Should I Invest In A Metal Building Or Add On To My Current Building?

Posted by Ben Sparhawk on Feb 3, 2020 9:21:24 AM

It's not uncommon for a business to outgrow their initial facilities.

It's actually a good sign if you do because needing more space typically means you've accomplished some level of success.

But, when that time comes, it means you have to make a pretty big decision: do you move your business into a new facility, or do you expand your existing facilities.

If you chose to use a metal building to set up your business when you first started, you're in luck. Either option is realistic for you.

People who have timber buildings will find it more difficult to expand their current facilities, whereas metal buildings are easily expandable.

Even if you do have a metal building, it can still be a tough decision to make with many factors to consider.

In the article below, we'll look at a few of the factors you should consider when making that decision, and then we'll talk about expanding your metal building.

Table Of Contents

 

Three Factors To Consider

There are three main factors you should consider when making the decision to expand your current facilities or move to a new one.

They are as follows.

Location

I'm sure you remember how much time it took to pick out the location of your current facilities.

You likely considered the neighborhood, the proximity to your competition, the potential for growth, traffic patterns, entrances, and exits, just to name a few factors that will have an impact on the future success of your business.

You should do the same thing when you're considering expansion or relocation.

If your current facility is thriving, and you're comfortable with the future of your business location, expanding could likely be your best option.

This will allow you to build on your current success without missing a beat and avoid the headaches of uprooting your business.

If the initial assessment of your business location proved to be inaccurate or your neighborhood has changed, building from scratch could be the change your business needs.

Moving your business will give you a fresh start and facilitate business in a location that better suits you and your business goals.

Building from scratch also allows you to design a brand new space if you feel that's needed.

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Land

More often than not, the decision to expand or relocate comes down to the amount and cost of land that is available.

If you own enough land, expansion is a logical choice because your metal building can be easily modified to fit your needs.

This cut costs since you already own the land and will speed up the project timeline since you won't need to find a new location.

If you don't have the room to expand, but you need more space in your facility so you can grow your business, you'll likely need to relocate.

Building from scratch will allow you to buy land that fits the current needs of your business, as well as allow you to expand again in the future if it's ever necessary.

Relocating and building from scratch will require more research and analysis, but it will also provide you with a new opportunity to capitalize on previous success.

Local Considerations

No matter what decision you make, local building codes and regulations will have to be researched.

Whether you're expanding or relocating, local codes can limit the size and functionality of your newly designed facility.

Most cities have a master plan that has been in place for decades. The master plan details what areas will be zoned commercial, residential, and mixed-use.

Hidden in those regulations are things like setbacks, height restrictions, and landscaping requirements.

The city's master plan is usually done in accordance with the taxes the city will need as it grows, which makes changing the zoning difficult but not impossible.

If a parcel of land is zoned commercial, and you need it rezoned for mixed use, you can apply for a change in zoning at the city planners office.

You'll have to present a compelling case as to why it is in the community's best interest for the change to be made, including the effect it will have on the city's income.

You can build these changes into your land purchase agreement and contingencies.

Check out our article, How To Finance Your New Metal Building, for more information on investing in your metal building.

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You've Decided To Expand

If after taking everything above into consideration you've decided to expand, we've got great news for you: it's pretty simple.

There are a few ways you can expand your building, and we'll discuss those below.

Make It Wider

Adding a lean-to is an extremely easy and cost-effective way to make the building bigger by adding width. The higher the roofline the wider the lean-to can be, and the more bays you can add.

A lean-to extends the roofline to the side and the original walls can either stay with the addition of doors or be removed to keep the space open. 

The new frame will attach to the original frame.

To open the bay up to the original building you'll just need to remove the wall panels and some girts.

Add new roofing and end panels and you're done.

And, the wall panels you don't need anymore can be reused elsewhere.

The lean-to won't need to match the height of the original structure. If you have a fairly tall building, the lean-to can be as tall or as short as you like.

Make It Taller

Making it taller will require special framing techniques from the outset.

If your original building doesn't have the appropriate moment-resistant frame, some girts and purlins will have to be shored up, other girts removed, and a new spanning moment-resistant frame must be in place before adding new bays and end walls.

Another method is to build a new frame around the original building with the new frame footed into the foundation outside the old walls.

This means you need to have a wide enough foundation to do so.

Make It Longer

It's not much harder to make a building longer instead of wider, but it involves a different process.

If you have post and beam construction, you won't be able to attach the new addition directly to the original frame as you do with a lean-to.

The added construction would have to start as an entirely new end wall placed next to the end wall of the existing building.

Otherwise, just like lean-tos, add extra load-bearing capacity to the original frame when it is constructed, and the new addition's secondary frame can be attached to the original primary frame when you are ready to expand.

You can make the building as long as you like, adding extra bays to the back as far as you have the room and foundation.

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Need Help? Contact CDMG

No matter what decision you make, or where you are in the process of building, CDMG can help.

With decades of experience in the industry, there's nothing CDMG Building Systems can't assist with.

Their team is ready to help you today.

Click the button below to get started.

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Check our our other articles:

Avoid These Mistakes When Buying Your New Metal Building

The Biggest Myths About Metal Buildings

Buying A Steel Building? Tips For The First Time Buyer

The Original Article Is Here

Topics: new metal building

About The Author

ben-sparhawkI'm Ben Sparhawk, the Content Writer and Marketing Account Manager for CDMG. I write to showcase the work that CDMG does and everything related to the pre-engineered metal building industry as well as their engineering capabilities. When I'm not working on content, you can find me spending time with my wife and children. You can also find me in the gym, trying to better myself, and I also enjoy spending time outdoors hiking or checking out local parks.