Agricultural building prices

Are you think of starting your own farm business? One of the most important elements, alongside the right land, is having the right agricultural buildings.

Whether you’re looking to build from scratch or renovate existing structures, it’s vital that your farm is supported by the right agricultural buildings. These spaces will help house your essential equipment, as well as protect your crops and livestock.

From barns and silos to greenhouses and cattle sheds, we’ll provide more information about agricultural building prices.

Simply scroll to the section that you want to find out more about, or read the whole article for a complete overview.

We’re working with steel building suppliers, so if you’re looking to compare prices for this type of structure, you can complete our quick and easy form to compare quotes today.

If you’re looking for agricultural buildings for your farm, one of the first questions you’ll want answered is: how much is it going to cost?

We’re going to dive straight in by providing some examples of prices for farm buildings, then explaining factors that can influence these prices.

If you want to learn more about steel buildings, head over to our steel building prices page to find out more information about, and the costs of, this type of building specifically.

Which factors can affect prices?

When you’re looking for agricultural sheds for sale, there are a number of factors you’ll need to take into consideration when working out a budget. These include:

• Materials – the quality and cost of the materials is likely to be factored into the overall price
• Size – the bigger the structure, the likelier prices will increase
• Delivery – expect to pay delivery fees if the kit or structure is delivered to your farm
• Installation – if the building requires a professional installation, this is likely to affect the cost
• Additional features – for example, doors, floors and windows. Not all buildings will come with these as standard, so extra fees may be necessary if you want features like these
• Purpose/requirements – what you intend to use the building for may affect the price. For example, livestock housing and equipment storage have different requirements
• Kit or custom – a bespoke structure designed especially for your farm is likely to cost more than using a kit structure that you assemble yourself
• Condition – whether the structure or parts are new or used will alter their price point
• Electricity and plumbing – lighting and drainage systems, for instance. Allocate a higher budget if your building requires these types of systems

How to choose agricultural buildings

If you want to construct the building yourself, then it’s best to find agricultural shed kits. With this option, you usually buy the materials and parts as a package and construct it yourself.

The alternative is to use a specialist contractor or supplier to create a custom built structure for you, whether that’s cattle sheds, farm sheds, or agricultural sheds in general.

How you choose which type of agricultural building is right for you and your farm depends on several factors. Some questions to consider when making your decision include:

• Materials – is a timber, plastic, or steel structure more suitable for your requirements?
• Management – do you need a project manager to organise the build, or can you oversee the works yourself?
• Purpose – is the building for storage, housing livestock, or something else?
• Budget – how much can you afford to spend on the buildings?
• Maintenance – how much does it require and how frequently?
• Payment – is full payment required upfront? If not, can you pay monthly or with a payment plan? How big a deposit is required?
• Transport – can the buildings or kit be delivered, or do you have to collect the parts yourself?
• Viewings – is it possible to see a demo or model structure before you buy?
• Codes and standards – does it meet the necessary building regulations? E.g. fire safety
• Security – how can the structure be secured? For example, does it have lockable doors?

What is BS5502

BS5502 is a British Standard that agriculture buildings should meet. It’s a voluntary standard, although it offers guidelines for best practice on building safe structures that meet design and durability requirements too.

For more information on building standards and other requirements for agricultural buildings, check out the Rural and Industrial Design and Building Association (RIDBA) site.

The building process

As part of the building process, you may need to apply for planning permission from the relevant department in your council or local authority.There are different circumstances that may or may not require it – you can read more about them on the Gov.uk pages about planning permission for farms.How to submit an application for planning permission.

There are a few points to consider when going through the building process. We’ll outline some of the key steps you should take if you need to apply for planning permission.

• Review the requirements with your relevant local authority or planning office
• Assess if planning permission is necessary for your property e.g. check if agricultural permitted development applies – see below
• Complete the application form
• Include the required documentation
• Pay the fee

Note that planning permission fees vary across the UK – for example, England and Wales have different fee structures. In England, fees are set by the government nationally. Fees are often based upon the area of the building, and so are likely to increase the larger the structure.

For example, in 2018, the fee for erecting buildings for agricultural use on agricultural land with a gross floor space of 465 square metres (sq m) or less was £96.

For proposed developments with a gross floor space of 465 sqm – 540 sq m is £462. Gross floor spaces that are bigger than this have additional fees.Which documents are required?

With a planning permission application, you’ll need to include:

• Plans and drawings of the proposed works
• Certificate of ownership – there are four different types (A, B, C or D), which depend on how the land is owned
• Agricultural Land Declaration – agricultural tenants (if any) must be informed about the application
• Design and Access Statement – certain applications need to include this statement, which details how the proposed works are suitable and accessible for the site

You can read more about ownership certificates and agricultural land declarations on the Gov.uk guidance page.

Additional documents may also need to be supplied, depending on your area. These are likely to be plans, or research that takes into account local concerns. Check with your local planning office for more advice.

What is agricultural permitted development?

These are a set of rights that apply to certain agricultural buildings, making them exempt from planning permission requirements.

The legislation which governs this is called The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015.

If your farmland is five hectares in size (or bigger), then these rights may be applicable. Additional criteria also applies – the government offers further guidance on their

These are a set of rights that apply to certain agricultural buildings, making them exempt from planning permission requirements.

The legislation which governs this is called The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015.

If your farmland is five hectares in size (or bigger), then these rights may be applicable. Additional criteria also applies – the government offers further guidance on their permitted development page.

You may still need to meet certain requirements or inform the relevant authority before works take place, so be sure to check first.

You may still need to meet certain requirements or inform the relevant authority before works take place, so be sure to check first.

Replacing or expanding agricultural buildings

At this point, you’ve learned more about the different types of agricultural buildings and the costs involved, as well as what may be included in the building process.But what about if you already have some agricultural buildings on your land? Or if you want to expand these buildings further down the line?

In this section, we’ll provide more details about these stages.

Why might agricultural buildings need to be replaced or expanded?

Some potential reasons include:

• General wear and tear
• Converting barns as part of diversifying a farm business, such as to create accommodation or a shop

Read more about expanding and diversifying your farm’s offering in our guide on how to start a farm business.

If your property is listed or is a historic building (such as those with a thatched roof), additional conditions may apply or specialist construction may be necessary.

How long an agricultural building will last for depends on the building standards class that it was designed to. These classifications are dependent on the size of the structure, as well as work time spent in the structure and distance to a road or house.These are outlined in the British Standard BS5502, which explains the standards that agricultural buildings should be built to – see above for more information.

Next steps

By reading this article, you’ve learned more about agricultural building prices, including the different types of structures available and their corresponding costs. We’ve also looked at the building process, as well as how to replace or expand agricultural buildings too.

If you’re ready to compare quotes for steel buildings now, simply complete our quick and easy form to compare supplier quotes.