Tag Archives: commercial building

Five Reasons to Choose a Pre-Engineered Post Frame Building

engineer-sealUndertaking a commercial building development is a big step for many businesses and it’s an investment which shouldn’t be taken lightly by any means. Unfortunately, too many commercial developments are rushed into for one reason or another—time constraints force the project ahead and before you know it, you’re left with a project coming in overtime and beyond budget.

This doesn’t always have to be the case, however, and looking into the benefits pre-engineered post frame buildings can provide may drastically change the way you approach your next commercial development. Take a look at five reasons why a prefab post frame building is always a good option to consider:

  1. Lower cost: Because they’re prefabricated and ready to build on site when the parts and pieces arrive, pre-engineered post frame buildings cost exponentially less than traditional developments. When you consider the costs of various materials you’ll need to buy for a traditional building, as well as the various contractors you’ll need to hire to make everything come together, the cost for a prefab post frame building is significantly lower.
  2. Quicker assembly: Again, because everything is created and shipped right to the building site, there’s no need for extended build times or building setbacks based on different stages of a development—prefab post frame buildings can be assembled much quicker and more accurately, with virtually no setbacks to worry about!
  3. Time tested: One thing many people forget to consider when developing commercial is building maintenance costs. With pre-engineered post frame buildings, there’s minimal building maintenance thanks to the resilient structure of the building itself. You’ll spend less money throughout the duration of the life of the building and be able to apply those savings to your next development!
  4. Aesthetics: For many commercial buildings, the look of the façade is enough to bring traffic in or push it away. When it comes to post frame buildings, the façade you’ll be working behind is one which is appealing, easily maintained and highly alluring to potential business outside. You’ll be able to project a quality business through your quality aesthetic.
  5. Customization: Customization is perhaps one of the biggest advantages of investing in a post frame building for your commercial application. Whether you’re a veterinarian or an insurance office, a coffee shop or a salon, you’ll be able to customize your building to fit the needs of your business with no impact on the development time! The possibilities are literally limitless!

Rather than finding yourself at the end of a very short timeline, with costs mounting and your mind spinning around the commercial development in front of you, consider all of the advantages pre-engineered post frame buildings have to offer. Whether this is your very first commercial development or the next in a series of growth for you, knowing your options and considering them fully is always in your best interest.

Knox Box

Before I constructed my first commercial pole building, for myself, I would have had no idea what a Knox Box  was. Prior to then, if I would have had to venture a guess, I would have assumed it was the container for Knox® Brand gelatin.

Knox BoxA Knox-Box®, known officially as the Knox-Box® Rapid Entry System, is a small wall or post mounted safe which holds building or gate keys for fire departments or other emergency service responders to retrieve in emergency situations. Local fire departments often hold master keys to all boxes within their response area, allowing quick access to premises and structures without having to force entry or locate individual keys held at a fire station. Sometimes a Knox Box is linked via radio to an emergency dispatch station, where a dispatcher can release the keys with dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) tones.

A knox Box simplifies key control for local fire departments. They also cut fire losses for building owners since firefighters can enter buildings without breaking doors or windows. The disadvantage of the system is it provides a single point of failure for security. If the key to a district’s Knox Boxes is stolen or copied, a thief can enter any premises which have a Knox Box. In some cases, property owners wire their Knox Box into burglar alarm systems so opening the box trips the alarm, negating their use in facilitating clandestine entry.

Knox-Box® is the number one high-security answer for emergency access to premises. It is used for most commercial applications which include businesses, schools, government and public buildings, as well as gated properties and community associations. Behind the box’s lift off door can be placed keys, access cards or other small items necessary for emergency access.

Both the box and the box’s lock are Underwriters Laboratories (UL®) listed to ensure high security. The boxes themselves have a Knox-Coat® proprietary finishing process which protects Knox products up to four times better than powder coating. The weather resistant door gasket resists moist conditions.

Planning a commercial post frame building? Chances are a Knox-Box® will be part of the total building project.  This is one product I wholeheartedly endorse.

Mega Building Clearspans; Just Put a Post in It

Mega Clearspan Buildings…Just Put a Post in It

In my first managerial position in the roof truss industry, we worked out of an 80 foot wide by 120 foot long concrete tilt up building. This building had a row of interior columns down the middle, 30 feet on center.

These three columns posed no challenge for us, even moving large units of lumber in and out of the building, or for fabricating trusses. We never gave it a second thought.

Large Clearspan Riding Arena Building

Wide Clearspan Riding Facility

Yesterday, one of our Building Designers asked me about an inquiry they received from a client. The client was looking for a pole building approaching 100 feet in width.

It turns out the building is to be used for dry storage, and was going to be loaded through an open long eave sidewall.

I suggested a solution – place a row of poles down the center of the building. As the building is being loaded from a side, and materials are being driven straight in on a forklift, the columns in the center should not pose an issue for the overall design solution.

Rarely are large clearspans required inside buildings. Think about all of the columns inside popular retail store chains – such as The Home Depot, Wal-Mart or Lowe’s. Posts everywhere, but you really don’t notice unless you really are looking for them!

One instance where large clearspans are important is in horse riding arenas. Rather than incorporating stall spaces within the main span – moving the stalls into an attached side shed, keeps the truss spans down to only what is required to ride.

While pole buildings can certainly be designed and built with clearspans up to and including 100 feet wide, the cost per square foot begins to ramp up gradually beginning at about 50 foot clearspan, with the price increasing exponentially beyond 80 feet.

Keeping the budget in mind, while you work through the design process of your building, and matching with the actual clearspan needed, can help you arrive at the most affordable and practical solution.  Putting posts in the middle may be not only affordable, but desirable in getting the most out of your new pole barn.

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