Finding Perfect Steel Buildings for All Your Needs

Steel buildings are popular today for a number of important reasons, not the least of which is their low cost and their versatility. Steel buildings can be pressed into use for just about anything you can imagine. They’re used to house factories, workshops, auto shops and warehouses. In the agricultural sector, steel buildings house animals as barns, store equipment and grain, and garage tractors and other vehicles. Individual homeowners have also stepped into the market to buy steel buildings for use as garages, storage, home offices, pool houses, garden houses – even as mother-in-law apartments and full homes.

With all those uses, you might imagine that finding the perfect metal building would take some doing – and you’d be right. There are some things you should know to help make your chore a little easier, though.

Avoid Big Box Stores

Home improvement stores often sell small metal sheds for home use. You’ll pay a premium to cover the overhead and markup, and most likely end up with an inferior product. Today, your best resource for finding steel buildings for home and farm use is the Internet.

Be Skeptical About “Huge Inventory Markdowns”

Some websites that sell steel buildings splash their home page with huge, flashing “CLEARANCE” and “INVENTORY SALE” banners. When you see those, be very, very skeptical. In fact, most steel buildings are built to order and won’t be sitting around a warehouse or factory taking up space. One of the key benefits of ordering a metal building is that the structure will be custom engineered to meet the codes and standards in your region. A building that was designed for another worksite isn’t likely to meet all the necessary codes and standards for your worksite. If a site is claiming they have unsold inventory, there’s a better than even chance they’re lying – or can’t provide the services and features you want in your steel building.

Communicate Openly with the Manufacturer or Dealer

The more the manufacturer or broker knows about your need, the better he’ll be able to help you find the right choice among all the steel buildings he sells or manufacturers he represents. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. You won’t look stupid – but if you don’t ask questions, you may end up with a steel building you don’t want. It may be an old aphorism, but it really is true that the only stupid question is the one you don’t ask, and that’s doubly true when you’re looking at steel buildings.

Steel buildings can be used for almost any purpose you can imagine. They’re versatile, scalable and very affordable. If you need a new building for any reason whatsoever, do yourself a favor and talk to a manufacturer of metal buildings.

Five Important Facts About Steel Buildings

How much do you know about steel buildings? Steel has rapidly become the preferred building material for structures of all sizes and for many different uses. While many people think of steel buildings as factory buildings and warehouses, they’re playing an increasing role as retail space, office buildings, storage buildings, garages, barns, churches – in short, just about any use you can imagine. If you’re considering a steel building project for your property, here are five important facts you should know.

Most Steel Buildings Only Need a Slab Foundation

While it’s not true of every steel building – particularly large, multiple story ones – most metal buildings don’t need a dug foundation. Depending on the intended use, you may only need a poured slab foundation or even a pier foundation to set the wall supports in place.

This makes steel buildings the ideal choice for do-it-yourself handymen who only have to pay a contractor to pour a slab and prepare it for building. The cost savings are substantial.

Steel Buildings Provide the Most Flexible Floor Plans

Because most metal buildings don’t require interior supports or posts, the entire interior is open space. That allows you to make use of the entire square footage inside the walls rather than giving up some of it to columns and posts. For churches and entertainment spaces, that means that there’s no such thing as a bad seat. In garages, it means you have more room to maneuver vehicles. In office and residential steel buildings, it means you can divide up the space however you like without regard to load-bearing walls.

Always Check with Your Local Code Office or HOA Before Purchasing a Steel Building

Some cities and towns do not allow steel buildings within their boundaries or restrict steel buildings to specific zones. Before you put down a deposit for your metal building, check with your local code and zoning office to be sure that you’ll be able to build at your proposed location. While you’re at it, get a copy of the local standards for steel buildings. Your building supplier will need them to make sure that the structure you buy will meet all the applicable regulations for the place you want to build it.

The Lower the Gauge, the Thicker the Steel

When buying steel buildings, you should always look for higher quality materials. Steel is measured in gauges. The best advice on purchasing metal buildings is to look for buildings made of at least 24 gauge steel. It’s important to remember that when it comes to thickness, the lower the gauge number is, the thicker the steel walls are. Thus, a building made of 24 gauge steel is stronger than one built of 28 gauge steel.

Doors and Windows Cost Extra

The cost of your steel building will almost always include openings for doors and windows that you specify. It will almost never include the doors and windows to fill those openings. Understanding exactly what comes standard with your building can help you plan appropriately for other expenditures.

Steel buildings can be the solution to your storage, office, living, retail or other needs, but it’s important to understand as much of the process of ordering them as you can. The more you know, the more likely it is that you’ll get the best bargains.

Choosing an Erector for Steel Buildings Projects

Unless you’ve decided that you have the necessary skills, tools and expertise to put up a steel building on your own, you’ll be reliant upon the skills of an experienced steel buildings erector to get your building up safely and on time. Choosing an experienced builder for your metal building is vital to its safety. Most things that go wrong in a steel building, especially in the early years, are due to improper assembly of the building. These tips can help you choose the best erector for your steel building project.

Find a Builder First

One way to make sure the erector you choose is experienced in putting up the type of steel building you buy is to choose your erector first and consult him on the best choice for your building site. While steel buildings may seem similar, the fact is that there are some differences in the way that each building style or and building manufacturer packages its buildings for assembly. A contractor who is unfamiliar with the particular style or manufacturer you’ve chosen may run into problems along the way.

In addition, bringing in the builder early in the process allows him to assess your building site and make recommendations for styles and other requirements. He can spot site features and shortcomings that make one particular size, shape or style of building most appropriate for your site. If you don’t have experience as an architect or contractor, you may not have the insight to recognize specific issues that will require special preparation or preclude a particular building that you might otherwise choose.

Get Recommendations from Your Steel Buildings Supplier

Of course, you don’t have to choose a builder first. Another way to ensure that you find a contractor who has experience putting you the specific type and brand of steel building you’ve chosen is to get recommendations from your supplier. Many suppliers and distributors of metal buildings maintain lists of erectors in areas around the country and will be happy to provide you with the names of several contractors in your area who are familiar with their product line.

Finding an erector who is familiar with the particular manufacturer and style of steel building can make your project flow more smoothly because the contractor knows what to expect and how to lay out the components for your particular project.

Don’t forget to check references and licenses to make sure the builder you choose has all the necessary skills and meets all requirements to do business as a contractor in your town or county. When you choose a contractor with experience and expertise at erecting steel buildings, you’ll ensure that your building will be built to all applicable codes and standards, and that can save you a bundle in repairs, maintenance and fines.

Features to Understand in Steel Buildings

Would you go look for a new car without figuring out which features are most important to you? Chances are that you know exactly what you’re looking for, from ABS brakes to the color of the interior upholstery. Steel buildings represent a similar investment, but few people even know which features to consider when purchasing a steel building, let alone understand how to evaluate them. Here’s a few of the most important features to look for when you’re buying a steel building.

Metal Gauge

The strength of your metal building will depend in large part on the thickness of the walls – the thicker the walls, the stronger they’ll be. Most experts – including the people who write the building codes for most cities and states – consider 24 gauge to be the minimum thickness for steel buildings. Be aware that when it comes to metal thickness, lower numbers are thicker, so 28-gauge steel is actually thinner and less sturdy than 24-gauge steel.

The gauge is important for a number of reasons, not the least of which is safety. Sturdier steel buildings are also less likely to be damaged by hail, or to bend or be pierced if someone bangs against it or attempts to break into your shed, garage or storage building.

Corrosion Resistance

In addition to gauge, consider the type of coating applied to the walls and what protection they offer the steel building in terms of corrosion resistance. Most steel buildings are galvanized, and many also have a powder, paint or PVC coating over the steel. The coatings will contribute to rust resistance and resistance to weathering and other atmospheric contaminants. If you live in an area with heavy concentrations of salt or acid n the air, for example, you’ll want to find steel buildings that are rated higher on corrosion resistance.

Roof Style

There are a number of roof styles common to steel buildings. While most roof styles are appropriate for most uses, there are a few things to keep in mind if you live in a region prone to heavy winds or heavy snow loads. Peaked roofs, for example, make steel buildings fit better with surrounding houses and buildings, but may not provide the strength needed to hold up under a heavy snow load. Domed or rounded roofs, such as those in Quonset buildings, often provide the most strength and weather resistance.

Understanding the important features in steel buildings and the different options you have can help you decide on the best metal building for your needs.

Steel Buildings: More Than Garages and Barns

Need a workshop? A home office? How about a home theater or mother-in-law apartment? If you’re considering building a project addition to your property, steel buildings might be the easiest and best way to get the building you want at an affordable cost. Put away everything you’ve ever heard about steel buildings and consider some of these factors that make metal buildings versatile, attractive and eminently usable.

Home Offices

Greeting clients in a room in your home can cause unexpected problems. You’re inviting strangers into your house – often strangers you want to impress. In many cases, your in-home office may not have a separate entrance, meaning you have to escort them through your home space to get to your professional space. Steel buildings make great home offices for professionals of all stripes. They’re attractive and easy to finish with all of your most desired amenities, including plumbing, electricity – with outlets where you want them placed – heating and cooling, a waiting room, and best of all, a separate entrance so your clients can come and go without disturbing your family.

Workshops

Whether you need a home workshop for a hobby or for business, a metal building offers the flexibility and utility you need. Steel buildings are available in a wide variety of sizes and can accommodate nearly any use you can conceive. Whether you need a wide open space to work on engines or photography studio with darkroom space and display space, engineers can customize a steel building to meet your needs precisely.

Home Theater or Man Cave

Why give up part of your home to create a cozy man cave or den for your man when you can give him a completely separate space to decorate as he pleases? Because steel buildings require no interior support beams or posts, you can create exactly the floor plan you want for your personal room. Precision engineering also allows for buildings that can be climate-controlled far more easily than traditional structures. That makes them ideal to use as wine cellars, dairy and cheese rooms and home technology workshops. You can even invest in soundproofing and outfit a music studio where you can practice with the band without disturbing the neighbors.

Best of all, modern steel buildings are aesthetically pleasing. You can choose colors that match your home and styles that fit perfectly into your community so there’s no griping from the homeowners’ association or neighbors. Affordable, beautiful and versatile – what more could you ask for from a steel building?

Portable Steel Buildings at Work

This month, the world is treated to the vision of portable steel buildings, one facet of the steel building industry, at work in a rare setting – the Olympics. According to one of the UK’s premier daily newspapers, the housing provided for the thousands of foreign and domestic workers who are helping to staff London’s huge Olympics festival is constructed of portable steel buildings, stacked four-high. And while the newspaper article itself decried the overcrowded conditions, the photographs accompanying the article told a far different story. In fact, the miniature city of steel buildings looked like nothing so much as a small city of modular apartment buildings and the interior of each metal building unit was carpeted, paneled and furnished with a pair of bunk beds and dressers. In short, it was an ideal demonstration of the flexibility of steel building units and portable metal buildings.

One of the major problems that beset cities chosen to host the Olympics is the amount and scope of construction that must take place in preparation to house the events, the athletes, the staff and the guests. In many cases, when the Olympics leave and Olympics fever dies down, the cities are left with far more building space than they need or can use. London’s decision to use portable steel buildings to house staff was ingenious. The buildings are stackable, habitable and expandable by adding more units. Unlike barracks housing used for other Olympics events, the metal building configuration provides a modicum of privacy for employees, many of whom have traveled from other countries for a chance to earn money cleaning, taking tickets and otherwise helping to facilitate the events. Best of all, when the events are over and the athletes and workers leave town, the steel buildings can be deconstructed and rebuilt elsewhere, or dismantled and recycled. It’s a housing solution that makes perfect sense.

Of course, these particular metal buildings lack the style and flash that you can choose when you order a steel building to use for storage, workshop space or garages on your property. Every steel building manufactured for use in a commercial or residential application is custom engineered to suit the site on which it will be built. It will meet all codes and standards applicable to the building site and can be customized in many ways, including base color, trim color and optional accessories such as windows, doors, skylights and even solar panels. Like the Olympic staff housing, however, steel buildings offer the benefits of flexibility and the possibility of recycling at the end of the building’s useful life.

Can cold steel become a cozy home for your favorite animals? Pet shelters and farms around the country will answer that question with an unequivocal and enthusiastic yes. Steel buildings are among the most popular choices for organizations and private homeowners who build kennels, barns and other types of animal shelter. What makes steel buildings so popular with farmers, animal lovers and pet owners? Here are just a few reasons that steel buildings are a great choice to house animals.

Choose Your Size

From small storage building size to dairy farm barns, steel buildings can be built in just about any size you need. Larger buildings are ideal for use as barns for larger animals, while smaller buildings can easily house dogs in a kennel or cats in a shelter. Whatever size you need, you can purchase and erect a metal building to suit it perfectly.

Design Your Floor Plan

The interior of steel buildings are completely unencumbered by support posts and beams. That means you can customize the interior to suit the needs of your animals and your needs to provide them with the best care. You can build stalls along the sides, divide up the interior with walls and create a food storage and equipment area with fencing or modular wall systems. You can even create a sheltered dog run inside the kennel for exercising animals on days when the weather is inclement.

Spend Less on Building

Steel buildings are among the most affordable types of construction on the market. While the cost of steel may be higher than some types of wood framing, the construction costs offset the difference. Overall, you can often build a metal building for close to half the cost of a wood or masonry building. Those savings can be meaningful if you’re an organization trying to devote your budget to animal care.

Expand As Needed

If you find you need more space in the future, steel buildings are generally very easy to expand, as long as you have the land for expansion. In most cases, you’ll only be able to expand lengthwise, so be sure to situate your building to allow the expansion if you expect to need more space in the future.

The interior of your steel building can also be customized as you want to make it more comfortable for the animals. Insulation, electricity and accessories are all you need to turn steel buildings into great domiciles for animals.

Are Steel Buildings the Right Solution for You?

If you’re considering a new building or structure on your property, you’ve probably considered choosing a steel building as a solution. Steel buildings are among the most popular choices for garages, barns, storage buildings, home offices, workshops and small industrial uses for many good reasons. They’re not the ideal solution to every building need, however. These questions can help you determine if a metal building is the right choice for your needs.

Are Steel Buildings Allowed On Your Site?

Before you even start looking at the various styles and types of steel buildings, check with your local code office to make sure you’ll be permitted to construct a metal building on your site. Some cities, towns and homeowner associations don’t allow steel buildings at all within their boundaries, while others restrict their construction to certain zones. Your zoning office, code office and homeowners’ association will be able to give you the information you need.

Do You Want a DIY Solution to Your Building Need?

While not every steel building is a DIY project, many manufacturers of steel buildings do sell DIY kit projects suitable for homeowners with some experience in construction. If you’re looking for a building you can put up yourself, though, steel buildings offer you the easiest, least complex projects to assemble. Of course, you don’t have to assemble your building yourself. There are many building contractors that specialize in erecting steel buildings for residential use.

Is Expansion Important to You?

If you want to be able to expand your project in the future, a metal building may be your best choice. Metal buildings are generally far easier to expand than stick-built or brick and mortar buildings. In the case of many types of steel buildings, in fact, adding on to your building is simply a matter of removing the back end wall, adding additional wall sections and capping the end with the end wall again.

How Much Customization Is Important to You?

The most affordable steel buildings come in a fairly limited number of colors, so if you want to match your home exactly, you may need to spend a little more money. Standard colors for steel buildings, on the other hand, are the most common colors used for home today, so there’s a good chance that you’ll be able to match your home’s color scheme without an extra charge.

If you’re deciding on the best options for your new building project, have a chat with a manufacturer or broker of steel buildings to see if a metal building could be the right choice for you.