What You Need to Know When Buying a Metal Building
2 months ago
What You Should Know Before Buying a Metal Building
End-Use
A metal building has so many applications! When you set out to design and purchase your custom metal building, keep your end-use in mind. Depending on the level of occupancy, your snow loads and wind ratings will be affected. Occupancy ratings are determined on a scale of 1-4, from storage up through essential buildings, which may see large crowds during natural disasters.
Dimensions
Bigger isn’t always better; walk your property and know what you want before you begin shopping. Remember that steel buildings are more easily fabricated for length than for width, so if you have 1500sq.ft. of space, it is cheaper to purchase a 30x50 building than a 50x30.
Customization Options
Your imagination is the only limitation! Thanks to the customization options available in the modern metal building industry, your custom building can match your existing structures and appeal to any taste. Consider additional doors and windows for easy access, or elegant J-trim for a polished appearance.
Location
Depending on your building’s location, you may wish to invest in extra anchoring or steel reinforcements. If you live in the Northeast U.S., you may need a higher snow load rating. If you live in a prairie state, you will need a higher wind rating. Consult local building inspectors for more detailed certification requirements.
Check Permit Requirements
Don’t press the “PURCHASE” button without doing your permit research! Depending on your local zoning laws, you may have height or material restrictions.
Installation Site
Clear the installation site of all vegetation and debris before your building arrives. Some companies will leave and charge a return fee if the site is not properly cleared when their crew delivers.
Budget
It’s easy to get carried away by the beauty and options of metal buildings. Have a budget in mind before you begin the process, and work with an accredited dealer to stick with it.
Foundation
Many experts recommend that a soil engineer should survey your site before your choose a foundation. Their insight will prove incredibly valuable to your decision.
Choosing the Right Dealer is Important
There are discount dealers in every industry, but you deserve quality and safety from your metal building. Search for dealers who certify their buildings and provide warranties, proving that they stand by their products. Your metal building should last a lifetime.
Delivery Time and Urgency
A quality metal building dealer will provide an accurate lead time and stick to it! Some buildings may take between six and eight weeks to be delivered, but expert welders do their jobs carefully and well.
Standard Warranties
Certified metal building dealers provide industry-standard warranties: a one-year workmanship warranty and a twenty-year rust-through warranty.
Boundless Benefits
Why should you invest in a metal building? Read on!
Durability
Steel boasts a higher strength-to-weight ratio than almost all other construction materials. Because it is ductile, meaning that it bends rather than breaks under intense pressure, steel is the first choice for skyscrapers. Choose the best for your building by purchasing a high-quality steel frame. Metal buildings are expected to last at least fifty years, and probably more!
Safety
Metal buildings are constructed with steel frames, which are resistant to mold and mildew. For customers with allergies or asthma, this is a welcome change! Building interiors with deteriorating wood beams leech chemicals and particulates into the air. Steel is also fire-resistant, rated Type 1 by the International Building Code.
Customizability
You can have it all! Be your own architect and design a building exactly as you want it, with extra doors for convenience and extra windows for natural lighting. A variety of colors are available to the modern consumer, making a modern steel structure as elegant and stylish as any stick-built competitor. With metal buildings, custom options are affordable and simple!
Low Maintenance
You’ve worked hard to build a business and own your property. Don’t waste your weekends fighting termites, sealing wood rot, and repairing shingles. Metal buildings require very little maintenance and come with industry-standard warranties that confidently cover every galvanized panel. Once your new building is installed, you can sit back and relax!
Energy-Efficiency
Climate change affects everyone, and rising energy costs are affecting every budget. When you invest in a new metal building, you’ll be relieved by the energy-efficient seal and reflective roof panels; most metal buildings enjoy energy costs over a third lower than their wood competitors! Steel structures are built to accommodate high-efficiency insulation, keeping your interior cool in summer and warm in winter with very little energy.
Recyclability
Steel is a 100% recyclable material. There is no need to waste a single scrap, because every dented or damaged panel can be melted down and engineered new! As a matter of fact, most steel frames are built with a high percentage of recycled steel.
Pest-Resistance
Never pay for a termite inspection or an exterminator again! No creepy critters will be drawn to your frame when there’s cold, hard steel in the walls.
Affordability
When time is money, you want a building that is engineered and installed efficiently. Metal buildings are installed, delivered, and built in half the time of a traditional wooden building! Even better, the average metal building is 30% cheaper, per square foot, than a wood and brick structure.
Ease of Installation
Almost all metal buildings are pre-engineered, meaning they are precision cut and welded on the factory floor. By the time the frame reaches the installation site, all that’s needed is bolting. Some metal buildings can be assembled in less than a day!
Marvelous Metal Buildings from Liberty Metal Structures
Don’t hesitate another minute! Metal buildings are an environmentallyfriendly, budget-savvy solution for every consumer. When safety, durability, and beauty are your priorities, look no further than the versatile offerings in the metal building industry from Liberty Metal Structures. Contact us today at (800) 440-7309.
You Should Know Better
At Liberty Metal Structures, we believe that we are building more than a structure - we are building a relationship! We want our customers to be well informed about the benefits of high-quality steel, eco-friendly construction, and the customizable options that make metal buildings the best choice for you. The expert articles provided here are for your information and enjoyment; we know that, soon, you will love metal buildings as much as we do!
As climate change alters the global landscape, savvy consumers are turning to sustainable methods for their modern lifestyles. Cleverly designed reusable items, methods for composting, and other green initiatives are increasingly popular with the average citizen as we all search for ways to care for the Earth. Eco-friendly designs can even be found in the construction industry. Metal buildings are environmentally friendly in many ways. The U.S. Green Building Council created the LEED® rating system to evaluate and certify buildings. Now in its fourth iteration, the LEEDv4 system is used to rate “green” buildings on a variety of factors, from materials to sustainability to indoor environmental quality.
Steel buildings by Liberty Metal Structures are expertly sealed to reduce air leakage and comply with the LEED Energy and Atmosphere category. Metal buildings reduce energy usage through heat reflection and by accommodating high-performance insulation. Another LEED factor is construction material, its reduction, and waste management. Metal buildings are prized for their engineering and total recyclability. LEED also evaluates interior air quality; since metal buildings are shop painted, VOCs are not leeched into the air over time, which is a concern with wood structures. The combination of scores in all these categories is used to certify buildings as “green” or sustainable.
When you’re considering the purchase of a custom building, you may not think of metal buildings right away. Traditional methods often favor wood or brick and leave metal for skyscrapers and industrial plants. However, as metal buildings prove to be versatile and affordable, the savvy consumer is choosing to value energyefficiency and durability. Metal structures enjoy lower insurance premiums than their timber competitors due to their safety ratings. Metal buildings can be installed in half the time for a far lower price. The benefits of owning a metal building are short-term, long-term, financial, and environmental. There’s an incredible world of metal buildings for you to explore!
Your new metal building needs proper building site preparation because the long-term structural integrity of the project depends on it! If your structure is built on an incorrectly prepared site, the building may be fined or cited by a building inspector. Worse, a shift in the soil may compromise the strength of the building. If your building is not properly certified, you may not be able to sell the property in the future. For all these reasons and more, it is imperative that you correctly prepare your building site before your new metal building arrives. The good news is that you will find this relatively easy to do!
