Steel Buildings vs. Conventional Construction

A great advantage of pre-engineered buildings is that they can be relocated if required. Since your building is shipped to you with a complete set of instructions, detailed engineering drawings and a shipping list, you can erect you steel building without consulting a construction company. This also means that should you someday decide to relocate, you can take down your building and erect it elsewhere.

Adding partition walls in a steel building allows one building to be a meeting room, or office and storage facility and another to be a restaurant. Building with steel gives you the ultimate in design flexibility. You can either own one outright or purchase a steel building to rent to others. Your one time cost is regained sooner rather than later when you rent it as mini storage or public meeting space. Steel buildings can be designed with a almost unlimited amount of options.

If you have a need for a new building, don't make a decision until you have explored your options with a qualified steel building manufacturer. The Steel Building Network has reviewed a wide range of manufacturers, suppliers and building industry professionals, and we know that no matter what your intended use, there is steel building system to suit your needs. Getting I contact with the right company to get your questions answered is the first step in having your building needs met.

When you decide to buy a Building

Confirm the accuracy of your building codes. It is imperative that your building conforms to the state, local and federal design requirements.

The items described on your contract are what you are buying. Please be sure to carefully review all contract documents before you sign off. If a contract does not describe an item in specific terms, you should not expect the item to be the best product available. And just as important - is what a contract does not say. Specifically if your contract does not indicate that you are getting framed openings and garage doors - then you are NOT going to get framed openings and garage doors.

Do not sign a contract or agree to purchase a building before you have confirmed that your building will satisfy the requirements of your local building official and YOURSELF. Do not allow a salesman to pressure you into a "panic buy." A "panic buy" is when a customer is pressured into making a purchase to "lock-in" a "so-called" special price. Brokers are notorious for telling customers they could lose an opportunity to get the "deal of a lifetime" if they don't commit to the order right away. Beware of people who urge you to sign a contract before you have made your mind up on exactly what you want.

Understand that making changes after the sale will cost you money. Once the design is completed it will cost money to make changes. If an order is in fabrication - and requires modifications due to customer demands - the entire process has to be stopped, pulled off-line and inventoried. Once the inventory of completed items is confirmed, it's back to the drawing board. You will be responsible for extra time required to re-design the project and all other associated expenses.

Install your building components as specified by the drawings. Seldom do manufacturers use the same design practices and therefore your erection drawings and installation documents are the correct description of the building. Please read and follow the drawing descriptions carefully. An erection manual offers important general guidelines and the proper procedures for erecting a steel building safely. You, your erector and all jobsite crew need to understand and utilize OSHA and all other safety guidelines.

Frame Types

Unlike any of our competitors, we allow you to price all building frame types. Select from Clear-span or Modular rigid-frame buildings. We allow you the full flexibility to choose Gable, Single Sloped or Offset Peak building shape. By far, we offer the widest selection of building and frame types. For options not available through the online system, you will need to request a special quote.

Clear-span Frames - A clear-span rigid frame offers strength and economy. Since no interior supports are necessary, this design is best when you require large areas of clear and uninterrupted space. Factories, warehouses and agricultural buildings are just a few building types that may utilize a clear-span frame building. A clear-span design does have size limitations. As the desired width increases, the frames will become larger and heavier to carry greater loads across the length of the frame. At some point the cost will outweigh the benefit. Even so, clear-span buildings are still effective for buildings as wide as 150' feet and wider in some cases.

Modular Frames - Modular frames use interior columns to evenly distribute the load; reducing the cost of both the frame and foundation of extra wide buildings. The economical advantages become obvious when a building width is about 100' wide or wider. As a result, almost all buildings 100' wide or wider have interior support columns. Modular designs are often used for large factories and warehouses.

Single Slope Frames - Single slope frames have high and low eave heights creating a roof that "slopes" from side to side. To select a single slope design, you specify one eave height and define the roof pitch. Single slope designs are frequently used for strip shopping centers, offices, and RV/Boat storage facilities.

Just about every steel building has at least one framed opening. It is not unusual for buildings to have several openings. Most openings are created for an overhead door, but can be used for the installation of glass fronts or other entries. Most other online sellers offer "field located" framed openings, which require cutting and fabricating on the job site. Metal Building Depot always provides factory-located openings unless your project requires something otherwise.

Steel Building Packages

Steel building kits are shipped with all the required hardware to construct a solid structure. Forget about running around town looking for bolts or brackets with steel building packages. When investigating steel building packages, request information about the different options that are available from each steel building manufacturer. Panel material or galvalume colors can complement any building and help to exceed your expectations. You can begin with more standard steel building packages and adjust them suit your specific needs.

Working with veteran professionals is the best way to build your new steel building. Completing the steps that help you decide on different configurations for your pre-engineered building insures your ultimate satisfaction. Each part of the design process should be explained and offered for your approval. Steel building manufacturers should be acquainted with commonly asked questions and should be able to anticipate your concerns.

Roof Pitch

The angle of a steel building's roof is determined by roof pitch. Roof pitch indicates the rise vertically for every 12 inches of travel horizontally. Our online system allows you to choose up to a 6:12 pitch. There are many considerations with both higher and lower roof pitches. Higher pitched roofs may add to the cost of the building, but can add performance to a building in a heavy snow region. Additionally, you can take advantage of extra space above. High-pitched roofs are less likely to leak and can add style to your building.

Low-pitched roofs require less material and therefore cost less. Also it is easier to heat and cool a building with a low-pitched roof. One major advantage of a low-pitched roof is expandability. If you ever add-on to your building you will be able to add more space while keeping the loss of headroom to a minimum.