Sharing thoughts in our quest to regain some of the peace and tranquility we knew as children growing up in rural America in a time gone by. I hope you find this narrative both comforting and inspiring. I hope it brings back memories and helps you move closer to your dreams. This is one aspect of my life that has never faltered, never strayed from home. This is a dream come true.
Friday, February 1, 2019
Photo Gallery (Highlights of Build and Property)
Just a collection of some of the photos as we went along for those who don't want to peruse my ramblings! :)
Awesome build! I have a question though where did you source all the steel? The only steel I found around here is 2x4 steel studs. I was thinking about building my place like that as well. Also you showed the special nails, what kind of gun did you use?
Thanks, Chris! We got all of the house steel at a drywall supplier. Turns out, that's the main supplier for structural steel in the industry. The stuff they sell at HD & Lowe's is way too thin to build a building out of. We used 18 gauge (commercial standard) on most with some 16 gauge mixed in at critical points for extra strength. The smaller the number, the thicker/stronger the steel is. It comes in 12, 14, 16, 18 & 21 gauges. We didn't find out until AFTER we had build that we could have ordered custom lengths on all of it for no extra charge. They will also stamp holes for electrical and plumbing at specified heights. We just found a new steel supplier out of Austin, TX that has a really nice product. They will also stamp the dimples where screws go as well as punch a pilot hole for the screws. This would have saved us MANY, MANY hours on our build. They were at the Tiny House Jamboree in Colorado last month and very helpful. You can turn in either a CAD file or a diagram and they will convert to a CAD for a small fee. https://www.facebook.com/Volstrukt We will definitely be using them for our next build. :) We got our roof steel at a local steel supplier near our build as they would deliver for free. They also cut our panels at custom lengths. The steel for the storage building was used warehouse pallet racks. I found that there is a large market for used warehouse racks and purchased them locally here in the Dallas area. This went up very quickly but has been very difficult to finish out on the interior. I would not use it again for a building that I was going to want to seal the interior although it would be great for a pole barn or such. We bought a Max SuperSider air gun to shoot the steel pins. http://wis.max-ltd.co.jp/int/na/product_detail.html?productcode=CN96361 It works like a charm. Just make sure you have lots of air pressure, 120-150 lbs. As long as we have our pressure up in that range, we have no problem shooting steel to steel or Hardi board to steel. The OSB was a breeze into steel also. The pins hold incredibly strong although we don't have a mobile building. Not sure how they would hold up to the movement of being pulled by a truck. Do you have a design in mind yet. Send me a copy when you get it designed. I'd love to see! I also have a design guide for building residential structures with steel. Let me know if you would like a copy. I could email to you. Let me know if you have any questions. - Jay
I got loads of ideas but haven't put anything in CAD yet. I also tend to start small and blow it up into a castle so I need to limit myself. We live in SC and will be building in VA. I don't plan on building a "tiny home" more of a hunters cabin for when we are visiting. I already put in an outdoor shower that runs off a battery, RV pump, and the spring it is located beside. Other than that we stay in a tent right now. I will have to look up Volstrukt and also try to find some specs on spans that each piece can be used for so I don't accidentally overengineer it. I had thought about a 20' container but that seemed to be a pain to insulate (I will probably buy one though for a garage though.
Wow! That is a good bit of air pressure...I know for my framing nailer I am normally around 90psi.
We looked at a system that would shoot up to 400psi. We would have had to buy all new equipment though - compressor, hoses, connectors, gun. They said they would shoot through at least 3 layers of steel, maybe more. That's some serious horse power.
We did the tent thing for about a year 'til we got our building ready to stay in. It's been slow work but we only make it out 2-3 weekends per month.
Awesome build! I have a question though where did you source all the steel? The only steel I found around here is 2x4 steel studs. I was thinking about building my place like that as well. Also you showed the special nails, what kind of gun did you use?
ReplyDeleteThanks, Chris! We got all of the house steel at a drywall supplier. Turns out, that's the main supplier for structural steel in the industry. The stuff they sell at HD & Lowe's is way too thin to build a building out of. We used 18 gauge (commercial standard) on most with some 16 gauge mixed in at critical points for extra strength. The smaller the number, the thicker/stronger the steel is. It comes in 12, 14, 16, 18 & 21 gauges. We didn't find out until AFTER we had build that we could have ordered custom lengths on all of it for no extra charge. They will also stamp holes for electrical and plumbing at specified heights. We just found a new steel supplier out of Austin, TX that has a really nice product. They will also stamp the dimples where screws go as well as punch a pilot hole for the screws. This would have saved us MANY, MANY hours on our build. They were at the Tiny House Jamboree in Colorado last month and very helpful. You can turn in either a CAD file or a diagram and they will convert to a CAD for a small fee. https://www.facebook.com/Volstrukt We will definitely be using them for our next build. :) We got our roof steel at a local steel supplier near our build as they would deliver for free. They also cut our panels at custom lengths. The steel for the storage building was used warehouse pallet racks. I found that there is a large market for used warehouse racks and purchased them locally here in the Dallas area. This went up very quickly but has been very difficult to finish out on the interior. I would not use it again for a building that I was going to want to seal the interior although it would be great for a pole barn or such. We bought a Max SuperSider air gun to shoot the steel pins. http://wis.max-ltd.co.jp/int/na/product_detail.html?productcode=CN96361 It works like a charm. Just make sure you have lots of air pressure, 120-150 lbs. As long as we have our pressure up in that range, we have no problem shooting steel to steel or Hardi board to steel. The OSB was a breeze into steel also. The pins hold incredibly strong although we don't have a mobile building. Not sure how they would hold up to the movement of being pulled by a truck. Do you have a design in mind yet. Send me a copy when you get it designed. I'd love to see! I also have a design guide for building residential structures with steel. Let me know if you would like a copy. I could email to you. Let me know if you have any questions. - Jay
DeleteI got loads of ideas but haven't put anything in CAD yet. I also tend to start small and blow it up into a castle so I need to limit myself. We live in SC and will be building in VA. I don't plan on building a "tiny home" more of a hunters cabin for when we are visiting. I already put in an outdoor shower that runs off a battery, RV pump, and the spring it is located beside. Other than that we stay in a tent right now. I will have to look up Volstrukt and also try to find some specs on spans that each piece can be used for so I don't accidentally overengineer it. I had thought about a 20' container but that seemed to be a pain to insulate (I will probably buy one though for a garage though.
DeleteWow! That is a good bit of air pressure...I know for my framing nailer I am normally around 90psi.
We looked at a system that would shoot up to 400psi. We would have had to buy all new equipment though - compressor, hoses, connectors, gun. They said they would shoot through at least 3 layers of steel, maybe more. That's some serious horse power.
DeleteWe did the tent thing for about a year 'til we got our building ready to stay in. It's been slow work but we only make it out 2-3 weekends per month.
Best of Luck. Hollar if you need anything!