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Archive for May 14th, 2010

How a Prefab Steel Building Project Works – III: The Engineering and Fabrication Stage

Friday, May 14th, 2010

After you have completed the design and budgeting stages, you now need to take care of the engineering and fabrication. At the design stage, you would have had an idea of what you want – all the detail included. This is just the basic design that you have prepared.

You will now need to create the specifications and blueprints for your steel building, just like any other traditional building. This needs to be done by a certified engineer. The blueprints are required since they specify the exact dimensions of your building and also the materials that will be used. This should be done with the help of your steel building contractor, since he is the one supplying you the material. In most cases, the contractor will help you get these blueprints ready through a certified engineer.

It is at this stage that the engineer needs to specify and calculate what loads the building will be able to withstand. Steel buildings are usually sturdy by nature and can withstand extremes of weather conditions. However, these need to be specified and they need to meet the local building codes in your area. Only after all the approval will your actual production of prefab structures begin.

The fabrication involves creating all the essential engineering elements such as beams, girders, roof panels, posts, etc. In addition, the joints are prepared that will help you assemble the whole structure together. These fasteners are an important part of the production process in prefab steel buildings. The contractor will ensure that all the right dimensions are met and the parts are cut to the exact dimensions. Also, these are predrilled so you will not need to worry about drilling during the assembly stage. All you need to do is to bolt the different parts together and you will be done. There is also no need for any welding. This is why you don’t really require a lot of labor for prefab steel buildings.

How a Prefab Steel Building Project Works – II: The Budgeting Stage

Friday, May 14th, 2010

Steel buildings provide the best value for money compared to any other building material. Mass production and advances in manufacturing technology are but some of the reasons for this. Steel buildings make a lot of economic sense not only during the building stage but also during the maintenance stage over the long run.

Before you embark on your journey of constructing that wonderful steel building you have always dreamt about, take some time to budget things out. There are so many different things that you can add to your steel building that it is easy to get carried away. This can result in cost overruns that are not a pleasant experience for anyone. It is therefore important that you budget and plan accordingly. When you budget properly, you will have a good idea not only of your finances but also of what needs to be included in the building. Thus, depending on your budget, you might or might not want to include special features like say a skylight.

As a general rule, you should never compromise on the quality of the structure itself. The decorations and other perfunctory operations can always be settled later. Certain important functional additions like insulation should be given a much higher priority than decorations and other non-functional utilities. The design and budgeting stages usually go hand in hand.

Labor is another aspect that you should look for at this stage. As far as possible, you should avoid spending too much on labor since it can get quite costly and you can get a lot of other value additions for that amount spent. Thus you should try to arrange for some help from family, friends, relatives and neighbors to help build your steel building. Prefab steel buildings are simple to put together and will not take much time and effort.