Profit is the lifeblood of any business, so how much your pay for your retail building could be the difference between success and failure.
Metal retail buildings are low cost, highly customizable and fast to deploy.
If you want to find out more about steel retail buildings, including pros & cons, rough price estimates and handy building guide you’ll want to keep reading.\
In this guide you’ll find:
What's In This Article
The Retail Building
Having a retail business front is a traditional method of selling goods or services. Typically it means that you have a physical location where customers can visit you, talk about services or view merchandise. Retail businesses are a long standing business model often referred to as “brick and mortar” so it’s likely retail will always be an attractive business opportunity. When developing an effective strategy for a retail business, one element often overlooked is building itself. In this article, we’re examining the pros & cons of a prefab metal retail space.
What is a Prefab Steel Retail Building?
Metal is a popular building material for many reasons which we’ll examine in more detail below. Generally speaking, metal is strong, durable, and cost-efficient. One popular area of metal building construction is prefabricated metal building kits. Prefab is an area of construction in which the pieces of a building are manufactured precisely according to 3D building models, assembled off-site and then shipped to a location in a kit, where they are assembled efficiently. This provides significant savings on the overall design and construction costs associated with erecting a building.
Prefab construction has become a popular alternative for many commercial buildings, and retail is no exception. You might be surprised at the wealth of options available in this area of construction, allowing you to design a building that matches your retail needs perfectly. After all, no two businesses needs are the same.
In the following section the pros & cons of prefab construction are presented for a retail building project to examine whether it’s the right choice for you.
Pros of a Prefab Retail Building
Cost-Effective
The first advantage and perhaps most popular advantage of prefab metal buildings is their affordability and relatively low price. Prefab metal buildings are much more cost-efficient than most traditional methods of construction because of several factors, including the nature of the materials used in construction to the design & construction process itself.
Prefab metal buildings are designed using sophisticated 3D modeling techniques, which allow the entire building to be designed and manufactured with the highest efficiency possible. This allows for the building components to fit together perfectly, saving you significant time & money in the design and construction stages, eliminating the need for expensive architects, and avoiding an overly long construction process.
Additionally, because the metal is such a lightweight building material, you also save money in the transportation of materials. All-in-all, it’s a very economical choice.
Varied Usage and Interior Design
There is a lot of diversity of businesses within the retail business model and can range from an automotive showroom and repair shop to a clothing store with many businesses in between. As a result, different retails businesses will have vastly different requirements for their needs within a retail building and its functions. The flexibility of prefab allows you to design a building that perfectly matches these building requirements specific to your business needs.
For example, if you sell larger/bulkier products, you might require more space for storing inventory. Alternatively, you might require very little inventory space and instead choose to dedicate most of your building to a display area. Prefab construction allows for full customization of a building’s exterior and interior design, and you can construct a retail building that works with you toward your business goals.
Whatever your retail business dictates, you can make it happen with a metal prefab design. There are many pre-designed templates available, and you can also work with a designer/supplier to construct the perfect building for your needs. These designers will use 3D modeling to build a layout that is precisely in line with your business needs.
Style
With the advancement of 3D building modeling technology, metal prefab buildings are quickly losing their “cookie-cutter” reputation. No longer are they considered a generic metal building that looks similar to all other prefab metal buildings as they’re able to be fully customized with many different design features and finishes these days!
You can fully customize the interior and exterior of these structures. There are many features to choose from, such as doors, windows, skylights, color options, exterior wrap, or cladding (including brick, wood, and rock). You can create a retail space that you are proud to show off.
Durable
Another advantage of metal construction is that it is particularly strong and durable. Quality prefab metal buildings are made with strong frames and use heavy-gauge steel for the ceilings and walls. These buildings are extremely resilient and can stand up to just about any conditions including heavy snow, strong winds and driving rain.
Metal also has the advantage of not being susceptible to many of the problems of many other building materials. For example, metal won’t rot, is highly resistant to fire, and it also won’t be a target for pest infestation like termites that can severely damage a building’s structure. You won’t have to spend as much money on upkeep and maintenance, as you won’t encounter problems as frequently.
And because of their high durability, these structures also tend to have lower insurance premiums as they are seen as less risky buildings to insure, helping you to save money on your premiums over time.
“Open” Interiors
You will notice upon stepping inside a metal building that it feels more spacious and is able to have large open spaces under large single roof spans. It holds its integrity so well that it requires less interior support than other building methods. The result is that the interior doesn’t become filled with support structures and beams and has a more open, free-flowing interior space.
This space is especially advantageous for retail because it gives you more freedom to design the interior as you see fit. The area is unobstructed, allowing you to create the ideal environment for selling your products, having a large showroom or a lot of retail floorspace to use as needed. Customers can have a full view of the space and feel more comfortable in your retail environment.
Environmentally Friendly
Metal prefab construction is a very “green” building opportunity because of a few of their key features including its ability to be efficiently insulated and how the precision of their manufacturing process massively cuts down on construction waste. When insulated properly, these buildings minimize air escaping making them very energy efficient to heat and cool and saving you money on your electricity bill. Not only is this good for the environment, but it’s also good for your wallet!
Additionally, the prefab metal construction process is very efficient at minimizing waste during the construction process. Typically with traditional styles of construction, a lot of materials can be wasted during the building process. With metal prefab buildings, the structures are designed beforehand using sophisticated 3D modeling. This results in the manufacturer having the exact dimensions ahead of time so that the pieces can be cut and assembled without any guesswork. No metal is wasted and these savings are passed along to you.
Cons of a Prefab Steel Retail Building
In the next section we’ll review some possible downsides of prefab metal retail buildings so that you may make the most objective decision possible.
Not “Traditional”
If your building, site specific needs or permitting requirements are more suited to traditional styles of construction, a prefab metal building may not be the most appropriate design choice. And while there is a lot of room for customization and stylistic appeal, it’s not going to be able to fully replace certain traditional wooden or brick structures; function and appeal.
Many techniques make these buildings appear quite similar to traditional structures, including different finishes and exterior wraps that can closely mimic any exteriors.
Zoning and Permitting
Another potential downside of prefab metal building kits is that you can hit some snags when getting approved for construction. Prefab metal kits are quite a unique project, so the regulating authorities may have difficulty aligning them with building codes and zoning regulations. Because regulators don’t encounter these projects quite as often, it might take a while to sort through the red tape.
Of course, this will depend on where you live and the particular building guidelines that apply to your area. It would be in your interest to consult the governing authorities early in the process so that you can get the wheels moving and you won’t cause any unnecessary delays to your construction project.
Less Customizable
Sometimes business retail space needs are just better suited for a very customized design and construction process from the ground up and from scratch. Company needs, branding and design as well as location will all dictate if this is the better choice over metal building kits.
So if you want to build a truly unique, fully custom project, then a metal building kit might not be for you. That said, it will also be much more expensive! But this is a trade-off that you will have to consider on your terms.
Steel Retail Building Kit Prices
When it comes to any construction project, price is likely to be foremost on your mind. However, due to the wide array of options with metal prefab homes, the cost can vary quite considerably. No two projects are exactly alike so providing an exact cost estimate will not be possible without knowing your requirements, however we’ll give you some handy ballpark costs in just a second.
The exact cost of your steel retail building will depend on the square footage you require, the interior and exterior options, insulation costs, electrical and plumbing requirements and more. Consider the two charts below where more cost information is outlined below; one is for a basic steel warehouse structure and one is for a fully outfitted residential home. A retail structure will likely require something in between these two options. You can use these charts below to prepare a reasonable cost estimate.
No matter which option you choose, you will reap the benefits associated with prefab metal construction. You’ll save money on design and construction costs, and you’ll save time getting the building up and running. Your best option is to compare prices, who can work with you to meet your needs and provide you a more exact cost estimate.
Example cost structure for the most simple warehouse structure, with no options:
| Building Dimensions | Square Foot | Estimated Cost | Approximate Price Per Square Foot |
| 24×24 | 576 | $5,800 | $10 |
| 30×40 | 1,200 | $9,100 | $7.50 |
| 40×60 | 2,400 | $17,500 | $7.30 |
| 60×80 | 4,800 | $33,600 | $7 |
| 50×100 | 5,000 | $31,000 | $6.20 |
| 80×100 | 8,000 | $48.800 | $6.10 |
| 100×100 | 10,000 | $60,500 | $6.05 |
| 100×200 | 20,000 | $120,000 | $6 |
Example cost structure for metal retail building kit with quality options, windows & doors, finishing, plumbing, electrical fitting, lights, and drywall:
| Building Size | Estimated Cost |
| 576 sqft | $69,120 |
| 1,200 sqft | $120,000 |
| 2,400 sqft | $252,000 |
| 4,800 sqft | $480,000 |
Building Your Ideal Prefab Retail Building
If you’re ready to put the benefits of prefab metal building design to work for your retail business and you’re not sure what the next steps would be, here’s some tips on how to put your plan into action?
Contact a Supplier
First, before contacting a manufacturer or supplier, you should have a basic idea of what you want. You should have a general sense of the size and interior that your retail business will require. You can view prefab templates as a baseline design starting point if you are having difficulty deciding on what design would work best for you.
Once you have a basic idea of what you want, compare quotes and get the process started. A supplier will work with you to design a building to your exact specifications. You can opt for a pre-designed template or build a custom 3D model. Then your supplier will provide you with a quote and when you are satisfied with the final design, and the supplier has proof of financing, the parts will be manufactured.
Manufacturing
Prefab components are manufactured off-site, packed together as a kit and then shipped to the area where they are to be constructed.
Construction
Although construction is quite a bit simpler than a traditional style building, you will likely require professional assistance unless you have a construction background or an in-house team . A prefab retail building is still an extensive project and it will also require site preparation, a foundation as well as the installation of services such as electrical work, plumbing, insulation, and construction of the building itself.
Discover Your Best Price Options for Your Steel Retail Building Kit
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No matter your project size, find the best steel retail building kits near you.
