Lisa Kopochinski
When it comes to constructing farm buildings, many components need to be taken into consideration. Designed for agricultural uses, farm buildings serve many purposes such as providing shelter for livestock, storage for equipment and supplies, and space for processing crops. These include barns, stables and silos that must be planned to meet the many specific needs of a farming operation.
Brian Perrier is the operations manager at Prairie Steel, a company located in Clavet, Saskatchewan that provides durable steel products to meet the demanding conditions of the Prairies.
“We don’t construct the buildings, we manufacture them, but considering the type of foundation you will require is important as this will determine what season you can start building in,” explains Perrier. “Our role is about understanding the size of the building, and the complexities required, such as whether you will need a crane or a mezzanine, and if a steel building is required based on your building’s specifications or your preferences. Steel buildings can work with larger spans, higher walls and larger door systems.”
Perrier says buildings that require a poured foundation are limited to a shorter building season than those built on screw piles with a gravel foundation.
“Non-insulated equipment storage sheds can be built much faster than insulated shops with interior liner cladding.”
While Prairie Steel does not construct buildings, the company did manufacture a steel building for Saskatchewan’s Ollerich Farms in 2021.
“It’s a very impressive building. It has two divisions. One is for equipment storage and measures 100x400x26-ft. It has a gravel floor, so the building is built on a screw pile and base tube foundation system with an open web truss steel framing system. The other division is a 60×60-ft. crop-sprayer hangar with a concrete floor. Also, both 400-ft. long sidewalls of the building are expansion ready for a 60-ft. lean-to down each side.”
Remuda Building in Rocky View County designs and constructs custom post frame buildings for farms, homes, acreages, equestrian and commercial projects in Alberta and Saskatchewan.
“The initial stages of planning for a farm building revolve around establishing the constraints for the structure, including things like determining its size and placement of the building on the property,” explains Jon Schouten, sales manager at Remuda Building. “There are important considerations to make at the early stages that set the project up for success down the road.”
For instance, what are the buyer’s current needs, and will they change in the next five years?
“Generally, we find that clients often outgrow their current building in five years, so it’s an important thing to think about from the start. It’s much more budget-friendly to build a larger structure now, rather than waiting and adding on to the building down the road,” explains Schouten.
“To get starting point dimensions for cold storage buildings or machine sheds, consider what type and how many pieces of equipment you’re planning on storing inside. From there, the size can be increased to accommodate additional workspace or other needs.”
He adds that the building’s location has consequences for both functionality and durability. This makes it very important to consider the flow of the farmyard to complement operations and create efficiencies.
“Check to make sure the building site is near any utilities that are needed inside the building. It’s also important to consider the flow of water and drainage of the site. Building on low ground will cause issues with movement of the building and the concrete floor down the road if the ground is wet when it freezes.”
Dean Pawulski is the senior manager, custom buildings, at UFA Co-operative Limited, a Canadian-owned and member-operated business. UFA farm stores carry animal care products, crop solutions, custom buildings and building supplies, and petroleum products. The company serves Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Pawulski says that when it comes to the planning of a farm building, it is important to answer the five W questions.
“Who will be using the building; what the outbuilding will be used for primarily; when it will be used; where the best location is for the building; and why it is needed or wanted. Trust is also important. We recognize the importance in building long-term lasting relationships with our customer partners. This isn’t a one and done. We are here to support all the way through the project, including after-support.”
Key Components
When asked what key components need to be considered when it comes to constructing farm buildings, Pawulski says the five Ws will help direct much of the customization of the building.
“We want to make sure our customers have a building that will last. Some of the key components offered by UFA are design aspects that reflect the quality of our builds. Our trusses are four feet on centre to account for wind and snow, and we use a girder truss system that allows bifold doors to open at full building height. Each load-bearing laminated pole is placed on a minimum 10-inch thick concrete footpad and lastly, and maybe most importantly, we offer a five-year guarantee for many of our buildings.”
Pawulski adds that a project with a complex truss system or a building with a large cross section involves more engineering, planning and construction time.
“Safety is of utmost importance to UFA, and our construction partners ensure that the design and construction meet or exceed all building codes and government standards.”
Schouten adds that once the Remuda team has finalized the size and location of the building with the client, creating a structure that stands up to snow and wind loads is essential to provide lasting value.
“Remuda will adjust certain design factors, such as the spacing between posts and trusses and the thickness of posts among other things to ensure a strong building that lasts.”
The usability of the farm structure must also be considered before construction with the placement or inclusion of key components. Small adjustments can make a big difference, such as:
• Natural Light: In farm buildings, adding windows or polycarbonate panels to walls and equipment doors to light the building is a common feature.
• Equipment Door Size and Placement: It’s essential to make sure any equipment doors are large enough to fit machinery that is stored inside. Creating pull-through access for equipment with doors on multiple sides of the building is a popular feature in cold storage buildings, allowing customers to easily manoeuvre equipment in and out.
• Additional Storage: Workshops – including mezzanines – increase the amount of usable space within the building for additional storage or offices without having to expand the overall footprint of the building.
• Ventilation: Exhaust fans are very effective at clearing fumes and gases from idling vehicles, welding and even livestock in a calving barn, while also controlling the temperature inside the building.
“Shops and barns always take more time to plan and build than cold storage buildings,” says Schouten. “Most often, the designs of shops and barns are more intricate, including things like finished interiors, washrooms, office spaces or other features that are not found in cold storage buildings very often.”
When asked about a specific building Remuda has constructed for a client that stands out, he recalls an 80x200x22-ft. cold storage building in Eston, Sask.
“This cold storage project was built on a multigenerational farm whose fleet of equipment and implements was passed down from previous generations. This equipment is in good running order and still meets the demands of modern farming.”
He says many farmers have felt the increased costs of new equipment due to increased complexity, tariffs and other supply chain issues, causing the operators of multigenerational farms to elect to work with the equipment they have.
“By investing in this cold storage building, they protect existing equipment from deterioration and damage to extend its lifespan. Being able to keep the existing equipment running has meant that the farm can continue operating without needing to update equipment in the foreseeable future.”
When asked the same question, Judy Cowan, UFA’s building sales representative for central Alberta adds, “Our portfolio consists of farm, acreage, barndominiums, commercial and light industrial projects and aircraft hangars. We pride ourselves in understanding our customer base. Whether the project is a three-wall bale barn or a large elaborate riding area, we treat each project with the same high level of detail. We observe the highest standards from the initial design phase right through to and including the final inspection.”
