SteelMaster Building Additions – Yes, it can be done!

Charles and Shelby Robertson live on and maintain a 100-acre Black Angus cattle farm in Bedford County, Virginia.

Back in 2006, Charles was in the market for a building to safely store his hay cutting equipment and his cattle trailer. He also needed to a new place to keep his hay feed secure and dry for his cattle.

Charles found himself flipping through Farm Journal Magazine when he came upon an ad for SteelMaster Buildings. He went on-line and checked out SteelMaster’s website. He says he found it easy to navigate and packed with all kinds of valuable information.

“There were so many positives stacked in SteelMaster’s favor when I was building-hunting,” Charles says. “Although I would have to say it was the idea of having a maintenance-free building that sealed the deal for me.”

It was also 2006 when Charles hired F & B Contractors, a local company, to erect his 30’ x 80’ building. This would be F & B’s first experience building a SteelMaster building, but it wouldn’t be their last.

After the initial prepping was complete, it took only a week for a crew of five F & B employees to erect the mammoth building. The only snag in the process was a few rain days that kept them from working. Charles says F & B’s employees were amazed at the quality of the materials and the concise, easy to follow directions.

Fast-forward to the fall of 2011. Charles was in the market for a second building, so he called SteelMaster. He was thrilled to find out he could save money and accomplish his goals by adding on to his existing building instead of purchasing an additional building. He purchased another 30 feet of material and called his friends back at F & B Contracting.

In February 2012, F & B got busy on Charles’ existing building by removing one end wall completely and putting it aside. The land was prepped as before and the additional panels were easily affixed to the existing ones by lining up the holes with the additional panels on each side and adding bolts. Then the end unit was capped back on.

If you have the space to add on, that’s about all it takes for a SteelMaster addition.

Charles’ building now measures 30’ x 110’. During the winter months, he has enough space to keep his cattle out of the cold and takes full advantage of the 100 percent usable space for stockpiling his hay all the way up his 16’ arched ceiling.

Thanks to his SteelMaster’s Galvalume Plus-coated exterior, Charles continues to enjoy one of the main reasons he purchased his SteelMaster: no maintenance. He says he could not imagine adding maintenance on a building so large to the list of responsibilities that come with running a farm.

If you need it or can dream it, SteelMaster can deliver it. And if you decide you need more space later, a SteelMaster addition may be the right cost-saving idea for you too.

–Tammy Kistler
Tammy is a freelance writer and resides in Hampton Roads, Virginia