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New construction on existing steel building

3K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  tpolk 
#1 ·
I have found a great deal on a property that contains one steel building on it, it has a kitchen and a bathroom so the county considers it a house. It has nothin else in it and I don't like where the bathroom and kitchen are so I was thinking of tearing them out and starting from scratch.

The building is nothing more than one large room with concrete floors, steel walls, a few windows and some plumbing on one end.

My idea is to lay down some steel floor joists so i can rearange the plumbing, then lay down subfloor and use lumber for the interrior framing.

My question is; is this technique feesable? What size steel joists will I need? How do I secure the steel joists to the concrete? will the steel be strong enough to hold the lumber walls?
 
#5 ·
From what you describe, I think you need to get professional local advice starting with your local building department. You do not want to risk what may be a substantial investment on advice from the internet.

You will need at the very least a jurisdiction inspection to gain a certificate of occupancy which will also be required to get insurance. Find out now what are all the rules and regulations. There may be a hidden reason why you got such a Good Deal.
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#7 ·
if twas me i would snap lines on the slab for waste lines and start figuring where kitchen, baths etc were going and start calculating waste line elevations to see if i could keep it in the slab with some demolition.this would be cleaner and would help with figuring what was needed for a floor system. if you run water and electrical thru metal studs/joists they need to be protected from metal edges
 
#3 · (Edited)
Well, I just figured steel would be easier than wood because of the pre-cut holes in it. I may end up having to move the plumbing from one end of the building to the other and don't know if it would be better to use steel joists or cut holes in wood ones. Input would be helpful, I know very little about these things.
 
#4 · (Edited)
need to put subfloor on concrete slab / wood floor joists or steel?

I have an existing steel building with a concrete floor (much like a small warehouse) it has a kitchen and a bathroom in one end. I am planning on making it into a house and don't know wether to use wood or steel joists for the subfloor support. I need to run plumbing (for the toilets / sinks), water lines, and gas lines throughout the house, also there is enough room (vertically) to put in a 1/2 second story, maybe 2 beds and a bath so I need some structual support in the floor. I have no professional experience and cannot afford to hire a contractor.

I would appriciate any and all feedback from anyone. Thanks.
 
#6 ·
PaliBob: thank you

Thanks Bob, but the county has already listed the building as a single family house. I was just wanting to know weather to use steel or wood for the floor joists being laid on the cement. The steel joists have pre-cut holes in them, adversley I would have to cut 3" - 4" holes in the wood, also I was under the impression that it was not a good idea to put wood directly on cement. A vapor barrier would work but I don't know if I would want to completely cover the floor with it, for breathability and all.

Another thing I was thinking about was using wood joists and covering the lower face with Henry's or some other moisture proof paint or something.

Unless it would be easer just to open up the cement floor and re-route the plumbing that way.
 
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