Steel Erection
in Houston, TX

How much does steel erection cost in Houston?

Erection is usually priced by the ton, and the rate moves with how hard the steel is to reach and set. Five things drive it: tonnage and piece count, crane size and access, and connection type (bolted, field welded or both). Height and shift matter too, along with how much laydown room the site gives us. Five hundred light pieces cost more to set than two hundred heavy ones, so we price piece count along with weight. Send us the erection drawings and you get a line-item number, never a flat rate. Fabrication is quoted on its own, on our steel fabrication page.

Who sets the anchor bolts, and what happens if they are out of tolerance?

The concrete contractor sets them, and the erector lives with them. AISC 303 allows about 1/8 inch between rods inside a group, 1/4 inch from the established column line, and 1/2 inch on the top elevation of the rods. We survey every pattern before steel ships, so an out-of-tolerance group becomes an engineer-approved repair detail instead of a lost crane day. When we hold both scopes, our concrete foundation crews set the anchor bolts straight off the steel drawings.

How long does steel erection take on a Houston project?

Piece count and crane access set the schedule more than tonnage alone. A mezzanine frame can be standing in a week. A 100,000 square foot warehouse frame usually runs 5 to 10 weeks from first pick through deck. Bar joists and metal decking follow the raising gang bay by bay, so roofing starts before the last connection is welded. You get a dated erection schedule at contract.

Do you handle special inspection of bolts and welds?

We coordinate it, we do not self-certify it. A third-party agency inspects high-strength bolting and welds under IBC Chapter 17, and their reports go to the building official. On our side, welders hold current AWS D1.1 qualifications. A325 and A490 bolts are installed to the RCSC spec by turn-of-nut or TC snap-off, and mill test reports are collected for every member. All of it lands in the closeout package.

Does hurricane season change how you schedule steel erection?

Yes. Hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30. We watch wind limits on every pick all season. Loose steel and partly braced frames get secured before a system moves in. East of SH 146 in Harris County, and in Galveston, Brazoria and Chambers counties, the TDI windstorm inspector has to see the connections before the WPI-8 certificate is issued. That inspection sits on the schedule from day one. Metal buildings in that zone get the same treatment.

Can you erect steel another shop fabricated, or modify a frame that is already standing?

Both. We erect steel from any fabricator, and we check piece marks, mill test reports and approved shop drawings at the gate before anything is picked. For frames already up, see steel repair and field modifications for reinforcing, cutting in openings and adding beams. For new floor area inside an existing building, see mezzanines. Call (832) 576-3278 and we will look at your drawings.