How to Measure Your Land for Metal Building Installation?
Americans across the United States are turning to metal buildings to fit their various needs. This rise in popularity is due to a number of reasons, including the many tremendous advantages inherent to steel buildings.
When considering investing in a prefab metal building, it is important to have an accurate understanding of how much space will be required to have your particular metal structure installed. This means making several key considerations in regard to the size of the land, your building, and their relationship. Because there are quite a few things to think about, Boss Buildings recommends doing a bit of research on the topic.
Lucky for you, we’ve put together a quick introductory guide on how to measure your land for metal building installation. Read on for a head start on some of the key basics!
Things to Consider when Determining the Land Space
Before you dive headfirst into customizing and ordering your new steel building, as tempting as that may be, it is important to determine the land space you need to facilitate your building. To help you find an accurate estimation of the land space, we’ve listed a few of the key things to consider below. While every situation is different, and we highly recommend calling Boss Buildings to discuss your unique circumstances, these considerations should give you a basic understanding and firm foundation of knowledge.
How to Calculate Total Acreage
When discussing land space, the most common unit of measurement in the United States is the acre. As such, you will need to calculate the total acreage of a property if that information is not readily available. Even if the information is available, you may wish to measure the land yourself to confirm that the acreage reported is accurate.
Measuring square parcels is simple—just measure the length and width of the property, multiply them (L x W), then divide the result by 43,560. The final total is the acreage of the property.
For four-sided properties that are irregular in shape, the formula is a bit more complicated. You will want to mark the four corners of the property, measure the distance between each point, measure the diagonal distance between the first and third point as well as the second and fourth point, and then plug all the measurements into a quadrilateral calculator (available online). If this sounds complicated, you can have a professional help you or look up a more comprehensive guide!
Determining Floor Area Ratio
As the name would imply, this consideration involves determining the size of your metal building’s floor in relation to the size of the property. Don’t worry, this formula is far simpler than determining the acreage of an odd-shaped piece of land! All you have to do is divide the floor area of the building by the size of the lot. The resulting decimal is your floor area ratio!
Rural versus Urban
Maximizing your floor area ratio is of the utmost importance in urban areas where space is at a premium. In other words, ensuring that you are utilizing a property to its utmost space potential is key when said space is limited.
Property Lines and Setbacks
Taking account of property lines and setbacks is vital, especially in circumstances where privacy is important. When it comes to property lines, take a moment to evaluate how close neighboring buildings are or could be to your property and future metal building. Chances are, you will want a certain amount of space to feel comfortable.
Setbacks are equally as important. These city and/or county requirements force you to install your metal building at least 25 feet away from the road. This gives the local authorities space to use up to 10 feet of your property should they need to perform utility work, expand the road, or otherwise use the property.
Other Considerations
The traits of the property itself matter quite a bit when installing a steel building. Take stock of the land. Does it have any substantial slopes? Obtain a soil sample. Is the soil suitable for a metal building, or will it create issues in the long run? These and other considerations are extremely important.
Boss Buildings – Your Steel Building Resource
No matter where you are in your steel building journey—from preliminary research to investing in your 10th metal building—Boss Buildings is your go-to dealer. With the highest quality buildings on the market and best customer service in the industry, Boss Buildings is sure to guide you to the perfect steel structure for your needs and land. Call today on (336) 673-3065 for more information!
