Your Building Process

Five steps to getting your building off the ground.

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Step 1

Building Design

For your building design, it is essential to consider all of the uses that your building will be housing.  Once you know the use, thinking through the flow of people and equipment is essential to your building design. This will help dictate your walk door and overhead door placements to maximize space in your building.

Thinking about the future use of your building is also crucial. Do you plan to add on to your business or put a pool in your backyard? Perhaps you are saving for a new piece of equipment in the future. These are examples to consider so that your building design for today fits the needs of the future.

Your building design is not only about getting the look of the building you want. It is also a way to talk with your project sales consultant about ways to reduce your building cost through strategic design.

Design Your Building

Step 2

Building Location

The Building location is key to setting up your property. To minimize the amount of disruption to your current flow, the building layout can help make utilizing equipment easier, and create access to vehicles and people more convenient.

When determining your building location, take into account the site features. This will save you money during your site prep. Some examples to look for are:

  • Avoid a building location with severe elevation changes: This will reduce the amount of fill or leveling needed by your excavator.
  • Minimize the number of trees needed to be removed: Your excavator will charge a fee for each tree that is taken down with an additional cost to grind down the stumps.

To help with your building location, you can connect with a Project Sales Consultant to stake your building and shoot grade for free.

Step 3

Building Permit

Every building will need a permit, but not every county or state’s requirements are the same. Your local Project Sales Consultant can provide insights on what your jurisdiction might require.

You will also see variances for different building segments. Below are estimates for time and money that your project might fall under for planning purposes:

Timing (On average, every case is different by location)

  • Agriculture: 1 – 7 Days
  • Suburban: 1 – 21 Days
  • Equine: 1 – 28 Days
  • Commercial: 1 – 6 Months

Cost (On average, every case is dictated by Sq Ft. and location)

  • Agriculture: $0 – $1,000
  • Suburban: $50 – $500
  • Equine: $50 – $1,000
  • Commercial: $1,000 – $10,000

Step 4

Building Site Prep

One of the keys to site prep is timing. It can be extremely difficult to prepare a site when the ground is frozen. This makes the months of late March – November an ideal time to prep your site. It is also critical to allow the building pad time to sit and compact after being constructed. This will help minimize ruts during construction and provide an ideal pad for concrete to be poured.

If you do not have excavation experience or the equipment to prep your building pad, hiring a professional excavator is the safest route. If you are unsure of how to connect with an excavator, your project sales consultant can help set you up with a local one.

To learn everything you need to know about site prep from fill types to drainage and ways to save on site prep, request our Site Prep eBook for free.

Step 5

Building Construction

A designated project manager will connect with you on the exact start date for your building. It is important for you to be on site the morning your crew arrives to validate building location and establish finish floor before the columns are set. By being there you can also help determine where building materials should be placed. This ensures that they are not in your way during the building process.

Another aspect to be aware of is the construction equipment. When your crew arrives, they will typically bring:

  • Crew truck and trailer
  • Semi-truck (dropping off materials)
  • Gradall/telehandler
  • Bobcat
  • Crane (larger projects)

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Helpful Resources

Whether you are wondering how to start or how to finish your project, this is the place to find answers, guidebooks, financing offers, floor plan kits, videos, news, and expert advice on post-frame construction.

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