First impressions can make or break your business. When you walk into a store, everything from the lighting to the scent can impact your purchase decision and your willingness to return. Customers will remember plush seating, ambiance, and stunning displays, but only if you’re able to get them in the door.

Today, commercial real estate investors are quick to choose prefabricated steel buildings for everything, from hospitality to retail. The structures have a proven track record of quick returns and excellent long term cost savings. And for store owners, they are a clean slate. The interior and exterior alike are fully customizable. You have a unique opportunity to create a memorable customer service experience from the inside and wow foot traffic from the outside. Let’s talk about the customizations to your storefront that can easily upgrade your brick and mortar store.

How do you start designing your facade storefront?

First things first – depending on your location, there may be limitations to the size, colors, and materials used in your facade. Before you get your heart set on a particular facade or other exterior customization, you should check your local signage building codes. Most municipal areas have laws regarding sign size. In that case, your signage or any overhangs on the outside of your store will need to be within a certain percentage of the frontage of your building. Historic covenants and business owner’s associations may set further limits regarding sign colors, lighting, and even the way you fix the sign to the building. Before you begin spending money, make sure your bases are covered with all city and county inspectors.

Once you understand any limitations, you can begin the design process alongside your prefabricated steel designers. One of the benefits of prefab metal structures is that all the customizations are carefully considered before the building is actually constructed. CAD software takes into account framed openings for windows and doors before the components are delivered, saving time and money on construction.

What are your metal building siding options?

Once you have your signage and framing for windows and doors in order, it’s time to get creative with metal building siding options for steel buildings. It’s all about combining function with beautiful design. Many metal buildings use corrugated metal building siding, the strongest available material for protection against storms. Some store owners choose to use corrugated siding on three sides of the building for maximum protection, leaving the storefront available for an aesthetic metal building siding option.

In many cases, metal building siding may not fit your municipal requirements, even when the color is customized. In that case, you may need to cover every side of your building with:

• Stucco
• Masonry Brick
• Shiplap Wood Siding
• Stone
• Rock

You can use any combination of metal building siding options to surround your store. Brick, with a stone ledge, would be at home in a historic neighborhood. Shiplap and painted brick come together to create a modern farmhouse look. Your roofing materials can have just as big of an impact as your siding choice. Check out our article here about the aesthetic and functional benefits of metal roofing.

Other articles you might find interesting:

1. Commercial Real Estate and why Investors Choose Prefab Steel Buildings.

2. How To Find Metal Building Contractors.

3. Metal Building Insurance Saves You Money.

4. Metal Building Storefront: What Developers are Talking About!

5. 5 Reasons to Choose Steel vs. Concrete

6. 3 Ways a Steel Building is More Environmentally Sustainable

    

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