You’re ready. This is the moment you’ve been waiting for. The building. The facility. The complex. The structure that will reach into the sky and open the door (this is a pun) to all the possibilities. You’ve waited, you’ve planned, and now it’s time to build.

Over the last several weeks of this series, we’ve gone through all the details you must cover:

• beginning your project
• budgeting for that project
• choosing land for that project
• determining your utility requirements

Building projects are a lengthy process. That is why, insert drum roll, you can now do your form of whatever happy dance you’re not totally embarrassed to do because you’ve reached the mountain top. It’s building time.

And, to make sure all the details are covered from beginning to end, here is what you need to know/answer/research in this final phase:

1. Is my building use complex enough to employ an individual engineer for layout?
2. What are building code design load requirements?
   1. Code required and design loads?
   2. Engineer’s Seal?
3. Is a mezzanine needed?
   1. Use of mezzanine?
   2. Floor load?
   3. Mezzanine live load?
   4. Mezzanine dead load?
4. Are material handling systems required?
   1. Bridge crane? Lift ton capacity?
   2. Monorail? Ton capacity?
   3. Conveyors? Capacity of how many lbs. per foot?
5. What are the minimum building clearance requirements?
   1. Vertical clearance?
   2. Column spacing?
   3. Width?
   4. Length?
   5. Clear span?
   6. Maximum vertical crane lift?
6. Are there any “must” locations for:
   1. Personnel doors?
   2. Overhead doors?
   3. Canopies?
   4. Windows?
   5. Skylights?
   6. Sliding doors?
7. List special hardware needed:
   1. Panic doors?
   2. Electric door operating equipment?
   3. Emergency exit alarm devices?
   4. Special locks?
   5. Other?
8. Are loading docks required?
   1. Levelors?
   2. Bumpers?
   3. Door seals?
   4. Canopies?
   5. Road scales?
9. Have office requirements been determined?
   1. Employee breakroom?
   2. Conference room?
   3. Mailroom?
   4. File storage?
   5. Restrooms?
   6. Kitchen?
   7. Waiting area?
   8. Cubicles?
   9. Lockers?
   10. Refrigerator space?
10. Does the layout offer smooth traffic and production flow?
11. Will columns inside the building interfere with normal production or traffic?
12. What are my special requirements regarding exterior appearance?
    1. Property location covenants?
    2. Color?
    3. Exterior façade?
    4. Roof profile?
    5. Signs/identification on building?
13. Are gutters and downspouts necessary?
14. Is underground drainage necessary?
15. What are my ventilation needs?
    1. Louvers?
    2. Circular ventilators?
    3. Continuous ventilators?
    4. Exhaust fans?
16. What are my interior finish requirements?
    1. Floors?
    2. Ceilings?
    3. Interior partition?
17. What type of exterior walls will serve best?
    1. Functional steel paneling?
    2. Tilt-up concrete?
    3. Brick and concrete block?
    4. Brick only?
    5. Concrete block only?
    6. Insulated panel system?
18. What type of roof construction will best fit my needs?
    1. Ribbed metal?
    2. Standing-seam metal?
    3. Built-up?
    4. Membrane?
19. Considering initial cost, maintenance, and insurance, what type of roof is most economical and gives me the most value for my money?
20. What “R” value is required?
21. What type of insulation will meet these requirements?
    1. Fiberglass with vapor barrier facing?
    2. Rigid foam insulation?
    3. Other?
22. Have I provided for planting trees, shrubs, grass?
23. Should we consider an automatic sprinkler system for our lawn?
24. Is landscaping in the general contract or to be provided separately?

Answer these questions and you’ll have built (another pun) the right attack plan to help your project run smoothly and on schedule. Also, don’t forget to check out the other questionnaire lists in this series, each assembled by experts in the metal building industry to help you through each phase of your project:

• Beginning a project
• Budgeting a project
• Choosing land for a project
• Determining utility requirements for a project

Do you have questions not listed in the series? Send them our way! Post them below and we’ll be happy to provide answers and direction.