Texas Metal Building with Cedar Post Porch | WolfSteel Buildings
This is one of the first questions our clients ask themselves when starting their Texas Metal Building journey. We are going to dive into basic guidance in understanding dimensions, recommendations, typical vehicle sizes, and more. Keep in mind, we are going to dive into utility use buildings or in other words storage, garages, and workshops.
For residential and commercial projects, we highly recommend working with a licensed architect. Architects are extremely important in this process because they are qualified to provide guidance and planning to have an amazing experience with your construction projects. These types of projects typically require an understanding of following the IRC or the IBC. in simple layman terms, the IRC and the IBC is like the IRS, but for construction.
Another thing to keep in mind, we will reference the industry but, we also will reference how we, at WolfSteel Buildings, do our builds.
Do you have permits or HOA restrictions?
Before we start talking about dimensions, it is important to understand if you have HOA or Permit restrictions. We have a great video where we speak about permitting and HOA restrictions. Check it out if you want to get into details.
At the time of writing this article, many people and contractors in Texas build Texas Metal Buildings without a permit although a permit might be needed. It just so happens that some permitting departments do not enforce it but it is becoming more and more common. Why is this important for dimensions? Your permitting department and your HOA can restrict the dimensions on what you can and can’t build on your property. Here are the most common restrictions we have encountered here in Texas.
– Limit on the total sq ft size you can build
– Limit on the height of your building
– Limit on the quantity of buildings you can have on your property
– Restrictions on setbacks
– Restrictions on the type of material you can use
– Unable to build until you have a home on your property
The above restrictions are the ones we hear commonly on your dimensions for your future Texas Metal Building on your property. We encourage you to start by checking with your city if you are in the city limits and with your county for any restrictions. If you are free from restrictions, then you can build whatever you want!
What is the Width, Length, and Height?
It is important to understand what is the width, length, and height to communicate well with our industry.
The width is referring to the gable section or where the peak of a gabled metal building is. In more construction terms, this is referring to the width of the trusses or rafters which determines the span you have inside without a supporting column. This is important because the wider you go, the need for reinforced truss/rafters will be needed that increases your price more than the length.
The length is referring to the opposite dimension which typically is where all the columns land.
The height is referring to the height of the building to the eaves. This is important because it can limit the dimensions of the doors you can fit. We will be talking in more detail in the following paragraphs.
So for now, you understand what the industry width, length, and height are. The measurements are usually always speaking outside to outside of the frame. This doesn’t include the measurement of the sheet metal which is usually around ¾” to 1-¼” all the way around. It is important to ask your builder since some builders build differently.
To determine the square footage you want for your building you simply multiply the width x length.
When you are requesting a quote, structuring your measurements in Width x Length x Height will make it very easy for us and any metal builder to understand your request. It is not uncommon to hear clients request quotes in Length x Width x Height which can be confusing for both parties.
What square footage do I need?
The first thing to determine is what you are using the metal building for. Many of our clients use them for storing, working on cars, parking their toys, a mancave, office space, or even a workspace. Don’t forget to neglect your future goals to make sure you build for the future. I once had a client that built a short building and a couple years later bought an RV. We had to take down that building and build a taller building.
We recommend starting with your standard floor layout which is your width x length. If you are techy, try some websites that allow you to create a floor plan for free. We are not endorsing any website specifically but if you do a google search you should be able to find a good one that lets you draw it up.
You can also do the old school fun way. Buy some stakes and build a square on your property. Try parking your car, toys, etc. inside that square you created to make sure it is a great fit and to your liking. Do not forget to accommodate at least 3’ ft space to maneuver and walk around between your items.
Do keep in mind, the dimensions are outside to outside of framing dimensions. Always account for material dimensions that can take away from your interior space. Especially for tubular buildings taller than 13’ ft and red iron buildings. In red iron buildings, we use I beams that can range from 6” to 20” I Beams. Here I share pictures of the inside of several structures that can take away space from the inside.
The Parking Lot Tip
Here at WolfSteel Buildings we train on dimensions for vehicles with the parking lot tip. A parking lot is typically 9 ft wide and 18 feet long. If you are planning to park 2 vehicles side by side, your minimum required size metal building should be 18W x 20L. However keep in mind how uncomfortable it can be to open doors when parked too close, so my recommendation for two cars parked next to each other is 24 Wide x 25 length.
What are common dimensions for Texas Metal Buildings?
We build over 200 projects a year, so we have worked with these common sizes for Texas Metal Buildings:
– 24 Wide x 30 Length typically two vehicle garage with a moderate workshop space
– 30 Wide x 40 Length typically two vehicle garage with a bigger man cave space
– 40 Wide x 60 Length typically for large equipment or large man cave or barndominium space
– 50 Wide x 80 Length typically for Residential or Commercial space
These sizes have consistently been very common requests and common builds we work with.
What height should I consider?
For height it is important to consider the height of your doors and the height of your building. Ultimately, what you are trying to fit inside the building will influence the height for your metal building.
The most common sizes for roll-up doors and overhead doors are the following:
- 6′ Width x 6′ Height
- 8′ Width x 7′ Height
- 8′ Width x 8′ Height
- 9′ Width x 7′ Height
- 9′ Width x 8′ Height
- 10′ Width x 8′ Height
- 10′ Width x 10′ Height
- 10′ Width x 12′ Height
- 12′ Width x 10′ Height
- 12′ Width x 12′ Height
- 12′ Width x 14′ Height
- 14′ Width x 10′ Height
- 14′ Width x 12′ Height
- 14′ Width x 14′ Height
- 16′ Width x 7′ Height
- 16′ Width x 8′ Height
Having mentioned that, always measure what you are trying to fit inside your building. Typically standard vehicles don’t exceed 7’ ft tall. I would measure those trucks Texans. If you are getting an RV, don’t forget to measure your AC unit on the top. It usually adds an extra 9” – 12” extra to your clearance needed.
If you are trying to do 2 story space such as a loft or mezzanine, we recommend a minimum of 18’ ft height to the eaves. This recommendation is to have at least 8’ft clearance on the first floor. The roof pitch can be adjusted to give you additional clearance on the second floor. See roof pitch below.
Do keep in mind, not all doors can fit in your building. On the width, we recommend to have the height of the door a minimum 1’ ft smaller than the height of the building. For garage doors being placed on the side, garage doors must have from 1’ to 2’ ft less height than the eave height. This is to give enough space for the header. A header is added to mount and support that door on the side of the building. There are other restrictions which we typically review during our construction review process (planning) to make sure your project has no issues during the construction process.
Another thing to keep in mind for tubular metal buildings is the bracing in the corners and the trusses can take away from your eave height and your roof clearance. See pictures below.
How can a roof pitch give me higher roof clearance?
The standard roof pitch we carry for Texas Metal Buildings is 3/12 and you can go up to 6/12 pitch for an additional cost for Tubulars. For Red Iron, we can do steeper roofs as well. See chart below for estimated roof pitch heights.
To calculate the total building height with roof pitch, add the building height + roof pitch height.
As you can see, a higher roof pitch can give you higher clearance. This is something to consider if you are doing a loft or mezzanine inside your metal building or would love high ceilings.
Different customizations can open and free up space
One of the many beauties of metal buildings is their versatility. You can customize it anyway to allow you the ability to free up space. Couple ideas to maximize your space:
1. You can add doors anywhere on the building. We as builders do have some adjustments to do such build headers or increase the span of your bays but it is very doable. This allows you to maximize your space according to how the dimensions you choose work for you.
2. You can add lean to’s or gable extensions also commonly known as porches. This is a very popular option to increase your space without breaking the bank. If you know you want extra roof cover to park your trailer, boat, vehicle, etc. you can build a lean to or a gable extension on your metal building. See pictures below for ideas:
How pricing influences your dimension decisions
Of course price and budgets greatly influence the dimensions you select. If you want to learn more about how tubular buildings are priced and what influences the price of Tubular Buildings, check out this video. The 5 Pricing Factors for Tubular Buildings.
We are working on a Red Iron Metal Building Pricing Factors video. If you would like to design and quote your metal building check out our designer. Design your metal building and submit it for a free estimate.