This week I was reading an Industry magazine and became inspired by the article highlighted on the front cover.  The featured story discussed the opportunities and benefits for using Steel Framing in Residential Construction. It also went on to explore the pros and cons of building homes out of steel vs. traditional wood.  It was an interesting article with some thought provoking ideas for the future of residential building.  If you’d like to see it for yourself, you can find it in the September 2015 issue of Metal Construction News.

After reading the piece, I found myself thinking about how Pre-Fabricated Steel Buildings are an incredibly attractive option, both financially and aesthetically, for residential building.  These buildings can be designed to look absolutely anyway you want them to- from the overall shape of the structure down to the many different materials that can be installed over top of the sheeting to achieve the finish that you desire. The versatility of Pre-Fabricated Steel Buildings seems to be this Industry’s Best Kept Secret.  You can have a curved roof, hipped roofs, concrete roofs, multiple floors, rounded walls, multiple eave heights, energy-efficient building envelopes made out of just the sheeting, and even elevators. You can hang tons of weight off the roof for cranes, hoists or whatever your heart desires to hang inside your building.  Pre-Fab Steel Buildings can be used for most any structure, big or small.  I could go on and on with all the endless possibilities Pre-Fab Steel Buildings can offer, but for this post, I am only focusing on the outside “look” you can achieve with a Pre-Fab Steel Building.

I get a lot of calls from Homeowners and General Contractors located in the North Eastern states that are bound by specific codes to make their riding arena, garage, warehouse, office space, etc. look like the historical buildings in their neighborhood.  Basically, the local Building Departments are not going to allow the Homeowners and Business Owners to build a structure that looks like a traditional Pre-Fabricated Steel Building; with a low roof slope, no overhangs and corrugated sheeting.  But, these Homeowners and GC’s have a budget that can only be fulfilled with a Pre-Fabricated Steel Building.  So, they call me and ask, “What can you do to help me meet my Building Department’s aesthetic code?”

My clients are always so surprised by my response, which is usually, “I can do anything you want.”  I want it to look like a Log Cabin?  “No problem.”  I want the roof to have an 8:12 pitch and look like it belongs in Switzerland? “Sure.”  I can’t have any corrugated sheeting at all, anywhere on my building?  “What are you allowed to have?  Let’s engineer it using whatever you want to put on the exterior walls.”  You want stucco walls?  “Okay! Great!”  I want to use the same siding I used on my house so my garage and house match.  “Cool.”  I am looking for an energy-efficient, clear building so the public can see what is going on inside my factory as they walk by.  “That sounds so cool.  Of course I can do that.”  These are just some of the questions that have been asked of me and my responses.  My answer always comes down to, “Yes, I can do that.”

It is seems unfortunate that more GC’s aren’t aware that they could be using Pre-Fab Steel Buildings to win bids.  Not only can Pre-Fab be designed to meet any look, it is significantly more cost effective than a traditional building. If a General Contractor would bid using Pre-Fab Construction against another contractor using a traditional construction method, the Pre-Fab GC would more than likely win the business.

This has happened more than once to some of my GC’s in that they went into a bid with a Pre-Fab price (having clarified through an RFI that Pre-Fab was acceptable) and everyone else had a traditional build price. Since the Pre-Fab bid was so much lower, the entire process was put on hold until the Project Managers investigated the feasibility of using Pre-Fabricated Steel for the project before they awarded the bid.  Each time, my GC was eventually awarded the job.  The process took a little longer, but they got the award and the $$$$$.  More GC’s should be taking advantage of the cost-savings Pre-Fab has to offer.

I believe that one of the biggest reasons more homeowners and GC’s aren’t using Pre-Fab is simply because they don’t know they could get the “look” they are trying to achieve with a Pre-Fabricated Steel Building. But, you can!  There is not one type of exterior “wall” that cannot be applied to my building.  There is not one type of “roof” that cannot be applied to my building, including a concrete roof.

If you have drawings or maybe just an idea and you are curious if Pre-Fabricated Steel can achieve the design you are going for, then reach out to us at Solid Steel.  We can design, manufacture & deliver the building, as well as design and pour the foundation, and ultimately erect your building for you.  We have unlimited options for you.

Below I’ve attached a handful of pictures emphasizing a range of different looks that can be achieved.  You can see for yourself the versatility of Pre-Fabricated Steel Buildings!