[Dreich Pete]

I'm planning a building that will be multifunctional and have separate sections partitioned off (for the control of mess and heat retention). I've seen several commercial options but I'm nit sure what the real world pros & cons are of each. Any insight from owners would be great.

My choice seems to be: a) steel framed metal clad, b) timber framed metal clad, c) timber framed timber clad, or d) steel framed metal clad.

I would like to design, build and install the whole thing but I'm not sure I'd get it all done before an operation that will put me on crutches for 8 weeks so it might be that I get a company to supply and erect it. The base will be concrete just because of the size of the building and some of the uses.

The ideal size is about 4m x 14m and as I'll be building it under (Scottish) Permitted Developmemt regs the roof can be no higher than 4m - 3m to the eaves.

[shygirl]

im sure there are metal kit barns that you can put up yourself. advertised in farming mags.

[Dreich Pete]

I'm not short of options for buying one, I was more interested to hear what people think of different materials and their benefits or drawbacks. I've heard that metal clad buildings can be very bad for condensation even when insulated. This building will be for storage of tools, cars, and various storage, but it will also be somewhere I intend spending a lot of time so a cold damp workspace isn't good.

[chrismahon]

I share your concerns about metal cladding Dreich Pete. Fine for an unheated well ventilated agricultural shelter, but put any heat into it and you must get condensation. My choice would be metal frame wood clad. Over here they metal frame clad with insulated blockwork and roof with cement board. They used to wood frame with infill blockwork and use asbestos roofing panels  30 years ago.