Anyone use Versatube? Would like opinions for garage build.

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roadrunninMark

roadrunninMark

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As I continue to struggle with my garage aspiration (contractors, County nonsense, and materials issues), I am looking at VersaTube so I can assemble the building myself. I am looking at a 34 x 34 x 12 building. Using their building planner on the website, I've made 2 styles: frame only and one with metal sides/ roof. I've sent an email to VersaTube to ask if I can use a shingle style with plywood roof and what materials can be used for sides. The price for complete with 3 9' x 8' garage door openings and 1 entry door opening (no doors supplied in kit) is just under 19K (I upped wind load to 120mph). Frame only is about half the price, about 9.5k. I didn't select insulation either as I think I can either use spray foam or foam board. (cost to insulate is 3.1k with Versatube).

Does anyone have a VersaTube garage and do you recommend or not recommend?
What problems have you encountered?
Did you use your own materials for sides/roof?
Is it worth the savings to get the frame only and finish the roof/sides on my own (so I can match the house better)?

It is "possible" for me to try to make it out of wood, but it would be a lot harder to get it started. Pre-engineered metal is easier for me and termites don't eat metal.

Thanks for the advice.
 
First thing that comes to mind is blue prints

My county required prints to be submitted for the permit

Now, I know the local lumberyard will provide blueprints as well, if you order everything through them but I like the idea that versatube has them as well



So that's one thing

The second thing is logistics
If you order an entire kit it will show up in one shipment, with proper sized everything and all nuts and bolt included


If you buy the frame

And then the walls from somewhere else, I bet you may save a little but nickel and dime yourself to death in the end



Now, if your budget only allows for the frame this year and walls in 23, that's an option too
 
First, find out what you can get away with. Go to the local office and get that sorted out. If not, you may end up on the wrong side of the deal and have to tear it down. Since I don't know the situation with your residency follow that advice accordingly.....

Secondly, it is much more affordable (or it was) to have a building put up and assembled by one company. I am sure prices are not the same but about 7 years ago a 32x32x12 installed and ready for use (and done in a day with exceptional quality) was about 11,000.00. I had the pad poured and ready to go. I can stress enough about how well it went and was finished in a day.... Carolina Carports.

The downside is noise, climate, and moisture. And can all be cured with good insulation. And you want to do that before anything is done inside. What that cost I do not know but looking back I made that mistake of not finishing the dealin regards to insulation. And make sure you get the right structure for your area. The companies that sell them know your area and will suggest the proper building accordingly. If they don't either ask or call another company that has the info....

JW
 
Building materials were high and are higher now!!
A treated 8 ft 2 x 4 last week , at the FRIGGIN mill cost me $12 and change!!! Thats here in S E Tx Piney Woods!
Steel is cheaper than wood last time I checked.
Don't you have co. local that put up pole barns (buildings)???
 
I appreciate the info. I agree with the "one stop shop" idea and getting it insulated before moving anything in. I've done some preliminary work on what the County allows. This is where I have run into some issues....I can't use vertical seams for the walls. Someone, in their infinite wisdom, believes the vertical seam makes the building look like a shipping container. So that wipes out a lot of the garage makers (for one stop shop). The idea of "frame only" was to have it match the house more...shingle roof to match house; some kind of siding as I have a stucco finish on the house as well.
I've had one local company that installs garages say they won't work in my County anymore because of their nonsense.
JW - what insulation did you use? I see there are different ways to insulate and I thought the spray foam route would be best and seal any "leaks" there might be.
 
Barbee6043 - I haven't found a local pole barn style building but have contacted some of other local building companies... some never respond, some are way overpriced and one I just mentioned won't even work in my County anymore due to the inspector's nonsense.
 
I feel for you my friend. I admit I have lived in the country all my life and I have built all my garages/ sheds myself. Only thing I had done by a co.was some indoor arenas and large horse barns.
This is absolutely the worse time possible ( IF that is possible) to build anything!!!! materials AND labor is nuts!!
 
roadrunninMark said:
As I continue to struggle with my garage aspiration (contractors, County nonsense, and materials issues), I am looking at VersaTube so I can assemble the building myself. I am looking at a 34 x 34 x 12 building. Using their building planner on the website, I've made 2 styles: frame only and one with metal sides/ roof. I've sent an email to VersaTube to ask if I can use a shingle style with plywood roof and what materials can be used for sides. The price for complete with 3 9' x 8' garage door openings and 1 entry door opening (no doors supplied in kit) is just under 19K (I upped wind load to 120mph). Frame only is about half the price, about 9.5k. I didn't select insulation either as I think I can either use spray foam or foam board. (cost to insulate is 3.1k with Versatube).

Does anyone have a VersaTube garage and do you recommend or not recommend?
What problems have you encountered?
Did you use your own materials for sides/roof?
Is it worth the savings to get the frame only and finish the roof/sides on my own (so I can match the house better)?

It is "possible" for me to try to make it out of wood, but it would be a lot harder to get it started. Pre-engineered metal is easier for me and termites don't eat metal.

Thanks for the advice.
Click to expand...
My wife and I put up a Versatube carport that was 12'x18' to cover our pontoon boat. The framing part was pretty easy. The frame pieces just slide together and are fastened with sheet metal screws. The cost about two years ago was $1200 for that size. I like the system real well and would do it again in a heartbeat.
20200929_172546.jpg

Your project is much bigger than mine but the building principle is the same. If you use regular building materials to cover it it's going to get pretty expensive. The sheeting that comes with the kit is regular pole barn siding material.
I put up a pole barn also and that was about $6000, 8 years ago. 26'x32'.
The Versatube kit was way easier.
Steve
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If you are going with a “package or metal building” be aware that actual purchase prices can change quickly due to crude oil prices. Over the years I have seen big swings in prices due to fluctuations in the price of a barrel of petroleum.

Also I would keep the building all steel since that is how they are typically engineered. And it is a lot simpler to build.
 
It was cheaper for me to get my 26x30 "Carolina Carport" built with sides and gable ends, but not full end siding for some reason.
It was also cheaper for me to buy and hang my own roll up doors.

Lowes actually has the same, or nearly the same siding in a color you can't tell is different.
 
Can't you guys find a small co. that crimps their roof tin out of those big rolls like everywhere else in the US? You know the small guy, not the huge co,? Just wondering. Same stuff, different prices.
 
Prices are all over the place unfortunately. With oil going nuts, it looks like I may have to wait it out again :(
 
I just recently completed a Versa-tube build 24-ft x 28-ft / 13.5-ft wall height. $7600
Wanted the Cuda to have its own home separate from the main shop / boat barn.

Purchased just the frame and sourced the roof and wall metal locally, as VT would do but with a mark-up and would be a separate delivery. $3200
Roof purlins only / no wall girts as I wanted painted wood wall girts for personal reasons

12-ft x 12-ft door opening and added my own 8-ft x 7-ft door opening on the side.

Sourced my roll ups from Janice International, they provide doors to most your local suppliers, as I am in Florida I spec'ed wind rated doors. $2700

Done my own site work, forms and rebar placement #5 bar at 16-in center mat.
9-in slab on grade with 4-in slump 5000 psi w/plasticizer and 1.5-lb fiber per yard.
(a little over kill but you do concrete only once)
I farmed out the concrete placement for the cost of the concrete and $1,000 for placement and finish. $5000 total


Beefed up the 12 x 12 door opening with 4”x4”x 3/16 square tube that I had readily available.

Electrical I am currently in the process of completing when time allows, includes 100A service, (4) high bay integrated LED lights and (2) 220V welding outlets, misc outlets in EMT. Expectations are $2500

Atlas 10K 2-post lift w/ shipping $5200

Windows, Ghost-shield floor coating, misc items

All in for less than $28000

VT kits are nice to work with, timely delivery, pretty much a simple plug and play if your versed with proper building techniques.
I laid out and jigged the truss members on the concrete with tap-conned 2x4 blocks to ensure all members matched dimensionally. The swagged tubes fit tighter on some and not so much on others. You need to ensure they are all assembled the same.
The smaller carports are more forgiving than the larger buildings.
Just as engine building tolerances can add up in the negative or positive.

The front and rear walls are “balloon” framed and do not have a bottom cord so when erecting the members need to make sure that the top cords plane with the body of the building, as they tend to “squat” without the bottom cord. I needed to utilize a bottle jack and 4x4 to push the peaks up to plane before installing the vertical wall studs
.
Proper bracing of all corners in both directions until siding is installed and addressing issues early make for a seamless build.


(2) sets of rolling bakers scaffolding and a 28-ft aluminum walk plank was a benefit.

VT frame materials are superior in gauge and bends compared to some of the buy- build one stop installations.

Hopefully my dissertation has answered some of the OP questions.

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You got a 24x28 spec slab for $5,000?
 
YY1 said:
You got a 24x28 spec slab for $5,000?
Click to expand...
Yes sir........20 yds of mud and 1K for placement and finish with a power trowel finish.
Again I done my own site work, forms and rebar placement.
 
SLOPAR72 said:
First, find out what you can get away with. Go to the local office and get that sorted out. If not, you may end up on the wrong side of the deal and have to tear it down. Since I don't know the situation with your residency follow that advice accordingly.....

Secondly, it is much more affordable (or it was) to have a building put up and assembled by one company. I am sure prices are not the same but about 7 years ago a 32x32x12 installed and ready for use (and done in a day with exceptional quality) was about 11,000.00. I had the pad poured and ready to go. I can stress enough about how well it went and was finished in a day.... Carolina Carports.

The downside is noise, climate, and moisture. And can all be cured with good insulation. And you want to do that before anything is done inside. What that cost I do not know but looking back I made that mistake of not finishing the dealin regards to insulation. And make sure you get the right structure for your area. The companies that sell them know your area and will suggest the proper building accordingly. If they don't either ask or call another company that has the info....

JW
Click to expand...
got mine threw carolina carports back about 2008, 42x22x10 with 10x10 roll up door and fire proof walk in door was $4000ish all put together but i got a deal threw a neighbor that was a sales rep for carolina carports!
 
I seriously contemplated one of these steel frame buildings before I built my pole barn. What I found was they were extremely reasonable via various "carport" style construction companies, until you strayed from the basics. If you are ok with with standard shape, roll up doors, 3 or 4 /12 pitch roof, then I think you can save some real coin, especially with lumber prices today, vs traditional construction. Good luck!
 
YY1 said:
You got a 24x28 spec slab for $5,000?
Click to expand...
I had a 30x33 done for 2700. That was in 2003, though. I have a tic under 5K for my building (24x28) and concrete.
 
dirty white boy said:
got mine threw carolina carports back about 2008, 42x22x10 with 10x10 roll up door and fire proof walk in door was $4000ish all put together but i got a deal threw a neighbor that was a sales rep for carolina carports!
Click to expand...

I was extremely pleased with their work and attention to cleanup, etc...... I can't stress enough the enjoyment of them completing the building in a day.... Talk about instant gratification lol..... Worth every penny!

JW
 
The quote I got for my 26x30 was 10K in 2008.

Hell, in 2004 the 8x12 that I dug and formed was $850, and that was the low bid of three.
 
I bought a kit about a year ago, and I was actually very happy with it. It was actually very easy to install. It all started when we were tired of our garage and started looking for the best garage doors because ours were just too old. And we decided to upgrade our garage. So, it’s easier for me to say disadvantages. The price is actually not as affordable as I expected. But we pay for speed and ease here, so I think it’s really justified. Btw, pay close attention to a concrete slab. Cheers.
 
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Im building a 30x40x10 pole barn right now. Kit from menards was 14k. Building myself, pouring and finishing concrete 4" thick myself and hiring out electrical. Its as bare bones as you can get and all in I'm spending 20k I'll have to finish inside as years pass little by little. Thought real hard about VT but was over my 20k budget

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