7 Ways You Save Money with Steel Buildings

No matter what you’re building, it’s more affordable when you build it with steel. Steel buildings have been around for the better part of a century, but in the past decade they’ve become a totally different animal. New technology and manufacturing techniques have brought prices down and quality up. In addition to being cheaper to start with, steel buildings also save you money in other ways over the life of the building. Here are seven ways that you can save money when you choose a steel building.

Materials Cost Less

Steel is one of the most affordable building materials available. It costs less than masonry or wood, and since it requires fewer additional components – no rebar or structural supports required – you save money because you don’t have to buy additional materials.

Foundations Cost Less

Most steel buildings can be built on a plain or reinforced cement slab foundation. Since you don’t have to dig and reinforce a full foundation, you save money on materials, labor and equipment.

Shipping Costs Less

In most cases, all the components of your steel building will arrive in one shipment, often on one truck. The shipment will include everything you need to put up your building except the labor and foundation. You’re only paying one shipment fee, not one for each material you need.

Construction Costs Less

If you’re putting up the metal building yourself, which many homeowners do with smaller structures, construction will cost you next to nothing aside from the cost of the foundation – most experts recommend that you have the foundation laid by a pro. Even if you hire a crew to put the building up, you’ll save money because steel buildings take far less time to erect than other types of construction. There’s nothing to cut, nothing to fabricate and nothing to drill. It’s just a matter of putting the pieces together and bolting them in place.

Maintenance Costs Less

Your steel building will come with a painted powder coating, usually with a 10 to 20-year guarantee. The paint is resists corrosion and rust, won’t rot and doesn’t need repainting. You’ll save money on maintenance year after year.

Heating Costs Less

Because your metal building is precision-engineered to fit together tightly at the seams, you’ll experience a lot less heat transfer than in wood or masonry buildings. That means you pay less for both heating and cooling, reducing your energy costs.

Insurance Costs Less

Steel is fire-resistant and not prone to a lot of other natural hazards, so insurance companies will usually charge lower premiums for steel buildings than other types of structures.

Steel buildings offer lots of other benefits besides lower costs, but their affordability is a major selling point with many buyers.

Versatile Steel Buildings Can Be Almost Anything You Need

Need a workshop for your woodworking hobby? How about a garden shed to store your lawnmower, tractor and gardening equipment? Maybe you need a building to sell produce from your farm or a barn or a kennel for your dogs. Steel buildings are the ideal choice for each of those situations and so many more. No matter what you need to build, chances are that a steel building will accommodate your needs perfectly. These are just a few of the more popular uses for metal buildings.

Garages

Perhaps the best known and most popular use for steel buildings is garages. They’re affordable, easy to build and have plenty of interior room for your car or cars, as well as any storage you want to add.

Barns

Steel buildings have a long history of use as barns in agricultural areas. Because they don’t need interior supports, it’s easy to configure the barn for any type of livestock, and add storage room for feed, tack and other equipment.

Storage Sheds

Free up interior space by erecting a metal building on your property to hold all of your seasonal and seldom-used stuff. Steel buildings start as small as 6 feet by 8 feet and can get nearly as big as you want, so there’s a size that will be perfect for whatever you have to store.

Carports

In many warmer areas, garages are more than you really need. Open-ended steel Quonset buildings and open steel buildings make great carports, sheltering your vehicles from the rain and sun.

Boat Storage

Need somewhere to store your boat when you pull it out of the water? Arch frame steel buildings are high enough in the middle for your boat and provide additional storage on the sides for rowboats, canoes, kayaks and other water equipment.

Workshops

Pottery, glass-blowing, woodworking, car repair? Whatever your hobby is, a steel building is the perfect place to practice it without being disturbed – or disturbing others. You can outfit your metal building with plumbing, electricity and anything else you need to turn it into the perfect getaway spot where you can enjoy your hobby.

Steel buildings are also a great choice for home offices, retail stores, mechanic shops and just about anything else you can imagine. They’re affordable, environmentally friendly, easy to maintain and will look as good in 10 years as they do on the day you put them up. Whatever your storage or additional space needs, a steel building is the ideal solution.

Would You Believe Steel Buildings Are Green?

Whether you’re a business who wants to get extra tax credits or a homeowner who wants to reduce your carbon footprint – or a little of both – you can’t do better than choosing steel buildings when you need additional storage or work space on your property. While your typical steel building may not look environmentally friendly, it actually has a number of features that make it a green choice. Here are just a few of the things you’re doing when you choose a metal building instead of masonry, wood or vinyl.

Preserving Natural Resources

Wood and other building materials use precious natural resources that take decades and even centuries to replace. By contrast, the steel used to fabricate steel buildings is recycled metal that was taken from the ground decades ago. Your new metal building won’t be using up more natural resources.

Reducing Solid Waste

In fact, when you choose a steel building, you’ll be keeping all of the materials used in your structure out of the waste stream. That helps preserve land instead of adding to the waste choking our landfills.

Reducing Your Carbon Footprint

The major components of your steel building will all come from the same factory and location, usually all on the same truck in one shipment. That greatly reduces the amount of carbon put into the air in delivering your building products to you.

Using Fewer Chemicals

Because steel buildings require so little maintenance, you won’t be using harmful chemicals to clean, paint and refinish them every few years. All you need to keep them looking their best is water to clean off the accumulated dirt.

Reducing Energy Requirements for Heating and Cooling

Steel buildings are precision-engineered to fit tightly together. The snug fit reduces heat transfer between the inside and outside of the building, making them easier and less expensive to heat. As an added bonus, you’ll also be using less fuel to heat the building, so reducing your carbon footprint even further.

In addition, you can lower your energy requirements even further by choosing energy efficient roofs, putting solar panels on the building or adding windows and skylights for natural lighting.

Believe it or not, steel buildings can be a very green choice. They’re an excellent choice for garages, barns, workshops, factory buildings and just about any other use you can imagine. Be kind to the earth. Choose a metal building for your next building project.

10 Tips for Choosing Steel Buildings

Shopping for steel buildings can drive you a little crazy, but there are some things that can make it easier to find the right metal buildings for your needs. These ten tips will help you make your choice without tearing out your hair.

Check with your local building authority before you shop. Every city and county has its own rules about where you can put up a steel building and what kind of metal structures you can erect. Before you buy, make sure you have a place to put your building.

Get the building codes that govern steel buildings in your area. The metal buildings supplier will need them to make sure the building they engineer for you will meet all the relevant codes and specifications.

Figure out how much room you have to build on. Measure your space, and make sure that you take into account the amount of clearance you need between your new steel building and property lines, street or sidewalk and your home. Once you’ve subtracted those clearances, you’ll know how big a steel building you can put up.

Decide exactly how you’ll use your metal buildings. Visualizing yourself in the building will help you figure out exactly what you need, including how much interior space you’ll need for all of your “stuff.”

Set your budget. Steel buildings come in at many different price points, from very affordable and bare bones to completely tricked out with every luxury imaginable – which can put quite a dent in your savings account. Don’t forget to include the cost of a slab foundation, shipping and erection costs, if you’re not going to put your metal buildings up yourself.

Ask around for recommendations of a steel building supplier. If you have a neighbor or friend who has erected a metal buildings, ask how his experience was and if he’d recommend the supplier he used. Check around online, looking for the names of reputable steel building manufacturers.

Check out the various styles of steel building available. Keep in mind that pitched roofs are best in climates that get a lot of snow and Quonset buildings are a good choice for areas with high winds. Figure out which type works best for your needs.

Get quotes from several steel building manufacturers and brokers. Supply each of them with the same information about size, style and features so that you get comparable quotes.

Make sure your building is exactly what you want before you sign the contract. Once you’ve signed the papers, any alterations will cost you money.

Prepare the building site well in advance of the arrival of your steel building, and make sure that the truck will have easy access to the staging site where you’ll put your building together before erecting it.

Steel buildings are the ideal choice for most small residential storage needs, including garages, storage sheds and workshop, as well as barns and equipment storage on farms. Making sure you have everything ready to go before you place your order can ensure that you have a good buying experience.

Steel Buildings – Getting the Details Right

When buying steel buildings, the devil can be in the details. Before you sign your final paperwork on your new metal building, make sure that you’ve got all the details of delivery squared away. This can be especially important because many manufacturers of steel buildings use a third-party shipper to deliver all the components to your work site. The steel building supplier will make the shipping arrangements based on the details written in your contract. Those details will include shipping dates, arrival dates and all the other information you need to take delivery and start construction on your new barns, barns and other metal building structures. Before you sign on the dotted line, make sure you know these things.

Is the Address on the Shipping Manifest Correct?

Make sure that the ship to address on the paperwork is the address of your work site. The carrier company will deliver only to the address on the paperwork, and the last thing you want is for your new workshop to get unloaded at your office instead of your home because the steel buildings manufacturer mistakenly transposed your shipping and billing addresses.

Who Is Responsible for Making the Arrangements?

In most cases, the manufacturer or broker will make the arrangements for shipping, but some companies may require you to be more proactive.

When Will Your Steel Building Arrive?

It’s up to you to let the manufacturer know when you need your new building components to arrive. The process of planning, engineering and fabricating your building can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, so be sure to take that into account in your planning. Once you’ve signed the contract, you can expect your building to arrive on the date specified.

How Will You Unload Your Building Components?

Generally, it will be your responsibility to offload all the components of your metal building. You’ll need to have a crew on site to unload and move your steel building parts. If the components will be sitting before you begin work, make sure that you provide covers for them so that they don’t get contaminated by dust and dirt.

Have Your Foundation Poured and Ready

Many people have the foundation for their steel buildings poured while they wait for the building components to arrive. Because the safety of your new building depends on the foundation being true and square, it’s usually recommended that you hire a professional with experience in pouring foundations for steel buildings to do this part of the job.

While steel buildings may be easier to buy, manage and erect than most other types of construction, the process can still be complicated, especially for a novice. If you work with a manufacturer that commonly does business with homeowners, you’ll get more assistance and explanation along the way to make the purchase process easier for you.

How to Find Steel Buildings on the Internet

With all the companies selling steel buildings on the Internet, how do you find the best, most affordable and most appropriate metal building for your needs? There are literally hundreds of websites selling steel buildings for use as garages, barns, storage buildings, workshops, home offices, retail stores and so much more. While there’s no simple one-step process to help you find the best steel building for your needs, there are some tips that can help you make your ideal metal building easier.

Start with an Internet Search

A basic Google search will pull up steel building manufacturers that serve your area. Even a quick look at their websites will give you an idea which of them are professional and reputable and which of them are slick websites with little substance and assistance. Look for websites that offer you a lot of information about steel buildings in general and provide clear guidance on the process of choosing, ordering and putting up your new metal building.

Research Steel Building Companies

Once you’ve compiled a list of possibilities, research each company in more depth before you call or ask for information. Enter their names into a search engine along with the word “complaints” or “scam” to find any complaints about the manufacturer or broker. Look for companies that have been in business for a while and that have a long history of providing high quality steel buildings and excellent customer service.

Steer Clear of “Big Discount” Come-ons

Lots of websites selling steel buildings promise huge discounts or offer “half-price” steel buildings. In most cases, they’re counting on the fact that you don’t know standard prices for the building you’re ordering or they’re posting jacked-up prices on their website so they can look like they’re giving you a huge discount. Legitimate steel building manufacturers don’t have to resort to shady sales techniques to get your business.

Check the Specs

Check the specifications of the steel buildings offered on each of the steel building websites. Many cheap steel buildings are made of lower quality, thinner 29-gauge steel instead of higher quality 29-guage steel that will stand up to high winds and other inclement weather. Research the requirements for steel buildings in your area and make sure that the buildings on offer will meet the code requirements in your city and region.

Finally, contact several steel building manufacturers and ask them for information on purchasing a steel building from them. Keep an eye out for high pressure sales tactics and when you find them, steer clear. Companies that sell high quality steel building will deal with you honestly and help you through the process of ordering and purchasing a metal building that’s right for you rather than one they want to sell.

Completing the Paperwork for Steel Buildings Projects

Steel buildings are often the ideal solution for homeowners who need garages, storage buildings or kennels and farm properties in need of barns. In most cases, you’ll need a building permit before you can start putting up your metal building project and you’ll have to comply with regulations throughout the building process. This process will require that you keep up with all sorts of paperwork associated with your steel building project. If you thought putting up a steel building was a simple matter of bolting things together like a giant steel Erector set, you’re forgetting about all the paperwork you may need to do. If you want to get your building erected and in use on time without any problems, make sure that you have all the paperwork and drawings you’ll need before you get started.

First Steps First

Before you ever place an order with a manufacturer of steel buildings, check with your local code office to be certain that it’s permitted in your area. In some cities, prefab metal buildings are only allowed in some zones or not allowed at all. Where they are allowed, you may still have to meet certain site requirements before you can build. If you put down a deposit on a steel building kit only to find out that your city won’t allow you to build it where you want to build it, you’ll be out a lot of cash.

Check the Building Specs Against the Local Code

Get the building specifications from the manufacturer and check them against the local building codes. The easiest way to do this is to get a copy of the final purchase contract before you make your purchase. At that point, you can bring the purchase contract to the local building office and have an inspector look it over. With the contract in hand, the inspector will be able to determine if the building will meet local building codes and tell you what changes need to be made so that it will.

Get Certified Permit Drawings

Your code office will probably also require certified permit drawings drawn up and stamped by an engineer. Most reputable steel building brokers and manufacturers will supply you with a set, though you may have to pay an engineering deposit to get them. Most metal building manufacturers will ask you for this deposit.

Paperwork for Your Contractor

If you’re engaging a general contractor to pour a foundation, your contractor will need a copy of the anchor bolt diagrams in order to ensure proper placement of supports and connectors in the foundation. Your code office may also need these, as well as any computer generated drawings showing every connection and a cross-section diagram of your steel building.

If you’ve never erected a steel building before, make sure that you ask a lot of questions to find out everything you need to know. Steel buildings are an affordable solution for storage, garages and other uses, but they’re not exactly cheap. Making sure you do things right the first time can cut your costs and keep your new metal building affordable.