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Commercial & Industrial Steel

Equipment Supports
in Houston, TX

Structural steel supports for rooftop units, chillers, tanks, pumps and process equipment across Greater Houston. Designed to AISC 360, welded to AWS D1.1, hot-dip galvanized and set by our own crews.

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Worker bolting handrail on a galvanized grating catwalk at a Houston-area plant
23Years Building in Houston
2,100Tons of Support Steel Set
1,600Equipment Supports Built
98%Repeat & Referral

Service Overview

Steel Equipment Supports for Houston Roofs and Plants

Heavy equipment needs a frame under it that was sized for the load. On a Houston roof that frame also has to hold against hurricane uplift, and in a plant it has to keep a pump or a vessel aligned while it runs. Equipment supports are the steel that does both jobs: dunnage frames, stands, skid bases, pedestals and hoist supports, anchored into the structure below.

Jimenes Construction is a self-performing steel contractor in Houston, TX with 23 years on the Gulf Coast. Our own crews detail, weld, galvanize and set the support, so one company owns it from the shop drawing to the final grout.

We build supports for the equipment that keeps a building or a unit running. That covers rooftop dunnage for packaged units, chillers and cooling towers. It covers tank and vessel stands, pump and compressor skid frames, monorail and hoist supports, and pedestals for process equipment. If the support is really a walkway or a rack, start on our platforms and catwalks or pipe rack pages instead. Larger building frames are covered under structural steel.

Most support problems show up at the two ends: the anchorage below and the alignment above. We issue anchor bolt templates early so the concrete equipment pad or machine foundation gets its bolts in the right place. Base plates are shimmed level and grouted with non-shrink grout. Deflection limits and vibration isolation are set on the drawing, so the equipment stays where the millwright left it.

Equipment Supports at a Glance

  • Self-performed crews, never brokered
  • Rooftop dunnage, stands and skid frames
  • AISC 360 design, AWS D1.1 welding
  • Hot-dip galvanizing for Gulf humidity
  • Anchor bolt templates issued early
  • Wind uplift and windstorm paperwork

Coverage

Equipment Supports We Build and Install

Each one is sized off the equipment cut sheet and the load path under it. We detail, fabricate and set all six in house.

Rooftop Dunnage & Curb Steel

Wide flange and tube dunnage under packaged units, chillers, cooling towers and fans. Framed down to the columns or joists that can take the load and the uplift.

Tank & Vessel Stands

Saddles, legged stands and skirt supports for horizontal and vertical vessels, day tanks and totes, with lifting lugs and anchorage detailed to the vessel drawing.

Pump, Compressor & Skid Frames

Stiff base frames for pumps, compressors, blowers and packaged skids, built flat enough to hold coupling alignment after grouting.

Monorail & Hoist Supports

Runway beams, hangers and trolley stops for maintenance hoists, sized to the rated capacity and the impact load that comes with lifting.

Process Equipment Pedestals

Columns, braced pedestals and support frames for filters, heat exchangers, silos and conveyor drives inside Houston process buildings.

Base Plates, Anchors & Grouting

Base plate design, anchor bolt templates, leveling nuts and shims, then non-shrink grout packed under the plate before the equipment lands.

Our Process

Our Equipment Support Process

Five steps, the same on one rooftop dunnage frame and on a sixty-ton process support package. Call (832) 576-3278 to start at step one.

  1. 01

    Site Walk & Load Review

    We read the equipment cut sheet for operating weight, anchor pattern and vibration data. Then we check the structure below, the crane path and the roof access.

  2. 02

    Line-Item Estimate

    A quote tied to the equipment drawing: shapes and tonnage, base plates, anchors, isolation hardware, galvanizing, engineering, crane time and rigging.

  3. 03

    Shop Drawings & Sealed Calcs

    Drawings show member sizes, weld symbols and deflection limits. A Texas PE seals the wind uplift and anchorage calculations where the building official asks for them.

  4. 04

    Anchor Bolts & Fabrication

    Bolt templates go out early so the pad crew sets them true. We cut, drill and weld to AWS D1.1 with certified welders, then hot-dip galvanize.

  5. 05

    Set, Align & Inspect

    Steel set, plumbed and shimmed, base plates grouted, isolators loaded. Third-party inspection of welds and bolting, windstorm paperwork, then as-builts at closeout.

Timeline

How Long Do Equipment Supports Take?

Real ranges from our own job records, from the first site walk to turnover.

Project TypeTypical SizeDuration
Single rooftop dunnage frame1 - 2 units1 - 2 Weeks
Pump or compressor base frame6x10 to 12x20 ft2 - 4 Weeks
Tank or vessel stand5,000 - 60,000 lb vessel3 - 6 Weeks
Monorail or hoist support10 - 40 ft runway3 - 5 Weeks
Multi-unit process support package20 - 60 tons6 - 12 Weeks

Engineering & Compliance

Materials, Methods & Code Compliance

Gulf air corrodes steel and hurricane wind pulls on anything set high. Member sizes, coatings and anchors all come off those two facts.

Loads & Anchorage

  • Operating weight, not shipping weight, drives the design
  • Deflection limits held tight so equipment stays aligned
  • Spring isolators or pads where the unit vibrates
  • Anchor bolt templates issued before the pad is placed

Steel & Coatings

  • A992 wide flange, A500 tube, A36 plate
  • Hot-dip galvanizing to ASTM A123 for Gulf humidity
  • Galvanized hardware to ASTM A153 at the coast
  • A325 high-strength bolts on structural connections

Code & Standards

  • AISC 360 design and AWS D1.1 welding
  • ASCE 7 wind uplift on roof-mounted equipment
  • 2021 IBC as adopted by Houston and the counties
  • TDI windstorm review east of SH 146 and on the coast

Inspection & Sign-Off

  • Third-party special inspection of welds and bolting
  • Mill test reports filed on every shape
  • Certified welder records available on request
  • Sealed calculations and as-builts at closeout

Why Jimenes

Why Choose
Jimenes Construction

One Crew From Drawing to Grout

Support steel goes wrong at the hand-offs. The same company details, welds, coats, sets and grouts, so the equipment lands on a frame that fits.

23 Years Around Houston Equipment

We have set support steel on downtown roofs and inside Pasadena and Deer Park units. We know how badging, permits and outage windows shape a schedule.

Anchor Bolts That Land True

We issue the bolt template before the pad is placed, then check the pattern against the approved equipment submittal. A misplaced anchor costs days on the crane.

Line-Item Support Steel Pricing

Framing, base plates, anchors, isolation, galvanizing, engineering and crane time each get their own line. Change orders are priced and signed before the work starts.

Credentials

Insurance, Warranty & Sign-Off

Texas does not license steel contractors or general contractors. We send the insurance certificate, welder qualification records and the sealed support calculations with every proposal. Here is what a steel contractor in Houston can actually show you.

Permitted & Inspected City of Houston and Harris County
General Liability $2M per occurrence
Workers’ Comp Full crew coverage
Warranty 10-yr structural, 1-yr workmanship

Where We Work

Our Service Area

Headquartered in Houston and building equipment supports across the Greater Houston area. That radius runs from downtown rooftops out past the Grand Parkway and east to the Ship Channel plants. If you searched for an equipment support fabricator near me and landed here, this is the radius we cover. We can walk your roof or your unit the same week.

Do not see your town? Call us, we travel for the right project.Check Your Address

Good Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Still sizing a frame or checking a roof? Call and talk to the superintendent who will detail and set your support steel.

Talk to a Builder
(832) 576-3278
What is rooftop dunnage, and when does equipment need it?

Dunnage is the steel frame that carries rooftop equipment down to the building structure. A packaged unit, chiller, cooling tower or large fan usually needs it. Roof deck alone was never sized to hold that weight in one spot. We frame the dunnage to the columns, beams or joists below, then flash and curb around it. On a new shell that framing is often part of the structural steel package.

How do you keep rooftop equipment from lifting in a hurricane?

We design for uplift with sealed calculations. We run the load path from the equipment anchor bolts, through the dunnage, into the frame below. Three things control it:

  • ASCE 7 wind pressures for your site and roof height
  • Anchorage rated for uplift, shear and overturning together
  • A continuous load path with no weak connection in the middle
East of SH 146 in Harris County, and in Galveston, Brazoria and Chambers counties, the work sits in the TDI designated catastrophe area. That means a windstorm inspection and WPI-8 certification. We send sealed calculations and book the inspection.

Do steel equipment supports need to be galvanized in Houston?

Outdoors on the Gulf Coast, hot-dip galvanizing is usually the right call. Humidity, rain and salt air chew through painted steel on a roof or near the water. We galvanize to ASTM A123 and use A153 hardware so the bolts last as long as the frame. Indoors in a dry building, a shop primer and finish coat can be enough. Field welds and drilled holes get repaired with a zinc-rich coating before turnover.

Who sets the anchor bolts, and how do you keep them in the right place?

We do, working off the approved equipment submittal. Our shop builds a steel bolt template that locks the pattern before concrete is placed. That template goes to whoever is building the concrete equipment pad or machine foundation below. Then we check the pattern again before the crane picks the frame. Houston clay moves, so the pad is engineered under IBC 1808.6 and tied back to the foundation where the design calls for it.

How much do equipment supports cost in Houston?

There is no flat rate, because the equipment weight and the structure below drive the price. Seven things move the number:

  • Operating weight and the anchor pattern on the submittal
  • Tonnage, member sizes and connection type
  • Galvanizing or paint
  • Sealed engineering and windstorm calculations
  • Vibration isolation hardware
  • Crane, rigging and roof or plant access
  • Outage or after-hours work
Every one of those gets its own line in the written estimate, so you can see what changed if the equipment changes.

Can you install supports while our plant or building stays open?

Yes, and most of our plant work happens that way. We badge in, take the site safety orientation, and pull hot work or confined space permits before anyone strikes an arc. Bolted assemblies keep hot work low in live process areas. Rooftop work is staged for off hours when a crane needs the street. Related access steel is covered on our platforms and catwalks and pipe racks pages. Call (832) 576-3278 and we will build the schedule around your outage window.

Built On Integrity. Anchored To Plan.

Let's Set Your EquipmentOn Steel That Holds.

Free estimates, line-item pricing, and our own crews from the anchor bolt template to the final grout.

Get a Free EstimateOR CALL (832) 576-3278
Jimenes Construction truck