Frequently asked questions

Not necessarily. Your request goes to a steel building contractor, who decides whether an event venue fits the work they take on. Some owners hire a steel contractor for the frame and shell and a separate builder for the kitchen, restrooms and interior. Ask early which parts they would handle.

Don't plan on it. Florida's farm-building exemption (s. 604.50, F.S.) covers nonresidential buildings used for farm purposes, and a hall rented to the public for events is usually treated as an assembly use instead. Ask the county building department and the fire marshal how they will treat your building before you rely on any exemption.

Expect the county or city to permit the hall under the Florida Building Code from steel drawings an engineer seals for the local design wind, the fire marshal to review it as an assembly occupancy under the Florida Fire Prevention Code, and a zoning or site-plan sign-off. Spaces open to guests also carry ADA accessibility requirements.

A clear-span steel frame carries the roof from wall to wall, so the floor has no columns for guests, tables or a dance floor to work around. It also leaves the layout free to change from a seated dinner to a standing reception.

A building where people gather for weddings, parties or meetings is classed as an assembly occupancy under building and fire codes. The number of guests you plan for sets the occupant load, and that drives the number and width of exits, exit signs and emergency lighting, restroom counts, and whether fire sprinklers or alarms are required. Decide the capacity before the design starts.

It can come close. Owners use wood-look or real wood liner on the inside walls and ceiling, timber trim, a wainscot, wide porches, cupolas and barn-style sliding doors over the steel structure. Ask to see finish samples before choosing.

Insulate the roof and walls so the space can be cooled and doesn't drip, and size the heating and cooling for a full room of guests rather than an empty one. Bare metal echoes, so plan sound-absorbing liner, ceiling treatment or panels if music and speeches matter.

Parking for guests and vendors, an accessible route from parking to the door, a water supply, and sewer or septic sized for an event crowd. A venue may also need lighting for the parking area and a fire truck route. These can cost as much attention as the building.