A crew that services wind turbines, oilfield pumps or ranch equipment needs a shop with tall doors for service trucks, a parts room, a wash bay and a floor that drains. In Woodward and the open country around it, we build that shop as a steel frame with insulated walls and a roof designed for hail. The building is plain by design. What matters is the door height, the slab thickness and a power service that can run welders and compressors without tripping.
Northwest Oklahoma is wide, and trucks here cover long distances. A shop in Woodward is often a base for crews who travel 50 or 100 miles to their work, then return to refuel, restock and make repairs. We design for that rhythm. Fuel tanks, parking for crew trucks, a covered area for loading and a locked parts cage matter more than architectural flourish.
We work for individuals, ranch families, service companies and small manufacturers. If you are weighing a steel shop against a rented bay, we price both over five years and show you where the break-even falls.
Erecting a building 140 miles from the state's largest cities adds mobilization cost, so we plan trips to reduce idle days. We schedule the crews that set anchor bolts to the engineer's template, check the slab, erect the frame, hang girts and panels, install doors and trim the openings. We coordinate the electrical and plumbing trades, which must be licensed under state rules, so that they arrive after the shell is closed.
We schedule deliveries so steel, panels and doors arrive together, and we ask the owner to keep the site clear and accessible. The rigid frame erection page explains the order of work, and the structural steel erection page covers the heavier members used for cranes and mezzanines. In open country the weather is the main variable, so we keep a flexible crew calendar and avoid lifting panels in high wind.
The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture says Woodward sits at the junction of U.S. Highways 270 and 412 and State Highways 15 and 34. Wikipedia reports that BNSF Railway's Southern Transcon passes through Woodward and that the shortline Northwestern Oklahoma Railroad also serves the area and interchanges with BNSF. For a distributor or a grain handler, that mix of roads and rail makes the city a convenient hub for a wide area.
Federal energy data lists Boiling Springs Wind Farm in Woodward County at 148.4 MW nameplate capacity, operated by RWE Americas, LLC, with its first unit online on December 1, 2020, and Persimmon Creek Wind Farm 1 in the county at 198.6 MW, with its first unit online on September 1, 2018. Wind farms need operations buildings, spare-part storage and vehicle bays, and the nearby towns see the demand for service shops and housing. We build the shops. We do not build turbines or substations, and we do not claim any work on these projects. For comparison, our agriculture and agribusiness page covers the ranch and farm side of the same economy.
Woodward owners tend to ask for three kinds of buildings. The first is a service shop of 3,000 to 10,000 square feet with doors that clear a bucket truck. The second is a machinery barn, a bigger and simpler building where combines, balers and tractors rest out of the weather. The third is a storage building for feed, seed, tools or supplies, built with an insulated wall and a tight door seal. Our agricultural building page lists sizes and doors, and the pre-engineered metal building page explains the structural system underneath.
A September 30, 2020 release from Representative Frank Lucas on a $2 million Economic Development Administration grant said the project would open a 124,000 square foot industrial facility within the Woodward Industrial Airpark. A report dated October 6, 2020 said the grant was matched by more than $1.2 million in local investment and was meant to support businesses recovering from the 2018 wildfires. We did not build that facility and do not claim it. We note it because a shell of that size shows what the industrial airpark can hold, and our smaller buildings fit in the same neighborhood.
Fire and wind shape the way we plan rural buildings. The 2018 wildfires named in the grant report are a reminder that open-country owners should think about defensible space, noncombustible walls and roof materials. Steel panels do not burn, and a clear zone of gravel or mowed ground around a building helps crews fight a fire. We also discuss fuel storage, welding areas and electrical panels, which are common ignition sources.
The National Weather Service Norman tornado list records an EF3 tornado on April 14 to 15, 2012 that crossed Woodward and Ellis counties on a 34-mile path 400 yards wide, with 6 killed and 29 injured. A pre-engineered building is built to the code wind load and not to withstand that class of storm, and we say so before the contract. For people on site, we recommend a shelter room or a nearby shelter. Our Enid page covers a larger market to the east for owners with business in both places.
We price jobs in Woodward and in the smaller towns and ranches around it. Travel time and crew housing go into the estimate as separate lines, so that owners can see them. To the southwest, the Elk City page covers a similar economy along the interstate. We also build in the Panhandle, where the Guymon page explains how water and plant work shape a different set of buildings.
Give us the longest vehicle, the widest machine and the number of people who will work inside. We will send a Woodward price that shows travel as its own line.
Start with the length of your longest truck, add room to walk around it and then add storage and a workbench. A 40 by 60 foot bay with a 14 foot door fits many service trucks. Bucket and boom trucks may need a taller door.
Steel does not burn, but heat can damage insulation, wiring and contents. Keep brush and tall grass away, store fuel in approved cabinets and ask your fire department about local guidelines.
We plan trips, ship materials in a few loads and bring equipment for the full job. A remote site may need a graded access road. Ask us about road and staging before the steel ships.
Land use and lease rules decide that. Wind developers and landowners often have easements and setbacks. Ask your county about them, and send us the plat so we can fit the building.
Thin panels can dent in hail, and heavy hail can pierce them. A thicker panel gauge, a standing seam roof and a steeper pitch give better results. Ask your insurance agent about cosmetic damage coverage.
Tell us about the site, the building and the schedule, and we will set up a review of scope, schedule and permitting.
See the services, building types and industries we plan and manage across Oklahoma.