Steel Buildings as Alternative Housing

You’ve heard about steel buildings for storage, for garages, for home offices and garden sheds, but have you ever considered a steel building as an alternative to traditional housing? A growing number of people are not only considering it, but are building their homes from economical and attractive steel building kits. Why would someone choose to live in a steel building?

For many, it’s a matter of environmental concern. Steel is the single most recycled material in the world. When you choose steel as a construction material, you’re reducing the deforestation of the planet and helping to preserve the trees that are a vital part of the oxygen cycle. Choosing steel is a way of meeting your housing needs today without depleting the planet’s resources further.

But that’s only one reason for choosing steel buildings as an alternative housing solution. Metal building kits are an extremely affordable option for housing. When you choose a pre-engineered steel building kit as the base for your home, the components of your house are delivered to you ready to assemble using simple, bolt together construction methods. Most steel buildings are light enough in weight that they only require a minimal foundation, and are easy enough to erect that they can be put up in a couple of afternoons of work with a few friends.

Here are just a few more reasons that people choose arch frame steel buildings as homes.

Pre-engineered steel buildings are designed to withstand harsh weather conditions. Because every metal building is individually engineered to meet the building codes in the location where it will be sited, you can be sure that it will meet or exceed the safety standards to withstand high winds, heavy snow and other weather extremes in your region.

Clear span construction provides maximum usable space. Because arch frame construction requires no interior load-bearing beams, a steel building allows you to use the entire interior in a completely open, customizable floor plan.

Steel is fire resistant, rot resistant and unattractive to termites and other insect pests, and most steel buildings require very little maintenance to retain their appearance. Because of their superior construction and fire resistance, steel buildings often cost far less to insure than other types of construction.

Steel buildings are easy to expand if you ever want to build onto your house. In most cases, you can simply add another steel building to the back or front.

Steel homes are economically practical and environmentally responsible. If you’re not convinced that steel buildings are the right solution for your new home needs, check out the photos posted on many websites that sell steel buildings and see just how attractive and economical they can be.

Steel Buildings for Animals

Farmers have always been ahead of the curve when it comes to using steel buildings for general storage and equipment storage. In fact, for decades, a large percentage of the steel buildings sold in the U.S. were sold for agricultural purposes. Steel is an ideal material to use for building grain silos, storage buildings and equipment garages. Metal buildings are also ideal for processing and packing harvested crops for sale, and have even been pressed into service as roadside stands and farm stands. But it’s only fairly recently that farmers have turned to steel buildings for use as animal housing – more familiarly known as barns.

Metal may seem an unfriendly material for housing animals. The typical impression of steel is that it is hard and cold – not exactly the image we like to imagine when thinking of horses and cows and other farm animals. In reality, steel offers many advantages as the outer shell of a barn or a kennel. Steel buildings, for example, are precision-engineered to fit together tightly with no chinks to let drafts through. Wood, no matter how well it is cut, can’t achieve the same degree of weather-tightness.

Steel is also sturdier than wood and less prone to damage from outside sources. Termites and other pests, which can undermine the structure of a wood building, can’t be bothered with steel buildings because steel isn’t in their diet. Likewise, steel is fire-resistant, which makes it a safer building material than wood. Pre-engineered steel buildings, built to meet the building code standards in the city, county or region where each building will be erected, are designed to withstand heavy snow loads, high winds, freezing temperatures and even earthquakes.

But there are other reasons that farmers turn to steel buildings for use as barns and animal pens – versatility, for example. Because steel provides strength in combination with a light weight, most typical steel buildings are clearspan buildings – that is, they have no interior support beams. This allows for a totally flexible floor plan. When combined with modular walls and components, the interior of steel barns can be reconfigured easily as needs change.

Other important factors that influence the choice of steel for housing animals include affordability – steel buildings cost less than most traditional construction – and speed of construction. Because metal buildings are delivered ready to assemble, a steel barn can go up nearly as quickly as an old-fashioned barn at a barn-raising. That means that farmers can get the new barn up and ready for occupancy in far less time than it would take to get a wooden barn up and ready for use.

Why Steel Buildings are the Choice for Savvy Builders

As building technology advances and building codes become more and more strict, steel buildings continue to grow in popularity, not just for factories and office buildings, but for home owners who want garages, garden sheds, storage sheds and farmers who want to upgrade their barns and storage buildings. Today’s builders are looking for structures that go up fast, meet all the codes and safety standards and are economical to build, both in the short term and over time. Steel buildingsand steel building kits meet all of the requirements and offer unique benefits of their own.

Steel Building Quality

The best steel buildings are constructed of high-grade steel, nearly all of it recycled from previous uses. The most common grade, 26 gauge steel, provides a lightweight but very strong structure.  It doesn’t warp, twist or rot as wood does, and it maintains the same tolerances throughout its life. Wood, on the other hand, gets weaker when it absorbs water, and is subject to rot and insect infestation.

The components of steel buildings are fabricated to meet exacting standards. This extends beyond the walls and roof parts. Even the bolts, screws and fasteners – which are nearly always included with the purchase of your steel building – are fabricated to meet specific standards and grade requirements. The building components are built in a controlled environment that ensures adherence to the high quality standards you have a right to expect.

Building Codes

In many areas of the country, building codes require strict adherence to specific standards for wind tolerance and load bearing capabilities for buildings. In hurricane-prone areas, the building codes require that all structures be stable in high speed winds. In areas that are prone to heavy snow, the codes specify the amount of weight that roofs and structures must be able to bear. Manufacturers of steel buildings will work with the building codes in any region, township or county to ensure that the building design meets or exceeds the building codes for that region. Even earthquakes are not a problem. In fact, steel buildings withstand seismic shocks far better than wood or concrete structures because steel is more flexible.

Steel Buildings Are Economical

The materials for steel buildings are generally more affordable than wood or concrete structures, and the ease with which they can be assembled reduces their costs even further. Because steel buildings are lighter in weight than most other types of buildings, they usually require a less costly foundation. The construction process is simpler. In fact, many DIYers save the cost of construction by doing the assembly themselves. Even if you opt for a professional installer, the short assembly time means you pay far less for construction.

If you’re in the market for a garage, home office, storage shed or other small building on your property, take a look at the many advantages offered by metal buildings.

Ventilation Considerations for Steel Buildings

Ventilation is an important consideration for any type of building, but it’s especially important with steel buildings. Because steel buildings are custom engineered to fit together tightly, they’re very susceptible to condensation. Without proper ventilation, you could be inviting mold to form on the contents of your metal building or fostering an unhealthy atmosphere indoors. Luckily, providing proper ventilation isn’t difficult if you choose a supplier or manufacturer that can supply all of the accessories you need to properly vent your metal building.

The amount of ventilation you’ll require depends on a number of different factors, including the size of the building, the place where it’s located and how the building will be used. For example, if you’re using the structure mostly for storage, you’ll require far less ventilation than you’d need if you were intending it to be occupied and heavily used by people or livestock. In that case, you may need an expert to figure out the proper materials and the best layout to provide necessary cross ventilation. That’s one of the reasons that the most reputable suppliers of steel buildings work with architects and engineers. If you buy your metal building from a reputable supplier who is used to working with inexperienced buyers, the supplier will usually explain the necessity to you and ensure that all of the needed specifications are met.

The main types of vents you’ll see in steel buildings are ridge vents, circular vents and louvers. As a general rule of thumb, a single ten-foot ridge vent can adequately vent a building with up to 2,400 square feet of interior space – unless the building will be heavily occupied by either people or livestock. In that case, additional venting may be required. You may also need louvers placed near floor level or in the walls of the building to provide adequate cross ventilation and help the roof vent work more efficiently.

If you choose ridge vents, you should look for vents made of heavy duty, 26 gauge steel, and include a rain cap, a bird screen and an adjustable adaptor. It should also be the correct ridge vent to fit the pitch of your roof. Again, if you work with a reputable supplier or manufacturer of steel buildings, he’ll make sure that everything fits together right.

In smaller steel buildings, louvers may provide enough ventilation for your needs. Louvers general come in 3’ by 3’, 3’ x 4’ and 4’ x 4’ foot sizes. Each louver should include a bird screen and proper frames. You can locate the louver anywhere on the wall that is unobstructed, but it should be decided during the design phase of the steel building.

Any reputable supplier or manufacturer of steel buildings can give you professional advice about the best way to ventilate your metal building. Be sure to let your supplier know exactly how you intend to use your building to get the best advice.

Five Reasons to Choose Steel Buildings for Just About Any Use

Steel buildings seem to be cropping up in the unlikeliest places. Thanks to the ease of manufacturing the components for custom-designed steel buildings and the ease of putting them up, buildings made of metal are rapidly becoming the number one choice of property owners and developers for nearly any use. From mini-storage units to airplane hangars, metal buildings offer a number of benefits that consumers find it hard to overlook. Whether they’re building garages, horse barns, workshops or in-law apartments, more and more people are choosing pre-engineered steel buildings over other traditional construction choices.

Economy

The number one reason most people choose a steel building over other types of construction is money. From start to finish, metal buildings are more economical than nearly any other option for the same size unit. Steel – even high quality steel – is a more affordable building choice than wood or concrete. You’ll often find excellent bargains offered by distributors and manufacturers who market their steel DIY kits and buildings online. And since they’re so much easier to construct, many people save even more money by doing the construction themselves and saving the cost of a contractor.

Time

Because they’re so much easier to erect than traditional wood buildings, steel buildings go up in a matter of days – even over a weekend for smaller structures. It can take a few weeks or more for you to receive the components for your building, but once they arrive on site, they go up quickly and are ready for use much sooner than comparable size wooden structures. If you’re using a contractor to do the construction, that saves you money because you’re paying for less time. Even if you’re doing the building yourself, your building is ready for use sooner.

Environment

Steel is a greener choice than wood. Most buildings are made of recycled steel, which means that your new steel building won’t be using up new natural resources. Wood, on the other hand, depletes the earth’s natural resources and reduces the planet’s ability to scrub the air clean through plant respiration.

Pride

As noted, many homeowners choose DIY steel building kits and do the work of assembling and erecting their buildings themselves. Not only does it save money, it gives them bragging rights when they show off their new garages, workshops and other structures. It’s nice to be able to say, “I built it myself.”

Durability

Because steel buildings are engineered to meet all the building codes for the area where they’ll be built, they’re very durable and sturdy. Properly constructed steel buildings can withstand hurricane force winds and heavy snows, and are often guaranteed to stand for 20 or more years.

If you’re looking at options for a new garage, some barns, a workshop or small warehouse, check out the many advantages of choosing steel buildings for your needs.

Start Planning Steel Buildings Projects for Spring

There’s very little that helps lift sagging winter spirits better than making plans for springtime gardening and construction. If your plans for the coming spring include a new garden storage building or greenhouse to start your plants, this is the time to start shopping for steel buildings. A new steel building is the ideal structure for many different projects, from dog kennels to greenhouses and garages. If you haven’t considered a DIY metal building for your garden, storage or other needs, this is a great time to start exploring the options and advantages of choosing a steel building as your first construction project for the spring.

Steel buildings Are Versatile

Do you need a storage building for yard equipment and supplies? How about a pool house to provide those extra amenities in your back yard? Maybe a garden house with windows for starting seedlings? Steel buildings built from DIY kits are ideal for any of those uses and so many more. They’re available in sizes as small as 6 feet by 8 feet and as large as you have room for on your property, and are fully customizable. You can add electricity and plumbing if desired, or build a bare bones metal shell to store gardening equipment and supplies. Larger steel buildings are often used as garages or for boat storage. You can even outfit a steel building as an in-law apartment for adult children or parents who need to be close to family without giving up privacy.

Save Money When You Choose Steel Buildings

While fiberglass or wood garden sheds may seem cheaper at first glance, steel buildings are generally far more affordable than either options. When you buy a steel building, the cost includes everything you need to erect the structure except the foundation – and since most smaller steel buildings need only minimal foundations, even that is less expensive than a traditional structure. In addition to the cost savings for the original purchase, you’ll also save money on maintenance and repair – metal buildings need very little maintenance to say fresh and new looking. Usually, you won’t have to do more than wash it down once or twice a season.

Durability Is a Major Advantage

One of the major pluses of a metal building is the high-quality engineering designed to meet all the code and building standards in your town or county. They’re manufactured to exacting standards and will withstand extreme weather conditions, including high winds and heavy snows. A property constructed steel building can easily last for 30 years or more.

While steel buildings go up quickly once they arrive at your building site, it does take some time for the manufacturer to fabricate the components. If you start your shopping and planning now, you can get your new building in time to put it up for the spring season and enjoy it immediately.

Steel Buildings Are a Green Choice for Today’s World

In a world where every action we has a chain of effects that can affect people half a world away, many people are trying hard to keep their impact on the environment to minimum. Their efforts often include recycling glass, metal and paper, choosing natural and organic cleaners and other products and choosing automobiles that use less – or no – carbon fuels. Some green choices don’t look like green choices on the surface. Steel buildings are one of those surprisingly green options for today’s world.

Steel Buildings are Green? Really?

Yes, really. If you’re planning to put up a new storage building, garage, home office or even a small office or manufacturing building, steel buildings are a much greener choice than traditional stick-built construction. Wood buildings use a lot of wood, which is renewable, but takes a long time to replace. In addition, every mature tree harvested to provide wood for building reduces the capacity of the earth to deal with the overload of carbon in the atmosphere. Finally, wooden buildings require a lot of additional energy to construct and maintain.

Steel buildings, on the other hand, are nearly always made with recycled steel recovered from other uses. The energy used to smelt and retool the steel is less than that used to cut, saw and process wood for use in building. In general, steel buildings start with a smaller carbon footprint, and they continue to leave a smaller footprint on the earth throughout their usable lives and beyond.

The process of constructing a pre-engineered steel building reduces the amount of work done on site, which means fewer heavy construction machines. And while all the various materials needed for constructing a wooden building are usually transported separately, steel buildings are usually delivered all together in one load, which reduces the size of the carbon trail created in bringing the materials to your build site.

Less Maintenance Puts Less Stress on the Planet

Steel buildings require significantly less maintenance than wooden building. The metal used in constructing them is rust and corrosion resistant, and the paint powder coating generally is guaranteed for up to 20 years or more. That means you use less toxic chemicals in cleaning, scraping and repainting your building, and put fewer toxic chemicals into the environment. And the less upkeep means more time using your steel building and less time maintaining it.

Finally, steel buildings can be up to 80% more energy efficient than wood buildings of comparable size. That means you’ll use less oil and other carbon based energy to heat and cool your metal building, further reducing its impact on the environment. If you’re considering a new garage, office or storage building on your property and are concerned about the environment, take a second look at steel buildings. They may be the greenest choice available.

Are Steel Buildings as Sturdy as Traditional Buildings?

Steel buildings are a popular solution for many uses. They make great storage buildings, garages, home offices, barns – even kennels and guest houses. There are many reasons that home and business owners choose steel buildings over other types of construction. Metal buildings are more affordable and easier to maintain. They take far less time to erect and are ready for occupancy far sooner than traditional wood construction. Considering the affordability and the short amount of time it takes to put up a steel building, however, many people question whether or not prefabricated metal buildings are as sturdy and safe as traditional wood construction.

Are Steel Buildings Stronger than Wood Ones?

In fact, a properly constructed steel building has many advantages over wood construction, including strength and durability. Metal buildings are engineered for precision fit and created to meet or exceed the safety standards and code specifications of the region where they’ll be erected.

Steel is one of the strongest construction materials known and the methods used to construct steel buildings enhance that strength even further. Each piece fits perfectly to the next, and is fastened in place by strong bolts. A metal building has enough flexibility to withstand the pressures of winds – even those at hurricane force – and the shifting and settling of the earth. In fact, many steel building designs are rated for construction in earthquake prone areas and will remain standing during earthquakes that will do severe structural damage to most wood buildings.

Durability Second to None

In addition to being stronger than wood, steel buildings are also more durable and easier to maintain. Unlike wood, steel is fire resistant. It is also resistant to corrosion and rot, insect damage and pest infestation. Many of the “temporary” steel buildings put up decades ago are still standing and in use for storage, garages, barns, retail stores, factories and animal housing.

A Greener Alternative to Wood

In addition to its sturdiness and strength, steel is also a greener alternative than wood. Steel buildings are nearly always made with post-consumer recycled steel, and are up to 66 percent recyclable. Your steel building won’t end up in the waste stream or a landfill when you no longer need it. In addition, a standard sized home uses the wood of about 50 trees. Since most steel used for steel buildings is recycled, your new structure won’t be using much in the way of new resources.

If you’re considering a storage building, garage, home office, barn or any other building for residential or agricultural use, be sure to check out the range of steel buildings available. They’re the sturdier, stronger and greener alternative to traditional wood buildings.

Do It Yourself Steel Buildings

Whether you need extra storage space for your garden gear, a home for your hobby or someplace to park your car that’s out of the whether, steel buildings are among the best options you can choose. Buildings made of metal, especially small steel buildings for end consumer uses, are durable, attractive and easy to assemble, saving you money in construction costs and materials. Thanks to the many advantages and benefits of steel buildings, they’ve become the most popular choice for homeowners who want to build their own workshops, garages, home offices and storage sheds.

There are many places you can buy steel buildings, especially online. Some of the companies that sell metal building kits to the public are brokers – essentially middlemen who arrange for the manufacture of the steel building kit that you order. Other companies are steel building manufacturers that sell their products directly to the public. Both options offer advantages for the buyer. The most important factor, no matter which option you choose to shop for steel buildings, is to work with a company that provides knowledgeable people who can answer your questions in a way that you can understand both before and after the sale.

The ability to ask questions and get help after the sale and the delivery of your steel building is essential, especially if you’ve never been through the process before. While erecting a metal building kit sounds simple – just put up the frame and attach the exterior panels and trim – actually completing the work can be considerably more complicated. In fact, just getting from the point of picking out your steel building and having your components delivered to your site can involve a lot more complications than most people expect.

That’s not to say that steel buildings don’t provide many advantages over a similar sized wood building. Since everything is pre-cut and welded, there’s no construction waste and no worry about making mistakes in cutting pieces to the wrong measurements or drilling holes in the wrong places. That alone makes assembling garages and sheds from steel building kits exponentially easier than building a wood frame garage or shed.

When it comes to appearance, you’ll find hundreds or styles, colors and layouts to choose from. Your building will be engineered to meet the codes and regulations of your location, and can be designed to suit your own needs and desires. Between the ease of construction, the lower costs and the lifetime benefits of building with steel, steel buildings are the obvious choice.

Tips on Winterizing Steel Buildings

One of the biggest reasons for the popularity of steel buildings for both home and commercial use is how little maintenance they require. Unlike structures made of wood, they don’t need to be repainted every few years, and they don’t suffer from erosion the same way that concrete structures do. That doesn’t mean that steel buildings are completely free of maintenance requirements, though. As winter closes in across the country, you might pay attention to these tips to help your steel buildings, garages or storage sheds come through the winter without incurring damage.

Insulation

If you’re storing items that may be affected by the cold or if you intend to use your building during the winter, insulation is vital. Even if you’re not, insulation can help prevent damage to your building by reducing interior moisture that results from condensation. Investing in insulation for your metal building can help extend its life and reduce the little bit of maintenance it requires even further. And of course, you get the additional benefit of a building that’s usable year-round.

Inspection

Before the cold weather sets in fully, do walk-around inspection of your building, inside and out. Make a list of items that need to be attended before the cold, with its snow and freezing rain, sets in. Look for any chinks, holes or weak spots in the building’s shell that need to be repaired. For an older building or one that has had plumbing problems during the year, contact a professional to check the pipes for damage that should be repaired before the freeze.

Inside, look for any signs of leaks in your building, particularly on the roof. Look for holes, rips or tears in the outer shell and have them repaired before the cold sets in.

Cleaning

Clear the gutters and downspouts of debris and leaves to ensure full drainage. Drain any hoses or outdoor plumbing and shut off the water to them to prevent the pipes or hoses from freezing and cracking during the winter storms.

If your doors and windows aren’t fitted with weather-resistant stripping, this is a good time to fix that oversight. If they already have weather stripping, check it to make sure that it’s still in good repair. It only takes half an hour to apply weather stripping to a door, window or gap, and the cost is usually under $10. Compare that to the cost of repairs if a freeze forces the gaps wider.

Steel buildings require very little in the way of maintenance, but the few hours a year that you spend winterizing can prevent major problems down the line.