Cost For Building A Large Shed, About 60 Sq M

[Smithson]

We're looking to build a large shed to work out of. It would be about 80m - very basic, concrete slab with walls, roof and electricity (plenty of power points). There would also be 3 basic rooms attached, 1 for an office and 2 for sleeping. The would be 3 bathrooms.

It would probably block work walls, iron roof etc., although I'm open to suggestions.

Any idea on the costs per meter? It would be built in Pratchinburi.

[incubus]

We're looking to build a large shed to work out of. It would be about 80m - very basic, concrete slab with walls, roof and electricity (plenty of power points). There would also be 3 basic rooms attached, 1 for an office and 2 for sleeping. The would be 3 bathrooms.

It would probably block work walls, iron roof etc., although I'm open to suggestions.

Any idea on the costs per meter? It would be built in Pratchinburi.

Figure out how many metres of wall surface you'll need, factor in as many concrete posts of whatever height you're planning on, count the doors, windows, roof area, and consider for how long you need this shed to remain safe (i.e., structurally sound). Also, whether there are any aesthetic considerations or other constraints. Security considerations? Do you have water & electricity on site? Will there be heavy traffic or equipment on your concrete slab? Is the land at risk of flooding? Road access?

The slab and the roof are generally the most expensive items. Also doors, windows, & bathrooms, unless very basic. Electricity, if remote. Typically, the Thais will put up 4 concrete corner posts and fill in the wall area with thin cinder blocks (~40x20x7 cm, @ 4-5 Bt/p), put on steel rafters and corrugated galva sheets. (This is a recipe for an oven.) What activity is this shed intended for? Thatch may be a better solution in some cases.

Get a local contractor to give you a justified quotation, then haggle with him over specs.

Incubus

[Smithson]

Figure out how many metres of wall surface you'll need, factor in as many concrete posts of whatever height you're planning on, count the doors, windows, roof area, and consider for how long you need this shed to remain safe (i.e., structurally sound). Also, whether there are any aesthetic considerations or other constraints. Security considerations? Do you have water & electricity on site? Will there be heavy traffic or equipment on your concrete slab? Is the land at risk of flooding? Road access?

The slab and the roof are generally the most expensive items. Also doors, windows, & bathrooms, unless very basic. Electricity, if remote. Typically, the Thais will put up 4 concrete corner posts and fill in the wall area with thin cinder blocks (~40x20x7 cm, @ 4-5 Bt/p), put on steel rafters and corrugated galva sheets. (This is a recipe for an oven.) What activity is this shed intended for? Thatch may be a better solution in some cases.

Get a local contractor to give you a justified quotation, then haggle with him over specs.

Incubus

Everything would be basic, including bathrooms. It would mainly be used for garment making, so light is a big consideration, although putting opaque panels in the roof would help towards the oven effect. Cleanliness if also a consideration, so a thatch roof isn't the best.

What's a good way to keep the heat out/stop it building up? I was thinking towards having heaps of ventilation in the top section.

What are the other options to standard slab, steel, rafters, cinder bricks and concrete post design?

[incubus]

Figure out how many metres of wall surface you'll need, factor in as many concrete posts of whatever height you're planning on, count the doors, windows, roof area, and consider for how long you need this shed to remain safe (i.e., structurally sound). Also, whether there are any aesthetic considerations or other constraints. Security considerations? Do you have water & electricity on site? Will there be heavy traffic or equipment on your concrete slab? Is the land at risk of flooding? Road access?

The slab and the roof are generally the most expensive items. Also doors, windows, & bathrooms, unless very basic. Electricity, if remote. Typically, the Thais will put up 4 concrete corner posts and fill in the wall area with thin cinder blocks (~40x20x7 cm, @ 4-5 Bt/p), put on steel rafters and corrugated galva sheets. (This is a recipe for an oven.) What activity is this shed intended for? Thatch may be a better solution in some cases.

Get a local contractor to give you a justified quotation, then haggle with him over specs.

Incubus

Everything would be basic, including bathrooms. It would mainly be used for garment making, so light is a big consideration, although putting opaque panels in the roof would help towards the oven effect. Cleanliness if also a consideration, so a thatch roof isn't the best.

What's a good way to keep the heat out/stop it building up? I was thinking towards having heaps of ventilation in the top section.

What are the other options to standard slab, steel, rafters, cinder bricks and concrete post design?

Well, this invites all kinds of kooky replies. I, for one, went with a stabilized soil floor in our factory, instead of the standard slab. If you're not in a hurry, you can save a lot. The slab was quoted at 72-75 k, and the stabilized tamped earth floor cost us about half that, including the stabilizer (I'd recommend 10-12% cement), the vibrator-compactor (we got a 5-ton Thai-made unit with a Japanese gasoline motor, but we soon had to change the cheap bearings for good Japanese ones. In retrospect, we would have done better getting an 8-ton compactor), and 3-4 workers who dug up the whole surface to 30 cm below level before mixing the soil with cement + water and tamping it back down. In some areas where heavy trucks would drive in we went to 60 cm. It's worked out very well for us, but it took 2 months of hard toil. Also, we're not making garments here but compressed soil blocks. The surface is probably too dusty for a garment sweat-shop floor, but you could easily put a thin layer of cement over it, or even tiles or whatever, if you won't have heavy/vibrating machines there.

As for cement blocks, well, as I said, we make soil blocks (yes, yes, the Lego blocks), and they'd be ideal for your purpose. The building would be a lot cooler and more solid. But you'd have to source the blocks from somewhere near your area, otherwise you'd run into high transport costs. No pillars or posts needed, just a good foundation for self-supporting walls. Electric wiring can be added inside the walls from the top down, as long as it's done before the roof goes on. Or you could go for emulsified cement blocks (Superblocks, etc.).

For the roof, I think steel rafters are still the cheapest and sturdiest, even if you're going to bolt wooden slats over them to nail corrugated iron sheeting on top. I think the large cement tiles are much better in most respects though, and whatever you choose it would be wise to insulate that roof to keep out the heat. And to ventilate it as much as possible, you're right. A row of windows below the roof line all around could be done in steel. Extractor fans in the peaks. You can make it as nice as you like, depending on your budget and your personal standards. If you build in emulsified cement blocks, you could even make a monolithic roof. Depends on the cost.

But your options will still be limited by the lay of the land. Will it flood? Are there shade trees? And for how long will you be using this structure? And why build an enclosed space, anyway? Couldn't you have an open shed, just a roof and a good work floor? Some kind of screen on one side, maybe? An elevated platform if you're in a flood-prone area?

I'm just thinking back to the decisions I had to make when we set up, and in retrospect I'm glad we went our own way. But I'm aware that our own formula wouldn't work just anywhere.

Incubus

[Gary A]

My garage/workshop is 8 by 8 meters with 3 meters of head space. It is one room but does have a small bath room. Block construction and a fiber roof. It is now about 3 years old and cost about 120,000 then. It has one walk in door, 2 windows and a large roll up door.

[Smithson]

The building would be a lot cooler and more solid. But you'd have to source the blocks from somewhere near your area, otherwise you'd run into high transport costs. No pillars or posts needed, just a good foundation for self-supporting walls. Electric wiring can be added inside the walls from the top down, as long as it's done before the roof goes on. Or you could go for emulsified cement blocks (Superblocks, etc.).

For the roof, I think steel rafters are still the cheapest and sturdiest, even if you're going to bolt wooden slats over them to nail corrugated iron sheeting on top. I think the large cement tiles are much better in most respects though, and whatever you choose it would be wise to insulate that roof to keep out the heat. And to ventilate it as much as possible, you're right. A row of windows below the roof line all around could be done in steel. Extractor fans in the peaks. You can make it as nice as you like, depending on your budget and your personal standards....

But your options will still be limited by the lay of the land. Will it flood? Are there shade trees? And for how long will you be using this structure? And why build an enclosed space, anyway? Couldn't you have an open shed, just a roof and a good work floor? Some kind of screen on one side, maybe? An elevated platform if you're in a flood-prone area?

Incubus

Thanks for the suggestions, budget is limited, we'd like to keep it as low cost as possible.

A roof without walls wouldn't really work because of rain, especially on windy days, although I'd definitely want to incorporate a roofed section without walls. some part open. Rather than windows along the top, I was thinking we could leave that area open or use cyclone fencing for security. Beside ventilation this would also let in more light. Any other ideas for lighting? The clear roof panels would work, but I'm worried about heat.

[Gary A]

The building would be a lot cooler and more solid. But you'd have to source the blocks from somewhere near your area, otherwise you'd run into high transport costs. No pillars or posts needed, just a good foundation for self-supporting walls. Electric wiring can be added inside the walls from the top down, as long as it's done before the roof goes on. Or you could go for emulsified cement blocks (Superblocks, etc.).

For the roof, I think steel rafters are still the cheapest and sturdiest, even if you're going to bolt wooden slats over them to nail corrugated iron sheeting on top. I think the large cement tiles are much better in most respects though, and whatever you choose it would be wise to insulate that roof to keep out the heat. And to ventilate it as much as possible, you're right. A row of windows below the roof line all around could be done in steel. Extractor fans in the peaks. You can make it as nice as you like, depending on your budget and your personal standards....

But your options will still be limited by the lay of the land. Will it flood? Are there shade trees? And for how long will you be using this structure? And why build an enclosed space, anyway? Couldn't you have an open shed, just a roof and a good work floor? Some kind of screen on one side, maybe? An elevated platform if you're in a flood-prone area?

Incubus

Thanks for the suggestions, budget is limited, we'd like to keep it as low cost as possible.

A roof without walls wouldn't really work because of rain, especially on windy days, although I'd definitely want to incorporate a roofed section without walls. some part open. Rather than windows along the top, I was thinking we could leave that area open or use cyclone fencing for security. Beside ventilation this would also let in more light. Any other ideas for lighting? The clear roof panels would work, but I'm worried about heat.

I have a number of translucent roof panels and the amount of light they allow in is surprising. Unfortunately you are correct, they also create a lot of extra heat. My building is also under lighted. Six fluorescent tube fixtures is not nearly enough but I seldom do anything at night. They are not needed during the day with the roof panels.

[Smithson]

I have a number of translucent roof panels and the amount of light they allow in is surprising. Unfortunately you are correct, they also create a lot of extra heat. My building is also under lighted. Six fluorescent tube fixtures is not nearly enough but I seldom do anything at night. They are not needed during the day with the roof panels.

I think it's called the 'greenhouse effect'!

We have a room for sewing now, it has windows along two sides, but they receive no sun, even though they're on the 3rd floor. The room is very light and not hot at all, because of the ventilation from the windows.

So maybe the translucent panels on the walls would be a good way to allow light without heat.

If the shed was open around the top and quite high, without translucent panels on the roof then maybe heat wouldn't be a problem?