Metal Building Styles
The kinds of metal buildings available today are numerous, with some manufacturers dedicated to making your ideal building, and others simply wanting to sell you their inventory. Your options are to order a kit and put together your own steel building, or have a service erect your steel building for you. Whether you're interested in the styles of metal buildings because you are going into the business, or you want to erect your own warehouse, residence or tool shed, there are many new styles coming into the market all the time. Learn where to get up-to-date information on the metal building market.
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Types
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Consider the metal buildings that are currently on the market. The uses for metal buildings include: vehicle storage (including boats, RVs and airplanes), body shops, commercial buildings, dairy barns, grain storage, sports buildings (gymnasiums), self-storage, backyard sheds, workshops and livestock containment. If you're starting a business which requires the use of a metal building, consider a combination of structures (such as body shops [cars] and vehicle storage or garages side by side). For a self-storage business, purchase the self-storage building structures along with vehicle storage for RVs or boats. No matter the type of metal building you decide on, be sure that the structure is made of steel (lasts longer). Also, consider the geographic area you live in. If you live in Florida, ensure that the manufacturer is certified to build metal buildings that can withstand storms (hurricanes, flooding, snow and fire). Ask the company supplying the metal building structure if they have certified proof in writing for complying with building codes in your area. Try a building made by Tiger. Tiger is certified for all kinds of buildings. They have engineers who will customize your building to fit your needs (including custom door panels, overhangs, entryway and windows). If you plan on erecting your building, Tiger gives you all the instructional materials necessary to get the job done.
Hybrids
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Hybrid metal buildings are becoming popular in commercial properties, including malls and street shops. A hybrid metal building incorporates traditional building materials (concrete, brick, wood and glass walls) with metal building styles. Ask a manufacturer about installing a hybrid metal building if you are planning to open a large facility (such as a sports or health center). These kinds of metal buildings have strong frames and panels, while displaying more attractive materials to the customers who enter your business. The benefits are cost reduction, compared with the cost of a traditional building, and stronger building materials. Because of the flexibility of steel, a hybrid metal building can be shaped to almost any shape (including domes, pyramids, cylinders and traditional square buildings).
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For Business Growth
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As your business expands you will need to add more space. Purchase a metal building design for an additional office. Add a warehouse to stock additional inventory, with a prefabricated metal building kit from a qualified manufacturer. The additional building takes days rather than months to set up and complete (walls, panels, and roofing are prefabricated to fit before delivery).
Materials
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Steel has the flexibility, endurance and rust resistance you need for constructing metal buildings. A huge benefit in the metal building industry is reduction in transportation costs due to the lighter weight of steel (iron is heavy and rusts easily). Steel is bent into various shapes and is cut easily. This makes the possibility for designs endless. Because size specifications tend to be the same for all steel buildings, replacement windows and door panels are cost effective and readily available. End walls (often seen on the front of steel metal garages) don't have to be made of steel or any kind of metal at all. Call a metal building manufacturer and request the end walls to be designed to your specifications. Otherwise, build your own end walls. Bricks are a popular style for customized end walls on steel buildings.
Standing Panels
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Use standing seam panels to hide clips and fasteners, for a more graceful appearance. Standing seam panels attach to the underside of the roof's deck by hidden clips inside of the seam panel, and are held in place by fasteners. For geographical areas where wind speeds are destructive, purchase double-lock standing seam panels for your metal building (highly resistant to uplifting winds). A separate base for the panel is installed to permit the metal to move due to temperature changes. By the same token, avoid snap-lock seam panels if you live in a place subject to high winds or tornados (additional clips are required to hold snap-lock panels in place for highly windy areas, and often fail to hold the panels--even if a sealant is added). Select exposed panels for added strength.
Exposed Panels and Shingles
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Exposed panels are held on to the roof by fasteners which penetrate the roof panels and attach to the metal building frame/structure (a very secure design). A caulk sealant is applied to the areas penetrated. Add metal shingles coated to look like clay or concrete. When you add metal shingles to style your building, opt to have the shingles held in place by fasteners to resist wind uplift. Curved roof styles are often created by using two-piece standing seam panels, because they are simple to lay on a roof in multiple directions. For the best appearance, request panels which are continuous and do not overlap.
Setup
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Call your property insurance company. Ask for building insurance coverage during and after the construction process. (This will save you some money if you happen to break something like a water pipe.) Prepare the foundation for the building structure. Clear out rocks, grass, weeds, trees and anything else from the building site. Level the ground with a tractor until the dirt is flat as can be. Hire a contractor to help you if this is your first time erecting a metal building. (This is a good way to pick up some skills for the next time you build your own structure.) Lay out the concrete foundation (refer to your kit for any special instructions). Align sidewalls on the ground. Put the arches of the building together with the sidewalls, and place a washer in each fixture where the bolt fits. Drive the bolts into each sidewall and arch with a power tool. Use scaffolding and rope with hooks to raise the sidewalls and arches until they stand up vertical to the ground. Draw the arches in to the sidewall fixtures with the hooked rope. Move the end walls into place on the ground. Raise the end walls with hooks, rope and scaffolding. Fit the end walls into the fixtures indicated in the metal building kit, and you're done. A more complex metal building structure will have additional installation instructions for custom windows, doors, and entryways. However, the assembly is generally the same for all metal buildings.
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