Anyone have any experience with them? I have looked into them some, and see that you can always add onto them length wise. I had a hay barn/corral fall last winter and have been looking for a replacement. Many people have suggested the metal route, it's an installed price.
Just a different way of looking at construction. Insulating is different as well as attaching to it but they really are fine. All of the commercial building around here has to be done with metal studs etc. so I'm getting somewhat accustomed to it. The only thing that I don't care for is that unless you specify it in design phase, they rarely have enough overhang to suit me. I want the water to fall away from the building.
I would say depends on what you wanna use it for and budget. We get alot of jobs doin the floors for metal building, pole barn type or studded walls, so if I was looking at doin something I would go that route. But some of that has to do with doin alot of the work myself. To me I would feel like just putting up a car port would be somewhat temporary but we may have a different definition of a carport ha. But like said alot of it would depend on what your wanting to use it for.
Cold storage for equipment and hay would be fine. Manure, as you know I'm sure, is hard on everything especially metal. For a storage building, steel would be at the top of my list of ways to do it.
Guess that's why you mentioned a replacement for hay storage/coral lol. Alot of people around here just do like a open front shed with metal roof and sides. Like elk said manure would be hard on metal and any exposed lumber. My boss is getting ready to build a couple sheds like what your wanting but we're goin to do concrete walls and then just put trusses on top. But we have all the forms and do that for a living. But if you went that route you could also do shorter concrete walls and get your height from putting lumber on too of that. Other options would be like a hoop building. Most I've seen people do for cows around have like a tarp type cover that can be rolled up if you want to on the sides. Have seen them used for all the things your looking to do though. Only bad thing would be if running cows would havet use gates to block off part of it.
So we're all on the same page, is this what you're referring to? I don't know how much you store, or number of cattle you have but even stacking floor to ceiling you won't get a ton of bales in it. Then again, it may be enough for your operation. If it is like the picture above, I would finish off siding to the ground if I were you. Biggest thing in my opinion is to keep the bales dry. It's one thing for round bales to get wet, but I would try hard to keep smalls squares dry. I'm just assuming here that that's what you will be storing?
I don't want to hijack but its only Matt so I'll take the risk. I've thought about getting a car port for a couple years to put a tractor, brush hog, and other implements under. Until I can build a pole shed. Thoughts on how well this will protect the equipment?
I think their main function is probably keeping equipment out of the sun more than anything? Door wouldn't be such an issue for me but if I were to get one, I'd want sides on it right away.
When it rains/snows here it's always windy so I cant see a carport like pictured above doing much to keep the elements out.
A carport like structure will keep the rain and sun off but any blowing rains or blowing snows will get in unless you finish the sides to the ground. I know that this is a first world thought but any structure of mine HAS to HAVE power and those type of structures generally are not conducive to wiring.
I've also thought about getting used shipping containers. Not sure if that will work for Matt or not.
Containers tend to amplify moisture so for hay storage they would not be a good option. As for storing a tractor or other equipment.... probably too small for that also.
The thing I do like about this option is...you can always add on length at a later date. Yes I agree GWH I would want sides. The main thing right now is to have the cows somewhere to get out of the weather. And keep the hay being fed/salt/sweet feed etc dry
