(832) 576-3278Schedule a Quote

Commercial & Residential Steel

Metal Buildings
in Houston, TX

Pre-engineered metal buildings for shops, barns, warehouses and retail shells across Greater Houston. Red-iron frames bolted, sheeted and dried in by our own crews, engineered for Gulf Coast wind.

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Crew in a scissor lift bolting a red-iron metal building frame on a new slab near Houston
23Years Building in Houston
3,400Tons of Steel Erected
2.6MSq. Ft. Framed
98%Repeat & Referral

Service Overview

Metal Buildings Built for Houston Wind and Humidity

A metal building is only as strong as the frame bolted to its slab. On the Gulf Coast that frame has to hold against hurricane wind. East of SH 146 it also has to prove it on paper. No insurer will write the policy until it does.

A pre-engineered metal building answers both: a red-iron frame designed to your wind speed, anchored to bolts cast in the slab, then sheeted, insulated and trimmed. Our own crews set the bolts, erect the frame and dry the building in, with 23 years of doing it on this coast. No brokered erectors and no hand-offs.

We build both sides of this market. On acreage that means a 40x60 shop, a barn, RV and equipment storage, or a detached garage with a slab you can work on. That last one is also where a barndominium starts. On the commercial side it means warehouse, retail and light industrial shells with clear spans, roll-up and dock doors, and an open floor. See shops and garages for the residential side and structural steel when the building needs a custom frame instead of a catalog one.

Every metal building here starts underground. The anchor bolts have to land within a quarter inch of the fabricator's template, and Houston clay swells and shrinks enough to punish a thin slab. We form and pour the concrete slab and set the bolts ourselves, so the frame lands where the drawings say it will.

Metal Buildings at a Glance

  • Self-performed crews, never brokered
  • Residential shops and commercial shells
  • PE-sealed frames for Gulf Coast wind
  • Anchor bolts set to the fabricator template
  • Standing seam or R-panel roof systems
  • Windstorm and special inspection coordination

Coverage

Metal Building Types We Erect

Six building types, one crew. We set the bolts, stand the steel and close the building in house.

Warehouse & Light Industrial Shells

Pre-engineered metal buildings with clear spans, high eaves and dock or grade-level doors, built for Ship Channel and Grand Parkway tenants.

Shops, Barns & RV Storage

Red-iron and bolt-up shop buildings on acreage, sized around a tractor, a lift bay or a 14 foot RV door, with the slab poured to match.

Barndominiums & Shop Houses

Metal building shells framed for a living side and a work side, with header spacing and openings set for windows, doors and interior walls.

Retail, Office & Church Buildings

Metal buildings finished with masonry, stucco or storefront on the street face, so the shell is cheap and the front looks like a build to suit.

Lean-Tos, Canopies & Open Shelters

Open equipment shelters, hay barns, truck canopies and lean-to additions bolted to a new frame or to an existing metal building.

Expansions, Re-Skins & New Openings

Bay additions, wall and roof panel replacement, and cutting in new roll-up or man doors with the frame reinforced first.

Our Process

Our Metal Building Process

Five steps, the same on a 40 by 60 shop and on a 60,000 square foot warehouse shell. Call (832) 576-3278 to start at step one.

  1. 01

    Site Walk & Building Program

    We walk the site and set the real numbers: clear span, eave height, door sizes, crane access and drainage. We also set the finished floor the floodplain map calls for.

  2. 02

    Engineered Quote & Building Order

    You get a line-item quote first. Then the building is ordered against a PE-sealed design for your wind speed and exposure. The anchor bolt drawings are released first.

  3. 03

    Permit, Slab & Anchor Bolts

    Permit pulled with the City of Houston or your county. Slab formed and poured. Anchor bolts set to the template and survey checked before the steel ships.

  4. 04

    Erection & Dry-In

    Frames stood and plumbed, bracing and bolts torqued, girts and purlins hung, then roof and wall panels, trim, gutters, insulation and overhead doors.

  5. 05

    Inspection & Sign-Off

    Special inspection of high-strength bolting and field welds, TDI windstorm inspection where it applies, punch list walked, sealed letters filed at closeout.

Timeline

How Long Does a Metal Building Take?

Real ranges from our own job records, from mobilization to final inspection. Steel delivery is counted in.

Building TypeTypical SizeDuration
Carport, canopy or open shelter600 - 1,500 sq ft2 - 4 Weeks
Shop, garage or storage building1,200 - 3,000 sq ft6 - 10 Weeks
Barndominium shell2,500 - 5,000 sq ft10 - 16 Weeks
Retail or light industrial shell8,000 - 30,000 sq ft4 - 6 Months
Warehouse or distribution building50,000+ sq ft6 - 10 Months

Engineering & Compliance

Materials, Methods & Code Compliance

Gulf wind, salt air and clay all pull on the same building. We detail the building for all three.

Slab & Anchor Bolts

  • Anchor bolts set to the fabricator template, then surveyed
  • Stiffened slab designed for Houston expansive clay
  • Finished floor set to the floodplain or Chapter 19 rule
  • Leveling nuts and non-shrink grout under base plates

Frame & Materials

  • Red-iron primary frames with cold-formed Z girts and purlins
  • 26 gauge R-panel or 24 gauge standing seam roofs
  • A325 high-strength bolts and A36 or A572 shapes
  • Hot-dip galvanizing and heavier coatings near salt air

Code & Wind

  • 2021 IBC and IRC as adopted by Houston and the counties
  • ASCE 7 wind loads with the right exposure and risk category
  • AISC 360 design and AWS D1.1 welding by certified welders
  • TDI windstorm certification, WPI-8, east of SH 146

Inspection & Sign-Off

  • Mill test reports and building manufacturer letters on file
  • Special inspection of high-strength bolting and field welds
  • Anchor bolt survey before the frames are stood
  • Sealed engineer letters and warranties filed at closeout

Why Jimenes

Why Choose
Jimenes Construction

Slab and Steel Under One Contract

Most metal building problems start where the concrete crew hands off to the erector. We pour the slab, set the bolts and stand the frame, so there is nobody to blame but us.

23 Years of Gulf Coast Wind

A building priced for inland Texas will not pass here. We size the frame, the bracing and the fasteners for the wind speed and exposure your address actually has.

Checked Before the Steel Ships

Anchor bolt locations, base plate elevations and door openings get verified against the approved drawings first. Fixing a bolt in wet concrete is cheap. Fixing it later is not.

Line-Item Building Pricing

Slab, building order, erection, doors, insulation and trim each get their own line. You can see what a taller eave or a second roll-up door really costs.

Credentials

Insurance, Warranty & Sign-Off

Texas does not license steel or general contractors, so we send the insurance certificate, the building manufacturer letters and the engineer's seal with every proposal. Here is what a metal building 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 putting up metal buildings across the Greater Houston area, from inside the 610 Loop out past the 180-mile Grand Parkway and onto the acreage beyond it. If you searched for a metal building contractor near me and landed here, this is the radius we cover. We can be on site 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 not sure? Call and talk to the person who will run your building.

Talk to a Builder
(832) 576-3278
How much does a metal building cost in Houston?

There is no flat price per square foot, because the shell is only part of the job. Six things move a metal building cost the most:

  • Building size, clear span and eave height
  • Wind design, which climbs sharply east of SH 146
  • The concrete slab and how much fill the lot needs
  • Roll-up, dock and man doors
  • Insulation and the roof system you pick
  • Site access for a crane and the delivery trucks
We quote every one of those on its own line, so you can price a taller eave or a second door before you sign.

Do I need a permit for a metal building in Houston or Harris County?

Almost always, yes. Inside city limits the permit comes from the City of Houston. Outside city limits it comes from Harris County, or from Montgomery, Fort Bend, Waller or Brazoria County, and each office runs its own review. Plan review wants a PE-sealed building drawing with the wind loads on it, and a floodplain lot has finished floor rules on top of that. We pull the permit and book the inspections.

What wind rating does a metal building need on the Gulf Coast, and what is windstorm certification?

Wind design comes from ASCE 7 using your address, exposure and risk category, so the same building is priced differently in Katy and in Baytown. The designated catastrophe area covers Harris County east of SH 146 plus Galveston, Brazoria and Chambers counties. In that area the Texas Department of Insurance has to inspect the work for a WPI-8 windstorm certificate. Without that certificate, windstorm coverage gets hard to buy. We build to the certified drawings and schedule the TDI inspector as part of steel erection.

Standing seam or R-panel roof, and how do I stop condensation in a Houston metal building?

R-panel is screwed down and costs less. Standing seam hides the fasteners, moves with heat, and lasts longer on a low-slope roof, which matters in a climate that swings from 40 degrees to 95. Condensation is the bigger Houston problem, because humid air hits cool steel and drips. Vinyl-faced blanket insulation, a vapor barrier and ridge or gable venting solve it, and a conditioned shop wants closed-cell foam instead.

Can I live in a metal building or turn a shop into a barndominium?

Yes, and it is common on acreage around Magnolia, Waller and Liberty County. The shell has to be designed for it up front: header spacing for windows, framed openings for exterior doors, and insulation and a moisture plan for the living side. It also has to meet residential energy and egress code, and some deed-restricted subdivisions do not allow metal exteriors. See our barndominiums page, or shops and garages if the building stays a workshop.

How thick does the slab need to be, and who sets the anchor bolts?

A light shop slab often runs 4 to 6 inches with thickened edges, while a warehouse floor carrying forklifts and racking runs 6 to 8 inches on an engineered design. Houston clay decides the rest, and a soil report can send you to deeper beams, select fill or piers. Anchor bolts are the part people get wrong. We set them from the fabricator's template while the concrete is still workable, then survey them before the steel ships. Read more on concrete foundations or call (832) 576-3278.

Built On Integrity. Bolted To Plan.

Let's Put Up a BuildingThat Stands.

Free estimates, line-item pricing, and our own crews from the anchor bolts to the last trim screw.

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