Setting Up For A Temporary Warehouse Structure

How To Set a Good Foundation for Temporary Structures

You will likely already have some idea that temporary fabric structures are good as an immediate solution to a problem, and they offer a good degree of flexibility. However, before you design a building solution, it is a good idea to start your planning from the ground up. With traditional buildings, there are some specific foundation requirements, but temporary fabric structures, and semi-permanent buildings – can be built on almost any ground surface – including concrete, gravel, asphalt, dirt or packed sand.

Once you have identified where you need to build, or have a rough idea of the location but want to start preparing the ground first, you will need to weigh up your options, and understand how problems with the ground surface could affect the building.

You may be wondering if you should modify your ground surface, what the up-front costs you might face would be, and the long-term use of the structure. Are you looking to store heavy equipment and trucks there? If you are, and you have already been driving in the area, then it could be that the ground is already well packed and suitable to build on. If you are just using it as a break area for employees, then you might feel like you can get away with building on dirt, but that could leave you open to pests and infestation. Installing a temporary floor is a much better idea since the floor will be solid and easier to clean.

With instant structures, the land doesn’t need to be completely flat. You can get away with a structure that is on a slight grade or a slope, and you can use adjustable legs to make the surface level if necessary. Semi-permanent structures can be built on a slope as well. This will save you a lot of money if you are trying to put up something short term since you won’t need to change the grade of the land.

Remember that water flows downhills, and will pool anywhere that it is given the chance. This is something you should plan around when laying out your structure. Prevent water from pooling by building up a pad before putting the structure in place, and using a brick edge to your foundation to minimise water flow. Try to bring the center higher than the sides so that water will flow out of the structure instead of pooling inside and creating a damp problem.

If you are unsure about how the system works, then call the experts. There are companies that specialize in designing and developing instant structures and they will be happy to visit your site and conduct a full evaluation, then give you guidance on how to install a structure and design it. They will work on pull-out tests for structures that need to be resistant to blasts, for example. They will also be able to tell you whether you do need to modify the ground or to use concrete foundations in order to make the structure stable, and they will connect you with a fully-qualified contractor and offer advice on construction, so that you can put together something semi-permanent without having to worry about facing problems further down the road. You need to work with your local authorities to determine if it will be safe to dig around the surface of the ground. Just call 811 to find out what’s underneath the ground, and have the area that you are planning to build on fully marked out before installation.

Temporary structures are great for short term building or temporary warehouse space, but you will need to think about what happens when you pull the structure up. If you have stakes and anchors put into concrete to hold the structure in place, then make sure that the providers put plugs in after the structure is removed so that the ground is restored to something as close as possible to the original state. If they are not going to be able to do that, then find someone that can fix the structure for you.

Successful businesses must be built on solid foundations. You need the same kind of good foundations for your business as you would for your structures. Being flexible and adaptable, committed to providing good customer service, and willing to pivot to respond to changes in the economy are all important. Your structure is just one part of that – and if you plan to succeed – by having a temporary fabric structure that will last long enough for you to work with it, but that will give you the freedom to adapt, then you will be in a good position in the future. Just make sure the structure you choose matches the ground you work on.

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