Basic Styles of Steel Buildings

Most of today’s steel buildings are based, at least in part, on the Quonset buidings that were used by the British during World War I and by the U.S. Army throughout World War II. The design is so efficient and cost-effective that it has been adapted for use throughout the world for a wide variety of uses, from barns and garages to homes. Today, steel building manufacturers provide three basic designs based on the traditional Quonset buildings of old, each of them best for specific needs and space considerations.

The Q Model Steel Buildings

The Q model is the closest of the three to the traditional design of the Quonset hut. The least expensive of the basic Quonset buildings, it’s shaped like a half-dome complete with rounded walls. It’s the style that was most often used by the military and it’s a favorite for agricultural uses and for other applications where side clearance isn’t important. Q model steel buildings are the strongest structurally, and are ideal for use in high wind areas and climates with a lot of snow in winter.

S Model Steel Buildings

The S model features the rounded dome roof but the sides are straight rather than curved. It’s more expensive than the Q model and not quite as structurally sturdy. It still can carry heavy snow loads and stand up to intense winds, and is more conventional in appearance than traditional Quonset buildings. The S model is a good choice for warehouses and equipment storage because the straight walls offer lots of storage with almost no wasted space at all.

P Model Steel Buildings

The P model steel buildings do away with the traditional domed roof as well as the rounded walls. Of all the models of metal buildings, the P model is closest in style to traditional house structures, and features a pitched or gabled roof and straight walls. It is also generally the most expensive type of steel Quonset building, and the least structurally strong. That’s a relative statement, though. P model steel buildings are still stronger and more durable than other types of construction. P models and the related A model steel buildings are most commonly chosen for workshops, garages and storage buildings.

No matter which model you choose, Quonset buildings are often the best choice for your needs. Check out the various models of steel buildings on the market and select the one that best meets your needs.

The Coolest Steel Buildings Projects We’ve Seen

When you sell steel buildings, you get to see a lot of very cool projects featuring – what else but steel buildings? The vast majority of steel buildings sold are built for very prosaic reasons – largely as garages, garden storage and retail space – but there are also many unusual and unexpected projects featuring a steel building at their bases. These are a few of our favorites.

Urban Chicken Coops

As the urban survivalist trend takes hold, cities across the U.S. are adjusting their zoning statutes to allow city residents to keep chickens within the city limits. If you’re going to raise chickens, you need somewhere to keep the chickens. At the University of Colorado, a grad student developed a very cool urban chicken coop design based on a modification of Quonset steel buildings. They feature half-walls and screened bottoms to allow for good air circulation and are turning into a very popular use for steel buildings.

Steel Homes

Living in a steel building? Why not? As people look for affordable alternatives to traditional home construction, they’ve stepped beyond shipping containers and double-wides to steel building kits. A typical steel building kit can be erected for less than half the cost of a traditional home, and offers amazing flexibility in design.

Rain and Sun Shelter

Free-grazing livestock sometimes need a little extra feed and water, or just a place to get in out of the hot sun or pouring rain. One enterprising small farmer put up an arch frame metal building – with no foundation, no floor and no back or front walls. The end result? A sheltered area where his goats and sheep can grab a bit of shade and enjoy a cool drink of water on hot days, or get in out of storms when the rain comes pouring down.

Winter Beach Volleyball

Who doesn’t love a good game of volleyball on the beach? If you live in the northern half of the country, beach volleyball is typically a very seasonal activity – that is, until a pair of clever, sand-loving entrepreneurs decided that they shouldn’t have to wait until June to play their favorite sport. They purchased a steel building, erected it over a sand floor, added some sun lamps and a volleyball net and – voila! Instant volleyball court.

Of course, steel buildings make great garages, storage sheds, home offices and home additions, but it’s always fun to see what folks do with a metal building kit and a little inspiration.

Five Things to Look for When Buying Steel Buildings

Steel buildings are versatile, easy to build, affordable and attractive. They can be used for storage, as garages, as workshops or for animal housing. You can purchase steel building in sizes that range from small enough to hold your lawnmower to big enough to house a few airplanes. They can be simple enough to build yourself with a couple of friends or require the services of a contractor. Whether you’re buying a steel building to use as a workshop, a garage, a home office or for a barn, though, there are certain things you should look for before you decide to sign a contract and put down your money.

High Quality Steel

Some manufacturers of cheap metal building kits try to trim costs by using thinner steel. Look for steel buildings with components made of at least 26 gauge steel – and remember that when it comes to steel, lower numbers are heavier duty. If the website you’re shopping doesn’t specifically state the gauge of the steel used in its building components, move on to a manufacturer or broker that does.

Building Plans and Engineer Drawings

Your steel building supplier should include engineer drawings of your steel building in the total price. In many cases, you’ll need to supply those drawings to your local code office when you apply for a permit to erect your building. The drawings should be specific to your project, not some mass-produced or generic reproductions.

Good Customer Service

Customer service is a vital part of your steel building buying experience. You can judge how well a broker or steel building manufacturer will answer your questions and provide assistance after you buy by how well they respond to your needs during the buying process. You should expect prompt response to your questions and concerns.

Fully Itemized Quote

The steel building supplier should provide you with a fully itemized quote that tells you exactly what is included with your purchase. Always read it over carefully and never assume that something that’s not listed will be included. Be aware that the price of most metal buildings does not include doors and windows, which you’ll usually have to purchase separately.

Delivery Details

Your contract should also include the full details of your delivery, including the method of shipping and the date you can expect delivery. These pieces of information are vital because they allow you to schedule a construction crew, if needed, and set up your own schedule for preparing a foundation and the work site.

There are many manufacturers and suppliers of steel buildings out there. Make sure that you’re dealing with one that will deal with you fairly and give you the service you deserve.

Where to Buy Steel Buildings

Once you’ve decided that a metal building is the right choice for your building project, the next decision you’ll have to make is where to buy your steel building. There are many companies throughout the United States that sell steel buildings. They include manufacturers, who make all of the buildings they sell and deal directly with the consumer, and brokers, who act as a go-between for consumers who prefer not to deal directly with manufacturers. Choosing the best company to supply your metal building takes some research and some understanding of how the steel building industry operates.

When you approach a company about a constructing a steel building, you may already know exactly what you want. Chances are, though, that you don’t know everything involved in designing, purchasing, permitting, accepting delivery and erecting your metal building. If you’ve never put up steel buildings before, choose a company that regularly works with first-time buyers and who focus their attention on a high level of customer service. If you order from a manufacturer of steel buildings that usually works with brokers or more experienced buyers, there’s a good chance that they’ll assume you know something you don’t know, and you’ll end up with an unpleasant surprise.

Look for a company that has experience in the type or size of building you want to put up. A company whose major business is in building strip malls, aircraft hangers and churches may not be the best choice if you want to put up an 8 x 10 foot workshop in your backyard. On the other hand, a company that specializes in residential structures and garages may be the perfect choice if you want to  build a steel building as an office.

When comparing companies that sell steel buildings, look beyond the quoted price for your structure, especially if it’s a general price rather than a detailed quote. Pay attention to the customer service you get, even at the earliest stages. A company that’s willing to answer all of your questions and help you understand the requirements for erecting a steel building is likely to follow that up with good customer service all the way through your purchase experience.

In addition, consider whether you’ll be erecting the building yourself or will be hiring a contractor to do the job. If the latter, consider working with a steel  buildings supplier who can recommend or coordinate with a local contractor to handle the actual construction.

The more you understand about the process when buying a metal building, the better your experience will be. Learn what you can about steel buildings and the construction process before you shop and work with a company that will answer any questions you have along the way.

Quonset Buildings: Updating the Original Steel Buildings

Many of today’s steel buildings are modeled on Quonset buildings, the original easy-to-build and easy-to-move steel building. The arch-frame design of these steel buildings made them the ideal choice for Army barracks during World War II. They could be assembled quickly with a minimum of tools, provided plenty of space for housing troops or equipment, stood up to the most inclement weather and could be disassembled, packed and moved to another location if necessary.

The biggest drawback to those early steel buildings was their appearance. Few people could look at the 1940s-era Quonset buildings and try to pretend they were attractive or stylish. Looks didn’t stop farmers and manufacturers all around the country from snapping up surplus Quonset huts when they could get their hands on them. Over the years, those steel buildings have stood the test of time. You can still see many of them standing and in use for grain storage, garages and equipment storage throughout the Midwest.

Today, the manufacturers of steel buildings have taken care of the appearance problem. There are a number of metal building styles that are based on the Quonset building, but that feature straight sides, sloped roofs and attractive finishes. Advances in steel technology and design have created a whole new look for steel buildings, and even added a few benefits to the original features that made Quonset huts so popular years ago. Those benefits include:

Low Cost: Quonset buildings can cost as little as $5 a square foot, depending upon the options you choose.

Easy Construction: A team of reasonably able do-it-yourselfers can assemble a small metal building in a couple of days of concentrated work with no specialized tools.

Easy Maintenance: Steel buildings never need repainting or refinishing. They’re powder-coated with color that doesn’t fade or peel, and only needs a hose-down now and then to remove surface dirt.

Durability: Every metal building is custom engineered to meet the building codes of your area, including codes for snow load bearing and wind resistance.

Energy Efficient: Weather-tight and easy to insulate, steel buildings are less costly to heat and cool than traditional structures. You’ll often have the option to choose a reflective roof, and to install vents that reduce evaporation and promote air circulation.

More Interior Space: Because they require no columns, interior supports or posts, steel buildings provide the maximum amount of usable interior space.

Today’s steel buildings may be a bit fancier and easier on the eye than the traditional Quonset buildings, but they still have the strong bones and great lines of the original workhorse of the metal building world.

Six Important Advantages of Steel Buildings

All over America, consumers who want dependable and affordable structures choose steel buildings for the many advantages they offer. Steel buildings are the ideal solution for many residential and commercial uses for a number of important reasons. These are just six of the many advantages offered by steel buildings.

Steel Buildings Are Versatile and Adaptable

There are many different styles and types of steel buildings, making steel adaptable for just about any use you can imagine. Because each building is engineered specifically for the site on which it will be built, each model can be adapted to the conditions and standards of the community, the climate and the land form. Whether you need to build barns, garages, modular homes, tool sheds or a workshop, there are steel building designs that will be ideal for your purpose.

Foundation Savings

The foundation of a building will usually approach 20 percent of the total cost of the entire structure. In most cases, the cost of a foundation for a metal building is practically non-existent. Depending on the size and weight of the steel building project, you may even be able to build with no more foundation than pier posts to anchor your structure. If you want a solid floor, you can choose a poured concrete foundation, a considerably less expensive proposition than a full dug foundation.

Less Site Preparation

In addition to having lower foundation needs, steel buildings often require far less site preparation than traditional structures. In many cases, you can easily adapt the design of a steel building to a less than ideal construction site rather than the reverse.

Structural Stability

A properly designed and constructed steel building will withstand events and weather that would completely destroy a more conventional structure. Each building is engineered to meet the building codes and standards for the area in which it will be erected. The post and frame construction is sturdier in high winds than traditional framed structures, and the traditional domed roofs tend to shed heavy snow loads rather than collapsing under their weight.

Completely Adaptable Floor Plans

Steel buildings don’t require interior posts and beams, so you can decide exactly what you want your floor plan to look like. There are no load-bearing walls, so if you change your mind in the future, you can easily rearrange your home’s interior without endangering the entire structure.

Unmatched Energy Efficiency

A well-engineered steel building is very energy efficient. They’re easy to insulate, and are often made of completely recycled metals, making them a greener choice for consumers as well.

There are many reasons that steel buildings are the most popular choice for consumers building small projects at home. Learn about more advantages of building with steel from a supplier of top quality metal buildings.

Steel Buildings Are More Than Garages and Storage Buildings

Prefab steel buildings have built a lot of popularity lately among homeowners. They’re often touted as the best choices for garages and storage buildings, but they offer many advantages for lots of other uses. In fact, pre-engineered and prefabricated steel buildings can be used for almost any purpose you can imagine. Here are just a few of the ways that we’ve seen metal buildings used recently.

Greenhouses

How hard is it to turn a steel building kit into a greenhouse? In most cases, not hard at all, especially if you’re working with a manufacturer who’ll customize your metal building to your specifications. The biggest difference between a garden shed and a greenhouse is windows. It’s not difficult for an engineer to include windows and skylights in the plans for a steel building. Since the interior is completely open, you’ll have plenty of room for shelves, racks and watering systems.

Home Offices

If you want to work out of your home without working in your home, it makes sense to put up a separate building to house your office. Steel buildings come in all sizes, so you can easily choose one that is exactly the right dimensions to house your office or workshop. Because you don’t need to dig a foundation for smaller steel buildings, they’re more affordable than wood-frame buildings. And if you’re using it strictly as a workspace, you’ll probably be able to deduct at least part of the expense from your taxes, making it even more affordable.

Kennels

Forget the doghouse. If you have more than one dog, a steel building is the ideal solution to comfortable housing. You can incorporate dog crates, food storage and even an indoor dog run and exercise area into the plans. Animal shelters all over the country are turning to steel buildings to house their rescues until they’re adopted.

In-Law Apartment

Steel buildings are gaining a new appreciation for residential use. It’s often more affordable to put up a metal building than it is to put an addition onto your house or even to renovate a basement or attic. You can design your building from scratch, right down to specifying how many electrical outlets you want and building in the channels to run wires and pipes for plumbing.

Today’s steel buildings are versatile, affordable and attractive. You can choose from many different exterior finishes and styles, so that your finished building fits your property seamlessly. Steel buildings make great garages and carports, of course, but they’re also the ideal solution for many other uses.