Specialty — Steel & Metal Buildings

Steel and Metal Buildings in the Tri-Cities

When you need square footage that goes up fast and pencils out, a steel building is hard to beat. Pelican builds custom metal buildings across Richland, Kennewick and Pasco — warehouses, shops, storage and commercial shells — engineered for your use, erected by our crew, and finished out to whatever level you need.

What we build in steel

A metal building is really a kit of engineered steel plus everything a contractor has to do around it. We handle both halves — the building and the site, foundation, doors and finish-out that turn it into usable space.

01

Warehouses & distribution

02

Shops & equipment buildings

03

Storage & agricultural

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Commercial & retail shells

Looking specifically for a shop building? That page covers the height, door and heating decisions that matter most for working space.

What "pre-engineered" actually means

You'll see the term PEMB — pre-engineered metal building — used constantly in this industry without much explanation. It means the steel frame is engineered and fabricated for your exact dimensions and load requirements before it ships. Every member is cut, punched and marked at the plant.

The practical consequence is that erection is fast and predictable, because nobody is fabricating or problem-solving in the field. The trade-off is that the design gets locked in earlier than in conventional construction — changing a span or a door location after the steel is ordered is expensive. That's why the planning conversation up front matters more here than on a stick-built project.

Why a steel building

  • Wide clear spans. Steel covers large distances without interior columns — the main structural reason to choose it. If you need open floor for racking, equipment or vehicle movement, this is the advantage.
  • Goes up faster than conventional construction once the steel is on site.
  • Lower cost per square foot for big, open footprints.
  • Durable and low-maintenance — steel doesn't rot, and modern coatings hold up well in Eastern Washington sun and wind.
  • Easy to expand. End-wall expansion is straightforward if you plan for it at design.
  • Handles heavier loads — cranes, mezzanines and roof-mounted equipment are all workable when engineered in from the start.

What drives the cost

Per-square-foot numbers quoted over the phone are usually wrong, because the same footprint can vary widely depending on five things.

  1. Clear span. The wider the unsupported distance, the heavier the frame. This is the single biggest structural cost driver.
  2. Eave height. Taller walls mean more steel and more sheeting. Worth sizing for what you'll actually store or operate.
  3. Foundation. Soil conditions and slab thickness — driven by what the floor has to carry — vary more between sites than most people expect.
  4. Doors and openings. Large overhead doors require framed openings that add real cost, and their placement affects the frame.
  5. Finish level. A bare shell and a finished building with offices, restrooms, insulation and mechanical are very different numbers.

Our Tri-Cities cost guide walks through these in more depth.

Our process

  1. Site walk and program. What the building has to do, what has to fit inside, how the site drains and where access works.
  2. Engineering and permitting. The steel package is engineered for your use, spans and Washington wind and snow loads. We handle drawings and permits.
  3. Site prep and foundation. Grading and foundation poured to spec — the step that determines whether erection goes smoothly.
  4. Erection. One team raises the structure.
  5. Doors, insulation and finish-out. Overhead and entry doors, insulation, offices, restrooms and tenant improvements.
  6. Close-out. One contractor accountable from grading through final walk-through.

Steel, post-frame, or conventional?

We build all three, so we don't have a reason to steer you toward one.

Steel is the right call for wide clear spans, heavier loads, larger footprints, and buildings that need a commercial appearance.

Post-frame — pole buildings — is usually less expensive for shops, storage and agricultural buildings at moderate spans, and it's simpler to insulate. For a lot of shop projects it's the more efficient answer, and we'll say so.

Conventional commercial construction makes more sense when you need a specific architectural look or a complex, heavily subdivided interior.

Building in Richland, Kennewick, or Pasco? We're a local, licensed Washington contractor working throughout Eastern Washington.

FAQ

What is a pre-engineered metal building?
A steel building whose frame is engineered and fabricated for your specific dimensions and loads before it ships. Because the steel is cut and punched at the plant, erection is fast and predictable — and design decisions lock in earlier than on a stick-built project.
How fast can a steel building go up?
The structure erects quickly. Realistically the schedule is set by steel lead time, permitting and foundation work rather than erection. We'll give you a real timeline after a site review instead of a number over the phone.
Can you finish the interior — offices, restrooms, TI?
Yes. We handle full finish-out, not just the shell. A steel shell with finished office space and restrooms is one of the most common configurations we build.
Do you build smaller metal buildings, or only large ones?
Both. We take smaller steel and shop buildings alongside larger commercial work — the right project matters more to us than the square footage.
Should I choose steel or post-frame?
Steel for wide clear spans, heavy loads and commercial appearance. Post-frame for shops, storage and agricultural buildings at moderate spans, where it usually costs less. We'll tell you which fits.
What does a metal building cost?
It's driven by span, eave height, foundation, doors and finish level. See the cost guide for what moves the number, then let's talk specifics.

Planning a steel building in the Tri-Cities?

Tell us what you need the building to do and we'll tell you straight whether steel is the right call — or whether post-frame would save you money.

Let's Talk →