The Versatility of Steel Buildings

Steel is one of the most commonly used building materials in the world today, and with excellent reason. Steel buildings are among the most versatile of structures, and are as small building projects as they are for huge skyscrapers. Steel first became popular as a building material during the world wars, when the military found that steel construction offered advantages for a mobile army that wood structures couldn’t provide. The original Quonset buildings were used in the field as everything from equipment storage to military barracks, mess halls and hospitals.

After the wars ended, with the steel industry booming and steel widely available, steel continued to grow in popularity as a construction material. The relatively light weight of steel, at least in comparison to traditional wood and concrete structures, made steel buildings a very desirable option for skyscrapers and multi-story office buildings, as well as for warehouses, factories and retail stores. And as the Quonset buildings that had been used in the war theater began to hit the military surplus market, veterans who were familiar with them began to choose steel buildings for agricultural uses in large numbers. For decades, the semi-domed shape of the steel Quonset buildings was ubiquitous across the Midwest and agricultural South.

Today, new technologies in computer generated steel engineering have brought the cost of erecting a metal building within the reach of many homeowners and have made the use of steel buildings as garages, storage sheds, house additions, home offices and home workshops more and more popular. Steel offers the same advantages as a building material for small buildings as it does for large-scale commercial projects. Pre-engineered and prefabricated steel buildings is more durable than wood, requires less maintenance and is not prone to rotting or susceptible to termites and insect infestation.

In addition to those advantages, steel construction methods are efficient. When you choose a steel building for your project, you’ll benefit from having most of the work done for you in advance. You won’t have to cut or measure, or risk making costly errors. Your metal building components will arrive all at once, ready to be constructed on your prepared slab foundation.

Whether you need a new garage or a greenhouse, an office or an all-season storage unit on your property, steel buildings offer you all the options you need or want. Whatever it is you need, steel buildings are versatile enough to supply it.