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.