Steel buildings for residential use

Steel buildings are increasingly popular for residential uses, such as garages and home workshops, agricultural uses, such as barns and equipment storage structures, and commercial uses, from airplane hangars to riding arenas. There are many reasons that metal buildings are so popular with so many people. Here are just a few of the benefits of choosing a steel building for your building project.

Strength

Steel has the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any construction material – up to 25 times the strength of wood. That makes steel the ideal building material for lightweight, durable structures that can withstand harsh weather events, the ravages of time and natural disasters.

Fire Resistance

Steel is naturally fire resistant, but most metal building components are further treated with fire retardant coatings to make them even more impervious to flames. This can be a major concern for those using steel buildings in commercial applications, where they may be housing a lot of electrical equipment and machinery. An added bonus to the fire resistance is the lower insurance costs you’ll get because of it.

Weather Resistance

Steel buildings don’t erode like concrete or masonry, nor do they rot like wood. In fact, most steel buildings will resist corrosion and rust for decades, thanks to the high tech method of powder-coating all exposed components with a protective layer of corrosion-resistant paint, which also adds color to your metal building. The paint job on most metal buildings is guaranteed for up to 20 years.

Environmentally Friendly

Because steel used for metal buildings is mostly recycled, it doesn’t have the same negative effect on the environment that wood does. It is also 100% recyclable, so it can be used in future projects rather than contributing to the waste stream when your steel building reaches the end of its useful life. Other environmental benefits of steel buildings include:

-          Steel doesn’t release pollutants into the air that treated wood products often do

-          Steel buildings are often better insulated than wood and masonry structures because they are engineered to fit so tightly at the seams. Thus they require less energy to heat and cool

-          Steel buildings get a higher sustainability rating according to the LEED criteria developed by the US Green Buildings Council

Affordability

One of the most influential factors in the choice to use steel for building is the cost. Steel is generally among the least expensive alternatives for construction, and it continues to save money for building owners throughout its lifetime in lowered maintenance and insurance costs.

Steel buildings are and will continue to be the most popular choice for nearly any type of building project you can imagine. Whether you’re considering a new garage or a factory building, consider the many advantages of building with steel.