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Archive for May, 2010

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Steel Buildings – An Introduction to Standing Seam Roofs

Sunday, May 30th, 2010

A standing seam roof has been a revolution in roofing systems and is a very efficient and economic way for a roof. These are very well suited for steel buildings, so if you are planning on a steel building, then a standing seam roof is something that you should consider seriously. It has all the desirable qualities of a roof like very good protection, easy installation and economy. Standing seam roofs are at the center of many buildings and commercial properties across the country.

A standing seam roof is firstly very economical, which means the cost of installation is very reasonable. This is because there is nothing elaborately complex in the system – it is simply yet efficient and effective. Another very good advantage of standing seam roofs is that they can practically eliminate the problem of roof leaks. Roof leakage can be a huge problem for a number of buildings and people who have experienced it know the troubles they can cause.

A standing seam roof is also very good in all kinds of weather and temperature conditions. Special types of preparation allow this kind of a roof to expand during the summers and contract during the winters without any buckling, which ensures the structural strength and stability of the roof as time passes. They are thus ideal for all kinds of weather and climatic conditions. They are also surprisingly resistant to snow, heavy winds and rainfall, so you can practically use them in all regions of the world.

Finally, standing seam roofs are known to be energy efficient, which means you will save costs on your heating and cooling, which can be a significant saving in the long period of time till your steel building lasts, which can be a few decades at least. Thus if you are looking for very good roofing systems, then standing seam roofs are an option you should certainly look into.

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Is a Standing Seam Roof right for you?

Sunday, May 30th, 2010

The right kind of a roof is as important as the right kind of a building. When you opt for steel buildings, you are giving a lot of importance to strong structures that are able to withstand the fury of nature and provide you with a safe comfortable living in all kinds of circumstances. This is what is desired of a roof as well. A roof is a very important part of your steel building and it can really change the quality of the whole experience of owning your steel building. A standing seam roof is a great roofing system that is very well suited for steel buildings. You can now say goodbye to all the roof leaks that you might be experiencing.

A standing seam roof is highly weather-resistant, which makes it a very good choice for buildings in weather conditions that can be extreme. These can withstand snow, rain, wind, etc. with equal ease and are as such much superior to the usual shingles and clay roofs. Therefore this kind of a roof is very good in places that experience a lot of snow or rain. With the addition of sealants that your contractor will provide, you can practically rule out any leakage during the operation of this roof. Drainage is also efficient and neat in this kind of a roofing system and your building will never have problems with stagnation.

It is also economic both in installing and in the running costs. The installation is simple and cheap and it requires minimal maintenance in the long run. Also, these roofs are energy efficient, thus saving you costs in heating and cooling. The usual life of these roofs is over 20 years of maintenance free life, which is very good for a roof.

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Hybrid Steel Buildings for Design Flexibility

Sunday, May 30th, 2010

Steel buildings are not only strong and sturdy structures but they can actually be customized to provide hundreds of thousands of different possible designs. Steel buildings can be highly flexible in the aspect of design and sky is the limit for the creativity involving steel buildings and the design aspects. You can get some really amazing and aesthetic designs with steel buildings, depending on the purpose of your building. If you are interested in some great designs for your building, then you should consider hybrid steel buildings.

Hybrid buildings combine both steel and wood to gain from both these widely used construction materials and get the best of both worlds. Hybrid buildings can look just like any traditional building but at a fraction of the cost and they can include many more desirable features. By combining both metal and wood, one can get a strong sturdy structure with finer details made of wood in the traditional form. Hybrid steel buildings can also save a lot on the construction costs.

Hybrid steel buildings also provide a lot of flexibility in the building requirements. Every building has its own unique purpose and requirements and if you talk with your steel contractor about hybrid buildings, he should be able to help you out to design the right hybrid structure. Hybrid structures combine harmoniously the design and engineering aspects of construction, thus never having to compromise on the structure for the design aspect of the building. This helps hybrid buildings provide a great way for buildings that are both internally strong and externally beautiful.

Hybrid buildings have been adopted by some very good developers and many big companies that require precisely these qualities of strength and aesthetics combined. The great flexibility is only the icing on the cake so you can design the perfect building you have always wanted.

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Posted in Steel Building benefits | 8 Comments »

Why Cheap is not necessarily the Best

Sunday, May 30th, 2010

You can find hundreds of steel contractors to choose from to construct the steel buildings of your dreams. How do you decide which contractor to opt for? Price is certainly an important issue and many consumers are tempted to go in for the cheapest marketed price. This is seldom a good idea for a variety of reasons and you need to do further research in order to determine if the company you are looking for is the right one for you. Price is certainly an important criteria but there are more things that you need to worry about. Even the price of steel buildings is not a given and it can vary quite a lot.

Firstly, the price is a tricky issue and some steel companies can market ridiculously low prices. These do not reflect the truth, however, because these are usually just for the very basic structure and they will charge you extra for literally everything you need. Thus the final price can come out to be much higher. You should thus calculate the final price and see which contractor offers the cheapest route to this final product.

Then there is the all important issue of quality. Certainly you would not like a substandard steel building. There can be a huge difference in quality of different steel buildings constructed by any of the different steel building company. If you opt for a cheaper quality building, you will end up spending a lot of money on periodic maintenances for the building and it can be quite costly in the long term.

Also, you need to factor in the actual price of steel. Cheaper companies use substandard steel that is just not strong enough to withstand some harsh climatic conditions. Certainly you would not like your steel building to be destroyed in the next gale or typhoon. Making metal thinner can save on costs but is not a building you would ideally like to live in.

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Understanding the Price of Steel Buildings

Sunday, May 30th, 2010

Steel buildings are excellent structures for all kinds of building needs and they are only increasingly in popularity by the day. This is not surprising consider the value they provide to customers at the best possible rates. A lot of steel building companies have come up of late and they all seem to offer something great or a deal that is very good. Therefore it can be a confusing choice for you, as a consumer.

The prices quoted by steel building companies vary greatly. The way the price is quoted is also different, thus making one company apparently cheaper than the other while in reality this may not be so. As you get what you pay for, this is the case for steel buildings as well. It is not advisable to go by just the price – the lowest price buildings may not be built to the required specifications or might exclude all necessary features or might simply need too much maintenance over a period of time. Therefore you need to factor in the bigger picture when it comes to deciding how much you are willing to pay for.

Also, it is important to decode the advertising messages that steel building companies put out. They may not quote the price that you will have to incur but might simply include material and charge everything else as extra. For example many steel contractors do not quote insulation along with their steel building prices but it is almost a necessity for many parts of the country. Therefore before you do the budgeting and finalize your contractor, make sure that you know exactly what you are getting for the money you pay. To evaluate different contractors, you should take into account all the additional costs and then compare the prices. If the prices are way off, then there must be something that the cheaper company is omitting that may be essential to you.

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The Right Design Elements for your Prefabricated Steel Building

Sunday, May 30th, 2010

If you have decided to erect your own steel building, then you have taken a great decision that will help you get a building that has all the desirable qualities you will need. One of the best ways to get the maximum value for money is to go for prefabricated steel buildings that help you get the building ready in a short period of time and which can be put together with ease. However, you will have to ensure that your steel building company is able to provide you with all the required materials and elements for the successful completion of the project.

Apart from the usual material and instructions from the company, you will also need to make sure about certain other aspects. If you are planning to make the building yourself, then you should make sure to request all the frames and openings to be precut. A lot of companies do this by default but it is better to ensure it. This will help greatly in helping the construction process go about in a smooth manner and it will be easier to build it by yourself with the need of external labor, which will cost you money.

Also, the company that you choose for your steel buildings should be able to provide you with all the accessories with a building apart from the basic structure. For example, your steel building contractor should provide you with gutters, vents, windows, roof, etc. All these are again default for money but it helps to make sure before you finalize your contract. When you pay close attention to detail, the whole process can be smooth and without difficulties.

Finally, when you get all the material from the company, double check that you have everything that is needed for the building right from a nut and bolt to the important design features you had requested. You should report any errors immediately to the company.

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Steel Buildings – Choosing your Steel Building Contractor

Sunday, May 30th, 2010

Steel buildings are increasingly gaining in popularity the world over, and so are the numbers of contractors who can erect a steel building for you. However, you need to be careful in selecting the right contractor for the job because you don’t want to be stuck with a shoddy building for the rest of your life. Steel buildings can live for a very long time – at least a couple of decades and it is a long term investment. Therefore it is important that your steel building contractor erects just the perfect building for you.

It always helps to get an idea of your steel buildings contractor from previous clients. If the firm is a reputable one, they should have no problem telling you about their past projects and their success. This is a good starting point to weed out the companies you don’t want to be doing business with.

Another good way to find out about good steel building contractors is the openness. Good contractors will give you all the specific details and the price breakup of all their business dealings because they have nothing to hide. They will be able to justify exactly all the costs that you would incur on your steel building. If the company is not open, then it might have things it wants to hide and these usually don’t end up being pleasant for the consumer.

Apart from all these, a good steel contractor should also be able to help you out at every stage of the steel building and not just the manufacturing of prefab structures. This is especially so when the project is big and complex and involves lots of initial investment. They should help you finalize the right designs and architecture and help you with materials and many other special requirements for the building as well. Such contractors are always preferred because you have all the required expertise at one place and you don’t have to spend time and money elsewhere.

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Sizing your Steel Buildings

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

Size is an important criteria to be considered in steel buildings. In fact, size is critical for any building and needs to be determined before the construction begins. In case of prefab steel buildings, the builder will need to know the exact dimensions required for your building. This of course is no easy task as no one can be really sure what the best size and dimensions will be.

A good way to start deciding on your steel building dimensions is to first list down what exactly you will need your building for. This will greatly simplify the job of fixing the dimensions of your building. In many cases, the purpose of the building may not be very well defined, but you need to come up with a ballpark. Extensions can always be made to existing buildings but modifications are more difficult. Thus it is important that you get the details right.

For example, if you are into manufacturing inside your steel buildings, make sure all the equipment and machinery comes in. For this, you will need to determine the height of the largest equipment that needs to fit it. Always include a couple of feet extra, which is important to allow for tolerances. The size and dimensions of what needs to go in also determine the size and dimensions of the doors of your building.

You might also need to plan how you want the construction done. If you need clear-span construction for your building, you can get a column free interior space but of course it will be costlier.

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Posted in Prefabricated Steel Buildings | 5 Comments »

Steel Buildings – All about Metal Roofs

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

Metal roofs offer a number of great benefits that almost no other roof can, and is thus becoming increasingly popular. A lot of industrial, residential and commercial structures today prefer metal roofing. The most common metal used for roofing purposes is naturally steel, owing to its perfect combination of strength, stability, durability and cost. Steel roofs are very attractive and economical and can be used for practically any steel buildings.

Metal roofs are also very useful in those areas that experience extremes of weather conditions. This is because metal roofs are able to withstand high loads and will not simply blow off in strong winds or be damaged by heavy rain or snow. This makes them last a very long time, thus saving a lot on the running costs as well. The scenario is only improving by the day as technology improves, making metal roofs incredibly strong and light. This means several years without any maintenance whatsoever for your roof.

Metal roofs can be quite stylish as well and they can be designed and colored to resemble any traditional roof. After these decorations, it is practically impossible to tell a metal roof apart from a traditional roof. Metal roofs also protect your home from any fires as steel and other metals are fireproof.

One apparent disadvantage is the heating of the interior of your building during the summer. This is a genuine problem that needs to be addressed and can be tacked with the help of an insulation. This will work great with your steel roof and you can get a lot of energy savings as well because the interiors don’t heat up that soon with the insulation in place.

If you want to further save on electricity costs, you can install a skylight through a metal roof. This will help natural sunlight enter your steel buildings and will keep the interiors fresh and well lit naturally without the need for artificial lighting for a major part of the day.

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Saving the environment through Cool Paints for Steel Buildings

Sunday, May 23rd, 2010

Steel buildings are highly energy efficient and consume little or no precious natural resources like wood and water, thus making them one of the most environmentally friendly modern day housing. Thus if you are building your steel building, you are already reducing, very significantly, your carbon footprint. However, you don’t need to stop at this stage. With a few smart moves you can make your steel building much more environmentally efficient that will also help you save money.

Steel buildings are environmentally friendly during the construction phase. However, the challenge is to make them retain this throughout their life and operation, which of course is not easy. One of the main problems with steel is that being metallic in nature, it is a good conductor and absorber of heat. Thus your Steel building can get quite hot during the summer months as it absorbs the heat from the sun. This will result in higher air conditioning requirements that have their toll on the environment. This of course is quite undesirable. In addition, higher air conditioning implies a direct escalation of costs.
To solve this problem, there are modern cool paints available in the market that you can use to paint the exterior of your steel building. These are especially effective on the roof of your steel building and you can reduce your energy costs by as much as 20% with the help of these cool paints. These paints are specially designed to contain pigments that reflect the sun’s rays, instead of absorbing them. Thus you can get a cool building without having to spend tons of money and energy on doing so. It is an environmentally friendly way of keeping your building cool and can have a significant impact in the long run. The life of an average steel building can be 25-30 years or more, so you can imagine the kind of savings possible through cool paints for your steel building.

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