With the world financial crisis affecting everybody, we are all in search of ways of saving money while at the same not having to give up on Quality.

If you are considering erecting any type of building, due to the variety of types of steel buildings available today, this will be easier done than said…

The beauty of choosing between the types of metal buildings is quite simple. Firstly, what type of building are you erecting? Is it for storage only? Does it need to be especially conditioned for human/animal presence?

Companies that are involved in selling types of steel buildings will have a catalogue for you to browse through to see if they have what you need already available. If not, they will reproduce any design you provide them with, or will have their in-house professionals sit down with you to put something together.

Steel building technology has revolutionized the manufacturing process of the different types of steel buildings. Today, manufacturing methods employing “CNC milling and drilling, metal rolling, laser cutting and robotic welding” (www.pdf-inc.com) allow clients the assurance that they are receiving top quality workmanship.

The different types of steel buildings are dictated by type of frame used.

Straight Walled: These types of steel buildings come in several models – “straight column, gable, single slope, beam and column and lean-to (wing)” (www.buildingsguide.com). The only difference between the first three is the shape of the roof. Similarities include no interior columns, which is why they are also referred to as “clear span”, and offer a lot of space.

Arched: Aka “Quonset Hut”, this building became very popular in WWII. If you’re old enough you will recognize these types of steel buildings as the barracks in the popular 60’s sitcom “Gomer Pyle”.

There are two types of steel arched buildings – the full arch (semi-circular shape) and the newer version with straight walls and a curved roof. This latter type of steel building is also known as “a ‘giant loaf of bread’ or a ‘mailbox’". (www.steelbuildings.org)

Some of the advantages of the arched steel buildings are that they are cheap to manufacture, easy to assemble/disassemble, can be erected without heavy equipment machinery, difficult to break into and easy to add on for a longer building.

The structural components of most types of steel buildings are tension members, compression members, bending members, combined force members and the connections joining all of these parts together.

(Photo courtesy of Andrew Sugden, Flickr.)

Much has been said about wood vs steel buildings, but you do not have to choose between one or the other.

Combination steel/wood buildings are normally erected with human interaction and activities in mind such as a church, shop, office or home. The name refers to the fact that the steel trusses have wood purlin and girts clipped to them. “This style of building employs a main frame open web steel truss placed every 10 to 14 to 16 feet apart (4 to 6 meters). As with the "I" beam buildings, each truss is composed of four pieces: two sidewall sections and two roof sections. Each section is bolted at the peak and at the eve. Trusses are assembled on the ground and then pulled up on to the anchor bolts which have been set in the concrete foundation. On the outside edge of each steel truss, running up the side and the roof line, are steel "C" clips every 24 to 48 inches (1/2 to 1 meters) apart. The clips are designed to hold the wood purlin and girt (the "stringers": the horizontal cross members that go in between the trusses). The clips are usually pre-welded on at the factory (ask -- so you don't end up having to weld 'em on or bolt them on yourself). After all the individual steel trusses are fully erected, the wood purlin and girts are then slid into the clips and attached to the steel truss. The wood is usually 2x6s or 2x8's in a length based on the truss placement. After all the wood cross members are attached then the sheeting is fastened to the wood.” (www.steelbuildings.org)

Some of the advantages of these types of steel buildings include allowing for interior and exterior finishing, good for insulating and the higher roof pitch allows for the addition of a second story.

And for those of you that have decided to “go green” - yes, there’s even a green model for steel buildings. What makes these buildings environmentally friendly is the fact “that they can be torn down and the materials recycled. Also, Wind turbines may be fitted along the ridge… Solar panels fitted onto the whole huge roofs.” (reidsteel dot com)

Recycled steel is the latest in green steel building construction. There are companies currently using post-consumer scrap metal material as the major material for the feedstock versus mined iron ore, which is what most companies in this industry employ.

There are different types of steel buildings available. You can opt for metal garages, metal churches, or steel barns.

Other types of steel buildings available are stadiums, multi-storied structures, car parks and high-bay warehouses.

In a nutshell, there is no reason why you can’t save money and retain Quality while erecting your new building – for whatever purposes you plan on using it…just think “steel”.