Helpful Ideas for Designing Steel Buildings

Steel buildings are made to meet each individual customer's needs, so when you order one, you’ll be able to make it your own by customizing it.  That sounds nice, but it can also be unnerving if you haven't designed a personal space like that before. Dealers and makers of steel buildings typically work with engineers and sometimes have a difficult time working with someone who isn’t used to the industry.  Here are some tips that may help in designing your steel building to be it's exactly what you want.

Know How You Plan to Use the Building

Think about how the building will be used – will you be storing something specific in it? What might you be doing inside the building? What types of entrances will you need?  With a clear concept of what you want your building to be, it will be easier to explain your ideas to the steel building architect. Say you know that you want to use the building as a garage for your two cars—that makes it easy because the steel building manufacturer already knows the minimum space required for garages built for multiple cars. Maybe you want to use the building as a workshop too. You'll need to consider other factors such as adding space for work benches and other equipment, plus allowing for power sources such as generators or outlets and possibly even plumbing.

Similarly, most steel building manufacturers know the minimum size specifications for barns for the various types of animals you may want to house, along with the best type of design layout for this type of space.  When it comes to barns and other types of animal housing, make sure to set aside space for food storage and any other necessary equipment. And remember, the more thought out your idea is, the easier it will be for you to design your steel building.

Consider the Size of Your Building Site

Take measurements of your building site, but remember, those measurements may not give you an exact idea of the size that your steel building should be. There are many places that have strict requirements when it comes to the sizes of steel buildings.  You may have to account for all sorts of factors like distance from the street or from other buildings. You may also have to consider other factors like the location of power lines or underground pipes.  These types of obstacles can limit the area that you’re able to build your metal building in.

Get the Building and Code Requirements from Your Local Building Permission Office

Major considerations for engineers and design departments are the building codes and requirements for steel buildings in the different areas of the country.  You can get this information from your local zoning and code compliance office.

These are just some of the basic things to consider when deciding to erect steel buildings.  As you start to consider your options more clearly, the shape of your new metal building will come into focus and soon you’ll have just the steel building you need. 

Why Use Steel Buildings for Home Offices

It's common knowledge that steel buildings are great for storage and as garages, but a good steel building can  be used for so many more things than just utility and storage. For example, if the idea to put up a home office so you can easily work from home in comfort has crossed your mind, a steel building could be exactly what you need for a home office building.

Why a Home Office?

Though you may have considered reasons to have a separate building made for a home office, here are a few ideas that might not have crossed your mind:

-          Having another building to use as a home office will make it easier to get work done. Getting out of the house will often set off a signal in your brain thattells you it's time to get to work.

-          Menial housechores such as doing the dishes or cleaning won't distract you because they will be out of sight and out of mind.

-          You will be nearby if there is an emergency that needs your attention.  In addition, you won't be drawn into social interactions because you'll be safely tucked away in your secluded office. 

-          Your clients won't have to enter your home and go through the same rooms your family resides in.  Instead, they'll enter an entirely different building, which will portray an image of pofessionalism.

Why Choose a Steel Building?

Steel buildings are less expensive and not nearly as hard to build as other types of buildings. Steel buildings that are small enough to be used as a home office generally don't require that you dig a foundation.  It can probably be built by yourself with the help of a friend or two. Building it yourself will eliminate the cost of hiring a contractor or steel building erector.

Steel buildings are environmentally friendly. Only recycled steel is used to make them, so they don't take up any more non-renewable resources from the planet. Also, since all the things required for you to construct your metal building often come on a single truck from the same place, your steel building won't leave the carbon footprint that other buildings do.

Outfitting Your Home Office

It's easy to add ammenities to a steel building for a home office. Since steel buildings are made using supports along the walls, interior supports can easily be used to put in insulation and wall boards. With customization options from the manufacturer, you can easily have the factory build in conduits and openings to run wire and install outlets.

Put some thought into the perfect home office and draw it out. Makers of steel buildings will have no trouble turning your perfect home office idea from a sketched out drawing to the perfect building with everything where you want it to be. So why try using and outfitting a pre-fabricated room in your own home when it can be built to be exactly what you want it to be from the very beginning?

Your Community and Steel Buildings

Many communities look upon steel buildings with a jaundiced eye. After decades of poor reputation – t least when it comes to style and appearance – metal buildings may or may not be welcome in your community. That’s despite the fact that steel buildings, when they’re properly finished, can be among the most attractive buildings in the neighborhood – and there’s no question that they make great garages, barns, workshops and storage buildings. These days, though, many more people are looking to pre-engineered steel buildings to provide a solution when they want to bring an elderly parent or adult child home to the fold – without invading anyone’s privacy too much. Because of this, many communities are reevaluating their stance on steel buildings, but it’s always best to check your local building standards and codes about steel buildings before you buy.

Are Steel Buildings Allowed?

The very first thing to find out is whether your community allows steel buildings at all. Check with both your local zoning office, and if you happen to have one, with your homeowners’ association. While some communities prohibit metal buildings altogether, others simply place specific restrictions on the style or size of steel buildings they’ll allow. In addition, you may have to meet restrictions about aesthetic considerations, like putting the building on your site where it can’t be seen from the street.

Additional Building Codes

If your community allows steel buildings, you’ll need to meet all the applicable building codes for your region, city or town. Some of them will only apply to specific uses for your steel building. If someone will be living in it, it will have to meet certain standards, such as ventilation, doors and windows. If it will be used as a workspace, you may have to meet restrictions on where you can locate it, including how close you place it to other property lines. Every building will also have to meet local building codes for safety, and the engineers that design and engineer your metal building will need to know exactly what building codes the building has to meet.

Can You Build It Yourself?

So the website says that anyone with do-it-yourself skills can put up one of their steel buildings with the help of one or two friends in a weekend afternoon. Even if that’s true, though, some communities won’t allow it. Be sure to find out if your community requires that your project be overseen by a licensed general contractor.

Before you start shopping around for steel buildings, ask some basic questions so that you won’t be disappointed when you can’t buy the building you want.

The Best Usability Tips for Steel Buildings

Steel buildings offer so many benefits for use as garages, barns, storage sheds, home offices and just about any other type of structure you can imagine that it’s hard to imagine you can make them even more useful. If you’re just starting to plan your steel building project, though, you’ll find that these tips for choosing, building and locating your metal building will make sure you get the most value and use from your new steel building.

Make It Bigger
No matter how big you’re planning on making your storage building or garage, most steel buildings experts recommend that you make it bigger – about 20 percent bigger. That’s how much most people underestimate the amount of space they’ll actually need, the experts say. Figure out how much floor space and storage space you think you’ll need, then add an additional 20 percent to the size before you order your steel building. That ensures that you’ll have the space you need now, and a bit more to expand in the future.

Put It in the Right Place
It may seem like a no-brainer, but putting steel buildings where they’ll be most convenient for their purpose makes a huge difference. If you’re going to use your new metal building for storage, put it as close to the main hose as you can. If you’re planning to store gardening equipment in it, put it close to the garden. While you’re at it, consider the placement of the entrance, too. Believe it or not, you’ll find that having to walk around the building to get into it will get very inconvenient very quickly.

Speaking of Convenient Entryways
There are dozens of options for doors for steel buildings and the doors you choose can make a huge difference in the usability of your new building. In most cases, you’ll want to install more than one door – one full-width door for easy loading and unloading, and one pedestrian, or walk, door, so people can go in and out without opening a huge garage or barn door. These considerations are especially important for garages and for equipment storage sheds and barns.

Leave Room for Expansion
If you have the land to expand later – and you think you might want to do that – choose a steel building style that expands easily. Quonset steel buildings and other hoop frame or arch frame construction are designed to be easy to expand. All you have to do is remove an end wall, add more hoops and metal walls, and replace the end wall.

Pretty It Up
It’s always easier to use something that’s attractive, and you have many stylish options for steel buildings these days. Pick a metal building that fits the style of the other buildings on your property or nearby buildings so that it enhances your property rather than detracting from it.

Questions to Ask Steel Buildings Suppliers

People who buy steel buildings have a great resource and source of information that they often overlook – the steel building supplier. Knowing which questions to ask can ensure that you get all the information you need to purchase the right metal building – and all the accessories you need to make it uniquely yours. These questions can help you make sure you get all the information you need to make informed design decisions.

Are You a Broker or a Manufacturer?

When you shop for steel buildings online, you’ll run into two basic types of sellers: brokers and manufacturers. Manufacturers make and sell their own buildings. Brokers are middlemen who sell metal buildings manufactured by others. There are advantages and disadvantages to each choice: manufacturers will be pushing their own products and may be more used to dealing with contractors than consumers. On the other hand, you may get a better price when you buy direct from the manufacturer. Brokers may represent one manufacturer or several. They may be motivated to push steel buildings that pay them the most commission, but they will also be more accustomed to dealing with customers who aren’t as knowledgeable about the business end of things.

How Will My Building Be Shipped and Who Makes the Shipping Arrangements?

Generally, the manufacturer will handle the shipping arrangements, but you’ll be paying the charges, of course. You’ll want to know exactly when your steel building components will be delivered so that you can have your site prepared and have someone there to help you unload them from the trucks. Many steel buildings suppliers will be able to give you helpful tips and information, like giving you an idea how much space you’ll have to clear to store the components for your steel building while you’re preparing for construction.

What Will I Need to Buy to Complete My Steel Building?

It’s popular to say that “steel building kits come with everything you need” – but it’s simply not quite true. You’ll get fasteners, steel framing, walls and roof – everything you need to build the shell for your structure. The building walls will have holes in them for doors, windows and vents where you specify – and may even have channels to run wiring and plumbing pipes – but in most cases, the doors and windows are an extra cost that you’ll have to order separately.

If you’ve never bought a metal building before, you’ll find that the whole process for ordering and buying steel buildings can be immensely confusing. Working with a helpful steel buildings supplier or manufacturer can make it a whole lot easier.

The Basic Types of Steel Buildings

Steel buildings come in many sizes and shapes, but most small steel buildings sold as pre-fab steel building kits for garages, barns, storage buildings or home workshops come in just a few basic styles. Those basic styles can be accessorized and customized in an almost unlimited number of ways. Knowing the basic styles can help you make the first decisions you have to make when buying a metal building for your property.

Quonset Buildings

Quonset buildings, also known as hoop frame steel buildings, are the most basic style of steel buildings. Originally used by soldiers in World War I and World War II, Quonset buildings consist of a series of metal hoops covered with metal panels. The sloping walls and rounded roof make them especially sturdy in areas with heavy winds and snow loads. The major disadvantage to Quonset buildings also arises from the sloping sides – they reduce the amount of full-height floor space available inside the building.

A-Style Steel Buildings

The most basic modification to the Quonset style is the A-style, which keeps the sloping sides but adds a slightly pitched steel roof. The pitched roof makes the A-style building look more conventional and better for use in areas with heavy snow loads. They come in widths up to about 40 feet, and can be as long as you want them to be.

S-Style Steel Buildings

The S-model metal building is the opposite modification. It retains the rounded roof but straightens the walls. The rounded roof and high sidewalls provide maximum usable interior space, making them ideal for use as storage buildings, warehouses and distribution centers. Like other steel buildings based on the Quonset style, they are available up to about 40 feet wide and lengths as long as you want.

P-Style Steel Buildings

 The P-model steel building has a pitched roof and straight sides, taking the advantages of both. The clear interior makes them ideal for use as garages or barns, and the high side clearance leaves plenty of room for shelves and storage. They also have a standard “home” profile, allowing them to fit in comfortably in most communities where more industrial-style buildings might be unwelcome.

There are obviously many decisions to be made along the way when you’re buying a metal building, but knowing the different styles that are available is a good starting point. You’ll find lots of information about the advantages and disadvantages of each style when you research steel buildings online.

Top Steel Buildings Buying Tips

Steel buildings offer lots of advantages for just about any use. They make great barns, super garages, perfect storage buildings and efficient home additions. They’re energy efficient, go up fast and cost less than most other traditional buildings. There are lots of things to know about ordering steel buildings, but these tips can help you choose the right metal building for your needs.

Call Your Local Building Codes Office

Before you start planning, make sure that you can erect your metal building where you want to put it. Some cities prohibit some styles of metal buildings in certain zones – they may not want Quonset buildings in the middle of a residential area, for example. If the local codes do allow pre-fab steel buildings, you’ll need to know all the applicable building codes for its construction – or at least, the engineer who designs it will need to have them to make sure your building meets all those standards.

Check on the Steel Buildings Supplier

While most metal building suppliers offer similar styles and sizes of steel buildings, all suppliers are not alike. Do some research on the supplier or manufacturer you’re going to buy from to make sure they’re legitimate and have a good reputation in the business. Check with the Better Business Bureau and search online for complaints to get an idea how reliable and honest they are.

Talk to Your Steel Building Vendor

Whether you’re talking with a broker or a manufacturer, make sure you talk in depth about the building you want. An experienced metal building supplier can offer you advice and warnings about the design options you’re considering and help you make informed choices about styles and accessories based on your needs – but only if they know what you’re looking for. Your planned building use will influence a lot of your design decisions, and the more the supplier understands, the more likely you’ll make the right ones.

Know Exactly What’s Included in the Price

Many inexperienced buyers make the mistake of assuming that the steel building they order includes everything they need to occupy their new structure. In fact, most steel building quotes include the framed openings for doors and windows, but you have to purchase the doors and windows separately. Make sure you know what you’re paying for and what you need to add to your order to make your building ready for use.

Buying a new steel building is a big decision. Understanding how steel buildings are manufactured and sold can help you make the right decisions when you’re shopping for a metal building for your property.

The Myth of Surplus Steel Buildings

If you’re shopping for a steel building, you’ve seen the websites with big banner headlines: SURPLUS STEEL BUILDINGS. Can you really get a good deal by buying surplus steel buildings?

In a word, no. The fact is that there’s no such thing as a surplus steel building. The sites that pretend to sell surplus metal buildings are simply engaging in one of the most common high-pressure sales tactics used to get you to buy without researching for the best price. Here are a few facts.

-          Pre-fab metal buildings are generally made to order and specially engineered for a particular site and use. A steel building designed and fabricated for one site is not likely to meet the standards for another location.

-          People who buy steel buildings don’t generally order steel buildings on a whim. They think long and hard about their decision. They don’t typically put down a deposit on a building and then change their minds.

-          Manufacturers do not put together complete steel buildings to “have them ready” because each steel building must meet the standards and specifications for a particular area. They don’t have warehouse yards full of steel buildings looking for a buyer.

Steel Building at Reduced Cost

If you’re talking to a salesperson and he mentions that he happens to have a surplus steel building sitting there that’s perfect for your needs, be very suspicious. As noted, it’s very unlikely to be true. In the unlikely event that he actually does have a metal building that was ordered by someone else who failed to follow through on the order – because, after all, things DO happen – it’s nearly impossible that it will fit your needs perfectly.

Steel buildings are designed specifically for the geographic location in which they’ll be erected. They must meet local building codes for wind loads, snow loads and other weather loads. Local building codes may require special design features in one area that aren’t necessary in another. A steel building made for a backyard in New England won’t meet the codes for a metal building to be erected on an Oklahoma farm.

Surplus May Equal Used

Those surplus steel buildings the salesman is trying to sell you could very well be a used steel building that someone else no longer needs. There’s nothing wrong with buying a used steel building – as long as you know that’s what you’re buying. One of the many benefits of buying a steel building is that you actually can disassemble it and reassemble it elsewhere. It reduces the amount of debris in landfills and reduces the cost of demolition. However, it’s not a “surplus” steel building. It’s a used product and could have multiple problems that you’ll be inheriting.

When you’re shopping for a steel building, take the time to research your needs and find a good dealer or manufacturer. Don’t fall for the surplus steel buildings scam.