Hello Backcountry Pilots,
Anyone have any experience with prefab metal airplane hangars? I do have the option of building a wood structure. This would require rough lumber that I can cut logs from my property and hire my neighbor's sawmill. A prefab metal building would be way easier, but more expensive.

I'm looking for a 40x 32 foot structure that would fit a Cessna 206 if I ever win the lottery. My Maule only has a 30 foot wingspan. I'd like to keep the doors real simple too. There will be power to the hangar, but will heat with a wood stove. My plan is for a 6 inch thick concrete slab too.

Anyone have exprience with the prefab delivered hangar kits? Are that a pain in the ass? Does an guy actually have to read the directions?

James

Great topic.

Steel will go up faster and yes it will turn out to be more expensive when you get the snow loading you'd need for Idaho. Steel is also more difficult to insulate and line, at least conventionally. I can't speak for your locale, but here in SE AK steel buildings are giant water makers with all the condensation.

Really, really hard to beat 2 X 6 walls and prefab trusses. Easy to insulate and finish. With metal or cement board siding and a metal roof, maintenance will be minimal.

Don't build it 32' deep though. Go 40 deep and 42 wide. Won't cost that much more. Trust me on this one. Also, you won't save much milling your own wood now that there is a Home Depot on every corner.

We have a hydraulic swing door which is OK, but I would go bifold next time. The swing is a pain in the ass when there is snow in front of it.

Not sure if you want to hear my opinion or not, James. But, if you have the timber, know how, right tools, and have plenty of muscle and time. I'm thinking a hangar made from timber from your property would be really cool and something to be proud of. And a great story teller for years to come (as long as it doesn't burn down). That's what I would do. Plus, a log/timber hanger would look a lot better than a cookie cutter metal building. Just my 2 cents.

gbflyer wrote:Great topic.

Steel will go up faster and yes it will turn out to be more expensive when you get the snow loading you'd need for Idaho. Steel is also more difficult to insulate and line, at least conventionally. I can't speak for your locale, but here in SE AK steel buildings are giant water makers with all the condensation.

Really, really hard to beat 2 X 6 walls and prefab trusses. Easy to insulate and finish. With metal or cement board siding and a metal roof, maintenance will be minimal.

Don't build it 32' deep though. Go 40 deep and 42 wide. Won't cost that much more. Trust me on this one. Also, you won't save much milling your own wood now that there is a Home Depot on every corner.

We have a hydraulic swing door which is OK, but I would go bifold next time. The swing is a pain in the ass when there is snow in front of it.

Thanks for the advise. I think I will go with my own rough cut lumber construction. I like the thought of utilizing our own timber and would rather support my neighbor's lumber mill. He is the same guy with the D-8 and road grader that finished my airstirp.

The problem I see with a lot of new construction is that people go cheap on the eves and make them too short if they have any eves at all. My plan is for a steel roof with two to three foot eves. This should keep the snow and rain away from the foundation.

I have a tendency to overbuild, and plan on lots of rebar and steel mesh in the six inch slab. The lumber is real 4x4 & 2x4 inch all red fir. And 58 Skylane, I agree that a stained solid wood hangar with a metal roof would look a lot better than the prefab metal versions. I do think I will hire a pro for the door construction.

This will be a big project for my 13 year old son and myself. I bet we will both learn a lot. Going to do some more seeding this weekend, and maybe a little hunting too.

Blue skys and tailwinds,

James

James-
With a Metal roof, don't forget a good insulated vapor barrier so you don't get that 'condensation drip' inside that GBFlyer mentioned above. It does happen in far more places than SE Alaska. And if you get much snow, the steeper the pitch, the better. When I go sight seeing in my little plane after a 'big snow' winter I always see a few/some low pitch roofs that have caved in. With a decent pitch, and a wood stove, you should be able to get your snow to slide off if it accumulates if on a reasonably steep roof.

Just my thoughts....
lc

...Also, If you using 'home cut' lumber-be real sure the wood has cured/dried sufficiently so you don't get warping.

The amount of rebar is important but also the placement as well. Make sure you use some "chairs" to set the rebar on to maintain at least 2" on each side.
Home sawed would be cool......30 years from now your then 43 year old son can say "yep me and my dad built that"
Good luck

Good Morning James,
You're making great progress fellow, that cat is getting some serious work done. Great idea using your own lumber and if you ever have a hangar party, let me know and I'll head up your way and pound nails for a couple of days. Just my 2cents, but consider the bifold door, they are just a great design especially if you have to deal with any kind of snow. I know at 1700' that may not be as big an issue, but those times it is, boy are they nice. Come look at our bifolds hear at 8S4 and I'll buy you breakfast too. Keep up the good work fellow at CCIA.

When I was in Texas many moons ago I built a wood hanger -good insulation qualities.Used telephone poles used from utility company cut lengthwise for walls and frame for roof -covered with metal siding on top.No door except some wire fence.Make some extreme tiedowns inside. Metal prefab is not too bad -major item for both is the concrete or slab floor.Pole barn will be good enough to protect your airplane -make sure it's close enough to your house to watch everything.

6" concrete floor will be excessive unless you want to park that dozer on it. You would be jsut fine going with a 4" thickened edge slab. The only portion you would need to have a thickened edge is the door where you move equipment in and out of the building.
What is the Frost depth in your area? What are the frost footing depth requirements in your area? Also what is the ground snow load?
Maybe you dont even need a building permit or inspections.

Good on ya for building with your son. Way too many young guys these days who's Dads don't teach them how to work.

Sticker and stack your rough cut before you build with it but don't completely tarp it. Needs air to dry. A tarp roof works as long as air can move. Takes a year here, probably a lot less there. Ask your sawyer.

I am no engineer but I sell ready mix concrete and have to make ASTM specs on State and Federal projects so I do have some knowledge of the process. I agree with the comments above. You can make your slab 3 inches or 6 inches with 4000 psi concrete and put #5 rebar on 12" centers and it will probably still crack. Doing a good job of getting compaction with good non frost susceptible material in your base is key. Cut lots of control joints in it when your done and it will look like a million bucks for years to come.

Good idea on the large overhangs too.

About six years ago I was looking at a product called, I believe, Miracle Truss.
It was a metal pillar and truss building that had saddles welded in place to use 2X6 between the metal pieces that was pretty affordable.
Does anybody remember them or know if they are still in business?

Here's one similar... http://www.websteel.com/BuildingSystems.htm

Mark

Bighorn wrote:30 years from now your then 43 year old son can say "yep me and my dad built that"
Good luck

That would be cool! Something that will be in the family for years to come.

I kinda remember Miracle Truss ads on TV but I think they were for when you rupture yourself.....
I second gbflyer's suggestion to go bigger than 40 x 32. Even with the extra room of a rectangular hangar versus the usual t-hangar, a little more room might just come in handy -- a little wider in case you ever get a Cessna with wing-x extensions or a Helio, & a little deeper just for "stuff". Remember you're probably gonna lose some width at the door- a 40' door needs a maybe 42' wide hangar.

Miracle Truss is still around and is a good system. They can provide the structural members, roofing and siding, and a bifold door. You furnish the lumber. Probably worth a look there, freight out of sight in our location.

A metal building is ok but will cost more in the long run then wood. I have built bouth of them.
I built a hangar two years ago with the foam core. It went up in one day, building is 50 X 50 is the
main hangar. I will be building my house with it as well. I did the elect. surface mount. Good produck.
If you need help , let me know.

Ken in Alaska

With lots of experience with both kinds of buildings, wood -the material is less expensive, more work to build. Steel- material is more expensive, but less labor to build. The footings installed below frostline keep the building from being damaged by freeze/thaw cycle. Your area isn't as bad for the condensation on the inside of the steel panels but either way you want to plan for an insulated building. A hanger door puts lots of stress on the door frame, wood door frames often fail to handle the stress, and need to be beefed for that load.

We built are own hanger at the lake for the 180 about 5 yrs ago. The cost of metal was more than double wood frame. FIRST you need to decide what type of door your going to use and then talk to the company that makes them so you make sure the building will handle the load. (We went for a bifold door) Due to the size of the lot we downsized from our original thougths and the 180 fits fine but now we can not put on a Wing x kit and have it fit.

If your putting in a wood stove with metal roof just make sure to brace the chimney, we had different views on that, didn't do it and then had to rebuild it after the snow took it out due to sliding down the metal roof. Now we have the brace and snow deflectors.

Better yet arrange the pipe/stove so it exits at the peak if possible.

I agree with making it larger; also, if you're ever going to paint the floor, put down plastic sheeting Underneath the concrete.

I built a 42 x 60 Miracle Truss building and it worked out great. Steel web columns and clear-span trusses. Columns and trusses had welded clips for 2 x 6 girts on the walls, and 2 x 8 for the roof purlins. I put the slab in first, had a great surface to work on that way. I rented a scissor lift and could load it up with girts and purlins and easily move right into place. The bay spacing is 12', so all the lumber is handled easily, I did most of the framing myself. I used the MBI (metal building insulation) which is the vinyl with a few inches of insulation, I think it is R8. Not a lot of insulation, but the vapor barrier keeps it from sweating. I liked the idea of the 6" walls on 2' ctrs, where the steel girts have about a 3' engineered spacing and if you want to drywall or plywood the inside, the dimensions don't jive with the material. If you decide to go that way, PM me and I will share what else I know will be of help. If you had the trusses bolted up and eveything ready, Courierguy could swing by with the boom truck and you could have it all up in a three hour minimum (less travel) ha, ha!!
Don