Which Steel Building should you choose?

Thorburn Group has been in business for over 70 years, making us quite well-versed in which building is most suitable for the right project. We offer over 10 different types of buildings, from agricultural sheds to industrial and commercial buildings, meaning we will certainly offer the structure suited to your needs. Today, we will be exploring the different types of buildings we offer, what each one is most suitable for, along with their benefits.

 

Timber vs Steel

 

Traditionally, Farm Buildings were made using timber, over the years more and more farmers are opting for Steel frames, due to the variety of benefits they provide. Before we dive into the different buildings, let’s look at the benefits of timber vs steel structures.

 

Benefits of Steel	Benefits of Timber
Fast installation and erection	Strong and durable
Maintenance free	Easy to construct
Longevity	Resistant to rot and insect damage
Larger structure without intermittent support	Stable
Stronger and more durable	Less likely to warp or shrink over time
High quality	Affordable
Weather, fire and fungal resistant	Natural and sustainable

 

We are not opposed to using timber in our designs we do frequently use timber purlins if the customer has specifically requested these. We think timber is a fantastic building material; we just feel the benefits of steel far outweigh those of timber. If you’d like to discuss which material would be most suitable for your project, do not hesitate to get in touch.

 

Agricultural Buildings

Our bread and butter, the whole reason we started fabricating and erecting steel structures in the first place and what we are best known for – Agricultural Buildings. We offer nine different specialist farm buildings, all designed with specific needs at the forefront.

 

All stages of the process are handled in-house, including the planning applications, design, fabrication, groundworks and erection. You can learn more about our process here. What’s even better, we can put a unique twist on whatever project you are looking to undertake, whether it’s a stand-out Entranceway that can store your tractors or a bigger-than-average 300ft cattle court, we can turn your steel-framed dreams into a reality.

 

Cattle Court

It is essential to house your Cattle over the winter if you reside in Scotland due to the fierce weather we face, so having a well-equipped Cattle Court is non-negotiable for a Scottish Cattle Farmer. Luckily, we can design bespoke Cattle Courts that made to fit your farm and requirements.

 

What are the benefits of a Cattle Court?

·      It has positive benefits for animal welfare by reducing stress and improving health.

·      Increased productivity for both the workers and animals. The workers have a more organised environment, while the animal’s conception rates improve, and vaccines are more effective in a cleaner environment.

·      Improves the sustainability of your farm, by having a specifically design building.

·      These different benefits have a direct result on sales prices, as the better the animals have been looked after, the more money you will receive for your sale, resulting in a fantastic return on investment.

Explore Cattle Courts

 

Equestrian

An Equestrian Building is important for having better control of your horse’s diet and environment, improving convenience for the owner/stable workers and helping to provide adequate health and safety for the animals. Most importantly, in Scotland with the extreme weather changes we can have, housing your horses is an essential.

 

What are the benefits of an Equestrian Building?

·      As mentioned above, one of the main benefits of an Equestrian Building is the protection it provides your horses from the harsh weather.

·      Having control over the animal’s environment helps to maintain consistent footing.

·      Indoor arenas also allow for uninterrupted riding year-round, which is extremely beneficial to a horse’s fitness and overall health.

 

Explore Equestrian Buildings

 

Feed Store

Having a specific place to store your Feed may not be essential for every farmer, but it can prove very beneficial to the productivity of your farm – and that’s where a Feed Store comes in. Designed specifically as housing for your animal feed, they can be designed with internal sections to house the different types of feed you may be using. There are so many benefits that come along with having designated feed storage, let’s explore them:

 

What are the benefits of a Feed Store?

·      Can double up as machinery storage out-of-season.

·      Protects the feed from the elements, meaning you save money on feed costs during the bad weather periods we are so accustomed to here in the UK.

·      The proper storage also helps to maintain the nutritional value of the feed, which can lead to improved animal health and performance.

 

Explore Feed Store Buildings

 

General Purpose

Sometimes a specialist building may not be required for your farm, you may just need somewhere with some shelter you can use for various tasks and storage throughout the year, if that sounds like you, then a General Purpose Building is what you’re after.

 

What are the benefits of a General-Purpose Building?

·      Completely flexible to whatever your requirements are at that point. Maybe this year you just need extra farm machinery storage, but next year you would like to lamb in a sheltered building. The possibilities are endless with a General-Purpose Farm Building.

·      It is much more cost-efficient, as they are not having to spend the money on separate structures for different purposes.

 

Explore General Purpose Buildings

 

Grain Store

A Grain Store – exactly what it says on the tin – somewhere to store your harvested Grain. The purpose of such a building is it ensure it is protected until you decide to sell it. An essential addition to any farm where the weather is unpredictable (you may be noticing a theme relating the weather to a requirement for farm buildings huh?).

 

What are the benefits of a Grain Store?

·      One of the biggest benefits of a Grain store is it gives you complete control over when you sell your harvested grin. If you had no Grain Store you would be forced to sell your grain as soon as the harvest is complete, to ensure it is not damaged by the weather, meaning you will likely receive a poor rate. However, with a Grain Store, you can sell your crop whenever you choose, and more importantly, when the rate is at its highest.

·      Reduces wastage, as you will have less crop soiled or contaminated post-harvest.

·      You can manage your supply more effectively, as you can store it for the whole year, so you have a steady supply.

 

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Pig Shed

To maintain the health of your livestock, investing in specialist housing is imperative and a Pig Shed is no different. Providing a safe and productive environment for your animals to flourish, will have a positive result on how much money you can get for the end sale.

 

What are the benefits of a Pig Shed?

·      If a pig shed has been designed efficiently then it will aid in protecting the pigs against the spread of disease. It also protects them from extreme temperatures and keeps them comfortable, resulting in positive effects on their health.

·      An efficient Pig shed will also be planned out to include designed areas for sleeping, eating and dunging, which will result in the pigs being more profitable.

·      It also improves working conditions, as with the new and improved buildings surfaces are easier to clean and equipment is better organised, meaning workers will be more productive.

 

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Sheep Shed

To keep your sheep dry through the winter and your lambs protected during lambing time, a Sheep Shed is an essential component for your farm.

 

What are the benefits of a Sheep Shed?

·      Reduces stress on the animals by protecting them from illness, improving animal welfare and reducing mortality rates. With a more organised system and a cleaner environment.

·      It provides shelter to the workers, which makes it easier for them to work and gives them a better quality of life.

·      Sheep Sheds are very multi-purpose as they can be used for other requirements in the off-season or can double up as a sheep shed and lambing shed!

 

Explore Sheep Sheds

 

Silage Pit

If you are looking for ways to invest in your farm that will save you money long-term, then a Silage Pit may be your answer. Though not a necessity for many farmers, they can provide many benefits and prove their return on investment time and time again. In addition to this, new rules implemented by the Scottish Government in 2022 state how Silage should be stored to better protect the environment and having a Silage Pit would make following these rules much easier.

 

What are the benefits of a Silage Pit?

·      They store and preserve large quantities of animal feed, which helps you provide high-quality feed to your livestock year-round.

·      Protecting the feed helps preserve the feed’s nutritional quality, and protects against rodents and diseases.

·      When the feed is stored in a silage pit a fermentation process occurs, which creates a high-fibre feed for your livestock, which provides great nutritional value.

 

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Straw Shed

With straw being such a significant cost to a farm business, it is imperative that you protect it well, which is exactly why a Straw Shed is so important, and why you will see them so frequently on a Farm. Of course, they have many more benefits, aside from protecting your straw.

 

What are the benefits of a Straw Shed?

·      A Straw Shed is completely versatile, while its first and foremost purpose is to store Straw, they are fantastic for storing machinery during the off-season, protecting it from the elements.

·      Protects the nutritional value of the straw, as water and wind can impact hay greatly, which could result in diseases and harm to your livestock.

·      Stacking straw bales in a shed ensures adequate ventilation, adding to the quality preservation.

 

Explore Straw Sheds

 

 

Industrial Buildings

Of course, Steel Framed Buildings are not only found on farms, in fact, you will most likely see a Steel Framed Building in an Industrial Estate, in a shopping centre or in more urban areas. However, they may not always look like a Steel Shed, like a Farm Building does, but they are indeed the same thing! Whether you’re looking to upgrade your company to bigger premises, open a state-of-the-art Distillery, create a fresh workshop in your yard or even open a new retail store, a steel-frame building could be exactly what you need.

 

As well as servicing farmers with steel-framed agricultural buildings, we also specialise in Industrial Units, having erected some amazing structures over the years. As is the case with our other buildings, we offer a turnkey process on our Industrial Units as well. Handling the design, planning, fabrication, groundworks, erection and management of the overall project. We have teams dedicated to each of these departments, who have years of experience in the field, ensuring your project will be carried out to the highest quality.

 

All Industrial Buildings require full planning permission, regardless of their size, another thing to worry about in the ever-stressful process of managing a project of such magnitude. One of the main benefits of working with us for your new Industrial Building is that we have an internal planning department, and we can handle the application process on your behalf, giving you one less thing to worry about. You can learn more about our planning department here.

 

 

And there we have it, a summary of the different Steel-Frame Buildings we can offer here at Thorburn Group. If you are still not sure whether you should choose a General Purpose over a Sheep Shed, or a Workshop over a Retail Building, then be sure to get in touch. One of our experts will be able to sit down with you to figure out what you require from your new building and determine which style will be most suitable. As well as delving into the fun stuff of choosing steel colour, cladding style and additional aesthetic details.

 

Get in touch.