Design & Price your Metal Building Project
Rapidset’s new metal building designer is now available.
It has been years in the making, now you can confirm loads and code by zip code, graphically layout your building, create an engineered design, price the project and even print out plans.
Over our years in the metal building business we have come to work with some great professionals. Many of the builders and resellers would like to simply sell buildings but the process of pricing each project for the amount (quantity of buildings) they are to sell is cumbersome. Many resellers are excellent at selling but lack the technical expertise or capital to manage and maintain a full engineering program with factory data, so that when a project is quoted it can be produced for that exact cost.
Today, the builders, erectors, and resellers are much more sophisticated and can easily design and price their projects given the opportunity. We can give them that opportunity.
With our design and price tool we make it easy. First take a look at this simple video of the process at http://www.youtube.com/embed/FojCP1muwJc?rel=0
This Video is at the bottom of our Rapisetbuildings.com home page.
Once you have created an account you are able to bring up old quotes and even adjust accessories and re-cost the old quote. It’s best to create an account.
The first entry screen has your account information on the top. It allows an anonymous quote for the first couple of times you come, in case you don’t want to create an account, which is understandable. There are many sites that boast “instant metal building price quotes”, but once you enter your information you are left to wait for a call. When this happens to me, I get the feeling I have been violated since I gave this site my information. That is why we allowed an anonymous option.
Next, name the project and enter the zip code for the building site. From the zip code we figure shipping and look up the default loads and codes for you to edit. Then enter the type of building you want to design from the pull down. Enter the width, length height and slope. If it is an offset building it will ask for the offset from the center ridge. As on each page, to go to the next page click the ‘next’ icon. On each page help is always available by clicking the ‘help’ icon.
Next you should be on the loads and code page, edit these as needed by clicking the ‘edit values’ button on the bottom of the page. The pull down has plans options for your state.
Next is the layout page. On this page you can edit the span of the bays by editing the amount of bays for each wall. Click the blue bars for the wall you want to edit. Or click the box you want to place a framed opening and it will go to the wall page. There you will be allowed to choose the framed opening size. Once you click ‘done’ it will bring you back to the layout page where you can place another opening. Click next and it will take you to the advance options, which we are still developing. But we do have some amazing things planned for this section, where you will be able to design individual parts of the building like we do in the office every day.
When you click the next button it will take a while to process. What is happening is MBS (Metal Building Software, the standard in the industry worldwide) is taking your information and actually designing and engineering your building.
Once the continue button appears the job is processed. Click the continue button and you will be on accessories. For doors you would edit the quantity to add doors to your order. For gutters it would be to click the check box. Each page will give options for the different accessories. On the last tab will be colors. The only issue here is if you want a colored roof. All the colors are the same cost. We confirm colors with you through an order acknowledgment if the building is ordered so don’t worry about choosing colors with each quote. We will be adding accessories and factory options as time goes on.
Next is the plans page. Feel free to view each plan or download the plans in PDF for printing later if needed.
The last page is the quote. If there is an asterisk next the price you need to view the design warnings. If the engineering program had a warning we would need to look at the engineering before you buy or sell the project. There can be many ways the program comes up with errors; a stiffener is in the way, some weld math did not calculate out, a flange or web is not big enough or a base plate is too thin. The list is almost endless. We recommend either calling us to look up what the issue is or try another design and see if it comes out better. The design warning button will show you what the error is if you are experienced with metal building design.
Try it! Metal Building Online Design & Price Tool
Larry