Converting a grain bin to a domicile

No doubt and they start to depreciate and disintegrate as soon as you land them on your place. They are neither well built or repairable and are havens to the varmints and any thief that wanders by with a screw driver.

They also are a single purpose building and have the highest insurance cost.

 

Pictures now posted on Page one of details on the round bldg floor joist and supports.

 

The pictures helped, but we wouldn't be able to use a crane for the I beam, so how many people would it take to set it in place? How much does one weigh? I looked up different I-beams but don't know the differences between them and what is needed for what kind of load

 

Two large adults, three hydraulic car jacks and a slew of cinder blocks. The toughest part will be getting it high enough initially to get the jacks underneath.

Jack it up level with the jacks, brace with stacked cinder blocks, lower onto cinder blocks and lower jacks completely, raise jacks with cinder blocks, lather rinse repeat.

Or block and tackle gear hung from the top of the silo. People have used block and tackle for centuries.

 

There should be lots of empty grain silos coming available in the coming years.

 

been involved in the rural real estate biz most of my life - a mobile home vs some oddball wayyyyyyyyy to $$$$$ conversion building >>>>> the conventional wins every single time .... you start adding $10,000s onto the re-sale value to re-coup and you'll be lucky to get offers ....

get a good deal on a mobile home - renovate if necessary - use and re-sell when ready ... any new building would have to have a possible double use - like a tack room or an office space ....

if you want to cut in a roll-up garage door for some decent storage or work space - that'll have payback ....

 

For the given size stated You will need a 6 inch I beam. The I beam provides two flat parallel surfaces. One to weld a support post to and the top one as a level point to provide mounting points to stairs, ladder or other points.

I Have two such beams running parallel, weld the joist mounting plates on before you do the lift. This means weld at home, take your time and lay it out as needed. Welding the plates on provides you stop points aka choke points for the lift and prevents chains or cables from shifting. I would bolt the pipe supports to the floor, lift both ends of the I beam at the same time by using two comealongs. Raise the I beam, weld in place to the support post and do the other side. As soon as you have the two I beams raised connect the ends via the weldments and floor joist. In this case 2x6 joist will be sufficient as the distance spanned will be less than 12 feet. You'll need to notch the top edge of the 2x6 as it will need to set level with the I beam top point.

I did not show it in my pictures but I have two beams and 4 support post as described above. But my "silo" is 32 feet. I'll snap a pic later. < Pictures now @ #31 End floor supports and and dual I beams. > My place is also large enough that I installed two 8 foot x 12 foot insulated steel garage doors. This required the ceiling in the bldg to be at a height of 9'6" for the swing of the door and the raising mechanism.

Attach a ring of steel as I did but in your case you can direct weld it to your bldg. Add the weldments later inside the Silo, then simply bolt each joist in place. You'll have a solid floor in less than a day if you plan well.

Another reason to use I beams is this clamp. With it you have an instant mounting point for most any thing you want to hang from the I beam. The I beams are multi purpose and not something you want to go cheap on.

 

I rented a small fork truck and lifted my much larger beams in place. Large rental places will have other possibilities, Find the weight from your design and go from there.

You need standard I beams. <#32>
A mechanical engineers hand book will provide the weights for you.
Or go on line. Again you will need to do a design to answer your questions.

 

End floor supports and and dual I beams. .

 

Structural Steel

Standard Beam

• Also referred to as I-beams
• Generally specified by the depth of web and weight per foot.
• Depth from 3” to 20”. Weight from 5.7# to 75# per foot.
• Lengths: 20’ to 60’.
• Grades: A-36, A992, A572-50.

 

My basement is somewhat similar, beams between I-Beams but instead of welded flanges, the beams are attached to a 2x12 that was bolted to the upright support of the I-Beam and used joist hangers

 

That will mean an initial door wide enough for a forklift

 

Not exactly.
Once you know the weight then you will know what will work.

• 31in.L x 33.5in.W x 78.5in.H unit rolls through doorways in the upright position
• Loads easily onto a pickup truck

A sample found in rentals.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000LDL5KA/?tag=survivalmonke-20
This manually operated Genie SLA10 Superlift Advantage Material Lift features a dependable, field-proven design with patented telescoping mast system and a welded steel base for extra support. The one-speed manual winch lifts up to 1,000 lbs. as high as 11ft.5.5in. Made in U.S.A. Adjustable: 6 in.-11 ft .5 1/2-in. working load height (fork up), Material Type: Aluminum, steel, Fork Width (in.): 23, Load Range: 0-1,000 lbs., Opening (in.): 23, Finish Type: Metal, Includes: Standard tube fork, Capacity (lbs.): 1,000, Dimensions L x W x H (in.): 31 x 33 1/2 x 78 1/2, Fork Length (in.): 27

Rentals will be your answer.

 

More parts than you need and a less than optimum installation. But that's just me, I like welded steel with bolts and nuts.

 

Yup as soon as we have a design spec then we will know more.

Door design in my case was no side lights due to extended time away, but they are steel commercial doors, insulated with frames, dead bolts and typical push button lock for entry. Pinned hinges opening out. With anti pry panels over Dead Bolt and Door Knob.

 

I have played around with tents, domes, tipi's, metal buildings, mobile homes, modular homes, earth sheltered homes, etc. Like the earth sheltered best, but the most practical in my limited experience is still the tip up western platform stick built, which is how probably most houses are built in the US. All parts are modular and readily available and most parts that you wish to reuse will also work. I like 8 in walls, excellent insulation factor, will work with a cement slab if you have a water problem, Florida etc, or if you wish to have a concrete roof on your basement. Since it is modular, you can build one section at a time as you can afford it, you can if you wish build bullet resistant walls, solar heated walls, etc and you can select outside coatings that are quiet fire resistant and durable and if you source your combustion air from outside, will be very heat efficient. Sheet rock is easy to work with, can be very fire resistant, can by using blue board be quite resistant to water and mold, and has excellent resale value. The standard house in the US for a long time was the Ranch House. 28 feet wide by about 40 feet long. This allowed the use of simple floor trusses and roof trusses and a very efficient floor plan with very little wasted space. If you did want a second floor, there was the Cape Cod, the Gambril, or various attic trusses. My personal choice is a 24 foot or so square "garage" with an insulated concrete floor, 8 inch insulated walls, limited number of windows with heavy shutters, Generator located in separate structure with battery bank and solar panels on the roof, well with hand pump, good chimney and stove with outside air to the stove, hot water from wood stove, solar, or from generator radiator thru a heat exchanger. I call it a snow mobile cabin and have a boat on a lake about 200 yards away. While it has a large door, there are insulated panels that fit into it to seal the opening and insulate it. Taxes are low, don't need to worry about most zoning requirements, as it is not a "house", etc. Has kitchen, bathroom with composting toilet, small living room and two bedrooms. Concrete apron in front for "parking" has insulation, footings, etc for expanding out another 24 feet. Biggest single expenses were land, concrete flooring, and well. Rest was done a little at a time as we were not living in it. Everything but the concrete and well can be brought in on a trailer behind a pickup Haven't lived in it, but it has been a lot of fun. Road is minimal, no power lines, etc and while the neighbors know it is there, not likely to be "easily found".