Pre-engineered metal buildings arrive as a package of steel, and we erect them around Manchester, NH. The kit price tells only part of it, so this page follows one from truck to standing frame. Then it covers what the site needs and what sets the cost. Call (603) 660-2011, or send the drawings, and we'll tell you what it takes to get yours standing.
A pre-engineered metal building is a steel building designed and made by one manufacturer as a complete system. That's why it ships with numbered parts and its own erection drawings, made for that one building. The main pieces are:
The engineering is done before the steel ever ships. The manufacturer's engineer designs it for the loads where it will stand. In New Hampshire, that means snow. The drawings come stamped, so they're usually what the town wants to see for the permit.
It's worth checking who makes the building before you order. Every building manufacturer in MBMA, the Metal Building Manufacturers Association, is accredited under IAS AC472. An independent auditor checks their plants every year. That's the manufacturer's accreditation, so it says nothing about who puts the building up.
On site, one building goes up like this.
First the package comes off the trucks and gets sorted by part number. That way each piece lies near the frame line it belongs to, and nobody hunts for a purlin at height.
Then the first two frames go up, and the bay between them gets braced plumb and square. Plumb means standing straight up, and square means true right angles. Every other bay lines up off that first one, so it gets the most care.
Each rigid frame stays on the crane line until at least half its bolts are in and tight. If the manufacturer calls for more, it's more. That's OSHA's rule for metal buildings, because a loose frame can't be trusted to stand on its own.
From there the frames go up bay by bay. Purlins, girts and the eave strut, the member along the top of each wall, tie them into one structure. The bolts get torqued to the manufacturer's spec, so each connection is as tight as the design assumes.
Until the bays are tied in, temporary bracing holds the frames, because wind is the real risk at this stage. The permanent rod or cable bracing goes in next, and only then does the temporary bracing come off.
Then come the roof and wall panels, the trim and the doors. Who does that part depends on what came with the building, so it's settled before the start. Standing the steel frame is the part we come for.
Erection day goes best when the site is ready for it, and four things decide that.
The foundation comes first. Under OSHA's rules, steel can't go up until the concrete is strong enough, and the erector gets that in writing. Strong enough means 75 percent of its design strength, or enough to carry the erection loads. The controlling contractor, usually the general contractor, gives that notice.
Next come the anchor bolts, cast into the concrete to hold each column down. They have to sit where the manufacturer's anchor bolt plan puts them. A column that won't land on its bolts holds up every frame behind it. So check them before the steel comes.
Then room to work. The trucks need a way in. The package needs a flat area, because it gets laid out before anything goes up. There has to be a spot for the crane, and ground firm enough for the lifts.
Last, the paperwork: the erection drawings and the building permit belong on site. That's because the crew works from one, and the town can ask for the other.
A metal building standing on its lot is really three costs: the building package, the foundation and the erection. Online prices for a building of a given size usually cover the package, at most with a slab. So the erection still has to be priced on its own, and that's the part we price.
What the erection costs comes down to the building and the site. Every frame is a lift. Each lift means bolts to set and torque, so the number of frames and bays counts. A taller eave means work higher up, which means bigger lifts and more time at height.
The site plays in too. Tight access or soft ground slows the trucks and the lifts. So does winter, when snow and wind cut into the working days.
Where the erection stops counts as well. Panels, trim and doors may be in it or go to another crew, depending on how the building was bought. That's why we read the drawings and walk the site before we give a number.
From the road the two can look alike, but they stand up in different ways.
A pole barn is post-frame. Wood posts set in the ground carry the roof. A pre-engineered building is a steel frame, bolted to a foundation through its anchor bolts. Because the steel frames reach from wall to wall, a wide building can stay free of posts inside.
What decides it is mostly the building's use and the span and height you need. Your town's permit rules count too. Whichever way they point, the choice is yours. But if it's a steel building, that's the one we put up.
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We don't publish a price, because each building and site is different. The estimate is free, and the drive out to your site is part of it, not an extra. A metal building usually gets its number in writing, while a small job can get one on the phone.
A pole barn often costs less up front, at least for a small building. Over the years the gap can narrow, because wood posts in the ground need watching for rot. Frost heave, when frozen ground lifts them, is the other worry, while a steel frame sits on its foundation. What the building has to carry counts too, like snow on a wide roof.
Call (603) 660-2011 with the delivery date, then upload the erection drawings and the anchor bolt plan through the form. Between them they show every frame, every bay and where each column lands. So they're what a building's number is worked out from, and what we plan the lifts around. Who does what on the rest of the job is on the page about metal buildings across New Hampshire.
