Shop Buildings & Workshops
DIY Shop Kits. Go Up Fast & Cost less than Wood Construction
Straight Wall Buildings
- Attractive “traditional” building design
- Excellent strength and rigidity
- Build yourself from $7 per square foot
Superior Shop Space for Less
Dream of having a luxury workshop building, a retreat from the stresses of daily living, where you can exercise your creativity and comfortably work on home building projects?
Shop buildings in metal are the perfect solution, offering superior protection and a space to keep all your tools, crafts, musical instruments and other hobby projects safe and secure for years to come.
Sample Steel Shop Buildings
Building Design Options
Quonset Buildings
- Up to 30% less than Straight Walls
- Best for earthquake & hurricane zones
- Build yourself from $5 per square foot
Example Metal Shop Building Prices :
| Size (L /W) | Square Feet (SF) | Quonset Prices | Straight Wall Prices |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20′ x 20′ | 400 SF | $8,200 | $11,300 |
| 30′ x 40′ | 1,200 SF | $10,000 | $11,500 |
| 40′ x 40′ | 1,600 SF | $15,300 | $18,400 |
| 40′ x 60′ | 2,400 SF | $20,000 | $23,000 |
Things to Consider When Planning & Building a Shop:
- Regardless of how large you want your steel workshop building to be, a solid concrete foundation is essential. This is a crucial step that cannot be overlooked if you want your steel workshop to have a long lifespan. A general rule for a strong foundation is to include at least 120 mm of hardcore concrete as a sub-base, and at least another 120 mm of mixed concrete. It may be worthwhile to consider including steel bar reinforcements as your pour the concrete to ensure the strength of the foundation (more on foundations specific to steel buildings).
- Before you pour the concrete foundation, be sure to plan ahead for any utilities or piping that will need to be brought through it. This includes the soil pipe that runs from the bathrooms to your septic, and the water supply line.
- If you plan on connecting your workshop to power and water that should be taken into account before you begin building. Call your utility company while in the early stages of planning to learn what they require of you before they hook up the connection. Determine the location inside the workshop where you will be placing your breaker panel, as utility companies often insist the distance from the meter be as short as possible.
- Consider how much light you will need in your shop and where you need the most natural light for working on projects. With this in mind, you will then be able to correctly place windows and skylights to maximize the amount of natural lighting.
- The best time of year to build a steel shop is in the late spring after the ground dries. This affords you a long stretch of good weather and ample time to complete construction before winter sets in. It also allows you all of fall and winter to prepare for construction, by obtaining your building permits and hiring contractors (if needed).
- If you plan on using your workshop in all seasons, insulation should be considered. Spray foam is an effective method in regulating the temperature of your steel workshop while also providing soundproofing qualities. In hot and humid weather, steel buildings can suffer from sweating which can cause water droplets to form on the ceiling. Although steel structures are resistant to mildew and mold growth, a consistent accumulation of moisture can damage the structure (more on insulation options).
Different Roofing Options for Shop Buildings
Your roof is subject to incredible stress, from snow to rain and wind, which is why it’s important that it be strong, durable and properly installed, requiring little maintenance and providing many years of hassle-free protection.
Steel metal is an incredibly cost-effective and strong roofing material, and will likely never need to be replaced during its lifetime.
BuildingsGuide represents many suppliers of both styles of pre-engineered steel structures with different roofing styles: traditional straight-wall buildings, and Quonset hut style buildings.
A Quonset building has a rounded corrugated arched roof, which has a well-earned reputation for its incredible strength and resilience, especially against earthquakes, hurricanes, and gale-force winds.
The architectural style was designed during the Second World War when the U.S. Navy required a lightweight building that could be easily shipped and assembled for use by their troops in Europe. The Quonset Huts, named after the town where they were first manufactured, were lightweight pre-engineered steel structures. The building style became popular for its large column-free, clearspan space inside, and the strength of its corrugated roof, which provided safety during bomb raids.
Why Steel for Shops?
- Shop buildings in metal are durable and provide first-rate protection from harsh weather, including wind gusts, rain, hail, and snow. Most buildings can be engineered to withstand 140MPH wind loads and Quonset Hut shops have been known to withstand hurricane-force winds.
- Prefab shop buildings are resistant to termite damage or any other insect or animal infestations that may compromise the strength or integrity of your workshop buildings metal walls and roof.
- The high strength to weight ratio of steel compared to many other construction materials ensures its resilience to the elements.
- Steel is resistant to fire and therefore is inexpensive to insure. Any worries about lightning strikes causing fires are forgotten with a steel workshop, keeping your interior safe.
- Low maintenance costs. If maintained properly, steel is resistant to decay, mildew and rust due to its zinc and aluminum alloy coating.
- Steel is an environmentally friendly alternative to wood. The metal is the most recycled material on the planet and is made using a clean manufacturing process.
- With a prefab steel building kit, erecting steel shop buildings is quick and cost-effective compared to traditional ‘stick built’ structures
Benefit From Maintenance-Free Ownership
With metal shop buildings, you won’t have to be constantly replacing parts as is often the case with a wood building due to wood’s tendency to warp, crack and rot in response to harsh weather conditions such as rain, snow, and cold temperatures.
In fact, steel has been shown to be much more durable than wood, which means you will save money on replacement costs and you won’t have to waste valuable time repairing your shop building.
If your area is subject to severe weather events such as hurricanes and tornadoes the strength of steel can offer a safe refuge from the harshest conditions Mother Nature has to throw at you.
That’s why, with a metal shop building, it is truly a case of “build it and forget about it.”
To learn much more about metal shop buildings, metal shop prices, metal shop kits as well as to receive multiple bids from local manufacturers complete our four-minute quote request form and get up to four competing quotes.
Additional Resources:
