Basic Considerations on The Right Steel Building to Purchase
When considering the purchase of a steel building there are a number of factors that need to be included in your decision. The fundamental question is how you will use the building once it is completed. The determination of the steel building’s use can best be answered by answering some basic questions for yourself.
The first determination is to decide what the building will do for you. This question is best answered by how you see the building being beneficial to your lifestyle five, ten, even twenty years down the road. The size of the building is also an important consideration. When deciding on a size think in terms of at least 20% more space than you think you will need. A lot of people make the mistake of buying too small a building and then having to expand at more expense in a short period of time. Entrances to the structure need to be addressed. You need to determine if regular walk doors are sufficient, or if overhead doors are needed. If overhead doors are required, the type (roll-up or sectional) and number need to be ascertained. This also can help in figuring out the size of the building that you will have to purchase in order to satisfy all entry requirements. Decide on whether these entryways will be in end and/or sidewalls.
One of the next considerations is the height of the structure. Remember, that on most gabled steel buildings, the maximum door clearance is at least two feet below the eave of the building. For instance, if you need a twelve foot clearance through a door you need to plan for a fourteen foot high eave, at a minimum. The best gauge is to figure out how much room will be required in the interior height of the building. Warehouses and some manufacturing facilities need to allow for taller storage areas and bigger heavy machinery clearances.
Careful consideration needs to be made for the need for insulation. Steel buildings can be extremely cold in the winter and unbearably hot in the summer if left un-insulated. Do not underestimate your insulation needs and be sure to figure this into your overall budget for your project.
If thought is given to the eventual expansion of the building, keep in mind some factors. Once the width is determined on an I-Beam building, that dimension is “set in stone”. Width expansion on steel buildings is expensive, if not impossible, on steel I-Beam structures because of the support characteristics of the members. Most I-Beam steel building structures are expandable lengthwise by removal of the end-walls. In most instances, the end-walls can be re-used. Check with the steel building manufacturer or supplier you are considering purchasing from to see if expansion if the building is feasible in the future.
Secondary considerations are also important and are addressed in the article ”Further Considerations on the Right Steel Building to Purchase.”