How to Plan and Design a Commercial Metal Building for Your Business

Planning and designing a commercial metal building is a specialized field that demands expertise.   There's a lot at stake, and avoiding costly mistakes is crucial. To make sure that everything is done correctly right from the start, be sure to work with an experienced steel building fabricator to make the process much smoother.

 

Here at Armstrong Steel, we have in-house design consultants, project managers, and engineers ready to work closely with you to bring your dream commercial metal structure to life. Our team guarantees an attractive, reliable building that lets you run your business profitably and efficiently. As your metal building manufacturer, we will ensure that your structure is customized to your requirements and can grow with your business.

 

Our commercial metal structures are versatile and have been used in many applications, including retail stores, motor vehicle dealerships, shopping centers, restaurants, storage facilities, medical clinics, and strip malls. We have also worked with businesses that use our steel structures to erect modern, stylish, and economical office buildings. Whether you need a new structure to expand your business or a startup looking for a cost-effective and durable facility, you can count on us to deliver a reliable, durable, and flexible commercial metal building.

 

Read on for tips and insights on how to design and plan your dream structure with Armstrong Steel.

 

Involve the experts

 

Like any building project, buying and erecting a commercial steel structure requires careful planning for success. This means deciding on your budget and the structure’s size and discussing your requirements and objectives with one of our building experts. We also want to know where you plan to erect the commercial steel building, how you plan to use it, and where you want the doors and windows.

 

At Armstrong Steel, we take the time to know your needs before putting a price on your project. This gives you an idea of how much you can afford before moving forward with the purchase. In addition, our building experts can immediately inform you whether our building systems are right for you at this time.

 

If you’re unsure about the optimum dimensions for your commercial metal building, don’t worry! We’ll provide the resources and walk you through the process to help you make informed choices.

 

Order your building

 

We will assign an in-house project manager to you so you can work with them to help you source any additional components you may need and finalize your design. Our engineering and drafting team will start working on the approval drawings once you have finalized with the project manager. We can typically prepare the drawings and send them to you within a couple of weeks, but this timeline can be longer or shorter, depending on our project backlog and the design complexity. 

 

Review your approval drawings.

 

Although we send approval drawings via email, we can also mail hard copies by request. Just tell your project manager! While reviewing your commercial metal building, you have two options:

 

·       Option 1: Approve the drawings without making any changes. We’ll provide a form for this.

·       Option 2: Make changes to your building by marking up the drawings with red ink. You can use a computer program or print the drawings to add, remove, or change openings, doors, or windows, alter the eave extensions, bay spacing, building dimensions, and other details. You may also add ridge vents, cupolas, insulation, and anything else we have in our dealer catalog. Don’t forget to send the modified design to your project manager.

 

Are you making changes to your commercial metal building design? Your project manager will provide an estimate of any additional credits or costs and make preliminary drawings and a change order document. You can review these documents and either modify or accept them. At this point, our engineering team will make the revised approval drawings, which are also subject to your review and acceptance.

 

Here at Armstrong Steel, we can revise approval drawings twice for free. So, be sure to get everything in order on the first or second mark-ups.

 

Design tips for your building

 

Our pre-engineered steel structures are easy to incorporate with other construction materials. Plus, they are customizable with any interior or exterior finish and all roof and wall designs. This flexibility ensures your building won’t look like a warehouse or too industrial.

 

Our in-house building consultants will work closely with you to choose design elements to create your commercial metal building. While designing your structure, we also recommend considering appropriate insulation for energy efficiency. Steel structures are more effective to insulate to help reduce your heating and cooling costs all year. Plus, you can use almost all common insulation types, including prefabricated insulation panels, fiberglass, spray foam, and double bubble.

 

Plan the installation

 

Armstrong Steel buildings are quick and easy to erect, as we provide detailed guides, assembly drawings, and anchor bolt patterns with your project. Moreover, we prepared all parts to correspond with the drawings. You can erect this building yourself or hire qualified metal building contractors. Either way, it should only take one or a few days to complete.

 

Ready to design your metal building?

 

Price and design your Armstrong Steel commercial metal building now by requesting a quote here. Our building consultants are also reachable via 1-800-345-4610, so don’t hesitate to call!