Heavy equipment comes into a shop dirty, hot and sometimes leaking, and the building has to absorb that every day. Floors need to take point loads from jacks and hoists. Doors need to be tall enough for the tallest unit. Drains and oil separators need to handle what comes off the machine. We build maintenance shops and service bays that stand up to this use.
Customers include fleet owners, equipment dealers, farm operations, aviation operators and contractors who support government ranges and test facilities. Some need a few bays beside an office, and others need a full maintenance campus with wash, parts, welding and paint areas. The common thread is that downtime is expensive, and the shop is where downtime is repaired.
A well-planned shop is as much about workflow as about structure. We lay out bays, parts storage, tool rooms and vehicle approaches so that a mechanic is not walking across the shop for each part, and a vehicle is not blocked by another.
The structure is usually steel framing with insulated metal panels or concrete masonry walls, with clear heights chosen for the tallest vehicle plus its hoist travel. We build drive-through and back-in bays, overhead doors sized for the largest unit, in-floor trenches or pits, bridge crane or monorail supports and mezzanines for parts storage. Interior walls separate noise, welding and paint operations from the rest of the shop.
Mechanical systems are a large part of the building. Shops need exhaust capture for engines, ventilation, compressed air, lighting and heat. Floor drains lead to oil and sand separators that comply with local discharge rules. For compact additions, our pre-engineered metal buildings are often the fastest and most economical structure.
The floor is the most important part of a shop, and we pour it through trade partners. We prepare the subgrade, install reinforcing and set joints to resist wheel loads, then place, finish and cure the slab. Hardeners, sealers and coatings are chosen for oil, solvents and abrasion. Pits and trenches are formed and poured with the slab so the reinforcement is continuous.
We also erect the structure and install the envelope, which lets us coordinate hoist supports and door framing with the foundations. Where equipment will bear on the floor, our equipment pads and foundations work supplies thickened slabs or separate pads, isolated from the main slab where vibration matters.
Shops are hazardous places. Exhaust, welding fume, solvents, fuel and compressed gas all need controls, and lifting equipment must be rated and inspected. We design ventilation and fire protection to match the activities, and we separate hazardous operations with rated walls where required. Egress is planned around the equipment, with clear routes from every bay.
During construction, the crew works near other buildings in use. We coordinate with the owner on traffic routes, keep fire lanes open and protect equipment. In summer, desert heat is a hazard for our trade partners and for the shop's future workers, so we plan insulation, ventilation and cooling for rest and break areas as part of the building.
Fire and spill response are built in. Shops that store fuel, solvents or batteries need containment, spill supplies and storage cabinets in the right places, and fire extinguishing coverage that matches the activity. We coordinate these with the owner's safety officer so that the building is ready for inspection on the day it opens.
How many bays do you need now, and how many in five years? What is the largest vehicle or aircraft component that must enter, and what does it weigh? Does the work involve engines, hydraulics, painting or welding? Which of those need separation or special ventilation? These questions drive the structure, the floor and the utilities.
At airports, hangar-style maintenance has its own rules, and our aircraft hangar page covers those. For heavy equipment and fabrication shops, owners in metals and heavy industry need larger hoists and floors rated for extreme loads. Fleet owners should also read about automotive and fleet facilities, which covers the yard that surrounds the shop.
Light and air quality are the details owners notice daily. Mechanics work better under bright, even lighting with light-colored walls, and they work safer with exhaust capture at the tailpipe. Natural light from clerestories or translucent panels cuts power use, though glare on the floor and roof heat gain must be controlled. We also recommend planning wall space for tool storage, air drops and electrical outlets before framing is finished.
The county has several clusters of this work. Las Cruces International Airport is a city-owned airport nine miles west of downtown with three runways, two fixed-base operators and an Army National Guard aviation company with four helicopters, and a March 2021 report described utilities, lighting and taxiways being extended on its east side to support hangar development. Aircraft maintenance and ground support shops follow that growth, and we build for them near the airport.
Organ, at the foothills of the San Augustin Mountains, grew after White Sands Missile Range opened in 1945 by serving military personnel and government contractors, and it remains active in supporting the range. Shops that service range support vehicles and equipment benefit from a site near Organ and the US 70 corridor. We also build shops along the I-10 corridor for freight and farm users.
Send the largest vehicle you service, the number of bays you want and the work done in each. We will return a building concept, a floor specification and a budget range.
Size them to the tallest unit you expect over the life of the building, plus clearance for exhaust and hoists. It is cheaper to build tall at the start than to raise a roof later. We will review your vehicle list and recommend heights.
A reinforced concrete slab with a hardened, sealed surface, designed for the wheel and jack loads you expect. Pits, trenches and drains are poured integrally. We select coatings by the fluids and the cleaning methods you use.
Most shops with floor drains do, because the drain water must be treated before it leaves the site. The exact requirement depends on the local utility and the activity. We confirm with the authority early and size the separator for your volumes.
Yes. We extend the structure, tie in the slab and move utilities. We schedule the connecting work so the shop keeps operating, using temporary partitions and agreed shutdown windows.
Full air conditioning of a large shop is costly. Common solutions are insulated roofs, reflective finishes, high-volume fans, evaporative cooling in some uses and conditioned offices and break rooms. We discuss the tradeoffs with you.