Double Truss Fabric Building Install: Piers, Arches, No Crane

A 40x80 double truss fabric building from Covermore Buildings sits on concrete piers, and its arches go up one at a time without a crane. Covermore sells it as a kit that you or a local crew installs, so here is what the piers and anchors need to be, how the arches get raised and how long the build takes.

What foundation does a double truss fabric building need?

Set a 40x80 double truss building on concrete piers about 24 inches around, ideally three feet deep. Anchor the frame after the concrete has set: drill into the finished pier and drive in hammer-in anchors.

Do you need a crane to put up a double truss fabric building?

No crane is needed to put up a double truss fabric building. The arches are not very heavy, so they are assembled on the ground and stood up one at a time.

To reach the height on a 50x150 double truss building, Covermore's team used a telehandler (a forklift with a long telescoping boom) and a borrowed jib (a small hoist arm). An all-terrain scissor lift also works for getting the crew up to the arches.

Once an arch is standing, tie on the lower purlins, the horizontal pipes that connect one arch to the next, and work your way up.

How many people and how many days does the 40x80 take?

A 40x80 double truss building takes a week or a little more with at least three people, frame through cover. Once the site is prepped, the main frame goes up in a couple of days. Each end wall and door system takes about a full day, which brings the frame and end walls to about a week. The cover goes over the frame in a single pull and takes about half a day to lace.

Covermore Buildings is a family-run company in Chouteau, Oklahoma, and sells its fabric building kits on chuppindustrial.com.