Answers to Questions About Steel Buildings

If you’re considering the advantages of steel buildings for your storage, home office, manufacturing building, garages or other construction project, you’re likely to have many questions about the buildings in general and the process of purchasing one. These are some of the most frequent questions asked of steel building suppliers and manufacturers.

 Why Choose Steel Over Wood for Building Projects?

The biggest reason most people choose steel is strength. A steel building can withstand high load conditions like heavy snow. Steel doesn’t warp, shrink or rot, and the expansion and contraction over time is minimal. Steel buildings are not susceptible to damage from insects and are not flammable, so they are safer – and cost less to insure.

Do Steel Building Kits Include Everything Needed to Construct a Building?

In most cases, your steel building order will include everything you need to erect your building with the exception of anchor bolts. Those will be provided by the contractor you hire to pour your foundation. If you do the foundation yourself, you’ll need to supply the anchor bolts.

Are Steel Buildings Painted?

In most cases, the components of your steel building will be painted at the factory using a method called powder-coating, which results in long-lasting, durable color. Most buildings are available in standard house colors. A few manufacturers may custom blend a paint color for you.

What Kind of Warranty Can I Expect With a Steel Building?

The warranties vary from one manufacturer to the next, but most carry a limited lifetime warranty on the structure itself and a 20 to 25 year warranty on the paint.

Do I Need a Building Permit?

The need for building permits varies from one locale to the next. In most cases, you will need a building permit to construct your steel building. Check with your local building code office to review all the requirements for steel buildings in your town or county before you commit to purchasing one.

Will I Need Permit Drawings?

That depends on your local building codes. If you do require permit drawings, simply notify your steel buildings manufacturer, who will supply the necessary drawings. You’ll generally have to put down a deposit before you can get permit drawings.

Does my Metal Building Need a Foundation?

Again, your local building code office may require a foundation and may even specify what type of foundation you’ll need. The most common foundation for a steel building is a poured slab foundation, though some people choose a dirt or gravel floor. On smaller steel buildings, concrete piers are all the foundation your may need.

If you have other questions about steel buildings, your supplier or manufacturer will be happy to answer them for you. All you need to do is ask.

10 Advantages to Choosing Steel Buildings for Storage

If you’re considering adding a storage building to your property, there are many reasons for choosing from the many different types of steel buildings available. Whether you’re looking for a garden shed or a place to store your out of season pool or yard equipment, steel buildings are often a better alternative than other traditional structures. Here are 10 reasons why you should consider a steel building for your needs.

Affordability

Steel is one of the most affordable building materials available today. A metal building, when you count in all the expenses, will usually cost less to buy and erect than any other type of building.

Style

Forget everything you’ve heard about “ugly” steel buildings. Today’s metal buildings come in many different styles and colors, and can exactly match your home and environment.

Low Maintenance

Once they’re up, buildings made of steel require almost no maintenance other than regular exterior cleaning.

Easy to Build

Most smaller steel buildings are so easy to put together that they’re often sold as DIY kits that you can assemble with the help of a few friends.

Durability

The typical steel building will still be standing in 30 years – and looking close to new. And because metal buildings are precision engineered to meet all local building codes, they’ll withstand weather events that easily destroy wood sheds.

Environmentally Friendly

Most buildings are made of 100% recycled steel, so they use no new non-renewable resources. At the end of their useful life, they can be disassembled and recycled again.

Versatility

From home offices to garden sheds, a basic steel building can take on nearly any role. Because most of them have clear span interiors, it’s easy to reconfigure your floor plan to fit whatever use you need.

Custom Design

Many manufacturers will custom design and engineer your building to exactly suit your needs. The design can include channels and pre-drilled openings for wiring, plumbing and any other customizations you want to add.

Safety

Metal is fire resistant, and most metal buildings are coated with fire retardants to make them further resistant to fire. In addition, steel buildings are also resistant to rot, insect infestation and mold.

Lower Insurance Premiums

Insurance companies base their premiums on risks and dangers. Because steel buildings are resistant to so many dangers that can destroy a wooden structure, your insurance premiums for a steel building will be lower than the premiums on a similarly sized wooden building.

Want to know even more about the advantages of choosing a metal storage building? Contact a manufacturer or supplier of steel buildings with your questions.

What to Look for When Buying Steel Buildings

While steel buildings are extremely cost-effective, they still represent a significant cash investment for any business or homeowners. Chances are that if you’re shopping for a metal building, you’ve seen a huge range of prices, from those that make you gasp in shock to those that make you look twice to make sure there’s no typo. As with anything else, there are certainly legitimate bargains on steel buildings – but there are also “too good to be true” deals out there. These tips can help you avoid those deals that are too good to be true while ensuring that you find the best price for your metal building.

Who is the Seller?

There are two basic types of dealers for steel buildings – brokers and manufacturers. Manufacturers actually fabricate the buildings that they sell. When you deal with a manufacturer, you’ll be working directly with the company that is doing the actual fabrication of your building components, and often, dealing directly with the engineers and architects. Brokers, on the other hand, handle steel buildings fabricated by many different manufacturers. Either type of seller may offer their buildings at a discounted price for various reasons.

What’s the Deal?

There are various reasons that dealers or manufacturers might end up with a building on their lot that they’re willing to sell at a discount. The most common reason given for having a discount building is that a previous client put down a deposit on the unit and then changed his mind. This may or may not be true – and it may not be a good deal even if it is true. Consider these things before making any decision.

What are the Specifications?

Look for a building made of 26-gauge steel. If the building is 29-gauge steel, it’s lower quality and won’t stand up to the rigors of regular use. Get to know the standards of quality for the type of building you want so that you’ll know when someone is offering a substandard building as a “great deal”.

Will it Meet Your Local Building Codes?

Contrary to what many high-volume dealers of steel buildings will try to tell you, there’s no such thing as “standard building codes.” The building codes differ from county to county and even from city to city. In most cases, you’ll need to have your building plans approved by your local code office. Before you agree to any sweet deal on steel buildings, make sure that you check the building specs against the building codes where you plan to erect it.

Is There a Time Limit on the Deal?

High pressure sales tactics are a danger signal. If the seller tells you that the price is only good till the end of the day or some other unreasonable time period, say thanks but no thanks and find another dealer.

Those are just the very basics to help you pick out true deals when you’re looking at steel buildings. Buying your steel building from a reputable and honest dealer or manufacturer will make your entire experience easier and ensure that you get a quality product.

Steel Buildings Save You Time and Money

If you’re one of the many people who will be erecting new storage buildings, garages, garden sheds, barns or other structures on your property this year, you’ll probably find that pre-engineered steel buildings will suit your purposes better and more economically than other traditional types of construction. These facts about steel buildings and the construction of metal buildings can help you decide whether or not steel building is the best decision for your needs.

First, when you purchase a steel storage building or other type of steel building, the vendor is usually more than just a middle man. In many cases, firms that sell metal buildings are full-service firms that will work with you from design and engineering through delivery of your building components. In many cases, they’ll even help you find a contractor in your area that is experienced and knowledgeable with the specific type of building you’ve chosen to purchase. In fact, that’s just a basic level of cooperation and service you can expect from most steel building dealers.

The manufacturer you choose will usually accommodate your project calendar – that is, you can let them know when you’ll be ready to start construction and they’ll work to get the components finished and shipped to arrive when you’re ready to build. That means less down time for your construction crew or contractors. Being able to plan on the arrival of your entire building at once also means that no one is sitting around waiting for a missing part to arrive. It’s all shipped at once and arrives at the same time.

In most townships or counties, you’ll need to have special permits before you can begin construction. Often, you’ll have to submit engineered drawings and plans to the code department for approval. Again, the steel building supplier you choose to work with can make this process very easy for you. If you let the sales consultant know that you’re new to the process, most companies employ someone who can walk you through the process step by step and ensure that everything is in line before they even begin construction on your new building.

Why choose steel buildings instead of other traditional structures? There are a number of advantages and benefits to choosing high-grade steel for your storage buildings, garages, garden sheds and other structures. Steel is more durable and costs less than other materials. Each steel building is custom-engineered specifically for your location and meets the standards and specifications for the typical rain, wind and snow loads in your region. Because steel is less prone to damage from insects and fire, your insurance costs will be lower than if you choose wood or a more combustible building material. Finally, smaller steel buildings are so easy to assemble that a reasonably skilled DIY homeowner can do most of the work himself.

If you’re considering a storage building, garage, storage shed, home office or other structure, take a look at all the benefits offered by steel buildings. Chances are that you’ll choose steel for your project.

Customizing Steel Buildings as Workshops

Steel buildings, especially DIY kits, are a great option for building many things – garages, storage buildings, greenhouses, home offices and home workshops are just a few of the hundreds of uses people have found for the handy pre-engineered metal buildings. A basic arch frame steel building provides the framework to customize for any use you might need. If you’re considering a metal building for a home workshop, you should be aware of some of these options that will help you create the perfect workshop for any craft or hobby.

Insulation

Since you’ll be spending time working in your workshop, you’ll want to insulate it to keep the structure cool in summer and warm in winter. This is especially important if your hobby requires careful temperature control to keep equipment and materials usable. Many steel buildings are designed to make insulating the walls easier by providing an interior wall designed to fit the standard sizes of sheet fiberglass insulation. And since steel buildings are custom cut to fit together with no gaps, your insulation will work far more efficiently than it will with a wooden structure.

Windows

Customize your steel building with the number and size of windows that you need – from zero to entire walls of windows. Light – or the lack of it – can be an important factor in many home workshops. For photography, for example, a steel building can provide the lightless conditions you need for developing film safely. If you’re a painter, on the other hand, skylights and north-facing windows can provide you with clear, beautiful light that enhances color values and makes your work easier.

Channels for Wiring and Plumbing

When you order your steel building, be sure to discuss your needs for electrical outlets and wiring with the manufacturer or distributor. The architect and engineers designing the plans for your workshop will integrate channels for wiring and openings for electrical outlets into the workshop design to make it easier to wire your building.

Soundproofing

Some hobbies benefit from soundproofed workshops, either for your comfort or the comfort of your neighbors. If you use noisy woodworking equipment or are building a music studio where your band can practice, for example, your neighbors will appreciate your attention to detail. If, on the other hand, you need quiet for your recording studio or a meditation workshop, you’ll directly benefit from soundproofing. Again, if you let the distributor know when you’re ordering your steel building, the engineers can include details that make soundproofing easier in the design.

Many customizations may add to the cost of your building – but it’s far less expensive to add them if you do so from the design stage than attempting to retrofit them into a steel building after the fact. When you’re shopping for steel buildings, be sure to choose a distributor that will work with you to add in the customizations you want and give you a quote for the total price including all the custom work done to make your building suitable for use without further modification.

Can Steel Buildings Be Used as Dog Kennels?

Whether you need a dog kennel for your personal use, as an adjunct to your business as a veterinarian or to board dogs for your business, chances are that you’ve considered using steel buildings as dog kennels. Steel buildings aren’t an unusual choice to house dogs and other animals. They’re easy to customize for cages and pens, can include all the storage space you need and provide all the amenities you’ll need to keep the buildings sanitary, healthy and comfortable. If you’re considering expanding your kennel or adding kennels to your property, take a look at the benefits provided by using steel buildings as kennels for your business or home.

Easy to Insulate

Steel building shells are designed for easy insulation. The walls can be standardized to hold sheets of insulation between the outer steel shell and inner walls, and machined to make it easy to run straps through channels to hold the insulation in place. And because steel buildings are engineered to fit together precisely, the insulation is far more efficient than it would be in other types of buildings.

Open Floor Plans

The most popular types of steel buildings are clear span – that is, they have no interior support columns. That means that the entire interior of your building will be one open space – easy to customize for any floor plan. You can easily have the interior walls customized to fit dog cages of various sizes, include walls of shelving for storage and have the building walls made with channels to run electrical wires and plumbing, making it far easier to add power and running water to a metal building than it is to add it to other types of construction.

Sanitation

The most efficient floor for a dog kennel is coincidentally the easiest and most common foundation for a steel building – concrete. Concrete floors with installed drains couple with steel walls and supports to make steel buildings easy to keep clean. All you need to do is hose down and clean with a disinfectant. Steel is non-porous, so bacteria and pathogens don’t penetrate the surface and lie in wait to cause outbreaks of disease. Likewise, steel doesn’t absorb odors – a major plus in materials for a building that will house dogs.

Expansion and Scalability

One of the major plusses of using steel buildings for kennel business is the ease with which you can expand. Many kennel businesses use multiple smaller steel buildings standing side by side and linked by a connecting door. This makes it easier to house dogs in small groups rather than warehousing them. It also makes it easy to expand by adding another building or two or more, as long as you have the space for it.

If you run a kennel business or need a building to house dogs or other animals, consider the advantages of steel buildings for needs. Affordable and efficient, they’re an effective solution to your need for space.

Examine Your Options When Choosing Steel Buildings

Whether you’re considering a new building for a business expansion or a storage addition for your home, steel buildings offer many advantages, benefits and options. Their versatility and customizability suit them for use as anything from guest houses to garages on the domestic front. They make great barns and riding arenas, sports facilities, office space and retail space. Larger steel buildings can house anything from airplanes to a new factory.

The construction is easy and uncomplicated. Since most of the fabrication is done off-site, metal buildings go up fast and are ready for occupancy more quickly than stone or wood construction. You save time and money on construction costs whether you choose to do the work yourself on a smaller building or hire a construction company to put up a larger steel building. Best of all, you can make all the design decisions yourself and see them come to life as your building is put together. Before you take the plunge and order, though, you should read a few buying tips that will make those decisions easier.

Check With Your Local Code or Building Department

Some municipalities have rules about steel buildings. Call your local zoning office and ask whether local codes allow for a steel building on your lot. Get a copy of all local codes and regulations that relate to the construction of steel buildings and storage buildings on your property so that you don’t run afoul of the law.

Get a Price Quote Based on Your Specific Building Codes

Many steel building suppliers will give you a quote based on “standard” building codes. There is no such thing. Every city, town and county has its own building codes with requirements that may add or subtract from the cost of your building. A reputable steel building manufacturer or distributor will quote you a price that includes all applicable building codes.

Check the Better Business Bureau

Before you choose a supplier for your steel building, do a little research on the company with which you are doing business. At the very least, check to see if they’re listed with the Better Business Bureau and whether there have been any complaints made against them recently.

Make Use of Expert Help

Any supplier of steel buildings that has been in business for a while has built up an expertise that you can’t possibly match by simple research. When you’re making your plans and placing your order, discuss your needs in depth with the manufacturer or distributor and take advantage of the expert advice offered. No matter what use you intend for your steel building, there’s a good chance that the manufacturer has built one for that purpose before and can offer you valuable suggestions and advice.

Steel Buildings Make Affordable Guest HousesAffordable

The recent turmoil in the job and financial markets mean that many empty nesters are finding their nests filling back up again as adult children return home, at least temporarily. Moving back in with mom and dad can be awkward when you’re an adult – not just for the adult child but for mom and dad, who’ve become used to their privacy. A guest house offers an excellent solution for everyone involved, but building an addition to your home or adding a building to your property can involve a lot of expense and planning. Steel buildings, often used as storage buildings and home offices, can provide the ideal solution to the dilemma of where to house a recently returned adult offspring.

Affordable and Easy to Erect

You may know steel buildings best as storage buildings and garden houses,  but with a few modifications, they can serve admirably as a small guest house, complete with bathroom, kitchen facilities and a bedroom. Today’s steel buildings are quite affordable. If you’re reasonably handy, you can even save the cost of construction by buying a steel building kit and doing the construction yourself.

Customizable

There are many styles of steel buildings on the market, including A-frames, arch frame constructions and modified Quonset steel buildings. Generally, smaller metal buildings are clear span – that is, they have no interior support columns, which provide a fully customizable interior space. You can easily adapt the interior to suit any floor plan you desire. You can even outfit the space with modular walls so that you can arrange and rearrange the room configuration to suit your needs.

Attractive and Easy to Maintain

In addition to the many attractive style options, most steel buildings are available in a variety of colors, including the most popular colors for house exteriors. That makes it easy to match your new guest house to your main house, making it an attractive addition to your property rather than an eyesore. When you add appropriate trim packages – shutters, gutters, windows and doors – you’ll have a building that looks as it if was custom designed to sit next to your home. And since the building is made of metal, you’ll find that it requires very little in the way of upkeep – no scraping and repainting; just hose it down once or twice a year to keep it clean and renew its fresh appearance.

Privacy and Comfort

A guest house created from one of the many steel buildings on the market make the return home easier for everyone. It’s a cost-effective and comfortable way to provide a place for your adult children to come home to without sacrificing your privacy or theirs.

Things You Should Know Before Shopping for Steel Buildings

Steel buildings make great garages, home workshops, storage sheds and garden sheds, among other things. Over the past decade, they’ve become very popular with the home do-it-yourself crowd, who like the idea of saving money on a quality-engineered steel building and enjoying the pride that goes along with saying “I built it myself.” Before you start shopping for steel buildings, though, there are a number of things you should know.

Your first stop should be your local building code office so that you can find out the code requirements for steel buildings where you want to build. Buying a metal building that complies with the code is, in the end, your responsibility, not the manufacturers, so it’s important that you know the requirements you’ll have to meet with regard to live load, wind load and snow load, at the very least.

Before you sign a contract read it through carefully and be sure that it includes everything that you and the manufacturer have discussed and agreed upon. Your contract should list the items you’ll receive, the price you’ll pay for each item, the total price for all of the components and a time frame for delivery of your steel building. If your code office requires stamped engineering blueprints and architect drawings, make sure that they’re included in the contract listing. Make sure that you understand the terms of payment, as well as whether or not your deposit is refundable.

Expect to pay at least 25 percent as a deposit when you sign your contract. Manufacturers of steel buildings don’t generally sell off the lot. Instead, they order the manufacture of the building when they receive an order for it. That ensures that each metal building they ship meets the code requirements and customizations desired by the customer. Since the start of manufacturing requires a significant investment, they generally require a non-refundable deposit before they start work.

Understand that any changes you make after you sign the contract will have an effect on the price you’re paying. If you do make a change to the building after you sign the contract, make sure you do it through the appropriate channels, usually as a work order. Never accept a verbal assurance over the telephone that the change will be made – insist on getting it in writing.

Follow the directions. Even if you’ve erected dozens of other steel buildings, every metal building is unique and is designed to go together a certain way. The erection drawings are produced for your building only. Use them, and it will be far easier and more enjoyable to put up your new steel building.