Metal Building Cost?

Plan to make it larger and taller than you really need. Larger MHs are 45 feet long and you need room to walk around it. I made the mistake by not planning for the future and now stuck with a small barn that is not tall enough...that's my 2 cents...

Here in my part of Texas I think the concrete will be the biggest cost. About 20 years ago I put up a 24x40 not counting the slab for $2000.00 of course I did the work all my self including the welding.
And there is no front on it, it's just the 2 sides and 1 end. I have the sides about 18 inches from the ground so it get good air circulation.

Much depends on local codes as mentioned. Options can push the price, too. We had a metal shop built. 20x30 Metal building with 12' walls, roof vent, one window, 2" insulation, water, 125A service and 10x10 roll up door. We live within 1500' of the coast line so gust load is 150mph for 10 seconds. Foundation was <$10k and building was ~$15k. Foundation was nearly 4' deep at cornered and mid beam supports. That was with steel mesh 4" floors.

I'd have put 6" floors if I had planned on parking anything heavier than a pickup. Find out what the local codes require on wind load for tornado in your area. Keep in mind the erection costs. You will have to have a crane or other lift to get roof beams in place, not to mention the higher girths and purloins. We had a high lift fork vehicle used by the erctors which was ~$1k for about three days delivered.

the metal bldg. at my winter ranch in NM is 45'x 60' x 20ft high, with 2 - 14 ft high rollup doors, 2 9 ft high rollup doors, 2 man doors, 6 windows, no insulation or liner panels. the total cost with slab & construction (no utilities) was $65,000 or $24 /sqft (this was 8 yrs ago)

the metal bldg. at my summer home in Colorado is 30' x 30' x 14' high, with 2 10' rollup doors, 6 windows, 1 man door. its fully insulated & interior liner panels. with slab & installation it cost $40,000 or $45 / sq ft (3 yrs ago)

both bldgs., I installed the electrical & plumbing myself

wind loads, snow loads, local bldg. codes, height, insulation, interior liners, doors, windows, site conditions & site access all effect the pricing. Local competition also effects pricing. If you're in an area with only a few contractors and they're all busy year round, you wont get any pricing breaks. But an area with plenty of contractors actively looking for work, brings the price down.

Just the cost of the foundation slab can vary significantly. Depending on local soils condition you may have to excavate out 3 ft of dirt under the slab, dispose of it and haul in select backfill material. For parking a heavy motorhome you will want a 6" slab with rebar reinforcing. For regular vehicles & pickups you could go with a 4" slab with wire mesh. Some local codes may require a grade beam or footers under the slab, others will accept just a thickened adge around the slab. The wind load of the bldg. will also effect the slab design. lots of variables

Ours is a 40 ft. by 18 width with 18 inch roof hang. The pole barn has cement floor but I wired it the cost was approx.17,500. It looks very good being two tone. My wife talked me into cement floor, boy was she right it is much better then cement. P.S.it was put up two years ago.

rgatijnet1 wrote:

dejr2000 wrote:
Also depends what you're including in that number. Insulated, electrical, plumbing etc.

As well as hurricane wind loads which may affect any metal buildings built in locations that may be subject to high winds.

Don't forget snow loads. But, I'm guessing that's not a factor in Huntsville TX, or Florida. :M

Are you really handy? And have a few good friends? In my slightly younger days I bought a prefab kit from Mueller Steel Buildings. 30'x40' (1'200 sq ft), 4-12 pitch roof, 2' overhanging eaves all around, guttered, fully insulated, three windows, two roll up doors, and one walk thru door, on concrete slab foundation (with extra steel) for about $15,000. This was for a shop and farm equipment. But higher walls and taller doors and it would have been great for an RV. All bolt together, no welding. Lot of work, but a satisfying accomplishment. Prices would be a little higher now. But the extras also added a couple thousand to my price.

dejr2000 wrote:
Also depends what you're including in that number. Insulated, electrical, plumbing etc.

As well as hurricane wind loads which may affect any metal buildings built in locations that may be subject to high winds.

Also depends what you're including in that number. Insulated, electrical, plumbing etc.

around here we build pole barns, much cheaper