A Shelter is referred to as a pre-engineered permanent structure (vs. shade that is a temporary structure). Structural design include:
- steel columns
- purlins
- rafter
- ridge beam
- roofing
How Long Will it Last? The standard warranty of a commercial picnic shelter is 10 years for the frame & a lifetime for the roof panels. Although SRP offers the industry’s best warranty, you’ll want a partner that’s committed to maintaining your equipment for its lifetime. We will prolong that as well as keep it fully-functional with our regularly scheduled inspections and maintenance.
Optional design elements include upper ornamentation, handrails, cupolas, duo-tops, electrical cut outs, lightning protection package, other roofing styles.
DESIGN OPTIONS:
Shelters are designed in a factory 3 ways: Standard, Modified Standard and Custom
Standard- include a 7’6″ eave, 4:12 pitch or 6:12 on some models, 90mph wind load/20psf snow load capacity
Modified standard- is changing something slightly, engineering increased requirements, minor design element column style change
Custom- means there is a specific layout to design and will include many non-standard elements
SHAPES:
Shapes of Shelters are square, rectangular gable or hip, hexagon, octagon, 2 post mini, single column mini, triangle kiosk. Each shape has a set standard dimension. In Mfg. these dimensions allow the balance and scale of a design to look good while keeping cost low in fabrication. Standard product has a shorter lead time. Price list shows the 56 standard models with shapes and sizes.
STYLES:
SRP offer 2 styles of Shelter, an All Steel (AS) and Steel Frame (SF). An All Steel shelter comes with no underside roof decking, just the metal roof onto the rafters. The Steel Frame shelter comes with tongue & groove decking offered in southern yellow pine #2 grade (SYP#2).
ROOF PANELS: Each style above has a variety of roof styles such as standard R-panel or an upgrade to asphalt shingles, cedar shingle that both require SF model. In addition, a standing seam panel roof can also be an upgrade. On the AS shelters, a panel roof is heavier gauge (24 or 26). On the SF shelters, a panel roof is lighter gauge (29)
ELECTRICAL CUTOUTS:
On structures requiring electrical there are several must know to identify at quoting level so that fabrication of such is included:
A) Which column(s) location get a receptacle?
B) What orientation and size is receptacle? Portrait vs. Landscape and 2×4 vs. 3×5
C) Will wiring be internal or external to columns? Determines if holes are cut in end plates
D) Will there be lights, fans and what are their locations? Determines where 1″ holes are cut
Design benefit: pre-cut openings in steel for electrical needs prevent eternal conduits and receptacle from being attached after the shelter is installed. External attachments compromise the steel powder coat and look ugly.
HANDRAILS:
On structures requiring handrails there are several must knows:
A) How many sections are needed and where are they located?
B) What pattern of design is desired?
C) If structure is elevated off the ground, will standard height of handrail be acceptable or for ADA reasons a change is required?
MULTI-TIERED ROOF OPTIONS:
Generally a structure is one story and most units can add a second story or referred to as a Duo-top. This is a structural frame addition and looks very nice. A cupola is different and is more of a decorative element (non-functional) when added to a metal roof environment. These are two different approaches to enhancing a design. Larger more prominent structures can utilize a 3-story approach because the “scale” or overall size to make this attractive.
INSTALLATION & ENGINEERING CONSIDERATIONS:
When considering how a Shelter will be put onto the site, standard design of a column connection at the footer is a surface mount (SM) base plate. A plate will match a column by either being round or square and generally extends outward on each of the sides approx. 4-6 inches i.e. 6″x6″ column has a 14″x14″ plate. All shelters come with anchor bolts and templates when ordered and if delivery of these precedes the shelter it must be known in advance. These AB&T’s are normally sent to the contractor so they can accurately position the template (orientation and dimensionally) into the concrete footer during the pour. Elevation of footers have 2 choices; subgrade and finished floor grade. The subgrade footer is used to hide the bolts or used when pavers or other decorative concrete finishes are selected. The finished floor elevation is used when a customer does not care about seeing hardware exposed or independent footers get used on a site that may already have a finished flatwork environment established.
Engineering of shelters is simply put; make the steel sizing, connections and hardware withstand the forces of nature so it does not fall down, come apart or come out of the ground. The manufacturer designates how large and thick the columns, rafters, hardware needs to be in building the product to meet the required Code. Each local, state or federal entity establishes their building code that must be met. Signed and sealed engineering is created to validate that this has been done for the specific project location. Each individual shelter requires engineering unless it’s a multiple going into the same location. When a manufacture designs a shelter that is engineered to a minimum standard (90mph wind load/20psf snow load)
Where’s Your Equipment Made? All of SRP’s equipment, and most of our other recreation equipment is manufactured in Carrollton, GA, next door to our offices. This offers you a significant discount on shipping and unparalleled customer service advantage! Most of the dealers you’ll be in contact with represent companies that are distributed around the country, which may be a concern 15 years from now when it’s time to upgrade/replace parts.
Top questions you must have answered before ordering your picnic shelter
Site features
1. Will the area that you’re expecting to install your new shelter allow for concrete truck access?
2. Are there any existing buildings or trees that might be in the way?
3. How close to your building are you looking at installing the new shelter?
4. Is the new area level within 2°?
5. Do we have room to both receive rental equipment and offload, and then access the area with that new lift equipment?
6. How close can we get the lift equipment to your site?
7. Are there any utilities either below grade, such as drains, power lines, gas lines, sewage or overhead utilities?
8. Are there any overhead obstructions, such as trees or building heaves that we need to consider?
9. Are there any sidewalks or additional concrete that will need to be poured?
10. What kind of surface are we cutting through?
11. Where are we going to dispose of the spoils as we’re digging out our footers?
12. Is there waste disposal, such as a 20 yd.³ dumpster present for spoils?
13. Can we place spoils on site?
Permitting
1. If required, it will also include a survey or site plan. These surveys show setback requirements, usually 20 to 25 feet from the property lines, may also include for easements, for utilities.
2. Are you aware of any current survey that we might be able to use or will we have to order a new one?
3. Are you aware of any setbacks that your school district may require from buildings for emergency equipment etc.?
Planning and layout
1. What shape of shelter do you desire – hexagonal, rectangular, square?
2. What’s the approximate size of the area you’re intending to cover?
3. Does this also include for a larger concrete pad or sidewalks leading to that existing area?
4. What type of events will be programmed in the space?
5. Will it be going over any existing equipment, such as park equipment, outdoor seating?
6. How many people will be using the space?
7. Can you describe the location where you’ll be installing the structure?
8. Do you intend on having any furniture around the structure? If so, we’ll need to add an additional 4 ft. use zone around all of your equipment.
9. What is your proposed budget for both materials and construction?
10. Are we going to be installing the structure?
11. Who will be servicing and maintaining the structure?
12. Who will be making the final approval for your purchase?
13. Does your local or state government require permitting?
14. Where will we deliver the product and where will we be offloading it?
15. Is there a projected time frame for project completion?
16. Will there be a project manager on site during the construction process?
17. When is the grand opening celebration?
18. Can you offer a secured site to house all of the equipment until our installers complete the project?
19. What building department jurisdiction is this going to be installed in?
Styling considerations
1. The structural design includes steel columns, purlins, rafter, ridge beam and roofing.
2. Have you considered optional design elements, such as upper ornamentation?
3. Do you need handrails?
4. Have you considered adding a decorative cupola?
5. Have you looked at duo top style versus a single top?
6. Do you have a need for electrical cutouts?
7. Should we consider adding a lightning protection package?
8. Is there a specific roofing style or paneling style that you prefer?
9. As to the shape, do you prefer a square, hexagon, pergola or a high pergola?
Roof options
1. We can offer a multi-rib standard metal panel, a standing seam which clips together, metal profile and also asphalt shingles with a 20 year shingle.
2. Do you have any other roof options that you’ve considered?
Roof pitch
1. Our standard eve is 7’6″. Roof pitches are either 4’12” or 6’12”, however they can be adjusted based on your preference and we can also, through our gazebo series, offer a dual pitch. Our shelters are rated for 90 miles an hour.
2. Do you have a need for snow loading?
3. How customized do you need your shelter to be? Please explain.
4. Some different shapes of shelters are square, rectangular, rectangular gable, rectangular hip, octagonal, two post mini, single column mini and triangular kiosk.
5. We offer two styles of shelter, including an all steel versus a steel frame. All steel shelter comes with no underside roof decking, just the metal roof connected directly to the rafters. The steel frame shelter comes with tongue and groove decking offered in Southern yellow pine with the metal roof panel connecting directly to the tongue and groove decking boards. The underside of the roof line is wood and the exterior outer roof is metal or steel.
6. We can also offer a cedar shingle and a custom paneling roof can also be added as needed.
7. If you need electrical cutouts, we’ll need to know which column they need to be installed on, what size and orientation of the receptacle, if it’s portrait or landscape.
8. Will the wiring be internal or external to the columns?
9. Do we need to install lighting or fans? If so, we’ll need to determine where those cutouts need to be on the purlins or rafters.
10. Do you require handrails? If so, we’ll need to know how many and where they need to be located, as well as any pattern, design that’s preferred.
11. Is your structure going to be elevated and if so, do we need to include the decking? We’ll need to know what that decking size is in relation to the handrails.
12. What is your project lead time? Construction lead time is 10 to 12 weeks.
13. Will your site allow us to bring in a forklift to offload the equipment or do you have a forklift on site?
14. Can we bring a scissor lift in, along with the forklift to the installation site?
15. Can we bring in a mini excavator to dig out the footers?
16. Our typical installation time for a shelter is anywhere from 3 to 7 business days.
17. Where will we deliver the product and who will be offloading?
18. Is there a projected timeline for installation of project completion?
19. Our typical footer size is 2.5′ x 2.5′ x 2.5′.
20. Where’s our staging area?
21. Our typical install includes for surface mounted baseplate.
22. Do you plan on adding paver stones or concrete slab that might be poured after we’re done installing our shelter? If so, we can recess the base plates to allow the slab or paver stones to go on the top, while not exposing the hardware of the shelter on the base plates.
23. What elevation of footers would you like?
24. We can either do them subgrade or do the finished floor grade. The subgrade footer is used to hide bolts or used when pavers or decorative concrete finishes are selected. The finished floor elevation is used when a customer does not care about seeing the hardware exposed or independent footers get used on a site that may already have a finished flat work environment in place.
25. What kind of warranty should you expect out of your shelter?
26. What kind of engineering requirements do you have?
