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Whether you’re looking to build a new shop or storage facility on your property or plan to erect a new home or barndominium, choosing your construction material is of utmost importance. Of course, wooden construction, ranging from pole barns to traditional house construction, is arguably the most common choice. However, opting for a steel building as a starting point for your new structure is a wise decision for both present and future advantages.
Often, folks don’t take the time to consider a steel building because they don’t like its aesthetics or perceived limited uses. However, metal buildings can serve just about any use, from storage and residences to indoor sports facilities, riding arenas, and everything in between. In addition, they can be finished with traditional siding and roof systems to retain a more traditional look while reaping the benefits of steel. Let’s dig into what those benefits are.
Steel is an inherently stronger material than wood. This simple fact means that steel buildings are also inherently more resistant to the test of time than wooden buildings. This means that, in the face of situations like extreme weather, seismic activity like earthquakes, and more, a metal building is capable of enduring much more abuse than a wooden one. Beyond this, though, a handful of additional scenarios affect wood buildings that steel buildings don’t experience.
Over time, wooden buildings are prone to issues like rotting and warping. This weather-driven degradation can ultimately lead to substantial necessary repairs. In addition, wooden structures are prone to insect damage from termites. Of course, termites don’t tend to eat steel, so it isn’t an issue you’ll run into with a steel structure. Finally, metal buildings are highly fire-resistant.
Ultimately, a steel building is generally more robust than a traditional wooden structure. However, we don’t expect you to take our word for it at Great Western. Instead, we include a lifetime structural warranty with every building we sell.
Depending on the size and complexity of your building, a steel structure as a starting point typically costs around the same amount. However, it can be cheaper as an initial investment in some cases. In the long run, though, a metal building is more affordable than a wooden one, thanks to several factors.
First and foremost, a steel building comes with savings at the job site. A pre-engineered metal building kit ensures no material waste on the job site. This means no leftover materials are going to waste and no disposal cost. In addition, our buildings are precisely engineered for a quick erection sequence. Whether you’re erecting the building yourself or hiring an erection crew, time is money, and our goal is to waste neither.
Further down the road, a metal building will also be easier on your wallet. As discussed above, metal buildings require little to no maintenance for the duration of their life and aren’t prone to rotting or degradation like wooden structures. Ultimately, this adds up to long-term savings of both time and money since you won’t need to do any costly repairs.
Finally, a steel building with modern insulation is exceptionally efficient. As time goes on, the expansion and contraction of a wooden structure can lead to insulation failure. This means that heating and cooling a wooden building can get more expensive as the building becomes less efficient. However, a properly insulated steel building will hold its internal temperature for decades to come, leading you to energy savings in the long run.
Overall, the immediate and long-term benefits of a steel building stack up to a clear answer. If you plan on keeping your new structure around and sound for the long haul, a pre-engineered metal building kit is an advantageous choice.
At Great Western, our goal is to ensure each and every customer gets exactly what they want out of their new building. Our expert team designs each building specifically for your use, location, and coding requirements. Our buildings are designed with DIY-ers and first-time builders in mind, and we include an industry-leading erection manual with each building to ensure a quick and easy build regardless of your level of experience. As stated above, we provide a lifetime structural warranty with every building we sell.
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Often, the initial cost of a metal building is about the same as a wooden one. However, metal buildings are ultimately cheaper in the long run since they require little to no maintenance and are highly efficient when properly insulated.
Yes, as steel is inherently stronger than wood as a material. Steel is also not susceptible to long-term degradation, rotting, and termite damage like wood structures are.
Not at all! Great Western’s metal house and shop kits are designed with DIYers and first-time builders in mind. Our precision-engineered buildings and industry-leading erection manual make it an intuitive process for anyone with basic construction experience. So long as the building is erected correctly, no structural modifications are made to the design, and no building materials are subjected to any damage from misuse, abuse, or improper storage, your warranties are applicable. We provide complete warranty documents with each of our buildings at the time of delivery, and, of course, customers may contact us via our 24/7 support hotline for any clarification or assistance.
We’ve designed buildings for a wide variety of sides and roofing materials to comply with HOA requirements or simply to fulfill customer requests. Our team can engineer your building for wood lap, log, or vinyl siding. In addition, we’ve designed buildings for use with masonry, stucco, and even T1-11. In most cases, HOA restrictions do not restrict roofing materials, but we can engineer buildings to use tile roofs and more. However, it’s worth noting that, in many cases, a simple wainscot or vertical color break is all that is necessary to meet HOA requirements. Simply let our team know what you want or need, and we’ll do our best to accommodate.
A simpler structure will always result in cost savings. Complex design features like hipped dormers, multi-level roofs, and extensive overhangs can increase your prices. Of course, the team at Great Western is happy to include these features if they are what you’d like. Simplicity is the key if you’re looking for the most cost-effective solution. Similarly, a great practice to keep overall project costs down is to present your Great Western building design to your architect (if you are using one) before the interior design begins. This way, you’re working within the confines of your already-designed building to prevent costly design additions to your steel building. Ultimately, this practice can save thousands by eliminating extra building materials.
