Metal building cost
Metal buildings have long been a popular building material for both industrial and commercial use. Today, however, more people are opting to use a steel-framed building system to live in too. We’re taking a closer look at some of the main reasons why a metal building system is a superior option when compared to traditional wood-framed construction options.
Steel Construction Methods
Let’s first take a look at the three main methods used in residential steel construction. The first construction method involves framing your structure using steel studs. This method looks the most like traditional wood-framed homes.
The second steel construction method involves using structural beams. Typically, homes that use beams are designed by an architect and based on a modern building style. The third main method used in steel construction uses a metal building system as the structure of the house. This system will form the overall shell of your home, whereas the interior is finished much like a wood-framed home. In this article, we’ll mainly focus on the main advantages of using a metal building system.
Engineered Structure
Any metal building system has been engineered to your specifications. This means that the columns, panels, bolts and fasteners have all been designed to work together to meet any anticipated loads. In comparison, a wood-framed home is not built on specific engineered plans. This means that traditional homes involve on-site fabrication and assembly. The overall structural integrity of a wood-framed home will be highly dependent on the framer’s abilities and level of craftsmanship.
Speedy Construction
With a metal building system, your structure will be engineered, detailed and pre-fabricated before it arrives. This means that the finished product can simply be shipped to a site and bolted together. On-site assembly of a steel structure is usually much faster than a wood-framed home and does not require skilled laborers. Just make sure your steel building provider does have an option for prefab metal buildings – if you’re in search of someone, Armstrong Steel are a great example.
No Load Bearing Walls
One of the main advantages to choosing a metal building system is that you don’t have to include support columns within the interior of your structure. This means that no interior walls will be load bearing. This means that you are not stuck with a fixed building design. Instead, you will be able to change the location of your interior walls, without worrying about the overall structural integrity of your home. For this reason, future remodeling should not be an issue. This also means that you can enjoy much larger open spaces within your home.
Material Durability
Steel is far more weather-resistant than wood. More often than not, water can cause rot in a wood-framed home which can impact the overall structural integrity of your home. With steel, there is no need to worry about rot and any structural components are coated with a primer, which will help prevent rust forming on your components. You often have the option to use a galvanized finish, which will help to maximize the longevity of your new home.
Jethro also writes for Advance Online, a leading provider of web-based OSHA. DOT. and HAZWOPER training.
