french drain dug on the sly to handle small amounts of infrequent use. Or, simply indicate it's for normal floor drain use (but that opens up a can of worms, better not have oil remnants in that water......if so you'll need a grease trap. A local built a nice big shop right down the road from my crane yard, just to keep his toys in, boat, big motor home etc. At one point he casually mentioned possibly washing them in the shop. 10 K later he was OK'd to do so, that is roughly what the "grease retention system" cost him. I never wash my equipment on my property as a result, it's cheaper to spend 3 or 4 bucks at a car wash. "No electrical or plumbing" on your hangar plans will free up the county P & Z and construction services department quicker on your simple project, so they can deal with more important stuff. 100 gallons of shower water annually won't hurt a thing, I'm not advocating spoiling the environment, but just think of all the vehicles outside in the rain, with the runoff going onto the street, and that's OK. But washing one inside needs a "system."

Even better, tell them it'll have just a compacted gravel floor. Pour a slab 6 months later, they will have moved on, once your structure is final inspected and on the property tax roles, they will lose all interest in your little project, keep it simple and basic as possible.

60 square is a great size. That's what I built, and with 16' walls. My door is a 50' x 16' Hi Fold. I don't have to take it to the top very often because I don't have anything that big usually, but when I do, it's there and the Hi Fold gets out of the way without taking up extra height. They're great doors. I also have in floor heat, and that's something else I'd never be without again. There's lots of things you can do to the building, depending on what you're going to be doing in there and where you are.
The coolest place I've ever been in, had a big hangar and the guy's machine shop was in the back of the hangar (that's how he made a living) then above that, was his home. Almost the entire front wall was glass, so you could sit in the house and look out and down into the hangar. It was an awesome setup!! He had lights on a dimmer and we sat there at the supper table, with a soft light shining in the hangar, looking at his Twin Beech while we ate. I was in heaven!!
Good luck!!!

The best thing I ever did was change my plans at the last second, from one big shop/hangar combo, to a separate shop and hangar, though attached. The hangar is down a flight of stairs, with a door at the bottom that opens into the hangar. I can run the table saw, weld, grind, and do other manly shop stuff, all while the plane stays pristine down in its lair. Plus, casual visitors have no idea there is a plane on the premises, as the shop entrance is up front and center, and where the UPS and other delivery guys go to. One fun thing about this setup, is when I give the nickel tour to someone, after the walk down the stairs and opening the door....it is pretty damn cool to see an airplane unexpectedly revealed (unexpected to a non pilot of course). "How do you get it out," is the first question, then when the HydroSwing opens .... fun stuff! Even I still get a charge when I open the door, there is nothing cooler then your own plane in it's own hangar, it takes care of me and I take care of it.

All good info..... It depends on where you are building and what the local covenants are too. If possible, avoid the use of terms like "Hangar", "Bathroom" and "Living Space", etc. if building on an airpark. If building on an airport you may have a problem avoiding those terms which will bring in tighter compliance standards.

I built this in Kitsap Co, on an airpark as a shop space. The open area in the trusses was engineered to meets floor loading but not called a living space though it was. There was no 'kitchen' by definition, though I had one by keeping the sink in the shop and not having a oven. The 'bathroom' was built after the last required inspection (structural only) as a lean too on the back of the building then hooked up to the septic for the house which was built later. Long story, but I avoided all of the rules around hangars, wiring, fire protection, occupancy and on and on and on.

The building was 42' deep, 60' wide, 14' high. The open area in the trusses was 42' deep, 20' wide. On the end I had a 14' wide by 50' deep drive in shop that had double doors opening into the hangar. The main door was 40' wide by 14' high. I built it to fit a Stearman, Bonanza and Champ which is what I had. Later a Champ, 182 and Maule all fit easily. In my opinion, width is more useful than depth. I have a 60 x 60 box now, the 42 x 60 made more sense and was easier to build in wood.

It was heated by a propane hanging shop heater, insulated with 4' wide rolls of tyvek back insulation meaning I did not have to sheet rock to make a clean barrier and have great light reflection.

When the house was built since the shop was neither a hangar nor dwelling it had no bearing on the septic system, nor having a second dwelling on a lot smaller than what was allowed for at the time.

Just needed to know how to make the current codes work the way I wanted them.

Then the choice between metal, wood pole construction and stick frame. I kind of like these doors https://www.hpdoors.com/videos.asp unlike the bifold it has no wedge