Single Slope Framing Systems for Buildings That Need One-Way Roof Drainage

Because a single slope frame can stand entirely on its own, the load picture looks more like a standard building than an attached one — but a few things specific to the shape still get worked through on every project:

• Dead loads – Weight of the frame, roof panels, and wall cladding across the full slope
• Live loads – Roof snow accumulation, which tends to collect more heavily on the low side, plus occupancy loads and rooftop equipment
• Wind loads – Uplift and lateral pressure calculated for your site's exposure category and geographic location
• Seismic loads – Ground motion forces tied to your building's seismic design category
• Collateral loads – Anything hanging from the structure, from lighting to ductwork to fire suppression
• Differential column heights – Taller columns on the high side and shorter columns on the low side each carry a different share of the roof load, which changes how each end of the frame is sized
• Site grading and drainage – Since all runoff exits on one side, grading around that low eave has to handle the volume without pooling

All of it gets engineered into structural drawings you review and sign off on before fabrication starts.

A single slope, or mono-slope, frame is built from a set of primary and secondary members that all have to work together across the full slope of the roof. Depending on your span and column preference, here's what we typically fabricate:

• High-Side and Low-Side Columns – Straight or tapered columns sized independently for each side's share of the roof load
• Single-Pitch Rafters – Rafter members running the full slope from the high eave to the low eave
• Moment or Pinned Connections – Column-to-rafter connections engineered to the load path your design calls for
• Base Plates & Anchor Bolts – Foundation connections sized to each column's individual load
•  Bracing – Flange braces and bay bracing to control lateral movement and buckling
• Eave & Ridge Members – Structural members running the length of each roofline that tie the frame together and support secondary framing
• Custom Hardware – Gussets, stiffeners, and connection plates for parapet returns, facade tie-ins, or other project-specific details

Every piece comes out of our Kendallville, Indiana shop, fully finished and ready for the field.

Here's the general path a single slope project follows once you bring it to us:

1. Program & Site Input – We gather your building width, column preference, site drainage needs, and timeline
2. Structural Design – Drawings and 3D models get built around your specific slope, span, and load requirements
3. Your Review – Prints come to you before anything is fabricated; changes are welcome, with no penalty
4. In-House Build – Cutting, welding, forming, and finishing, all under one roof at our Kendallville facility
5. Logistics – We coordinate freight to your site and support erection planning
6. Standing By – We're available after delivery for anything that comes up down the road

A single slope building, whether it's standing on its own or tucked against another structure, still has to clear the same regulatory bar as any other steel frame. We treat that as part of the design work, not a box to check once the steel ships.

Codes and standards we build to:

• IBC provisions for structural steel buildings
• AISC design requirements for members and connections
• ASCE 7 load combinations for wind, seismic, snow, and occupancy
• AWS standards for weld quality
• Whatever local permitting and plan review process applies to your jurisdiction

Need help putting together documentation for a permit submission? We can pull that together with you.

Single slope framing shows up across nearly every industry we serve — anywhere one-way drainage, a variable roofline, or a self-supporting addition makes more sense than the alternatives.

• Manufacturing – Office and utility wings added onto production floors where a full lean-to isn't the right structural fit
• Warehouse & Distribution – Standalone equipment buildings and loading area covers where one-way drainage matters
• Agriculture – Equipment storage and processing buildings sited to shed water away from feed lots or access roads
• Retail & Commercial – Storefront additions and canopy structures that use parapet details to match adjoining rooflines
• Transportation & Logistics – Vehicle maintenance bays and fleet buildings that need a lower profile on one side
• Government & Institutional – Structural additions built to whatever documentation standard a public project requires

We've been a family-run fabricator for three generations, and the way we operate hasn't drifted from that: straightforward relationships, careful work, and a willingness to dig into structural problems that don't have an off-the-shelf answer. Work with us on a single slope project and here's what you get:

• Growing capability – New equipment and new expertise every year, aimed at taking on tougher structural scopes
• Full visibility before production – Every print gets your sign-off first
• A team that keeps digging – If an engineered solution exists for your load condition or site constraint, we'll find it
• Consistency at any scale – One building or a program across multiple sites, the standard doesn't change

We've built long relationships with manufacturers, OEMs, and contractors because the first project goes right, and the ones after it do too.