Shop Addition and Exterior Renovation

The team at Southwest and Midwest Design & Construction (SWMW) are in the midst of working on a farm shop addition and exterior renovation for one of our agricultural customers.

This project is a testament to how a turn-key design-build approach can meet the very practical needs of our customers – while also being energy-efficient and visually appealing.

Let’s take a closer look at this agricultural construction project and how we’re approaching this build!

Project Details

Sector: Agriculture
Location: Magrath, Alberta
Timeline: Currently this project is in-progress, with an estimated completion time of 6 to 8 months from the start of excavation.

Project Scope

The project involves the addition of a 100’ x 120’ pre-engineered shop with three drive-thru bays and a 40’ powerlift door that allows easy access for large machinery and equipment.

The shop will feature comfortable in-floor heating and high R-values within the roof and walls to ensure energy efficiency. Additionally, the exterior of Ben Walters’ existing shop will be insulated, strapped, then reclad to match the new shop addition that we’re working on.

The end result? A spacious, functional, and visually pleasing space for farm equipment, tasks, and equipment maintenance.

This project was somewhat unique for us. The customer approached us with his vision and we entered into scope discussions with the customer without any formal bid process. This is just another testament to the power of our positive interactions with our customers – good word of mouth spreads!

Project ‘Must-Haves’

Ben Walters’ primary goal is to have a large, open-concept space with equally large doors to allow for sizable farm equipment to fit inside for maintenance.

Furthermore, the customer needs a space to work on equipment throughout the year – particularly during Alberta’s frigid winter months! A warm and spacious farm shop will ensure that farm staff will be able to work on equipment comfortably over the winter to ensure equipment is ready for use in the spring.

Subtrades and Material Considerations

As this is a turn-key project, the SWMW team is providing all subtrades – from electrical services to concrete pouring.

This means that our customer does not have to deal with any back and forth with other project stakeholders, and only has one main point of contact to deal with - us! Our design-build process ensures that we handle all subtrade acquisition and material procurement while always keeping budgetary constraints at the forefront of any decision making and design influence.

Working with reliable sub trades is crucial in ensuring the success of a project, and we have built strong relationships over our 43 year tenure, with a variety of sub trades in the construction industry across Alberta and Western Canada.

Economical, Weather, and Lifestyle Considerations

As we’ve covered, the key consideration for this project is the need for space that allows farm staff to work on machinery and equipment comfortably during the cold months so that repairs and routine maintenance are finished ahead of the spring months – a pivotal time of year for our agricultural customers.

Additionally, the customer wanted to ensure an energy efficient building, as this will help mitigate energy costs – another concern for agricultural customers.