Myths About Steel Buildings

Dispelling Misconceptions About Steel Buildings

For many, the notion of prefabricated steel buildings is still an unfamiliar one. Being so used to other more traditional building methods, there’s plenty of misconceptions surround steel buildings that can be easily dispelled. Here are just a few myths about steel buildings

Steel Buildings Are Expensive

One of the most long-standing misconceptions about prefab steel buildings is the price. It’s assumed that due to their expert engineering and prefabricated packaging that it’s much more expensive than other building methods. While some of the upfront material costs can sometimes be more expensive, when you factor in labour, waste and maintenance (or rather, the minimal amount of all of these) over the lifetime of the structure, it works out to being one of the most cost effective options on the market. Due to its simple construction, the labour costs will be greatly diminished if not completely avoided depending on the size of your project. Because each part of your structure is made specifically to order, there’s no additional cutting or fitting required, which means there will be no waste or waste removal required – something that traditionally also adds to construction costs. A well designed building is less expensive in terms of maintaining the climate, and maintenance is virtually unnecessary save for occasional inspections.

Steel Buildings Are Not Attractive

Steel buildings tend to conjure up images of boxy spaces with an industrial look to it. This works perfectly well for many types of buildings and structures, but this aesthetic also scares some away from considering steel structures for their building needs. Prefab steel is actually one of the most versatile building methods in terms of appearance. Not only are there a range of side wall and trim color combinations, but steel can also be used in conjunction with other materials like brick and wood as exterior facing to add a unique touch to your structure. Particularly when using your steel building for commercial or residential space, the look and feel will be an important factor.

Steel Buildings Are Cold

Because of it’s more industrial associations, it’s assumed that steel buildings are typically cold inside- with a much more factory or storage space-like atmosphere. Steel buildings are actually easy to maintain, climate-wise. Metal roofing actually helps to reflect heat and keep the inside of the building cool, while adding some extra insulation will help retain the heat in winter months. Making the switch the green energy to control the temperature is also simpler with steel buildings, as solar panels are easily attachable to that type of roof.

Steel Buildings Noisy

This is a common one based on the fact that typically, steel is a heavy material that we are accustomed to seeing in a variety of ways, some of which include large hollow items like drums, bins and shipping containers. We associate steel with their weight and more rugged uses all the time. Also, roofs made from metal materials in the past were usually a loud surface in cases of extreme weather like rain or hail. However, with proper insulation steel buildings and roofs can actually achieve a high level of noise cancellation. Not only will this help with noise from the outside, steel’s natural insulation coupled with additional insulation will help cut down on interior noise as well, creating good sound absorption to cut down on echoing.

It’s important that you take steel buildings into consideration when planning your next building project. For more information, call us at 1-888-449-7756