// BEFORE_YOU_PRICE
Steel building planning checklist
Work through this before you ask anyone for a price, and the prices you get back will be for the building you actually need. Save it as a PDF, take it to the yard, tick it off.
01 — Use, now and in ten years
- What goes in the building today: machinery, livestock, grain, hay, workshop, storage or letting
- The largest machine, measured with attachments, plus room to manoeuvre
- Whether the use could change, so the frame is designed for it now
02 — Size, span and doors
- Width (clear span), length and bay spacing
- Eaves height set by the tallest door opening or tipping trailer, with margin
- Door types, sizes and positions (roller, sliding, open bays, personnel door)
- Whether the end frame should allow a future extension
03 — Cladding and condensation
- Single-skin sheet, anti-condensation fleece, or insulated panels where people work or kit must stay dry
- Rooflights, ventilation (ridge vents, space boarding) and any concrete panel walls
- Colour and coating suited to the site: rural, coastal or livestock
04 — Consents in Scotland
- Agricultural permitted development / prior notification checked with the council, or full planning permission
- Building warrant position confirmed (agricultural exemptions are specific — check, do not assume)
- Drawings and frame information available for the submission
05 — Ground and foundations
- Who designs the foundations and floor for your ground conditions
- Column loads and holding-down bolt positions shared with them before any concrete is poured
- Site access for delivery and erection checked, with a photo of the ground taken
06 — Getting a price you can compare
- Use, rough width / length / eaves height, door sizes and positions
- Cladding preference and any concrete panels
- Site postcode, so wind and snow loads are for your location
- Like-for-like check on any two prices: span, eaves, cladding, doors and loads
Got the answers?
Send the use, rough size and postcode — plus a photo of the ground — and the price comes back in 24 hours. Or set the sizes yourself first in the shed designer.