Project Planning
- Preconstruction budget and schedule review
- Permitting, inspections and owner reviews tracked to closeout
- Specialty trade partners scheduled, coordinated and supervised by our superintendent
- Closeout records, warranties and as-built drawings delivered with the building
A hangar is a very large, very simple building that has to be built almost perfectly, and Roswell has plenty of reasons to need them. Roswell Air Center sits five miles south of the city on 5,029 acres, with a 13,000-foot by 150-foot runway and a 10,008-foot by 100-foot runway. Tenants include AerSale and other aircraft repair and refurbishing companies, and a large aircraft storage site where over 300 aircraft were ferried in 2020. We build the clear-span hangars, maintenance shops and support offices that serve that work.
Clear-span aviation buildings depend on large rigid frames, long-span roof systems, huge doors and floors that stay flat under heavy aircraft. We coordinate the door supplier, the fire suppression engineer and the structural engineer early, because a hangar door and a foam fire system can each drive the structure. A slab for aircraft tugs and jacks also needs reinforcement and curing that are different from a warehouse floor.
The other side of Roswell is food and agriculture. Leprino Foods operates one of the world's largest mozzarella factories in the city, and the area supports irrigated farming, dairying, ranching and petroleum-related facilities. Food plants and agricultural buildings are a separate discipline, and we plan the required sanitary finishes, washdown floors and heavy utility loads.
What we build here
For aviation work we manage the erection of rigid-frame and pre-engineered buildings, the foundations and floors, and the door systems. We bring in specialty trades for fire suppression and fueling, and manage the inspection steps with the airport and fire authorities.
Our clear-span rigid frame work benefits from the open ground around the Air Center. There is room to lay out steel, stage a crane and handle deliveries without the constraints of a tight urban site, which saves money and shortens the schedule.
Hangars, food plants and distribution buildings
The aircraft hangar is the most distinctive building here, and owners range from repair companies to storage operators. Starting in 2025, the National Championship Air Races are held at Roswell Air Center, replacing Reno Stead Airport. Event weekends bring temporary structures, hospitality demand and public safety requirements that we plan around when work is near the flight line.
On the food side, dairy and cheese plants need sanitary design, drainage, clean utilities and cold storage. Our food and beverage processing experience covers floors with slope to drain, easily cleaned wall systems and refrigeration support. Both categories benefit from careful planning of truck routes, since milk, products and supplies all arrive by road.
Highways and rail that serve the work
US 70, US 285 and US 380 intersect in Roswell. US 285 runs 76 miles south to Carlsbad and US 70 runs 117 miles west to Alamogordo. Those distances matter to a contractor because crews, materials and specialty inspections often travel between those cities. We plan haul times, lodging and trade availability into our schedules instead of assuming everything is next door.
BNSF Railway provides freight service to Roswell, which supports bulk inputs and outbound loads for industrial users. Owners who think they may need rail should ask early about spur options and clearances. See also our pages on Carlsbad and Alamogordo for how we approach neighboring markets.
Site, utilities and heavy floors
Roswell Air Center is at an elevation of 3,671 feet on open ground, and most of our site packages begin with mass grading and utility extensions. We handle mass grading through earthwork trade partners, with specialty subcontractors coordinated where the site requires them.
Floors for hangars and industrial plants need to be thicker, better reinforced and flatter than a typical retail slab. We place them in controlled lifts, saw-cut joints promptly and cure them correctly for the dry, windy conditions common on the plains.
Working beside active runways and processing lines
Airfield work comes with its own rules. Vehicles, cranes and workers on or near the movement area need escorts, marked routes, and permission from the airport operator, and lifts near approach paths may need height approval. We submit those plans before mobilizing and brief every crew member on the radio and gate procedures.
Food plants add a different set of hazards: ammonia refrigeration, washdown chemicals and wet floors. We coordinate lockout procedures with the plant, keep construction traffic away from production routes, and respect hygiene zones so product is never at risk because of our work.
Sequencing steel, doors and inspections
Hangar door packages and structural steel often have the longest lead times, so we release those orders as soon as the design is stable. Foundations and slabs are then timed to be ready when steel arrives, and the erection crew is scheduled for the window that fits wind and weather. If a door is late, the building is not closed in.
Food plants add equipment delivery and commissioning dates that cannot slip, since production schedules are tied to supply contracts. We build a joint schedule with the owner's process team that shows when each room is released for equipment and when inspections occur.
Where aviation and food projects cost more
Doors, fire suppression and floors are the elements that push hangar pricing above a standard metal building. We price them as separate line items so owners see what each requirement costs and can make informed tradeoffs. In food plants, finishes, drains and refrigeration make up most of the difference.
Remote distance is another cost driver: skilled trades may need to travel to Roswell, and we plan their schedules in blocks to reduce trip charges. Our manufacturing and plant clients often find that early procurement lowers costs more than any other step.
Talk with us about your Roswell project
Tell us what you plan to build near the Air Center or in the city. We will review the site, the loads and the approvals, and offer a clear schedule.
Questions Owners Ask
How large a door and span can you build for a hangar?
It depends on the aircraft and the structure. Wide-body maintenance hangars need long clear spans, tall doors and high-capacity foundations, and a hangar for general aviation can use a much lighter system. We work with a door manufacturer and a structural engineer to match the building to the aircraft you operate.
Do airport tenants have special approval steps?
Yes. Airport authorities usually require lease approval, height and lighting review, and coordination with the fire marshal. We prepare drawings for those reviews at the same time as the building permit set, so approvals move in parallel.
Can you build a food plant that meets sanitary requirements?
We build food and dairy plants with sloped floors, covered drains, cleanable finishes and appropriate utilities. The owner's food safety consultant and equipment supplier are brought into the design phase so layouts work in practice.
What happens during a big event like the air races?
Event weekends bring crowds and traffic, and active construction near the flight line needs to be coordinated with airport staff. We stage work to avoid event dates, and we protect the public with fencing, flagging and clear signs.
How far do you travel for a Roswell project?
We build across the state, and Roswell is a place we plan for in terms of travel time and lodging. Our trade partners are lined up early so that crews arrive in blocks.