Guide
Clear span, explained
What clear span means in a steel building, how far it can go, what it costs, and when a column line is the smarter answer than a wider frame.
Specialty structures
Specialty metal structures
Buildings where the use drives the structure. Churches, distilleries, event venues, greenhouses, resort cabanas and covered pavilions. Nowhere to hide bad steel, which is exactly why we like them.
What we build
Churches
Clear span sanctuary, no columns between the congregation and the platform.
Distilleries
Process drainage, heavy floors, ventilation, fire separation, tasting room.
Event venues
Assembly occupancy, egress, restroom counts, catering support, parking.
Greenhouses
Light transmission, ventilation, irrigation, humidity and corrosion detailing.
Resort pool cabanas
Finished outdoor structures where the detail work is the whole job.
Covered pavilions
Outdoor kitchens, stone work, exposed structure that has to look right.
Built
Why these are different
A warehouse rate on an assembly building is a bad number
The frame is the cheap part. What separates a $58 per foot shell from a $195 per foot finished venue is occupancy classification, and that is decided by code, not by preference.
Assembly occupancy brings egress width, panic hardware, fire separation and usually sprinklers. Accessibility applies to every public space in the building. Process occupancy adds ventilation, drainage and containment. Any contractor who quotes you a specialty building off a warehouse rate has not read the code section that governs it.
Budget ranges
| Structure | Per SF |
|---|---|
| Clear-span shell, 60 ft span and over | $58 - $82 |
| Churches and event venues, finished | $135 - $195 |
| Distilleries, finished production and tasting | $165 - $240 |
| Cabanas and covered pavilions, finished | $115 - $210 |
| Greenhouses | $45 - $95 |
| Agricultural, open or semi-enclosed | $28 - $48 |
Not included
Not included in any number we quote. On rural East Texas land these routinely add $30,000 to $100,000 or more before we pour anything.
- Land
- Well or water tap
- Septic system or sewer tap
- Utility extension to the site
- Driveway and culvert
- Land clearing beyond one acre
- Rock excavation
- Retaining walls
- Detention and drainage improvements
- Impact and development fees
- Furniture, fixtures and equipment
Questions
- What counts as a specialty structure?
- Anything where the use drives the building rather than the other way around. Churches, distilleries, event venues, greenhouses, resort pool cabanas and covered pavilions. If it takes skilled steel and real finish work, it belongs here.
- Why do these cost more than a warehouse of the same size?
- Public occupancy. A building people gather in carries occupancy load calculations, egress requirements, fire separation and sprinklers, accessibility compliance, and often a higher finish standard. None of that applies to a warehouse and all of it costs money.
- Can you build a clear-span event space?
- Yes. Rigid frame clear spans run to about 150 feet with no interior columns, which covers most event halls and assembly spaces without a post in the middle of the room.
- Do you build churches?
- Yes. Steel is a good fit for worship space because clear span gives you an unobstructed sanctuary. The cost driver is the finish and the assembly occupancy requirements, not the frame.
- What about a distillery?
- These are the most involved builds we do. Process drainage, heavy floor loading, ventilation, fire separation for the spirits side, and usually a public tasting room carrying its own occupancy classification attached to a production space carrying a different one.
- Do you build cabanas and pavilions?
- Yes, and they are harder than they look. An outdoor structure has every connection exposed to daylight and weather. There is nowhere to hide sloppy steel or bad flashing, which is exactly why we like them.
- How do you price these?
- Individually, from a written scope. The ranges on this page are a starting point for budgeting, not a quote. We will not give you a per foot number on a specialty build without walking the site and understanding the occupancy.
Read before you buy
Guide
Metal building cost in Texas
What a metal building actually costs in Texas in 2026, by size and by scope, with the site costs nobody puts in the brochure number.
Guide
What a slab actually costs
Foundation cost per square foot in Texas by loading, why Blackland clay changes the design, and why leaving the slab out of a quote makes it look cheap.
Get a number
Tell us what it's for
Use drives everything on these. Tell us who occupies the building and what happens inside it. Or call 469-721-0196.