Pre Engineered Buildings

When you contract a builder or architect to plan your new building, you are paying a premium for the design. This is costly procedure considering the similarity of building needs. Why pay design fees for a building similar to hundreds already built?

Pre engineered buildings can be customized for your exact needs. Buildings are shipped to you pre cut into easily constructed pieces for easy erection. Pre-engineered buildings have become more popular in recent years due to the rising costs of traditional construction services.

What is surprising about pre engineered building systems is the structural stability. Buildings are designed to meet wind, snow and seismic loads. Pre-engineered steel buildings offer outstanding performance, quality and resiliency.

Building Permits/Codes

Do I need a building permit to build my metal building? - You will almost always need a building permit. On occasion you will not need a permit to build but you should ALWAYS check with your local building inspector before purchasing a metal building.

When I call my building inspector what should I tell them? - When you get in touch with your building inspector let him know what you're planning and you should be able to receive the information you'll need to get a building permit for your new metal building.

What do I do if I need permit drawings? - We supply the permit drawings to you after you have committed to buy a metal building from us. We will not begin fabrication or shipment until you have completed the approval process. See the Approval Process section of our website.

What about building codes and loads? - Every metal building that we ship is engineered to comply with regional building codes, wind load and snow load requirements (as stated on your plans). When you start designing your metal building, make sure to review your building code specifications very closely. Since there can be varying requirements within regions - you will need to confirm the codes by contacting your local building official. MetalBuildingDepot.Com is not responsible for confirming codes.

Condensation Control

The condensation process occurs when warmer moist air comes in contact with cold surfaces such as framing members, windows and other thermally conductive accessories, or the colder region within the insulation itself (if moisture has penetrated the vapor retarder). Warm air, having the ability to contain more moisture than cold air, loses that ability when it comes in contact with cooler surfaces or regions. When this happens, excessive moisture in the air is released in the form of condensation. If this moisture collects in the insulation, the insulating value is decreased.

In dealing with condensation, air may be considered to be a mixture of two gases-dry air and water vapor. One thousand cubic feet of air at 75°F can hold up to 1.4 pints of water. At 45°F, it can hold only 0.5 pints.

Relative Humidity is a percentage measurement of the amount of water vapor present in the air in relation to the amount it is capable of holding at that temperature. Therefore, 50% Relative Humidity would mean that the air is carrying only one-half of the total amount of moisture that it could be holding at that particular temperature. Cold outside air is usually much drier than warm inside air. Therefore, you can lower the Relative Humidity by bringing in outside air to mix with and dilute the moist inside air. At 100% Relative Humidity, the air is "saturated."

The temperature at which the air is saturated and can no longer hold additional moisture is called the dew point temperature. Whenever air temperature drops below its dew point, excess moisture will be released in the form of condensation. Condensation problems are most likely to occur in climates where temperatures frequently dip to 35°F or colder over an extended period of time.

Advantages of Metal Buildings

LOW COST - Our steel buildings are more economical than conventional methods due to the originating costs and reduced labor. Complete steel buildings are delivered to the jobsite and quickly erected. QUICK CONSTRUCTION - On average, a steel building system can be completed in approximately two-thirds the time required for conventional construction. BETTER APPEARANCE - The appearance of steel buildings can easily be enhanced with stucco, stone, brick or glass. Metal building systems can attain a remarkable exterior that will merge with the ambiance of the building's surroundings. LOW ENERGY CONSUMPTION - A suitably insulated metal building can drastically decrease heating and cooling expenses. Insulated roof and wall systems preserve and reassure thermal efficiencies. LOW MAINTENANCE - Extended life materials reduce maintenance, and eliminate troubles such as structural deterioration, rotting and insect damage. EXPANDIBILTY - It is easy to enlarge a building by removing the end walls, erecting new framework and adding matching wall and roof panels. In most situations, the original end wall panels can be reused.

Insulating Against Radiant Heat

Traditional forms of mass insulation, like fiberglass, are effective in preventing heat transfer by conduction and convection, but they less effect on radiant heat. Between 80 and 90% of the radiant heat striking fiberglass will pass through or be "emitted". Radiant transfer typically has as much impact on the temperature in a building as conduction and convection. For more information on radiant barrier facings click here.