Agricultural Steel Buildings in Scotland: A Practical Guide for Farmers

A good farm building will outlast most of the machinery parked inside it. That is why it pays to think carefully before you commit. Whether you are replacing an old timber-framed shed in the Borders, adding grain storage in East Lothian or putting up a livestock building in Perthshire, the decisions you make at the start will shape how useful that building is for the next few decades.

This guide covers the questions we think every farmer should answer before asking for a steel building price.

Start with how the building will be used

The single most important question is what the building is for, today and in ten years' time. Different uses lead to very different designs:

• General storage and machinery. Clear span and door size matter most. Measure your largest machine with something on the back of it, then add margin. Doors and bays are covered in more detail in the machinery shed guide.
• Grain and bulk storage. The frame and walls may need to resist the pressure of stored material against them. That has to be designed in from the start, not added later.
• Livestock. Ventilation, light, drainage, feed passages and handling layouts all come into play on a livestock building. Cladding choices such as space boarding or vented sheeting make a real difference to animal health.
• Workshop. Think about insulation, power, lighting, a personnel door and perhaps a crane or lifting point.

Many farms want a building that can change use over time. If so, say that early. A frame designed for flexibility costs less than one that has to be adapted later.

Size, span and height

Steel portal frames allow wide clear spans without internal columns, which is ideal for turning tractors and moving stock. If the parts are unfamiliar, how a portal frame works names them in plain English. When you think about size, consider:

• Width (span). Wider spans give more freedom inside but need deeper steel sections.
• Length and bay spacing. Buildings are usually built in bays. Bay spacing affects how doors fit and how easy it is to extend later.
• Eaves height. This is often set by the highest door opening or the height of tipping trailers. Get it wrong and you will regret it every harvest.

If you think you may extend, tell your designer. Planning the end frame for future extension is simple at design stage.

Cladding and roofing

Profiled steel sheeting is the most common choice for walls and roofs, with options for colour, coating and insulation. Whether that should be insulated panels or single-skin sheet depends on condensation and whether anyone works inside. Many farm buildings combine a lower wall of concrete panels or blockwork with sheeting above, which stands up better to machinery knocks and livestock.

Roof lights help enormously with natural light. Ventilation can be provided through ridge vents, open sides, space boarding or vented sheets, depending on use.

In exposed parts of Scotland, wind and snow loads are a serious design consideration. A properly engineered building is designed for the location it stands in, not a generic catalogue figure.

Consents in Scotland

Agricultural buildings in Scotland may fall under permitted development, often with a prior notification to the council, depending on size, siting and use. Larger buildings, buildings near houses or roads, or buildings in sensitive areas may need full planning permission. The agricultural planning guide sets out how that usually works. Your council confirms it for the site.

Building warrant rules for agricultural buildings also have specific exemptions and limits, so always check rather than assume. Your local council's planning and building standards teams are the right people to confirm what applies to your site. We are happy to provide the drawings and frame information your submission needs.

Foundations and ground

Every steel frame relies on its foundations. The frame designer will provide column loads and base details, and the foundation and floor design must be right for your ground conditions. Make sure whoever is doing the ground preparation has the frame information early, so holding-down bolts and base positions line up exactly.

Getting a useful price

Steel building prices vary with steel markets, size, loads, cladding specification, doors and site access. To get a quote you can actually compare, it helps to send:

1. The intended use, now and in future.
2. Rough width, length and eaves height, or the machinery you need to fit.
3. Door sizes and positions.
4. Your preferred cladding and any concrete panel walls.
5. The site location, including postcode, so wind and snow loads can be considered.
6. Whether you have consents in place or need drawings for them.

Be wary of comparing prices that are not based on the same specification. A cheaper building with a lower eaves height or lighter sheeting is not the same building.

The short version

Decide what the building is for, size it around your biggest machine or your stock, think about light and ventilation, check consents with the council, and give your designer enough detail to price the right building for your site.

If you are planning a new farm building, send the use, rough sizes and site postcode through the quote form. We will come back with questions or a steel building price for your farm. Agricultural sheds is the overview of the buildings we design, fabricate and erect.