Tips for Buying Steel Buildings

Choosing among the many steel buildings on the market can be confusing. There are so many factors to consider, some of which you may not even realize. These questions can help you make the right choice and buy a garage or shed that is right for your needs.

How Much Space Do I Need?

You’ll need to consider two different measurements when choosing the size of your building – the usable interior space and the exterior dimensions. The exterior dimensions are vital to making sure that the building you choose will fit into the space you have for it. Most steel buildings provide the largest amount of usable interior space in ratio to the exterior dimensions than any other type of construction.

In general, experts recommend that you choose a building that offers at least 20 percent more space than you think you need. It’s especially important to choose a structure that is wide enough. It’s fairly easy to add on to steel buildings length-wise. Adding extra width, however, is much more difficult.

When calculating height, consider the amount of door clearance you need. For example, if your doors need to be at least 12 feet high to allow for trucks to enter, most steel buildings will need to be at least 14 feet high to take into account the clearance needed above the door.

Take Local Building Codes Into Consideration

Before choosing a steel building for any purpose, check with your local zoning office to find out which, if any, building codes you’ll have to meet. In some areas, even structures as basic as 8-by-10 foot garden sheds must have a building permit and conform to certain building codes and standards. Some communities may not allow steel buildings, or may have specific rules and codes to which they must conform.

Once you’ve checked your local building codes, find a manufacturer of metal buildings that will customize the building plans and prefab pieces to fit local codes.  While it may cost slightly more to have plans modified by an architect to conform specifically to your local building codes, it’s far less expensive than have to pay fines and make changes to an already-built structure.

Once you’ve made your basic choices, you’ll have numerous other choices to make such as the number and style of windows and doors, the color of the trim, the type of roof and other fun decisions that will allow you to customize the structure you choose so that it doesn’t look like all the other steel buildings out there. No matter what choices you make, you’ll be sure to have a structure that meets or exceeds all local building standards, and at a price far below most conventional buildings.

Steel Buildings for Cheap Sustainable Alternative Housing

Are you looking for an energy-efficient and sustainable building material for your home? Today, many homeowners who want an alternative to expensive traditional residential construction are turning to prefabricated steel buildings as a base for their new homes. If steel isn’t the first material that comes to mind when you think of comfortable, sustainable building, perhaps you should take a closer look. Steel buildings offer many advantages as an alternative housing solution.

Recycled and Recyclable

No other material in the world is recycled as often as steel. Most steel buildings are made from 100 percent recycled steel, putting no more stress on the environment. When you choose a home made of steel, you’re not consuming precious wood, which can take decades to renew. Instead, you’re diverting tons of steel from the waste stream and reusing a resource.

In addition, your steel home is fully recyclable, not just as a material but as a whole. Unlike traditional brick or wood homes, steel buildings can be disassembled and reassembled on another site. Recycling is a much greener alternative than demolition.

Energy Efficient

Metal buildings are weather-tight and easy to insulate. Many steel buildings are made of Energy Star rated Galvaulume steel, which meets or exceeds EPA standards for reflectivity in roofing steel. Better heat reflectivity means lower energy consumption and lower costs for both heating and cooling. Because they’re weather-tight, they’re less affected by temperature changes in the outside atmosphere, making it easier to maintain a consistent, comfortable temperature inside.

Safe, Strong Construction

Steel buildings are also safer and more durable than traditional wood frame construction. Most are rated to withstand hurricane force winds of up to 160 miles per hour, making them ideal for homes in areas prone to hurricanes. Many designs are also less prone to damage in earthquakes, and of course, steel is fire resistant. In addition to being a safer home for your family, buildings made of steel are cheaper to insure because they are less prone to the disasters that destroy traditionally constructed homes.

Versatile Designs

If you’re imagining yourself living in a great hollow shell of steel, you haven’t seen the potentials inherent in prefabricated steel building design. Because steel buildings don’t need interior posts and load-bearing walls, you’re free to configure the interior of your home in an almost unlimited number of ways. Steel buildings are easily expandable, and come in many different basic designs which can be finished in attractive colors and trims so that your home fits into the surrounding neighborhood—or stands out.

For more information about using steel buildings as alternative, sustainable housing, contact a manufacturer of metal buildings to discuss the possibilities.

Steel Buildings as an Option for Farm Stands and Stores

A small farm stand can be a valuable addition to your income during the harvest season and beyond, but constructing a farm stand or a store can be expensive. One way to beat the expense is to turn to one of the many models of steel buildings as your base. There are some excellent reasons for choosing a metal building for your farm stand or store, from economy to versatility. If you’re considering building a new farm store or expanding an existing farm stand, these are just a few of the advantages of choosing a steel building.

Steel Buildings Are Versatile

Because there’s no need for interior support posts, you’ll have the entire interior space to lay out your store in the configuration you want. That makes it considerably easier for you to build or choose freezers, coolers, racks and counters without having to fit them in between steel columns. Likewise, you can easily rearrange your stand for more efficiency without having to worry about load-bearing walls or columns.

Steel Building Options Are Endless

Steel buildings come in many sizes. Depending on the model of metal building you choose, your original store may be anywhere from 12 to 100 feet wide, and can be as long as you want to make it. If you later decide that you need more room, it’s very easy to add on to a metal building.

Lower Costs Throughout the Building Life

While the upfront purchase price of a steel building kit or a prefab building may seem higher than the costs for a wood-framed building kit, the costs are deceptive. Steel building kits include everything you need for construction except the footings and floor, while wood-frame building kits usually only include the connectors, fasteners and accessories. By the time you add in the cost of the lumber and of digging and laying a foundation, a wood-frame building costs considerably more. Your savings with a steel building continue after your building is constructed. Steel buildings are cheaper to heat and require very little maintenance over the course of their lives, which can be as much as 50 years.

Attractive and Environment-Friendly

Most steel buildings are constructed entirely of 100 percent recycled steel, so you don’t use any more of the earth’s precious natural resources. They’re also completely recyclable, so your building won’t add to the trash stream when it’s no longer in use. In fact, if you choose to, you can disassemble your farm stand and reassemble it in another location. Try that with a wood-frame building!

If you’re weighing your options for a barn, farm stand or a store to sell fresh produce, eggs, milk or fruit from your farm, talk to a manufacturer of steel buildings to learn more about the advantages of metal building construction for your use.

Steel Buildings Move Beyond Storage and Garages

Most people are familiar with the use of steel buildings in agriculture and industry, but design innovations in the past ten years have widely expanded the uses for metal buildings. From home offices to garages to churches and schools, many people are discovering the advantages offered by pre-fabricated steel buildings. A broad overview of the new categories and uses for steel and metal buildings might surprise you.

Homeowners often choose steel structures when they add garages to their property, so it should come as no surprise that auto and truck dealerships are turning to steel buildings when they expand their operations. The interior construction of arch-frame steel buildings allow for maximum customizations. It’s easy for dealerships to move cars in and out of the showroom, and add mezzanines for oversight of the selling floor.

New advances in color, trim and construction have made it possible to erect steel buildings that look like traditional construction or even better. This has been important to another category of industry that’s been making use of steel buildings—churches. While appearance may be important to a congregation, cost is also a vital factor in choosing the type and scope of new church construction. Many small congregations have found that a steel building easily suits their needs while staying within their budgetary limits. In fact, because most steel buildings are delivered ready to assemble, many churches can tap their own congregations to erect the church building themselves, saving on the cost of construction. Because steel buildings are so much more economical, a congregation can often erect a new church building at a fraction of the cost and in a fraction of the time needed for a conventional building.

Entertainment venues have also begun turning to steel buildings in increasing numbers. Arch-frame construction allows for unobstructed lines of sight in nightclubs and theaters, as well as uninterrupted space for dancing and setting up dining tables in event venues. Metal buildings allow venue owners to offer virtually unlimited floor plan layouts for events, shows and conventions. Innovative entrepreneurs have taken the column-free interiors even further, opening indoor beach volleyball courts and skating rinks under steel domes.

Schools and universities frequently find themselves in the position of having to house more students than expected. Steel buildings, including modular steel buildings and arch-frame Quonset buildings, provide a quick, relatively inexpensive solution to housing classrooms in emergency situations. Custom-designed classroom buildings can be erected in a space of weeks, at a cost far less than renting a temporary space when a fire, electrical or plumbing catastrophe has made a school building unusable.

Steel buildings, once regarded as ugly stepsisters to more conventional business and public buildings, are coming into their own. If your organization or company is planning an expansion or move, take a serious look at the many advantages that metal buildings have to offer.

How to Choose the Best Steel Buildings for Your Needs

Steel buildings come in many different configurations, and each of them offers unique advantages as well as the general advantages offered by all steel buildings. If you’re considering erecting a metal building on your property as a man cave, storage building, garage, hobby center, home office or recreational building, understanding the advantages of each of the models of metal buildings can help you make the best choice.

Q-model Steel Buildings

The classic military style Quonset hut has stood the test of time.  There are farmers in the Midwest who put up military-surplus Quonset buildings in the 1940s and 1950s and still use them on a daily basis. They’re durable and their construction allows you to build a stable, sturdy structure from 20 feet to 100 feet wide and as long as you need it. They’re ideal for agricultural uses, and are often built as garages for farm equipment, grain storage and storage for equipment. The dome design requires no interior support beams, which gives you maximum space for storage and for driving and turning heavy equipment. That said, if you’re planning to use a metal building for warehousing, a steel frame with straight walls may be a better option.

S-Model Steel Buildings

The S-model is a modified Quonset structure with straight walls and a rounded dome roof. It combines the best features of both, and is the single most popular model of metal building in use in the U.S. today. Like the Quonset, the S-model has no interior posts to get in the way of your storage or driving clearance, but the straight sides give a much higher side clearance than the Quonset. This model is commonly used for warehousing, as well as for storage of heavy farm equipment, construction equipment, aircraft and boats.

P-Model Steel Buildings

The P-model resembles a gable-roofed barn, making it a very popular option for residential and small farm uses. The peaked roof sheds snow without allowing it to climb up the sides, and the strong construction is rated for durability against hurricane force winds. On top of that, the attractive shape allows it to blend into your landscaping as a workshop, garage or storage building.

A-Model Steel Buildings

The A-model building is designed for the hardest winters. The 4-12 pitched roof is designed for heavy snow loads, and the interior can easily be insulated against subzero temperatures. It’s a popular choice for garages, workshops, retail stores utility steel buildings located in harsh winter areas.

Choosing the right model when you’re shopping for steel buildings will help ensure that you get the most out of your purchase. To learn more about the various models and options available, contact a manufacturer of steel buildings to discuss your needs.

Retail Uses for Steel Buildings

For the past several decades, cement block construction has been the most common choice for retail buildings, but that’s been changing recently. These days, retail operations are just as likely to opt for steel buildings when constructing a new retail storefront. There are many reasons for the upswing in steel buildings as a choice for retail stores, including reasons of versatility, economy and style.

Economy

Retail is a competitive business, and the wise business owner takes savings wherever he can. Traditional building construction requires a huge outlay of capital, time and manpower. Steel buildings can go up in half the time at half the price, which makes financial sense in two ways. First, you’re spending less money to erect a retail space that serves the purpose as well, if not better, and second, you can get your operations up and running sooner, which gets you started on recouping your investment that much sooner.

In addition to starting costs, steel buildings offer financial advantages in the long run, too. Heavy duty steel is weather-resistant, can be built to resist earthquake damage and is fireproof. Powder-coated steel requires almost no maintenance beyond occasional washing with a power washer and soapy water. It’s rust resistant, repels insect infestation and never needs repainting. To top it all off, a steel building may qualify you for a reduction in your property insurance because of its high safety rating.

Versatility

Steel buildings, especially arch frame constructions such as Quonset buildings, offer you maximum flexibility in interior design. Because there is no need for interior support walls, your building can consist of one huge, open space that you can then divide up as you please with modular walls. This flexibility is especially valuable in the retail world, where the ability to be nimble and respond to changes in marketing can make the difference between a huge profit and a loss.

Style

Not too long ago, most people wouldn't have considered steel buildings a stylish choice, but new advances in technology have turned that notion on its head. These days, it’s difficult to tell steel buildings from other types of retail construction. Steel building panels can be painted to resemble wood siding, and can be created in many different styles. You can work with a designer of steel buildings to create a retail storefront that fits perfectly into any type of setting, from color to shape and trim features. Inside, you can finish your metal building just as you would any other type of building.

In short, steel buildings are less expensive, more versatile, more durable and just as stylish as any other type of construction. If your company is considering adding on to your existing storefront or building a new one, contact a reliable supplier and designer of steel buildings to find out just how much you can profit by choosing a steel building.

Residential Steel Buildings, Really? Really!

While steel has gained in popularity for factory and industrial uses, home owners and residential developers have been hanging back on the use of steel buildings for residential uses. In overlooking steel as an excellent material for building homes, both single family detached and multi-family homes, developers are missing out on the outstanding benefits that steel buildings offer to homeowners.

Cost Effective and Economical

Steel residential buildings are an economical alternative to many other types of construction. While they can be built on a standard foundation, many steel buildings don’t require any more foundation than footings for the steel beams. Of course, local building standards may require a full foundation, but many areas don’t.

In addition to the cost savings on basic construction, you’ll also save money because a prefabricated steel building goes up much more quickly than other types of building. That means that you’re not paying contractors for months of work to frame and finish your house as some steel buildings can go up in just days, especially if you work with a company that regularly erects prefabricated metal buildings.

The economy doesn’t end with construction, either. Powder-coated steel doesn’t fade over time and is very resistant to weathering, rusting, mold, mildew and other natural pests that destroy wood and brick houses. About the time that your neighbors are getting ready to repaint, you can rent a power-washer to give your home’s exterior a good cleaning. The weather-tight construction of metal buildings also makes them far easier to insulate, and they’ll stay cooler in hot weather and warmer in cold weather, saving you on energy costs as well.

Custom Designs to Suit Your Needs

While there are quite a few basic residential steel building kits on the markets, many manufacturers will work with you directly to create a house plan that perfectly suits all of your needs. You can choose the locations of the walls because there’s no need to worry about where load bearing walls must be placed. In fact, it’s fairly easy to design a home that allows you to reconfigure the rooms at will with sliding walls. You also can choose the number and types of windows and skylights, doors and other accessories for your home.

Styles and Colors

You can choose from many different colors and trim choices for your home, just as you can with other materials. The big difference is that you won’t have to keep repainting it every few years.

If the advantages of steel buildings make sense to you, contact your local code office to ensure that they’re permitted in the zone where you want to build, then shop around for a steel building supplier that is familiar with creating custom designed residential steel buildings and fitting them to local code specifications.

Steel Buildings for Carports, Garden Sheds and Office Space

If you’re considering building a free-standing addition to your home for any reason, consider the many advantages of steel buildings for use on your property. Whether your addition is meant to house your car, serve as a storage shed or be used as a home office, a steel building could be the ideal solution. Consider these advantages of steel buildings for your residential storage, office and garage needs.

Carports and Garages

A traditional garage needs a foundation and framing and generally requires a contractor for the actual construction. A free-standing steel building is far less costly to erect, and costs less to maintain over the years. Most steel buildings can be expected to last at least 20 years without any need for repainting and no concerns about rotting wood or insect infestation. A simple eight to 10-foot wide Quonset hut is easily big enough to provide protection for a full-size car, as well as storage space for outdoor decorations and garden tools. For more than one vehicle, choose a larger steel building, or add on as your needs increase.

Hobby Room or Workshop

If your hobby requires more space than a tabletop or if you want a dedicated room for pursuing your avocation, a steel building can provide all the space you need for tools, equipment, supplies and projects. Steel buildings are an ideal solution for a home woodworking shop for many reasons. Because they’re separated from the house, you don’t have to worry about the noise of power tools disturbing others in the house, nor do you have to worry about children wandering down the cellar stairs and injuring themselves on your equipment. A large workshop building provides storage space for extra wood and gives you the space to leave all of your equipment set up and ready for use. Steel buildings are also ideal for use as a sewing room, a potter’s barn or for any other hobby or profession that benefits from dedicated space.

Home Offices

More and more people are working from home, and finding that setting up a home office in a spare bedroom or on the dining room table is a very unsatisfactory solution. Building a separate home office can be very expensive, but steel buildings can greatly reduce the cost. A DIY steelbuilding can provide the privacy and separate quarters you need to work at home without interruptions. Most manufacturers will work with you to design a building kit that includes all you need for electrical wiring and even plumbing, as well as insulation to ensure your comfort while you work. And while most people think of steel buildings as bare bones Quonset huts, they’re actually available in many styles and designs, including designs that will fit right in with your home and landscaping.

If you’re considering adding a separate building to your home for any use, talk to a manufacturer or vendor of steel buildings to learn about their many residential uses.