Pricing Steel Buildings

After researching steel buildings, and deciding you’re in the market for one, after you’ve decided its use, where it will be situated and other important details like that,  you’re going to want to know what the structure is likely to cost you. Seems like a reasonable question. And here’s the reasonable answer:  It depends!

Pricing a steel building is part craft, part art. It’s good for you to have a grasp for how it’s done. In this article, let us describe the variables that go into pricing your building so you can get a feel for what’s involved.

5 basic factors affecting how steel buildings are priced:

1. Building Design
2. The Price Of Steel
3. Fuel Costs
4. Buying Power
5. Custom Features

1. Building Design

Put simply, the design of your building determines the amount of work involved and the amount of steel required. As you would expect, simple, small lightweight buildings requiring no special structural engineering will cost less than larger, heavy-duty building projects that might, for example, have to withstand very strong winds or ground movement. Whereas labor costs don’t vary too much, steel prices do – as mentioned below.

Here are the main design considerations that affect the size, design and cost of your new steel building:

Wind load: different places have different wind ratings. So as you might expect, Florida – a state buffeted by very high winds and hurricanes – has a higher wind-rating than calmer Tennessee.

Dimensions: (width, height, roof pitch, length) – these variables affect the amount of steel required in different ways. Increasing the width of your structure, for example, affects price more than increasing the length of the structure.

Snow load: the load rating for snow is going to be higher in snowy Alaska than it is in balmy Houston. The stronger structure – which means additional steel – required in Alaska to safely hold that snow makes the building more expensive than a similar one constructed for, say, Houston.

Open Areas: leaving a side of the structure open to the elements means the roof has not got the same protection against up-drafts that it would have if the structure were a closed one. The increased wind load required translates into a costlier building.

Seismic Conditions: seismic ratings vary as you would expect according to the amount of seismic activity in your area. In areas where seismic activity exists ratings are high – as are the resulting building material costs.

As important as these may be, they aren’t the only factors affecting the design of the structure… Read through our steel building buyer’s guide to learn more about the structural design variations such as height, roof pitch and frame shape that may affect your design costs.

Steel Building Buyer’s Guide

2. The Price of Steel

Steel prices move daily. In fact, they fluctuate so much that to give you an accurate price for your new prefabricated building we have to consider the price of steel that month. For any steel manufacturer a price given in one month can alter – up or down – on another.

The basis of the building is a valuable world commodity – steel.

Steel is a prized material – but demand for it fluctuates – sometimes over an extended time period, sometimes over the course of 24 hours.  The world experiences slumps in the demand for steel – which pushes prices down – and spikes in demand for steel – which pushes prices up. This is especially true when major world events such as government elections or pandemics are affecting the availability of steel.

Between these extremes there are rises and dips for a host of other reasons.

But with steel being such a big part of your steel building its price has a major effect on the building’s cost. Which means a good third of your building’s cost is determined in a substantial way by what’s going on elsewhere in the world – and how that might affect the price of the steel on the day you need it. 

3. Fuel costs

Another commodity cost; this one affects the cost of getting heavy steel from the supplier to our factory and then transporting the heavy finished product from our factory to your job site. Fuel prices don’t tend to fluctuate like steel costs do but as we all know from time to time they do move around a bit.

4. Buying Power

Like many commodities the price of steel can be reduced if the buyer is buying in bulk. That’s practically impossible for an individual client to do. But a large steel manufacturer like Allied Steel Buildings always buys at a discount due to the amount we purchase. At Allied, this discount is passed on to our client- giving them a genuinely competitive quote.

5. Custom Features

Of course, other add-ons can also affect costs. Allied’s steel building kits can be designed with a wealth of features that make your building that much more user-friendly, comfortable and cost-efficient:

Insulation: if it’s important to maintain some sort of steady temperature in the building then good insulation is a must-have because it pays for itself over time. Still, in the initial construction phase its cost has to be factored in.

*Read more on When to insulate your prefab metal garage here:

When to Insulate Your Prefab Steel Building Garage?

Solar Panels: again, an addition to your building that will pay for itself over time but whose initial installation cost has to be accounted for in your initial budget.

Functional additions: there are simple add-ons that can improve the usability of your building – windows, vehicle doors, walk doors, skylights and similar.

Take a look at some additional accessory add-ons here: [Accessories]

Building Under 10,000SF? Get The Most Bang For Your Buck!

Design your own building with our 3D Steel Building Designer.

Allied has developed a 3D steel building design platform that allows you to price your own building from the comfort of your home. This platform allows you to build your steel building workshop with easy drag and drop options. You’ll be able to add or remove accessories with the click of a mouse, and evaluate the real-time pricing as it changes with each design revision. These workshops are excellent for garages, small warehouses, home shops, and sheds. These building kits are easy to assemble & highly functional, a perfect DIY weekend project. 

All kits include:

• Z-Purlins & Z-Girts
• Structural steel I-Beam framing
• Color wall sheeting
• PBR Panel, 40 Year Warranty on most colors
• Carbon steel fasteners, lifetime warranty
• All necessary hardware
• Color trim
• Structural bracing
• US made materials

Click here to start designing: 3D Steel Building Designer

Is your mind set on steel? In our opinion, you shouldn’t consider any other material. Here’s why:

So, you need a new garage. Why not? From protecting valuable assets, such as cars, boats, motorcycles, or tools, to creating more storage space, a garage is a worthy investment for both commercial and personal use. Building a new garage can be a daunting task, but by utilizing steel as a primary building material, you can create a sturdier and more valuable structure. Here’s why steel should be at the top of your building materials list for your garage.

Flexible Designs

You need a garage that functions for you and your goals. A steel design offers an unmatched level of adaptability and malleability. No matter how you plan to use your garage, Allied Steel Buildings can engineer a design that will suit your needs. Almost everything is customizable on the interior and exterior of the building, including options for doors, insulation, skylights, windows, and much more. Furthermore, it is easier to make additions and customizations to a steel garage than a traditional wooden, brick, or stone structure.

Stronger Than the Competition

With the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any construction material available, steel surpasses everything else when it comes to protecting your most valuable assets. When you have a steel building as your garage, you’ll have peace of mind knowing your valuables are safe from earthquakes, fires, and other disasters, as well as time itself. The only real secure location for your possessions is within a steel structure.

Incredibly Cost-Effective

Compared to their most common alternative, wood garages, steel garages are relatively inexpensive due to numerous factors. Steel garages offer incomparable integrity and durability, meaning they will last much longer and require less upkeep than wood structures. Many steel garages may not need maintenance for 15 or 20 years after the initial construction. Moreover, steel garages are prefabricated, so we assemble all major components offsite. 

When they arrive at your location, the garage only requires assembly with the materials provided. If you have standard shop tools and a small crew with construction experience, you can save significantly on labor expenses by choosing steel. Also, some studies suggest that a steel garage can increase the value of your house by as much as 13 percent when compared to similar homes without a garage. 

Easy to Maintain

Unlike traditional wood garages or other garages built from materials more susceptible to damage and decay, steel buildings are easy to clean and maintain. Often, all you need is a pressure washer, a duster, and a little time to do the trick. You don’t even have to repaint them since they are designed to withstand the elements.

Selecting The Right Partner

Allied Steel Buildings is one of the nation’s leading providers of high-quality and innovative Steel Buildings. We design & engineer some of the most efficient, reliable, and high-quality structures on the market. Our Workshop Steel Buildings are perfect for meeting the needs of a residential Garage and storage building.

Our expert engineering team can help you design an efficient and economical steel building that can be used for a wide variety of functions, including equipment storage, garages, carports, building kits, RV storage, workshops, recreational buildings, mini storage buildings, and still more. Allied Steel’s pre-engineered storage buildings incorporate innovative clear span design that allows for uninterrupted space – and optimal flexibility and storage room – from wall to wall for up to 300 feet wide.

Furthermore, our incredibly cost-effective and timely construction methods can save you 60% compared to conventional building methods. We’re national leaders when it comes to designing, shipping, and constructing buildings with the utmost efficiency. Our residential steel buildings offer many advantages you won’t find anywhere else at this price, including versatile and attractive designs, energy efficiency, fire resistance, and a range of design options for you to choose (including your choice of wall panel, trim colors, decorative stucco, brick, and other motifs and materials).

When we design and build these structures, we take long-term considerations into account. Our buildings are durable, long-lasting, and virtually maintenance-free. When you invest in an Allied Steel Building, you’re savings many years worth of upkeep and worry. Our professional, experienced, and attentive staff will work with you every step of the way to keep you updated and meet your every need and request. No other company can combine both technical and personal expertise on this level.

Furthermore, our engineered structures will meet local building codes and geographical site features. Get started building your dream by calling 1-877-997-8335 for a free professional consultation and further information.

We’re with you all the way!

Considering investing in a steel building warehouse?

Building Large Steel Buildings?

When it comes to the modern construction landscape, the two methods that dominate the industry are concrete tilt-up and pre-engineered steel building construction. While both construction techniques have their advantages, each works best in different situations. Over the course of this article, we’ll take a detailed look at how concrete tilt-up and steel construction compare with each other.

Defining Tilt-Up Construction

Tilt-up construction involves the walls of a structure being horizontally cast on the ground before they are lifted and fixed to a pre-constructed foundation slab or edge beam. To ensure that the structure is stable and weather-proof, the adjacent units are connected together.

The Development of Tilt-Up Construction

Materials which originate from industrial or engineering applications often become adopted for their architectural or artistic potential. A good example is weathering steel, which was originally developed to be used in railway coal wagons in the 1930s, but became a popular building construction material in the 1960s.

Such success stories aren’t a rare occurrence in the world of architecture and construction. After all, the exploration of aesthetic and functional properties of otherwise basic construction materials has always been one of the signature characteristics of the discipline. However, this tendency didn’t really take off until the 20^th century, when the idea of functionalism emerged. The boundary between form and function was regularly crossed in the modern and post-modern eras.

Although tilt-up construction has long since established itself as a popular construction technique, what’s surprising is that it didn’t start out as a general building solution. First pioneered in the 1920s by a Californian architect, Irving Gill, tilt-up construction was reportedly inspired by the engineering efficiency of factory assembly lines.

Simply put, tilt-up construction was developed as an efficient technique of raising a complicated concrete façade without needing to go through a tiresome vertical forming procedure. As the global economy dropped to an all-time low during the Great War, tilt-up construction rose in popularity because of its speed, convenience, and affordability.

There are many excellent reasons why the tilt-up method dominates the construction of flexible diaphragm, rigid wall large-box structures. It’s highly convenient and time-saving to cast the wall panel of these structures by using the vast floor slabs and then simply using cranes to raise them into place on structures that have relatively plain wall envelopes and uncomplicated perimeters.

However, the evolution of tilt-up construction means that the method is now even used in complex, multi-storey, irregularly shaped projects. As speed is tilt-up’s greatest advantage, architects and contractors get more time to focus on craft and quality.

In modern construction, tilt-up is regularly considered in building projects of all shapes and sizes. In the United States, 15% of all industrial buildings are tilt-up, ranging in size from 5000 to over 1.5 million square feet.

Preengineered steel building framing in Punta Arenas Chile

What Are Pre-Engineered Steel Structures?

Also known as pre-fabricated steel structures, these steel buildings are fully designed and manufactured in a factory before being shipped out to the build site to be erected using nuts and bolts, thereby reducing the completion time of the project.

The Evolution of Steel Buildings

The history of steel goes as far back as 4,000 years, when clever inventors and experimenters of the era found out that iron was a much better metal than bronze in terms of strength and durability. Since that moment, people have worked tirelessly to develop purer and purer forms of iron steel, which have been used as tools, weapons, railroads and lastly, as a construction material. In the modern day, steel is regarded as one of the most durable, eco-friendly and cost-effective construction materials there are.

However, it took millenniums for steel to develop into the incredibly tough and consistent construction material it’s known as today. Before the 17^th century, steel was mainly used to manufacture weapons. By the 1800s, steel production had become more efficient and the material had evolved into a more durable and versatile building material.

The first building that featured a steel framework was built in 1793. Before steel became a commonly used construction material, industrial burning went up in flames on a regular basis. After a particularly devastating fire in 1803, the Belper North Mill in the UK was rebuilt with a frame entirely made out of steel. Incredibly, the building still stands to this day.

The late 19^th and the early twentieth century saw the construction of some of the world’s first skyscrapers. Built in 1902, the Flatiron Building was among the first steel-framed skyscraper. The concept of pre-fabricated steel buildings emerged in the 1960s and today, nearly 70% of all commercial buildings in the United States are pre-engineered.

Blue & yellow, preengineered steel building in St Lucia Caribbean

Factors to Consider While Comparing Tilt-Up Construction with Steel Construction

As each commercial building project has unique parameters, there are a variety of factors to consider before you choose a construction method. These include:

• Building Size
• Availability and Usage of Materials
• Time
• Costs
• Design Possibilities
• Recyclability
• Durability
• Purpose of the Project

The Size of the Project is a Huge Factor

Perhaps the biggest factor to consider is the size of the build project. If the size of the structure is less than 50,000 square feet, steel construction is generally the more cost-effective option. Although concrete is a much less-expensive material than steel, tilt-up construction typically involves extra fixed costs, such as large crane rentals, which make it more expensive than steel in projects of this size.

However, with projects exceeding 50,000 square feet, the significantly lower material costs begin to counteract the higher fixed costs of tilt-up construction, thereby making it cost-competitive with steel construction. Tilt-up construction might actually be more cost-effective for large projects where the walls aren’t a significant percentage of the structural costs. Scale is a big issue when you compare these two methods.

As metal has a superior spanning capacity than concrete, pre-fabricated steel buildings are the better option for structures that require longer bays and spans. This especially applies to office buildings, as metal buildings offer more flexibility in terms of floor space. The advantage with metal buildings is that the depths and locations of columns can be customized, which makes it adaptable to the majority of floor plans. This becomes of consequence if you want to remodel in the future. Concrete construction requires a greater number of support columns. This creates limitations in terms of usable square footage and the moving of partitions and walls. We’ll touch more upon customizability later in the article.

Preengineered steel building office tower with horizontal glass windows

One perceived a downside of long-spanning steel floors is that they tend to develop a “bouncy” characteristic over time. But thanks to superior damping, concrete tilt-up is much less likely to be plagued by this issue. However, builders can limit the deflection in steel floors by installing beams that possess higher rotational inertia.

Moreover, as steel members don’t require an overly complex foundation system, they’re a better option for construction sites with poor site stability. With concrete, cantilevering is much more expensive, as it demands carpentry and form set-up to hold the concrete in place until it cures. When you use steel joists for a cantilever, you only specify a full-depth cantilever or an extended end straight from the factory.

Also, you can use more glass on the project’s exterior with steel-framed structures. This greatly improves the building’s overall energy efficiency. Furthermore, it’s much easier and less-expensive to insulate a metal building compared to a concrete tilt-up one.

Overall, it’s safe to say that steel construction has the upper hand over tilt-up concrete in terms of customizability and versatility.

Commercial preengineered steel building architect office with garage doors.

Material Availability & Usage

As pre-engineered steel structures are generally transported from a factory to the construction site, this has an impact on the overall costs of the project. On the other hand, concrete tilt-up construction is generally performed on-site and materials such as wood and concrete can be locally sourced, thereby potentially reducing transportation costs.

However, steel arrives on site ready to be used whereas concrete has to be prepared on-site, a process which can face potential delays because of adverse weather conditions.

Time & Cost Savings

Pre-fabricated steel building kits are procured in an almost-complete form and can be assembled as soon as they arrive on the construction site. Furthermore, a metal structure can be erected regardless of whether the temperature is hot or cold. Concrete, on the other hand, requires warmer temperatures as it needs to be hoarded and heated. Tilt-up concrete also involves precise and accurate mixing of a wide variety of materials. This is a process which can consume a significant amount of time.

On average, the assembly and erection of a steel structure take about 33% less time compared to other construction methods. The installation costs of steel wall panel systems are generally on par with EIFs and synthetic stuccos, and considerably less than the ones in tilt-up concrete. This is because steel wall panel systems can be installed much faster than other systems, thereby resulting in significant time and labor-cost savings.

Although the cost of floors and frames is just a minor component of the overall cost of a project, selecting a steel frame results in a significantly reduced timescale compared to reinforced concrete construction. It also has a positive impact on a variety of other variable costs. These include cladding, labor, and foundation costs.  This translates to significantly higher overall cost savings.

Furthermore, builders who opt for tilt-up concrete construction run the risk of facing delays caused by the shortage or lack of availability of key concrete-making materials such as cement. A variety of factors such as import policies and shipping rates can affect the availability and prices of cement.

Conclusively, metal buildings have significantly lesser fixed and variable costs compared to reinforced concrete construction.

Commercial preengineered steel building in Panama

Recyclability

As it’s 100% recyclable, steel is a much more eco-friendly material than concrete. Lots of recyclable metal is sourced from demolishing old steel structures. This reduces the burden on the raw material mining industry and results in a manufacturing process that has a smaller environmental footprint. In the US, the long-span metal beams used in new steel buildings are made from around 95% recycled material. Thanks to the recyclability of steel, contractors can also benefit from LEED points. The owners of a metal building also get the opportunity to obtain a LEED certification. They can do this by utilizing energy-saving strategies that impact the complete cycle of a project, starting from eco-friendly construction practices right until the end of the project’s useful life. Effective strategies include opting for “greener” construction methods, materials and an array of other criteria. All of these will earn the project owner points towards their LEED certification.

Design Possibilities

Although concrete construction doesn’t offer as much customizability as metal construction, it does offer some real advantages in terms of space and its unique aesthetic. The main space-related benefit with high-rise reinforced concrete structures is that they require a less floor-to-floor height than metal structures. In other words, if both a steel structure and a concrete structure are 1,000 ft in height, the concrete one will typically have a greater number of floors. This provides more rentable space for building owners who opt for tilt-up concrete construction.

Furthermore, with proper engineering, the interruptions in a floor plate of a concrete building can be minimized as well.

Although steel structures require a higher floor-to-floor height than concrete buildings, engineers can use techniques such as castellated beam construction, a girder slab, and staggered truss to reduce the floor-to-floor height of the structure. However, when it comes to large floor spaces uninterrupted by columns, metal buildings reign supreme. Because of steels flexibility, builders can address the design requirements in different ways.

Durability against Natural Disasters

Compared to concrete, metal is a much more flexible and durable construction material. This means steel structures are much more resistant to natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis. Thanks to the greater tensile strength and flexibility of the material, metal buildings can easily withstand levels of pressure which can easily wipe out traditional concrete structures.

There’s a reason why the Japanese use reinforced steel pipes in the construction of their buildings. Unlike concrete, which is brittle, steel is highly ductile and can absorb high levels of energy, which makes it the perfect material for construction in seismic zones. Thousands of people lose their lives due to concrete structures collapsing. Concrete tilt-up structures typically possess lightweight roofs which can become compromised under hurricane-force winds, thereby impacting the connections that hold the concrete panels together. A Home Depot store in Joplin, Missouri made global news when it was impacted by tornado winds exceeding 200 mph in speed. The tornado took the structure’s roof off and the large concrete walls, weighing in excess of 100,000 pounds, collapsed like dominoes. 7 individuals lost their lives.

However, when it comes to fire resistance, concrete holds an advantage over metal. As it can withstand fire for longer periods, a concrete building is less likely to come down in case a fire breaks out. Unlike steel, it doesn’t warp or melt when exposed to high temperatures over an extended period of time. However, constructors can improve the safety of metal buildings by spraying fire-proofing solutions on to the steel.

The Purpose of the Project

Tilt-up concrete buildings are best suited for projects that are likely to see heavy public traffic for years and years. Metal structures, on the other hand, are the best option for projects that won’t see such heavy use. Furthermore, if a steel structure is damaged due to a vehicle striking or another type of accident, the repairs will be much more expensive compared to a reinforced concrete structure. Consequently, the insurance costs of metal buildings are comparatively higher as well. However, steel buildings depreciate slower in value than concrete ones.

Typically, storage buildings such as warehouses and airplane hangars that are built with metal have more long-term durability and reliability. Tilt-up concrete construction, on the other hand, is more suited for buildings in which security is the greatest priority.

Commercial preengineered steel building in Trinidad

The Best of Both Worlds

Based on the project specifications and design requirements, buildings are often built with both steel and concrete to get the best qualities from both materials. Thanks to its versatility and customizability, modern pre-fabricated steel is more than capable of complementing tilt-up concrete structures. In fact, many new buildings are being built with a combination of prefabricated metal and tilt-up concrete.

About Allied Steel Buildings

At Allied Steel Buildings, no project is too big or small. Whether you are building a warehouse, garage, barn, or skyscraper, we excel in creating pre-engineered steel building solutions for clients large and small. Discover the Allied Steel Buildings difference and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with a premier building company. Call us today at 1.877.997.8335 to learn more or fill out the quote form below to price your building.

Preengineered multistory steel building school in Chile

Indoor Horse Riding Arena Costs Explained

Indoor Steel Building Riding Arena

With the sort of winters parts of the country get, an indoor riding arena can be a worthwhile investment if you don’t want the elements to stand between you and your equine friends.

Even in the sunny parts of the country, where the weather can get too wet or too frozen for a few solid weeks to set the hoofs outdoors, investing in a Equestrian Facility makes real sense.

While there is certainly no “one-size-fits-all” approach to building and designing an indoor riding arena, taking into consideration the cost factors involved should give you an idea of what you can expect to spend on the project.

This post will walk you through the different cost factors involved in building an indoor riding arena—and where possible will give you a ballpark figure for each—to help you get started with your project.

Cost of Building an Indoor Riding Arena

The cost of building an indoor riding arena is mainly determined by the following:

• Structure type of the arena
• Size of the arena
• Location of the arena
• Optional structural elements for the indoor riding arena
• Functional elements of the arena

Structure type of the arena

When we talk about structure type, there are basically three options that you can choose from:

Fabric covered structure

This type of structure consists of a steel frame that’s covered by a translucent fabric roof, commonly made from polyethylene. The maximum free-width of a fabric covered structure can expand up to 200 feet, making it an ideal structure type for indoor riding arena construction projects. It has one main drawback though; it’s difficult to insulate.

Wood frame structure

As the name indicates, a wood frame structure is made entirely from wood. It offers greater design flexibility compared to fabric covered structure, allowing contractors to incorporate doors and windows along the length of the arena. The doors and windows control the amount of natural light entering into the building.

Another advantage of a wood frame structure is that you can easily insulate its roof and walls if you want. That said, a wood frame construction has a limited width, usually around 90 feet, which makes its use impractical for large sized arenas. Also, it needs to be carefully designed with the right combination of treated and untreated lumber to ensure structure longevity.

Steel frame structure

A steel frame structure accommodates the highest arena width—to 200 feet or more—of all structure types. It’s free of posts and columns, providing an obstacle-free field for riding.

Like wood frame structures, roof and walls of a steel frame structure can easily be insulated for comfortable winter horse training. Vendors typically offer steel frame structures in the form of pre-fab buildings, where the complete arena is fabricated offsite and is later transported to the site for assembly.

An indoor riding arena built from a steel frame structure is known for its durability, strength and robustness.

A pointer: In terms of cost, wood frame arenas are more expensive to build than fabric covered or steel frame arenas; the latter category of arenas, steel, generally requires the least amount of investment. This, however, may vary depending on the contractor/manufacturer you hire for the project.

Size of the arena

The size of the arena also plays a very important role in determining the cost of the project. The bigger the size of your arena, the higher the cost. This doesn’t mean, however, that you can compromise on the size of your arena just to reduce project cost. At the end of the day, you want to invest in an indoor riding arena that’s adequately sized so it can meet your needs for years to come.

The size of an indoor riding arena is specified in width, length and height.

• The minimum recommended width for an indoor riding arena is 60 feet
• The minimum recommended length for an indoor riding arena is 120 feet
• The minimum recommended height for an indoor riding arena is 16 feet

It’s important to note that while the length of an indoor riding arena can always be extended, the width of an arena cannot be changed, and therefore it shouldn’t be skimped on. Also, if you plan to incorporate some jumps for training, it’s always better to adjust the height of your arena by at least another 2 feet.

Location of the arena

The location of the arena affects the cost of the project in four ways:

• Permit costs
• Site preparation costs
• Utility setup costs
• Local codes

Let’s take a look at them one by one.

Permit costs

To build an indoor riding arena, you must first get the required permits from your local municipality or county office. The types of permits you need to obtain will vary depending on the location of the site that you’ve selected for your project. For example, if you’re planning to build the arena in an environmentally sensitive land, you may have to apply for an additional permit from your jurisdiction-specified conservation authority. Likewise, in some cases, you may need a special development permit to start the construction process. Consult your local Building Officer for tailored guidance.

Site preparation costs

Site preparation can take a chunk of your project’s budget. It mainly involves grading, excavation and drainage planning. When building an indoor riding arena, you ideally want to keep your site preparation costs to a minimum. However, that will be determined by the location of the site where you plan to build the arena. If the site is not level with the surrounding land, you’ll need to make it level to avoid water runoffs. If there’s too much dirt around, you’ll need to remove some of the soil to ensure an optimal base area support for the footing.

Utility setup costs

If you’re building the arena alongside a stable, you can leverage the infrastructure of the existing construction and connect it to the arena. However, if you’re building the arena as a stand-alone facility, you’ll then need to invest in getting the power, gas and water in.

Local Codes

Each pre-engineered metal building, or metal building kit, is designed to meet or exceed the local building codes. The location of your arena will determine the local codes the engineers must follow to design your building appropriately, to withstand the local weather & soil conditions. The more extreme the local weather conditions are, the higher the steel structure costs, as it needs to be reinforced to handle high winds, high snow loads, and seismic conditions.

Footing for the arena

There are several different types of footings that you can choose from. Each footing type varies in price.

Most indoor riding arena owners use a sand-soil footing for their facility. This type of footing offers a perfect balance between stability and speed. For riding arenas, where emphasis is on jumping during training, footing consisting of stone dust and rubber is preferred.

Other indoor riding arena footing options include:

• Fiber footing
• Rubber mulch
• Whoa dust (branded footing)

Whatever type of footing surface you decide to use for your indoor riding arena, it must provide:

• Good traction
• Effective dust control
• High stability
• Favorable weather resistance
• Cost effective installation

Optional structural elements for the indoor riding arena

The optional structural elements for an indoor riding arena include:

• Ventilation elements
• Insulation and heating elements

Ventilation elements

Adequate ventilation is critical to the operation of your indoor riding arena. It ensures healthy and airy indoors for your horses and limits condensation.

Ventilation inside a riding arena can be provided through:

• Strategically placed openings
• Mechanical systems

Examples of strategically placed openings include doors, windows and vented ridges.

Mechanical ventilation systems are more commonly used in insulated, heated horse buildings and commercial indoor riding arenas.

Insulation and heating elements

We’d strongly advise to keep your riding arena well insulated and heated if you live in cold weather climates. This will help you keep your horses warm.

However, if the weather in your area tends to remain warmer for most months of the year, then keeping your arena insulated is completely your choice.

To help you make an informed decision, here are a few (other) benefits of installing insulation in your indoor riding arena facility that you might want to consider:

• It helps promote a quieter environment
• It helps keeps your facility cooler in the summer heat

A Pointer: Mechanical ventilation systems cost more than natural ventilation systems; however, they provide more control to owners over the air exchange rate.

Functional elements of the arena

Last but not the least, functional elements.

Functional elements serve to increase the functionality of your indoor riding arena in terms of comfort, safety, hospitality and energy efficiency.

Below we list some popular functional elements used in indoor riding arenas:

• Stables: To house the horses inside an indoor riding arena. This way, owners don’t have to worry about moving their horses to (and from) the arena before (and after) every riding session.
• Cupolas: To add architectural accent to an indoor riding arena. These elements also provide ventilation to the building.
• Viewing area: To allow family, friends and fellow equestrians to watch the riders train the horses.
• Sky lights: To add natural lighting to an indoor riding arena. However, these elements can’t be added to fabric covered indoor riding facilities.
• Side lights: To add even more natural lighting to an indoor riding arena. These are much easier and less expensive to install than sky lights.
• Doors: To provide ventilation to an indoor riding arena. When incorporating man doors, owners must make sure that the doors are at least 12 feet high and 16 feet wide to allow mounted riders to easily pass through.
• Rider guards: To make an indoor riding arena safer for horses. These elements also provide a finished look to the interior of a riding arena.
• Rain gutters: To divert snow melt and rain water away from the doorways of a riding arena, keeping them from becoming mud holes.
• Vapor barriers: To reduce outside noise inside an indoor riding arena. These elements also make the building more energy efficient.
• Wainscoting: To make the interior of an indoor riding arena more visually appealing.
• LED lights: To keep an indoor riding arena well-lit and the horses inside the arena safe.
• Ceiling mounted fans: To provide ventilation inside the building of an indoor riding arena.

A Pointer: The planning for incorporating functional elements inside an indoor riding arena should always be done in the early phases of the project. This helps to budget better.

Closing words

For every equestrian, their horses are their pride. They love taking care of them, they love riding them, and they passionately strive to provide the best environment for them. When it comes to training and riding, the outdoors can be a dangerous place for your horse.

Outdoor surfaces can be slippery; often times, they’re inconsistently graded, and even when they are not, the weather can make them so.  As such, the last thing you would want to happen is your horse to get injured while you train outdoors.

An indoor riding arena serves as a great solution in this case. It provides a safe environment for your horse and allows you to train without worrying about the snow, hail, rain or unpredictable surfaces.

In short, an indoor riding arena is the ultimate dream of every horse owner.

There is no fixed cost to  building an indoor riding arena. There’re so many factors involved in the project that make every job unique.

The primary factors as we have discussed above include:

• What type of building you want to invest in
• How big your indoor riding arena will be
• Where will your indoor riding arena be located
• What type of footing you want to install
• What type of structural elements you want to include in your arena
• What type of functional elements you want to add to your arena

Each of these factors are highly customizable. How you customize them will ultimately dictate the total cost of the project.

It’s also important to keep in mind that the overall cost of the project will depend on the contractor you hire. Every contractor/manufacturer will have their own rates, so you must choose a vendor that offers the best value for your project. You should choose a contractor that’s reliable, experienced, honest and dependable.

All in all, building an indoor riding arena is an investment. You should do your research and make an informed decision. Rest assured, your investment will serve you well for years to come.

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Who doesn’t like the smell of fresh wood, the feel of a natural material? At Allied Steel we fully appreciate the charm of wood and its place in our country’s building tradition. When it comes to the simple enjoyment of a building then going for what you like most – wood, brick, metal, concrete – can be your prime motivator.

But when building something that will (a) cost you to construct, (b) cost you to maintain and (c) needs to serve you for an extended period of time – decades perhaps – then we need to be a little more practical – hard-headed perhaps – about our choices.

And when it comes to barns and similar agricultural buildings, steel buildings are increasingly the number one choice. And it’s not because there’s something inherently wrong with wood. It’s more because there are some irresistible advantages with steel.

Here’s where steel barns out-perform wooden ones every time:

Weather resistance:

Galvanized steel building barns shrug off the rain and the snow, the wind and the hail, the dust and the dirt. Weather cannot soak into steel, cannot create dampness or dry rot and cannot cause bowing, stretching or any other types of weather-related damage. Wood, on the other hand, has to be maintained against all this. That’s cash-expensive and labor-expensive. And, as you know, if you don’t bite the bullet and pay for wood’s upkeep then it will eventually let you down.

Ongoing costs: 

So your maintenance bill is significantly higher with a wood pole barn simply because that barn needs ongoing regular maintenance. Whereas you can install a steel barn and kiss maintenance goodbye for the next 15 or 20 years. And it’s for that reason that barn insurance can be significantly lower for a sturdy steel barn than it is for a wooden pole barn. Pole barns shift and move in the ground under them and so are not always recognized as permanent structures. Steel barns are built on a concrete platform, are strongly anchored in place and so meet the building code requirements of a permanent fixture.

Durability: 

You can’t chip or damage steel in the way you can damage wood. Hit it hard enough with a vehicle and it might dent but otherwise it stands up to the kind of punishment that steel is rightfully famous for. And insects don’t stand a chance. There’s no burrowing into steel, that’s for sure. One other thing: no steel barn ever burnt down. That can’t be said for wooden ones.

Valleyfield Farm, 100×200 Equestrian Riding Arena located in Alberta, Canada

Foundations: 

Your wooden pole barn is installed into the ground. The wood is treated to withstand the expanding and contracting of both the ground and the wood itself caused by changes in weather but… it’ll only take so much of that before it starts to flake and rot. Whereas your steel barn is anchored to a concrete foundation so that it’s not just steel’s in-built weather resistance that’s protecting your structure – it’s also not touching the ground in the first place.

Keep in mind also that if you live in a natural disaster area – high winds, hurricanes, torrential rain and so on – your steel building will be manufactured to withstand the exact weather conditions common to your area. If anything is going to resist harsh weather steel is the one.

Valleyfield Farm, 100×200 Equestrian Riding Arena located in Alberta, Canada

Time advantages: 

Your wooden building requires regular maintenance – particularly waterproofing. It’s an annual job – and it isn’t a small one. Steel buildings? They require a repaint every couple of decades. Otherwise, they can be left alone.

Looks: 

Yes, you read that right. Gone are the days when a steel building has to look like… well, a steel building. If aesthetics matter then Allied Steel can create a steel building that looks like anything but a steel building. Finishes such as stucco or brick or colors that blend in with the surrounding environment are all part of our metal barn offering.

And steel doesn’t discolor in the way that wood does either so once you’ve chosen a steel building you like the look of  you can be confident it will maintain those looks for many years to come.

Overall, a steel barn will cost less to own, be far less time-consuming to look after and will serve you in a practical sense far better than a similar wooden barn. It’s for these very reasons that steel barns are so popular these days. Would you like to know more about Allied’s steel building kits?

Feel free to speak to one of our building professionals now – call on 1.877.997.8335

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Considering steel buildings for your next project? Sure, building materials such as wood, concrete, and brick have their place in the rich construction history of this country. However, there’s a reason that in the modern era, industry experts prefer the use of structural steel over any other building material for construction. From manufacturing to home construction, structural steel is prominent nearly everywhere around the world. Buildings, bridges, high-rise buildings, shops, and warehouses all utilize structural steel sections. Today, we will provide you with six advantages of steel over other materials to demonstrate why steel is king when it comes to building.

It’s Less Expensive and More Efficient

Choosing structural steel for your next project will help reduce its overall expense and enhance its value. For many projects, the cost of a steel frame is lower than that of competing systems. It can also provide other economic benefits, such as:

• Lower Foundation Costs – Structural steel has a higher strength-to-weight ratio than other materials.
• General Savings – Steel framing requires less time to construct, thus reducing labor hours.
• Increased Revenue or Returns – Faster construction allows owners to occupy the structures earlier or use them for business sooner.
• Future Savings – If a project requires modification or expansion later, steel framing systems are highly adaptable, offering immense savings.
  

It’s Stronger

Steel is renowned for its durability. Structural steel typically exhibits a minimum tensile strength of at least 50 ksi, meaning it can withstand yield stress of 50,000 pounds per square inch in both compression and tension. Compared to all other materials, structural steel has the most exceptional ability to maintain its integrity through seismic events and fires, as well as endure corrosion from rust, water, mold, and insects. Even extreme weather systems such as tornadoes, hurricanes, and hail are usually incapable of toppling a steel structure. No other building material matches the resistance of steel.

It’s Sustainable

Steel is the most recycled material on our planet. Today’s structural steel uses 88 percent of recycled material, and it is fully recyclable in the future with minimal processing. Structural steel may go through countless iterations of recycling. Recycling structural steel keeps it from becoming construction material waste that fills up salvage yards and squanders valuable land resources.

It’s Modifiable 

Steel homes, garages, and buildings allow room from improvement in ways that other framing systems cannot. Engineers can strengthen existing steel columns and beams by attaching steel plates to them, allowing for more significant loads. Existing steel-framed buildings can accommodate new stairways by removing a portion of the floor decking, bracing a single bay, and adding the desired stair structure. Steel allows for both vertical and horizontal expansions to a structure without the necessity to vacate the premises.

It’s Predictable

Steel fabrication undergoes rigorous quality assurance testing. Off-site manufacturing allows for controlled conditions, ensuring a higher quality product configured to precise tolerances. This fabrication process makes steel predictable in terms of how it will move and act under stress. Furthermore, steel’s resale value stays consistent over its lifetime, with the benefit of lower insurance rates and superior durability in all environments for buildings that use it.

It Looks Great

More and more modern architects are praising the natural beauty and grace of steel buildings. In its formation, structural steel tolerates dramatic bends and rolling to create non-linear patterns that further enhance the aesthetic appeal of a structure, all without sacrificing resilience and value. This method of production spawns new and innovative finishes that other materials cannot replicate.

Contact Allied Steel Buildings for Your Next Project

Given the numerous advantages associated with steel and metal structures, you need to utilize steel in your next building project. Not only will your steel building look amazing, but it will also be durable, cost-effective, and adaptable. Call Allied Steel Buildings today at 1-866-530-6598 or visit our to see what our expert team can accomplish on your behalf. When you choose a steel building kit, anything is possible.