What to Know Before Building a Hangar??

[ande159]

I'm considering building a hangar at a local private grass strip. The plot of land I'm considering buying is adjacent to the airport whcih allows "through the fence" access for a monthly fee.

I'd like the gallery's opinions on what to look out for or be aware of. The lot is 50' x 60' and there are covenants in place to make sure only hangars are built on it and the surrounding lots. There is a burried transformer across the (grass) taxi way on one side and a county water line on the other side.

I've got a couple of quotes for a 49' x 50' x 14' hangar with 45' x 12' doors in the mid $20,000 range. This includes the cost of delivery.

My main question is how much am I looking at to pay someone to erect this thing for me? Is putting together a metal hangar completely out of reach of your everyday handyman or is it feasible for a guy and some buddies to put it together themselves? What else should I be watching out for? Can anyone share any "if only I had know ___ before I built mine" stories?

Thanks,
Ande

[EchoMike]

Oh, man, I could write a book . . .

1) Check the deed carefully for restrictions, setbacks, etc. You may not be able to build that close to the property line - if you do anyway, the adjacent landowners or the city/county can make you take it down.

2) Make sure you have an accurate survey - see above. Having the building in the wrong place is a major problem. The deed lists the various easements and restrictions, the survey should but doesn't always reflect them.

3) Will the doors open onto adjacent land? You may need an easement if they do. Otherwise you'll need a bi-fold door, $8K + $4K more to install and you need power (add to permit price).

4) Erecting a building this size is NOT a DIY project - you'll need a crane and a crew and be absolutely sure they have workman's comp insurance - if someone falls and gets hurt (happens a lot in construction), you don't want to be sued. I did a quonset style hangar, erection quote was $3.50 per square foot. Type of building will change the quote.

5) Define exactly what you want - who is responsible for leaks, etc. WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN - once the money has changed hands, whoever you gave it to won't answer the phone any more, if you have a problem later it is 100% YOUR problem.

6) Make sure you GET and STAY on good terms with the building inspector, he can make your life miserable or he can save your behind, your choice.

7) If I didn't say it before WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN - if it isn't on paper it doesn't exist - get signatures and ensure complete understanding between all parties as to what is expected, who will provide it, and how much it will cost. (It will cost more anyway.)

8) Before you start, do some homework on the people/organization you are buying from. Are they easy to work with, or are they perennial canididates for the pr*ck of the month club? If the latter - RUN AWAY and buy someplace else, they will make your life miserable.

9) - Your price including delivery is on the truck - you will need to rent a crane to unload the truck - make sure it is big enough, the truck and the crane will leave deep ruts in the field, who will fix them? Scheduling is a problem, they expect you to have the crane waiting for them, and may charge extra if they have to wait for it to arrive. Same on crane rental, they will charge extra if they have to wait for the truck. Bring a LOT of cash for this day, $1,000 is a good idea. Most of the delivery guys expect to be paid with a certified check - no personal checks, so you'll need to know the exact amount in advance.

10) Where will you stack all the "stuff" that comes off the truck? Is it secure or will the local scrap metal "dealers" descend on your jobsite like buzzards in the dead of night? You'll probably want to have th slab poured and cured, stack everything on the slab, rent a security fence for a while.


PM me for more . . .

[stiknruda]

Not very helpful to you Ande 159... as it is in southern England.

I have been offered a very nice 40x60' hangar with 14' eaves and 40x14 door opening. Aluminium box cladded sides, corrugated roof. Can be errected, too.

Very keen price, PM me if you wish to be put in touch with the vendor.

[gasax]

Whilst there is some good advice above in terms of the legal stuff I would beg to differ over putting up the building.

With a teleporter or similar lifting machine a shed of this size is pretty easy to put up. You do need some practical friends but with that 2 full days would see it done. The individual components are not that heavy and with most portal frames are self supporting once bolted to the foundations. The cladding is veryt easy if bought cut to size and attched with Tekscrews or similar.

The professionals would take little more than a day to do a shed this size - with a little more for the doors.

It is critcally important to get the foundations right though. So it you do them yourself be absolutely accurate - if you use a contractor make sure they understand the liability for the frame not fitting is likely to lie with them.

From the practical point of view have a concrete floor - they make life soo much easier, also have a long concrete apron outside and make sure there are no more than slight gradients - pulling aircraft around is easy until there is a slight slope....

[EchoMike]

I agree 100% that the work is within the realm of possibility for some handy friends - but please consider this - falls are very common in construction work. If someone falls ten feet onto a concrete floor, they are going to get badly hurt or perhaps even killed. All they need is a second of carelessness or a minor slip, and you have a MAJOR problem. Remember that medical care is astoundingly expensive here. (I know a guy who fell off a roof, about 8 feet, onto grass, his bill was over $60,000.)

While you CAN do this, I would suggest thinking about if you WANT to do this. Example - I can change the oil on my car, but it requires putting the car on jackstands, and then crawling underneath to get at the filter. For $10 more than the price of the oil and the filter I can get this done at any number of places, and not risk my life for a $10 bill . . .

This is the kind of job that is cheaper, faster and MUCH safer if you let someone else do it - they will have workman's compensation insurance (make sure you see the policy and certificate) which protects you if there is a problem. They will also be better at this than we will - are you going to call your buddies and complain that the hangar leaks, come back and fix it?

I don't like spending money uneccessarily any more than the next guy, but this is a job I am willing to pay someone else to do and let them (actually their insurance company) take the risks. I also get a warranty from them, you would not begin to believe the silly mistakes I've seen in construction done by amateurs (and not a few professionals), and then it has to come apart and be redone - are your friends up for that? (And will they still be your friends?)

We are not talking a huge amount of money here - DIY on this may be a very false saving indeed unless everything goes exactly right. Luck is not a strategy.

(Remember, I just went through all this on a 50 by 90 hangar - I would *strongly* suggest having someone else build this for you. Better safe than sorry, the risks are simply too high for the small amount of money involved. Get bids from LICENSED and INSURED contractors, they are all very hungry right now.)

PS - TEK screws are neat - I like them!

Best Regards,

Echo Mike