Myths About Steel Buildings

Many business owners reject the idea of using steel buildings to house their business out of hand, thanks to their belief in one of the many myths about steel and metal building construction. If you’re considering expanding your business or are building primary construction for your business, steel buildings have a lot to offer in the way of advantages. Don’t let these common building myths stand in the way of a great deal on the ideal construction for your company.

Myth: Steel Buildings Are Unattractive

If you think of a steel building as a metal box, or worse, a hoop frame covered with bland steel, you haven’t seen the wide range of styles and colors available for steel construction. Prefabricated steel buildings come in several basic styles, but there are so many choices of materials, color and trim that no two finished buildings will look alike. In fact, in many cases, you’d be hard-pressed to distinguish between a steel building and conventional construction.

Myth: Prefabricated Buildings May Not Meet Local Building Codes

The manufacturers of steel buildings work with architects to ensure that any building they sell meets or exceeds all local building standards and codes. Of course, it’s up to the owner of the property and the building to ensure that they are building in an area zoned for the type of building they’re erecting, as well as to ensure that their construction meets any local codes for foundations and placement. The building itself, though, will conform to local building standards.

Myth: Steel Buildings All Look Alike

As noted above, manufacturers offer many modifications and customizations that allow you to put your own stamp on a steel building. These customizations go far beyond mix and match colors and trims. You’ll be able to choose doors, roof type, number and style of windows and many other details that let you customize your building for your use. The interior of your building is even more versatile. Because there are no interior support columns, you’ll be able to configure your interior to meet your needs.

Myth: Steel buildings Are Bad for the Environment

Actually, fabricated metal buildings are among the more ecologically friendly building options. Most metal buildings are made of 100 percent recycled steel. When you choose a steel construction rather than conventional wood-frame construction, you’re diverting steel from the waste stream rather than using up the precious resource of trees. In addition, steel buildings are recyclable, not just as steel but as a building. Because they bolt together, you can dismantle and reassemble a steel building on another site if you move. This allows you to actually recoup some of your expense at the end of the building’s usefulness to your company by selling the building instead of demolishing it.

Steel buildings offer many advantages, including savings in money, time and planning. Learn more about why steel and metal buildings are right for your project by contacting a manufacturer of steel frame buildings.

Five Reasons to Choose Steel Buildings for Storage Sheds

 Lawn equipment, patio furniture and kids’ toys can take up valuable space in your garage, forcing you to leave your car out in the driveway. If you’ve collected a lawnmower, a snow blower, a handful of rakes and garden equipment or a garden tractor, chances are that you’ve considered building a storage shed on your property. While there are many options available on the market, steel buildings offer numerous advantages as storage sheds.

Steel Buildings are Inexpensive

Prefabricated metal buildings are less expensive than wood frame construction. If you purchase a pre-designed building kit from a manufacturer, you’ll get everything you need to put up your building. While wood frame storage shed kits may seem less expensive, they only provide the plans and the fasteners for your building. When you add in the cost of the lumber, a wood frame building will almost always cost more than a steel building of comparable size.

Do It Yourself Construction

There’s no need to hire a contractor or carpenter to assemble a steel building. A homeowner with basic do-it-yourself skills and a few friends can usually put up a steel storage shed without professional help, usually in a weekend. Steel building kits come with all parts pre-drilled and ready to put together. Detailed plans simplify the process so that just about anyone can successfully put up a steel storage shed.

No Foundation Needed

Most small metal buildings need no foundation other than concrete footings for the main support posts. You can choose to build a storage shed with a dirt floor, a wood floor or build your storage shed on a poured concrete slab. You save the time and expense of digging a foundation, and avoid the worry of digging into pipes or electrical lines.

Cheaper Insurance

Because steel buildings are inherently safer than wood frame construction, your homeowners’ insurance will be cheaper than if you’d built a wooden storage shed. Steel storage sheds are fire resistant and weather resistant.

Low Maintenance

Once your storage shed is erected, you won’t have to do much more in the way of maintenance. Steel buildings are generally guaranteed for 20 to 40 years, and they’ll look just as good at the end of that term as they do when you first put them up. They’re rust-resistant and resistant to rot. Steel is of no interest to pests like carpenter ants or termites, and the pre-painted steel panels never need repainting or refinishing. Maintenance is as simple as hosing the shed down once in a while to remove surface dirt.

In addition, steel buildings come in a variety of attractive colors and styles that will fit into your landscape and look good standing next to your house. For more information about metal buildings used as storage sheds, garages and other household storage uses, contact a manufacturer or vendor of prefabricated steel buildings.

Why Steel Buildings Make Excellent Garages

When most people hear the phrase “steel buildings,” they think of steel-framed, towering behemoths, skyscrapers and industrial buildings, but there’s another type of steel building that can be much more useful to the homeowner. Based on steel arch construction used for constructing Quonset huts for the military, prefabricated steel buildings provide multiple solutions for storage sheds, gardening sheds, barns and garages on residential or agricultural property. If you’re considering building a garage to store and protect your vehicles, for example, there are many advantages to choosing a steel building.

Quick Construction

If you want a quick solution to your vehicle storage problems, a steel building is your best option, especially if you choose basic options. Manufacturers of metal buildings usually offer several basic designs that are suitable for specific uses, and can manufacture the pieces for those particular models within a couple of weeks. The steel building kits are shipped complete with everything you need to erect your garage, so once your packages arrive, you can gather a few friends and put up your garage over a weekend. The one part of your building that might benefit from the assistance of a professional contractor is the pouring of a concrete floor, which usually serves as a slab foundation for your building. Other than that, erecting a pre-fabricated metal building is a do-it-yourself project that most people with modest home handyman skills can manage.

Lower Cost

Because there’s no need to dig a foundation, your construction costs will be lower when you choose a steel building kit for your garage. In addition, if you decide to hire a contractor to put up the building rather than doing it yourself, the ease and speed with which a steel garage can be constructed will greatly reduce your out of pocket costs for labor. The savings don’t stop when your garage is finished, though. Weather-tight construction means that your new garage will be easier and cheaper to heat; they’re rated for use in some of the harshest weather conditions in Alaska and the cold Northwest. Finally, because steel is fireproof and resists rot, rust and pest infestation, you’re likely to find it’s cheaper to insure than a wood frame building.

Safer and Sturdier

The arch construction used in most steel buildings is one of the sturdiest types available. Some models are built to withstand hurricane force winds of up to 165 miles per hour without buckling or collapsing. The arch framing is designed to shed heavy snow without allowing it to build up against the sides of the building, making it an ideal choice for extreme weather situations.

In addition to all of the above reasons, steel buildings come in a wide variety of colors and styles, so you can easily build a garage that matches your house and adds to the value of your property. For more information, contact a manufacturer who supplies steel building kits for use as garages, sheds and other residential purposes.

Many Uses for Steel Buildings

Steel buildings have come of age. Once regarded as a cheap alternative to “real” or permanent structures, steel buildings are now the go-to choice for many business and resident uses. They’re used for storage, garages, airplane hangars, housing, animal shelter, emergency shelters and far more. In fact, there are very few uses for which a steel building is not suited. Would a steel building be the best choice for your project?

Garages and Vehicle Storage

Whether you’re building a single-car garage or need vehicle storage for dozens of city buses, steel buildings offer an advantage you won’t get with traditional wood structures—unobstructed space. The arch-frame construction used for erecting a metal building requires no internal columns for support. That means you never have to maneuver around support posts and columns when parking and moving your vehicles around the garage.

Farm Storage and Other Agricultural Uses

The unobstructed interior is also an advantage if you need to park a tractor or other farm equipment. Farms of all types often choose a steel structure as a barn alternative or to replace other outbuildings on the farm. Quonset buildings are easier to erect, shed snow more readily, are safer in high wind situations and are naturally resistant to most types of decay and rot, making them a low-maintenance choice for essential buildings on and around an agricultural operation.

Home Offices and Workshops

The trend toward telecommuting has made it more popular than ever for people to work from a home office. A stand-alone steel building makes an ideal home office for most home workers. Metal buildings are easier and cheaper to erect than wood frame construction, and often don’t require special building permits. Most steel building kits don’t need a dug foundation, cutting the expense still further. Maintaining a separate office or workshop for your home business cuts down distractions, helps put you into “work mode” and makes it easier to separate out work expenses for your taxes.

Garden Houses and Storage

Why rent an off-site storage unit when you can erect your own garden house or storage unit on your own property? You can configure the interior of an arch-frame steel building to suit any need. Add shelves for storage, bins and racks for organizing gardening tools and equipment, even build in a cold frame with bedding tables to get a jump start on spring planting.

Steel buildings come in a huge variety of sizes, styles and colors suitable for just about any use you can imagine. If you’re considering adding a room or a building to your property, contact a supplier of metal and steel-framed building to learn more about the advantages of building with steel.

Options for Finishing Steel Buildings

The right finishing touches can turn steel buildings into works of architectural art that rival any other building on the block. When most people think of steel buildings, they picture corrugated, extruded steel often used for inexpensive farm buildings or warehouses. While those buildings are every bit as structurally sound as a metal building with a decorative finish, they’re nowhere near as attractive. Steel building manufacturers offer many finish options that can pretty up your new structure.

Referred to as “exterior works,” steel building finishes include wall panels that simulate nearly any type of material conceivable. You can choose the finish you want to make your building blend or stand out among its neighbors.

The most common exterior finish for a metal building is a powder-coated paint finish. Manufacturers generally provide a list of basic colors for the wall panels, roof panels and trim for doors, windows and roof trims. The finish is often guaranteed to last for 20 or more years without any maintenance beyond regular washing. But painted steel is only one finish option for steel buildings.

Your steel building finish can mimic the look of virtually any other type of construction, including wood, brick and concrete. Customers may choose one of these finishes at additional cost to make their buildings look more like traditional construction. Owners may also choose to have their steel building finished with a faux stone front, or with textured panels that look like stucco or brick.

In addition, you’ll have a range of choices for roof finishes, with the most common being steel, asphalt and cedar. You may choose from many different styles of windows, including skylights, bow windows, picture windows and glazed windows, as well as customizing window and door frames, sills and eaves.

You can usually select your steel building enhancements and finishes from the manufacturer when you order your building. Many manufacturers provide customized designs that include options for standard and upgraded finishes. Even if you choose a basic, economy building, you can often engage a local contractor to apply finish work and trim to your specifications.

Steel buildings offer so many advantages for both residential and industrial uses. Until recently, style was not one of those options, but that’s changed. With the wide variety of accessories, finishes and exterior works available for finishing your metal building, your new structure can be the star of your neighborhood.

Steel Buildings for Farm and Agricultural Uses

Barns, storage buildings and other outbuildings are a vital part of any farm’s production. An agricultural operation requires garaging for vehicles and equipment, housing for animals, storage for grain, dormitories for workers and many other uses. Whether you’re building new or replacing an existing structure, steel buildings offer many advantages over wood frame construction for farm buildings and agricultural uses.

Stable Construction

Steel construction is ideal for the size and scope required for most farm buildings. Metal buildings with reinforced steel frames are highly weather-resistant and sturdy. Stability is key, especially when you’re housing thousands of dollars worth of farm equipment or providing shelter and housing for your livestock. Quonset buildings construction, in particular, is extremely stable, even in high winds.

Versatility

From small storage sheds to buildings the size of two football fields, arch frame construction provides stability without taking up space. Wood frame construction requires beams to support weight, and often in awkward places. Many styles of steel buildings require no internal supporting beams, making them among the most versatile types of construction for nearly any use. With no interior obstructions, you can easily maneuver heavy equipment in and out, and adjust storage space as needed. Steel buildings provide a versatile frame for barns, milking sheds and stables as well, because you can easily build enclosures within the building without regard for construction beams.

Cost

Steel buildings are extremely economical and use less materials than traditionally framed construction. Most are made of powder-coated steel, which is rot-resistant, rust-resistant and resistant to termites and other insect infestations, so you save on maintenance costs for years. In addition, you’ll save on energy costs because these buildings are easy to insulate and weather-tight. Finally, you’ll save on insurance costs because metal buildings are fireproof, as well as resistant to other types of deterioration.

Longevity

When you erect a metal building, you can be assured that you’ll use it for decades. Most steel buildings come with a 20-year warranty, but that’s barely scratching the surface. Keep in mind that there are steel Quonset huts put up after World War II that are still in daily use on farms throughout the West and Midwest. Metal is also recyclable, and many of the steel building kits on the market are made with recycled steel. Finally, because of the way steel buildings are assembled, you can often disassemble them and reassemble them on another site if you choose to reconfigure the use of your land. This is far less expensive than demolishing a standing building and building another one from scratch.

Fabricated Steel Buildings Make Business Expansion Easier

Your business has grown and you need bigger digs. When it’s time to move to a larger business home, steel buildings can provide the best and most economical solution to your expansion needs. A custom-designed metal building can take all of your business’ needs into account, saving you the trouble of having to fit your operation into a pre-built building. In fact, steel buildings offer many advantages over traditional construction when it comes to housing your company.

Fast Construction

Whether you’re putting up a small building to house two or three offices and a reception area or a warehouse to store and assemble orders, steel buildings offer the advantage of quick construction. In many cases, the only foundation required for a steel building are footings for posts and a cement slab, eliminating the time and work needed for digging a foundation. Because most steel buildings are delivered ready to assemble, often with pre-drilled holes for the included fasteners and easy-to-follow plans and schematics, your building can often be assembled in a matter of days instead of weeks and months.

Versatility

Because steel buildings don’t require supporting interior beams in most cases, your interior design doesn’t have to take them into account. That allows you to configure your interior to best suit your purposes. In fact, many manufacturers of metal buildings also provide modular interior walls that you can arrange to suit your needs. The interior of your steel building can be finished to suit your business as well, from an empty shell to a completely finished interior that would suit an interior design firm.

Economy

Steel construction is less expensive than traditional construction on many fronts. While steel is generally more expensive than wood, you’ll save on construction costs because of the speed and ease of construction. While it’s recommended that you employ an experienced contractor to put up a steel building for industrial use, your overall costs will almost always be far lower for a steel building than for a traditional building. In addition, your energy costs are likely to be considerably lower because the buildings are designed to be weather-tight and easy to insulate.

Maintenance

Metal buildings are usually made of powder-coated steel, which is rust-resistant, doesn’t rot and isn’t prone to infestation by termites and other insects. The only maintenance your building exterior will need is an occasional hose-down with a power washer.

Whatever the size of your planned building expansion, be sure to research the many advantages of steel buildings for industrial and business uses.

Steel Buildings Make A Great Base for Your Man Cave

Why confine your man cave to the basement or den of your home when you can set yourself up in your own separate building? Steel buildings provide an excellent framework for just about any style of man cave that suits you, and offers many advantages to trying to pamper your masculine spirit in the confines of a “decorated” home. Why choose a steel building frame for your man cave? Here are just some of the reasons.

Do It Yourself Construction

Many manufacturers sell steel buildings in kits that include everything you need to erect your man cave with the help of a couple of friends. The only foundation needed, in most cases, is a poured cement slab. You and your buddies can put your man cave up over a weekend, and as long as you know how to follow an Erector set schematic, you should get by with no professional help whatsoever.

Low Maintenance

Powder-coated steel is about the lowest maintenance building material in existence. It’s resistant to rust, rot and insect infestation. It never needs repainting or refinishing. Once you’ve put it up, it’s done.

Low Cost

Steel buildings are very reasonable in cost as compared with other types of construction, especially since you don’t have to add the cost of a contractor to put it up for you. A steel building kit comes complete with everything you need to assemble your man cave so you don’t end up spending extra on fasteners and other sundries to complete your structure. It’s also cheaper to maintain than other types of construction.  For instance, you won’t have to spend money to repaint and repair it in a few years. Finally, because steel buildings are water-tight and easy to insulate, you’ll spend less in energy costs to heat and cool your man cave over the years.

Great Appearance

The most popular and cheapest types of steel buildings are Quonset buildings, but you’re not confined to the dome-shaped construction. They come in many other styles and colors, so you can choose one that fits into your landscape seamlessly.

Versatile and Spacious

Quonset huts and other steel buildings provide lots and lots of indoor space for spreading out. You’ll have wall to wall space with no beams to get in the way, making these buildings ideal for use as a workshop, gym, home theater or gardeners’ hut.

Those are just the basic advantages of choosing one of the many styles of steel buildings as the base for your man cave. Consult an online vendor of steel buildings to find out how one can fit into your landscape and plans.