Converting a grain bin to a domicile

First off, if this is the wrong place, please feel free to move it. I'm new here so haven't learned my way around.

My health is not the best and I've been toying with the idea of converting a metal grain bin into a one bedroom small house as a guest house or more accurately a caretaker's house where a younger healthier person or small family could live and I could pay them for farm work to offset rent and allow them space for a generous garden and even trade meat for veggies. I think it could be a win win assuming I could find the right kind of people (basically a Luddite style although I do use power tools, no tractor.) I would need non-smokers as I'm very allergic and a cigarette butt can kill a small sheep if they eat it) I need help with manual farm labor including butchering. Right now this is a concept. If we decide to go forward actual building would probably start next year. Closest town with a grocery (not counting a dollar type store about 15 miles away that sells a few canned goods) is about 20 miles away, so a very rural area.

2 Questions

1. How do I go about finding people? Obviously we'd want to do a credit check and criminal background. What else should be considered?

2. Have any of you converted a grain bin to a domicile? I've tried watching a bunch of Youtubes but found them useless in terms of actual construction and pitfalls. They're all just, "Oh look at the final product!"

It's a 16 foot diameter, 20 something tall. My current vision is building a raised deck inside to be a second floor. Stucco the inside. Put wiring on the outside then insulation then a block wall. I'll probably need to add a roughly 12 x 16 room for all the plumbing (kitchen, bath, laundry) I envision radiant floor heating. Debating a basement under the addition vs making the addition 2 stories on a slab so that there's a potential for 2 bathrooms. My wife like the idea of a slab. I like the idea of a basement (root cellar, tornado shelter) The issues are drainage (there really isn't any downhill for where the bin is) and cost

My other thought is to reinforce it with angle iron to make a doorway and just let the sheep have it as an extra shelter

 

I see a lot of extra cost in the way you purpose to build.
First design with a second exit, then windows. You now have a near perfect structure, do not make any penetrations not required for light or entry.
Install/rough in your plumbing.
Lay your slab about 6 inches above grade, add weldments to attach the skin to the slab. Then frame up the inside, run your wiring, use spray foam and then sheet rock.
Finish with the wiring/switches etc and add the finish plumbing.

Plan on using the steel removed for windows and doors for awnings above those openings.

Just a bunch of details.

 

improve it for storage - work space - ect ect >>>>>> OK
spend all kinds of $$$$ for something like that??? - penny foolish move - just get a mobile home brought in and sited in with utilities - use it for your purposes and it gives the future buyers of your property an option - you'll get more potential renters of a mobile home than some questionable "unique" home - goes for your property re-sale value as well .....

 

Now might be a good time to make a detailed drawing and list of supplies needed to convert your silo before you make a decision.

 

I seen them made out of them also connex storage box make a good home and are right angle easy to frame the inside

 

Just a plumb bob, square and a level is all you need for whatever you build. 3, 4 and 5 will suit you well if you want square corners.

 

Seems like a waste. The cost is going to be higher than just putting up a building with the same square footage.

 

One of my local TV stations ran a segment about a company that was purpose building grain bins for shipment to areas of natural disasters. Looked for it but couldn't find it. I would put all my utilities inside. Bishop references a connex box. I don't know it that is a CORETEN shipping container, but that was what I was going to suggest for the addition, if you have access for the delivery truck. Last I heard (quite a while ago now) they were running about $4k delivered and are available in 20' and 40' lengths, don't remember the inside measurements. Ceilings would be low.

 

What it is is a very storm resistant structure compared to any other above ground structure.
I can say this as first hand experience, Mobil Homes are just that, highly mobile in straight line winds, micro burst and tornadoes will do a number on such structure.

OTOH, a round structure has less flat surface area and also the plus of an arch, most do not consider that the arch is now in a different plane but all so important as it not only is an arch with its inherent strength but it allows the wind to flow around it instead of loading the complete side at an ever increasing rate as the wind increases. A mobile home will either disintegrate or will simply blow apart as do stick built homes and brick facade homes.

I live in such a structure and if needed it also resist snow or ice loads.

 

First throw out most common building methods for a round home of round diameter. the existing shell is your exterior wall so use it. first don't use sheet rock use 1/2 inch plywood.
20 foot tall is nice consider a taller lower floor ceiling for summer (heat rises) winter heat rises so the top floor should have a standard 8 foot ceiling radiant heating in that floor.and as you have to build it out that is not a problem.
As you are older, Dayton makes a lift plate that can be used to build a elevator so you can have access to the 2nd floor a battery backup to run it the power lever is spring loaded so if your hand slips or you have a health issue it will snap back to center and stop. I include this as a stair well takes up more space than you would think even with a circular one or curved as the length needs to be long enough for steps to be common height and if your ill or cannot use stairs half your home is unusable, and stairs are the more dangerous area of the home.

I beam is the only real way to have a open floor plan the strength would be a enough to hold all the weight of a room full of furniture and a couple people dancing.so 1/4 inch thick. a few ways either a beam across every 2 foot or a * pattern any way you go there are cross beams that need to be in place so the length of I-beam and 6X6's wont change by enough to warrant using any other design but individual beams across throughout.

find the center of the silo using a chalk line your steel I-beam needs to center on that point
Framing it if you want an open plan (no walls) the uprights need to be 6X6 and I would use a lighter weight steel I-beam across the center. the 6X6's need to be plumb just make sure to bolt the 6X6's to the wall torch holes in the I-beam to lag bolt the I beam to the top of 6X6.
At the foot of the upright center of the 6X6 pop a string line from one to the center of the other that is the line you now build off of that line.
measure 2 foot off that line 4 foot off the wall and mark it, on both sides pop a string line from wall to wall lined up on the 2 marks this is now where you will center and plumb the 6X6 and across on the other side op it as before with another I-beam. ensure that the center of the I-beam is the same distance off both ends of the center beam 2 foot check t at the center if all of this is correct repeat until your across you will end with a 2X half moon unsupported floor on 2 sides but 3 notched I beams can be welded in to support this area.
decking should be 2X6 or better by length only the center would be 16 foot centered cross all the I beams length of boards will change as you deck across.
Underneath I-beams it is easy to cut 1X boards, you can use scrap or pallet lumber slip in turn and lay flat push tight back fill with insulation as you work across you may have to rip and cut for diameter the first and last board to finish tight.
every other beam may need a board tacked to it to bring it out to touch the center of the sheet of plywood trying to make the interior wall round doesn't work as neither plywood or sheet rock bends consistently that and if you want it to you need to make lengthwise cuts to make it bow and with sheet rock that would weaken it so if the wall were hit it would not hold up so you would have to hang nail strip more work and expense. the beauty is rubber cove base will contour easily and vinyl trim contours nice as well as crown molding. there is electrical track or just use PVC conduit and boxes on the face of the walls you can paint them to match the walls.

Windows you will need to build frames from wide enough lumber to have enough to extend 2 inches in and out as you will need to ring the frame in and out to hold it. and it needs to be sealed around so rain water will net seep in. consider where the top edge is on a corrugated silo before you make the cut and double check it is square level the sill edge is angled so water does not hold against the window frame. I guess lexan but I never had any luck and polycarbonate is expensive.

the interior will look like an octagon not round but you wont loose enough space to worry about insulation would be just the same as common wall insulation use 6 inch or better yet there is wet blown in paper it sets is fire resistant and is way better. the top floor ceiling lumber just as a conventional home and blown in insulation as you can stack it deep.
conventional building techniques still apply 2 foot centers makes dividing a circle easier than16 inch plywood plenty rigid that you don't need toe or top plates you could use flat 1X4 notched in but just more work.

Wireless Internet and technology so wires are not needed but cell phones and hotspots may have an issues with the metal exterior.

 

FARM SHOW - Grain Bin Converted To Home Fo $9,000

grain bin to tiny house for 9 large. Looks like...dung from the outside, inside, not too bad.

 

Then, there is this



Kettle House | This Tiny House

 

looks like an old Russian escape pod

As far as the grain bin conversion that 2X4 and ceiling joists wont hold as it is depicted. People stuff houses furniture is not the heaviest but books carpet and flooring are carpet gets heavier in time. If there is nothing directly under those joist they will slide and screws or nails are nothing compared to an upright with the joist parked on top. as far as what looks to be 2X4 studs the amount of insulation compared to the cost effectiveness of electrical use over time is not cost effective.
The whole point to a small home is to decrease your utility bills and work load of cleaning and care if your do not save money on utilities your throwing money away. That is one reason I specified blown wet insulation it is far superior to fiberglass it is fire retardant and decreases external noise more than fiberglass.
if someone goes with that lumber plan a joist on each side of the stud and hurricane clips would block the joist from any possibility sliding down. in a residence an added 2 or 3 persons you have 600 to 800 pounds moving shifting at any or all directions natural and vibration eventually weakens the structure, but a beam or board on top of a beam will not weaken once the plywood is placed it is mechanically locked it can neither shift side to side or fall settling is also minimized. wood joists are natural and never the same and have a natural bow, and the bow should be up if a person is not acquainted with this the floor will be all over the place as far as level.

Wood flexes way more and then there is floor squeaking from flex wood against wood. Wood is also a place for insects treated beams and steel are not a habitat for insects. Plywood has more structural strength if used as flooring I would use roofing felt ( tar paper ) between it and another layer of deck I would deck over with 1X material and stain it or paint it eliminating the cost of flooring products like laminate and I hate that stuff tile is costly slick and cold and vinyl s not cheap once you add in glue more time and effort it wears and imprints over time and scuffs and tears when furniture is scooted on it pretty easy.
When building consider a demand water heater pilot light propane as it can be run from a tank or a bottle as your income requires consider a small solar set to charge a deep cycle battery set up like 2 = 6 volt Trojan golf cart batteries. and LED vehicle bulbs and fixtures like in a motor home as residential throws off heat and you have to overcome that with fans or AC or more power consumption. exterior color should be thought out in a area with long winters a darker color in souther intense sunshine a light color as not to buid up heat There is a product from Conklin that is super bright white and can seal a roof with a thick latex even if it has holes larger holes need acron polyester material to span and patch. long life and in the south reduces ceiling heat and lowers AC cost directly. on a silo it could be painted on the sides as well.

 

I'm not much for anything that mice like to use for a home so I use expanding foam for insulation. Nor do I use wood on concrete floors or walls. Nails or screws are about useless in the long term so I prefer welded plates to steel 12 inch I beams and then bolt the cross members/joist at 3 points to the steel plates.

The floor joist should be quality #2 or better 2x12s bolted to the plates welded to the I beam @ 16 inch centers. Floor material for the second floor is 1/2 inch tongue and groove plywood. This may sound like over kill but the T@G plywood will seal the two floors and prevent squeaks as well as using glue with the floor as you screw it to the joist. Water resistant dry wall will be your best as it will resist a leak as well as prevent flame propagation in case of a fire.

I prefer to use steel pipe welded to the I beam and bolted to the concrete floor. No center support but a pipe at each end of the I beam so you have clear area below. The I beams are also braced to the wall with bolts and steel plates.

Initial Cost means little if it falls in on you or is not considered worthy to a buyer or any inspectors.

All wiring should be in EMT at the least as country living includes chewing varmints.

Design and build for the most extreme and you will have an enclosure to last the rest of your life as well as your off spring.

Make a design, measure well and build what you can off site and you can build this on site on week ends.
A bill of material and a drawing is your friend when you are home and you try to envision what you forgot the last time you were on site.

 

The universal rule is mobile homes depreciate. They are not considered a good investment. They can be a good temporary solution

 

I'm doing that, right now is concept phase to see if it's worth it, look for pitfalls etc

A moving truck or large flatbed would not be able to get to the site without sacrificing some century or two old oaks. The oaks stay

 

Consider shipping containers they can be anchored like a mobile home but are super strong for storm protection.
Sides can be cut out to mate 2 together same for windows and doors instead of putting plumbing inside consider service lines in and use rubber grommets to seal the surrounding hole, I use woven stainless steel service lines that way if a pipe breaks it leaks outside.

One of the issues with a small home is fall out of heated or AC air to overcome this I wanted to offset 2 boxes front would be a entry door with a main security door the back would be a utility room with the same dual doors setup to make it much harder for break ins and fall out of heat and AC because the power consumption to recycle the air is considerable it's a pain to have the house all warm and the door opens your back to cold or hot and muggy. the front door when closed acts like a buffer even if there is a window open in the home.

Consider a plasma cutter as torches cause warping as they have to heat the surrounding steel until the point your heating gets hot enough to burn through. metal building supply have steel doors with frames with long throw deadlock bolts it takes a lot of work to break in.m Windows need to be triple pane and security laminated this prevents shattering it breaks but does not fall out or fall apart and hard to make a hole in good stuff.

One thing is you can buy one and add on and even if it is not finished inside it is still a strong storm shelter, storage or lockable shop. I have seen where they separate 2 boxes and build a roof over increasing the space dramatically.

 

Pictures of part of one bldg I built and covers what I said above and have used for over 30 years.

Any body else got recent pictures of what they built?
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This was my temp living quarters for 10 years, it is now a garage apartment.
The Main House is of a similar design but finished nicely.

Here is a cantilevered stair to the second floor.




Just a section of I beam, floor joist and "ring of steel".



More floor joist and I beam.



Ring of Steel (actually 12 gauge sheet steel) and outer connection to rim wall.



Just a boxed section to the second floor landing. No nails only bolts with Angle Iron on the inside corners.



Gunite wall with Ring of steel bolted to embedded bolts.



Edge section of stair well.


Corner post, weldment, ring of steel and floor joist.




2x 12 floor joist bolted to weldments on 12 inch I beam.



Corner post bolted to concrete floor.



Top of the same post welded to the 12 inch I beam.