Metal Building- convert to living space
This winter I have the opportunity to help a financially strapped Buddhist Temple in Hawaii convert the second floor of a large metal building into comfortable guest rooms. I have been a residential remodeling contractor in Iowa and Minnesota for many years and am well versed in standard wood frame construction. The building in question is 60’x140′ it serves at present as a “Social Hall”. The front section of the building has a second floor that is approximately 40’x60′. The area below is finished into a kitchen, storerooms and bathrooms. The mid-section of the building is a large basketball court-sized open space. There is an area at the rear of the building that is sectioned off for a small meditation room. The main structural supports are I-beam bents 20′ on center. S-shaped horizontal metal supports are bolted onto the outside of the bents and the sheet metal siding and roofing are screwed into the supports.
The 40’x60′ second floor is the space to be finished into rooms. I am uncertain as to the best/cheapest way to insulate and ventilate these rooms so that they are comfortable in the heat of the day and do it in a way that doesn’t create a nesting area for birds, geckos and other critters. If anyone has this kind of experience or knows of some how-to manual or other source of information, I would really like to hear from you. Thanks.
Replies
good
i appreciate your work, and i think that those Budhist inspire your soul too.
opportunity to help a financially strapped ....
hey, we all get those 'opportunities' quite often,
once I hit about 40 YO, figured out who was getting taken advantage of alla da time... ..............
of course, if you like getting screwed, go for it........
Generally there shouldn't be issues. This kind of thing is done routinely where metal buldings are used for all kinds of occupancies. However it may not be as straight forward as you want. When insulating metal buidlings you need to make sure you ventilate the spaces ... air leakage WILL condense on the metal if there is leakage through the construciton (assuming heating conditions).
However ... you are also mixing occupancy types. This requires fire rated separations between the occupancies. You should have a discussion w/ your BO about this effort. You are mixing commercial and residential occupancies. The BO may require a stamp by e.g. a licensed architect to show code compliance, egress, etc. If you don't do it and there is a fire, there could be some serious liability issues (you and/or the owner).
It's probably a bit different from anything you've done before, so I'll be a bit detailed in my answer.
First, you'll essentially have to build a building inside a building. It will have it's own structure, panels, and HVAC system. While you'll be able to use the existing slab in all liklihood, you'll have to cut it up for your plumbing runs.
Begin with a survey of the existing building. The existing services might not be able to handle the increased load - and don't just assume the power company can supply more power! Likewise, your remodel will involve extensive modifications to the fire sprinkler system. You might even need a bigger parking lot. You'll likly be adding some doors to the 'second level' and outside lighting.
Your internal structure will probably be two levels, with three lengthwise bearing walls. You'll have to place your blocking in a perfectly straight line on the middle wall, as they will be for shear, rather than being 'fire blocking.' The wall between your structure and the rest of the place will probably have both a layer of OSB for shear, as well as double drywall to form a firewall. Be very careful about penetrations in the firewall, and use rated doors.
The lower level will be framed with 2x6's, while the upper wil use 2x4's. TJI's will form the spans. Provide plenty of access to the top deck.
Get your construction details down perfect - with this type of construction, there's no easy way to go back and make corrections.
Special considerations? Depending on which side of the island you're on, humidity might be a real issue. Wherever you are, insects are a major concern. Termites, roaches, you name it. Make sure there is access to the back side of every wall for inspection and treatment.
Buildings like the one you describe have three advantages: they are cheap, go up fast, and have fairly long spans between supports. They're terrible for anything else. They're difficult to heat and cool, they have awful acoustics, and everything has to be run 23 ft. up.
Expect energy codes and fire codes to place major challenges to your plans.