Fabric Buildings for Construction Sites: Storage and Crew Space

A fabric building gives a construction site storage, equipment cover and crew space without putting up a traditional building. Most job sites are short of covered construction site storage: materials sit in the rain and crews eat lunch on a tailgate.

Covermore Buildings, in Chouteau, Oklahoma, sells tension fabric buildings, shipping-container shelters and container roof kits and ships them nationwide. Here is how one fits into a job.

What does a fabric building do on a construction site?

It does three jobs: material storage, equipment cover and crew space.

• Material storage: lumber, pipe, drywall and rebar stay dry and off the ground.
• Equipment cover: small machines and attachments last longer out of the sun and rain.
• Crew space: a covered break area, a staging point or a place to hold a safety meeting.

Is a fabric building worth it for a short job?

It pays off most on long projects, where you can leave it up; short jobs may suit a tent or trailer. A three-month site and a three-year site are different buying decisions. If you hope to use the building on more than one job, ask the seller whether it can be taken down and put up again, and what that takes, before you order.

What size construction site storage building do you need?

Size it for the site at its busiest, not for what is on the ground today. Think about:

• The longest material you store, since it has to go in and out
• Door width for your biggest machine
• Room to walk around what is inside
• Room to grow if the schedule stretches

Where should it go on the job site?

Pick a level, reachable, well-drained spot while the site plan is still on paper, and make sure the delivery truck can reach the pad and be unloaded. Adjusting a plan is far cheaper than moving a building, or fighting a slope on delivery day.

Do you need a permit on a job site?

You may. Sometimes the general permit covers the building and sometimes it does not, so ask your building department before you order.

Can you use the shipping containers already on site?

Often, yes. Many job sites already have containers for tools and materials, and a container shelter or roof kit adds covered work or storage space using containers you already own. It is worth building your layout around them.

Is a fabric building secure enough for tools?

No. It is not a secure place to lock up tools; it is not a vault. Tools and expensive materials still belong in a locked container or trailer at night. Use the building for cover and organization, not lock-and-key security.

What should you know before you buy?

Have answers to these five questions ready:

1. How long will the building be in place?
2. What goes inside, and how big is the biggest item?
3. Do you own containers on site?
4. What does your local building department require?
5. Can a delivery truck reach the pad?

If you can answer those, you are most of the way to a right-sized building.