What Kind of Metal Building Do You Actually Need? Understanding Risk Category 1 vs 2
Updated: Oct 29
Not sure what kind of building you need?
The first step isn't choosing a size. It's figuring out how you'll use the building.
If you're thinking about putting a metal building on your property, one of the first questions you may run into is Risk Category.
At first, it sounds like something that only engineers and building officials need to worry about.
It isn't.
The way you plan to use your building can affect the engineering, drawings, permitting, structural requirements, and ultimately the cost of the project.
At Kuykendall Contracting, we help customers in Weatherford and surrounding North Texas communities plan metal buildings for everything from equipment and vehicle storage to shops, garages, agricultural buildings, and more.
One of the most important things we can do is make sure we're planning the right building for the way you actually intend to use it.
Risk Category 1 vs. Risk Category 2: What's the Difference?
The simplest way to think about it is this:
Risk Category 1 generally applies to lower-hazard buildings used primarily for storage or certain agricultural purposes.
Risk Category 2 generally applies when the building will be regularly occupied — including buildings where people live, work, or sleep.
That distinction matters because a building designed simply to protect equipment from the weather can have very different requirements from a building where people will regularly spend time.
For example:
You want to keep your tractor, trailer, implements, or other equipment protected from the Texas weather.
That's a very different project from:
You plan to spend several days a week inside working on equipment, vehicles, woodworking, fabrication, or another activity.
And that's different again from:
A barndominium or living space
Now you're talking about a habitable structure where people will live.
The intended use needs to be established before the building is designed.
Why Does Risk Category Matter?
Risk Category isn't simply a label that gets written on a set of drawings.
It can affect the engineering and structural requirements for the building.
For a Risk Category 2 project, Metal America's guidance calls for site-specific engineered drawings rather than relying on generic plans. The building layout also needs to be finalized before site-specific materials and engineering are ordered because changes made later can require the plans to be revised.
That's one reason we encourage customers to think through how they're going to use their building before ordering anything.
Changing your mind after engineering and materials have been ordered can be considerably more expensive than making those decisions at the beginning.
The Question Isn't Just "How Big Do I Want It?"
When someone tells us:
"I want a 40×60 metal building."
That's a good starting point — but it's not enough information to properly plan the project.
We also need to know:
What will you use it for?
A storage building, personal shop, commercial workspace, agricultural building, and living space can have very different requirements.
Will people regularly occupy the building?
If you're going to spend significant time working inside the building, that needs to be considered when determining the appropriate design and engineering requirements.
What will be inside?
A building storing lawn equipment isn't being asked to do the same job as a building housing tractors, vehicles, heavy equipment, inventory, or a business operation.
Are you planning to insulate it?
If you're going to turn the building into a comfortable workspace, insulation needs to be considered during the planning stage rather than added as an afterthought.
What doors and openings will you need?
A building with a couple of standard walk-through doors is a very different design problem from one with large overhead doors, an RV bay, or large openings along the walls.
Are you planning plumbing, electrical, HVAC, or other improvements?
If the building is eventually going to function as a real shop or workspace, it's smart to think about those improvements before the building is designed and the concrete is poured.
Risk Category Isn't the Only Thing That Determines the Building
Risk Category is only one piece of the puzzle.
Your building also has to be designed around the conditions at the property where it will be installed.
That includes things such as:
Wind exposure
Design wind speed
Snow or roof loads where applicable
Building dimensions
Structural configuration
Foundation requirements
Local building codes
Setbacks and zoning
Permit requirements
Site conditions
Metal America's Risk Category 2 punch list specifically calls for the wind exposure category and design wind speed to be established for the location, along with the applicable ground snow or roof load.
That means the same building isn't necessarily the same project everywhere.
Where your building is going matters.
What About Engineering?
This is one of the areas where customers can get confused.
You may hear terms like:
Generic engineered drawings
and
Site-specific engineered drawings.
They're not necessarily the same thing.
Metal America's guidance explains that generic drawings can work for many standard structures, while certain projects require engineering specific to the building and its location. In particular, its guidance identifies Risk Category 2 projects as requiring site-specific engineering.
For a site-specific project, the engineering is based on the actual building, its intended use, and the conditions at the property.
That's important because you don't want to discover after you've already ordered your building that the plans don't satisfy the requirements for your particular project.
Don't Forget the Permit
Another common mistake is thinking about the building first and the permitting process later.
Your local permitting authority ultimately determines what requirements apply to your project.
Depending on where your property is located, you may need to address things such as:
Zoning
Setbacks
Right-of-way restrictions
HOA requirements
Building permits
Site plans
Engineering
Electrical, plumbing, or mechanical permits
Metal America's Risk Category 2 punch list specifically calls out zoning, setbacks, rights-of-way, HOA considerations, and permit requirements, while noting that the local permitting authority has the final say.
That's why we don't recommend ordering a building based solely on an internet price before understanding what your property and intended use require.
The foundation is another part of the project that needs to be considered from the beginning.
The Risk Category 2 punch list provided by Metal America specifies a 6-inch concrete requirement for the referenced configuration.
But the important takeaway for a customer isn't simply:
"I need a 6-inch slab."
It's:
"The foundation needs to be planned around the building and its requirements."
The concrete isn't just something you pour after you've bought the building.
The foundation, anchors, structural requirements, building dimensions, site conditions, and intended use all need to work together.
That's one of the advantages of working with a contractor who understands both the building and the site work involved.
What Does This Mean for You?
If you're considering a metal building, you don't need to become an engineer before you call us.
That's our job.
What we do need from you is a good understanding of what you're trying to accomplish.
Before we start putting together your building, it's helpful to know:
What are you building?
Shop
Garage
Equipment storage
RV storage
Horse or agricultural building
Commercial building
Barndominium or other habitable space
How are you going to use it?
What do you need to store or work on inside?
How much space do you think you need?
What doors and openings will you need?
Do you want insulation?
Will you need electricity, plumbing, or HVAC?
Where is the property located?
When do you want to build?
You don't have to have every answer figured out before you contact Kuykendall Contracting.
That's part of what we're here to help you figure out.
The Bottom Line
A metal building isn't just a collection of steel panels and posts.
The right building starts with understanding what you're going to use it for and what your property requires.
A simple storage building and an occupied shop may look similar from the outside, but they can have very different engineering and permitting considerations.
And that's exactly why we believe the conversation should start with your needs, not just a building size and a price.
At Kuykendall Contracting, we can help you work through the building type, intended use, site considerations, concrete, engineering, and other project requirements before you commit to a design.
Thinking about a metal building in Weatherford or the surrounding area?
Tell us what you're trying to build and what you want it to do. We'll help you figure out what needs to be considered before you order.
[Get a Metal Building Project Estimate] < click here
Important: Risk Category, engineering, structural requirements, zoning, permits, and other requirements depend on the specific project and jurisdiction. The information above is intended as a general planning guide and is not a substitute for project-specific engineering or direction from your local permitting authority.
