I am planning a 20 ft tower, 10 ft diameter, as a very distinctive tool shed on a 1.25 acre plot. It will be faced with brick veneer, and look a bit like a castle tower. Cheaper to use cinder blocks or poured concrete for the structure? Or just a wood frame? The foundation will be rebar/concrete.
I'm not a contractor, but here's a couple of observations.
You NEVER see a farm silo constructed from a monolithic concrete pour.
The labor alone to build the form work, reinforcement, and bracing has got to be cost prohibitive.
The question of stick framing depends on your usage of the building. Do you plan to insulate it and to have electrical outlets? Is there going to be an inside second story? The stick frame would lend itself towards that. If it's just a non-heated utility bldg. (silo) then I would imagine that block would be the way to go.
Why not just use multi-wythe brick construction? In lieu of that, CMU would be faster, cheaper, and easier. If CMU, you will probably want to use 6x8x8 units.
Poured concrete, using a slip form system, would be the most expensive option to consider....and it is done on grain silos....the forms are set to diameter, and then as the pour progresses, the forms are "jacked" up with the set....
Most elevators I see are slip-formed, while most silos are metal. I have seen slip formed cisterns on homes in Fredricksburg, Llano, and Lampasas, probably of the 1900-1930 era.
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