Building a hangar. What drives the cost?

[Bacon8tor]

Some sources say the biggest component driving the cost of hangar construction are the trusses and not so much the size or height. Others say it’s the door and others say the concrete slab. I guess what I’m asking is what considerations should be taken into account to get the most bang for your buck? I understand there is no right answer here and hangar design has much to do with personal preference. All opinions are appreciated.

[GraemeSmith]

Round here:

- Planning Permission/Building Permits
- Ground prep/watershed protection
- Fire suppression systems

These are at least half the cost of any hangar project.

[gyroron]

It is going to depend on where you build it and how fancy you build it.

The airport I am based out of is a small private strip, and they lease the land to people for a monthly fee, and you ( WERE ) welcome to build whatever kind of hangar you wanted. Most are built pretty similarly, Just some 4x4 or 4x6 posts sunk in the ground and some type of truss, and lumber walls and roof covered in cheap metal tin.

I build mine the max size the normal lot would accommodate, a 40x40. I used 4x4 posts and 2x4's to build the back wall, then 4x6 posts every 10 feet down the sides with a steel truss going across the top, with more 2x4's to build side walls, and 2x6's to form a roof structure. The truss were used, found them for sale as a metal scrap yard, paid 200$ a piece for 4. Bought all the lumber at lowes. Bought the metal tin from another builders supply store. Used a bobcat to level off the ground before I built, and then had a few truck loads of gravel brought in to cover the ground inside and out front of the hangar. Threw down a bunch of old carpet scraps I found on the ground in my hangar to I can lay on the ground comfortably to work on the plane and if I drop something, it doesn't get lost in the rocks. I ended up with about 7500$ total into my hangar, and that included remaking better doors a few years after the hangar was originally built. Rent was originally 40$ a month for the land. Over the years it has creeped up to 145$ a month! But I built it in 2003, so I have been there a while and feel like even at 145$ its a good deal for having a 40x40 hangar I can put whatever in.

Some of the guys at my airport built their hangars about the same way I did mine, but did a concrete floor. I would have liked to have a concrete or even asphalt floor, but either would have been thousands more. Being that its on rented land, and no real deed of ownership I elected to keep my costs down. The carpet on gravel has actually been quite nice.

My doors work as well as any fancy bifold or swing up door, and were simple to make and cheap. They are very similar to these except mine open outwards where his open inwards.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vSWn1Drjtw

not the best video but this shows some of my hangar, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ALGD3-4Qos

We never got permits or built to any kind of code when we all built our hangars. No one cared. The previous owner of the airport made a lot of people in the county mad a few years ago. We have new owners now, but the county is now keeping a eye on the airport and won't allow any more hangars unless built to code ( which would be super expensive )