When you talk about constructing a home right from the ground, the first thing that may come to your mind are the traditional wooden, brick and cement home structures, however, if you want more durability, stability, and strength then metal homes should be the first on your lists and considerations. According to history, the construction of metal buildings dates back to the barns that were constructed to keep animals safe from some devastating natural disasters such as hurricane and Tsunamis.
What are the benefits of metal building homes?
Metal homes provide with several benefits which include the following;
Metal is a very strong material and that is why it is more durable than other home building materials. Right from the foundation to the very top, metal homes are built to withstand strong and adverse weather conditions, including strong winds, extreme sunshine, acidic rain, high humidity, snowfall, tornadoes, and sandstorms.
The multi-functionality of metal homes makes it easier for them to be designed to serve other purposes other than residential. With an easy division of space, metal homes can be utilized to serve as a business or workspaces, thus eliminating the need to rent an extra space for your business and work and thus saving you money.
Metal structures stand on the external walls; hence the interior parts are spared from most of the load, and this is the reason why metal homes are easier to remodel or renovate. Performing some last-minute remodeling of the interior of a metal home is much easier than any other type of home, this ease of restructuring and remodeling a metal house is beneficial for those who like to experiment with several designs in the interior of their homes.
Metal buildings provide excellent spacious solutions since the interior walls are more flexible, it is, therefore, easier to expand the interior beyond the original intentions. Metal homes are ideal for individuals on a tight budget as well as those who want something very sophisticated and reliable.
Metal Building Home kits- what is included, and Options
There are several reasons you should consider getting a pre-made metal home kit for your metal home building. The kits come with the strongest framing you can ever ask for, they come at a lower cost, they are easy and convenient to build, and they are resistant to flame, rodent, and rot.
The following must be included in a typical standard metal building kit;
▪ The primary framing,
▪ The secondary framing,
▪ Wall sheeting,
▪ Roof panels,
▪ Bolts and screws (including anchor bolts).
There are numerous easy-to-add options you can choose from when it comes to metal home building kits, these are;
▪ The walk/roll-up sectional and glass storefront doors,
▪ Horizontal or vertical slide windows,
▪ Insulated panels,
▪ steel framed openings, and
▪ Gutters /downspouts.
How to assemble and build your metal home
Building your metal home should be easier when you follow the instructions that come with the kits. In most cases, you should consider following these simple steps;
- 1Unload and organize your kits- The first step you must take in assembling your metal home kit is to open, unload and organize the components. It should be noted that most metal building kits can be unloaded immediately from a flatbed truck with the aid of a forklift. Once the kits have been unloaded, simply organize the parts into their respective groups.
- 2Review the instructions that come with the kits- review the construction instructions that come with the kits carefully, and follow the safety protocols. All these protocols must be followed all through the building erection process.
- 3Attach the columns- With the use of a forklift or crane, simply bring all the columns into a place, before attaching each of the columns to the anchor bolts.
- 4Attach the rafters to the column- the next step is to assemble those two-part rafters with the use of a sling lift, simply lift the rafter into place with the tagline, in order to create an easier control and add a crew member on each column to guide the rafters into their prospective places.
- 5Repeat steps 1 to 4 until all the columns and rafters have been installed and attached to one another.
- 6Attach the walls and roof panels- Once you have completed the primary framing, you can follow up with the installation of the framed openings and the next thing to do is to attach the walls and roof panels to complete the assembling.
Choosing the right metal building for your home
Analyzing your metal building requirements is an important step you must take before buying a metal building bit for the construction of your home. Taking this step will help you stay within your budget range and also help you make the best accurate choices. The main considerations to include in your choice of the metal building are size, cost, and the addition of extra features.
▪ Size- you need to start with choosing the right size so as to end up with the right direction. You will need to create a space for a sectional door alongside 1-2 windows plus a sectional door if you want a metal building for a garage. Most sizes are categorized into size A, B, or C with A being the smallest. The categories recommended by experts are; 20 x 20, 20 x 24, 20 x 30, 20 x 40, 24 x 24, 24 x 30 , 30 x 30, 30 x 37, 30 x 40, 30 x 48, 30 x 50, 30 x 60, 40 x 40, 40 x 60, 40 x 80, 40 x 100, 50 x 50, 50 x 60, 50 x 80, 50 x 100, 60 x 60, 60 x 80, 60 x 100, 80 x 80, 80 x 100, 100 x 100, 100 x 200, 100 x 300.
The 20x 20 size is perhaps the least recommend a size for metal home building. It provides the much-needed versatility and space, especially for handling store supplies or a small equipment storage facility or a small home office. Experts can help you design a location-specific 20 x 20 space that will ensure that your shed remains standing for decades.
The 20 x 20 metal building is perhaps one of the most popular base metal buildings you can construct from its kits. The typical building package includes the primary and secondary framing alongside the sheeting which is constructed to fit into any location and requirement. With this 20 x 20 building, you can customize the appearance of your building plans with any of the color schemes (some kits sellers do provide pain warranty). You can enhance the appearance and functionality of this metal building with the addition of several other components such as Windows, insulations, and doors.
The standard features of the 20 x 20 base building package include;
- The primary and secondary framing,
- Sealants and flashing,
- The 1:12 Roof pitch,
- A deluxe trim package,
- 26 Gauge roof and wall sheeting,
- Ridge cap,
- Fasteners, and
- Original plans and drawings.
A typical 20 x 20 metal building should look exactly like the images below;
The 30 x 50 metal home is in-between the smaller 20 x 20 and 100 x200, hence it can be an ideal metal home for those who want to extend their homes or commercial properties. This dimension offers a great base size for metal building, and you can add to it later if you need more space and your expectations are growing. The 30x 50 is one of the best-selling metal building sizes it can be suitable for buildings, auto shop, church building or farm building. The 30 x 50 C-channel building package comes with the following fixtures;
- Primary plus secondary framing,
- A 3070-walk door,
- A 3:12 Roof Pitch,
- Inclusion of a lever set on walk door,
- Fasteners, and up to 50-year warranty.
The 30 x 50 metal building looks exactly like the image below;
The most efficient and most economical way of erecting a 20,000 ft metal home is the 200 x 100 home. It comes with a column-free interior space. This type of spacious metal building will definitely allow you to expand or even change you floor plan easily, whenever you want because you will not be inhibited by any column or other barriers. With this large building, you can add a number of other components, including the glass storefront windows, that can produce a “church-like” entrance to the building or you can just leave it the way it is designed if you want it to look like a spacious warehouse, a gymnasium or metal barn.
The images below indicate how a typical 100 x 200 metal building should look like;
Prices of metal building – what determines them?
Prices of metal building vary depending on so many factors, perhaps the basic determinant of the price of a metal building is the square in meter measurement. Prices may vary from one metal building company to another based on pricing accuracies, and the current sales. The cost of metal buildings sometimes changes day by day, especially with the fluctuation in the global steel industry.
There is no standard price each build size, but building suppliers usually have a catalog or price guide that customers can use to calculate how much they will likely spend on the type of metal building sizes they want. In most cases, prices are higher with the inclusion of more accessories or extras. A 15 x 20” metal building, for instance, may cost between $8000 and $14,800 depending on the seller and the average costs of steel in the steel industry. The 30 x 40” is another popular type of metal building that may cost between $14,500 and $21,500 (prices get higher when you add more components and accessories).
The six factors that also determine the prices of the metal building are;
▪ Wind load,
▪ The width, height and roof pitch,
▪ The snow load,
▪ Open areas,
▪ Seismic conditions, and
▪ components.
As expected the more wind load your metal building can withstand, the higher the price. A metal building designed 175mph wind speed, for instance, will cost more than one designed for 90mph rating, even if they have the same measurement and components.
Most metal buildings can have a maximum width of up to 300” hence the more the width, the more steel requires for construction. On the other hand, an increase in the length of a metal building does not necessarily lead to an increase in prices, hence the wider the building the higher it will cost.
If you are constructing a metal building in a state like Alaska, you will probably require a snow load rating of 120lbs/sq. ft, whereas, building the same metal house in a state like Colorado or Texas may require a snow load rating of 45 lbs./ sq. ft. Generally, the higher the rating of the snow load of the building, the higher it's pricing.
Most people usually prefer erecting their metal buildings in open areas than closed areas. The open area metal building will require an increase in their wind load capacity because there will be no wall to deflect the winds which mean the roof may be lifted if not adequately fortified. Open walls will naturally increase the final price of the metal building.
All metal buildings are designed to withstand seismic conditions. San Francisco, for instance, is a region prone to earthquakes in the USA and a metal building in such a region must have a rating of 320/90 while a metal building to be erected in a region like North Dakota may be expected to have a seismic rating of 20/10. Generally, the higher the seismic rating of a metal building, the more expensive it will get.
Building your own metal home – Doing it yourself or using pre-made kits?
Now that you are aware that there are numerous factors that account for the variation in the prices of metal homes, you need to either choose a private designer who understands the right kits to build the metal home or you must be prepared to build your own metal home by yourself. Hiring a private builder who understands your specific needs and specifications, is a robust way of building the home as you will receive all necessary materials needed for the home, but the downside is that you have to include the cost of labor, and transport of the materials, in addition to the costs of the kits.
The building process you choose should also incorporate some customization options, this itself will add to the cost of hiring a builder, but if you build the metal home by yourself, you will have complete control of what to include, before the final planning and building are completed.
- Doing it Yourself
Doing it yourself is a cost-saving approach towards the building of a metal home, but the issue here is that you need to exercise caution and be well-prepared for the task ahead. Do not jump into metal home building without having adequate knowledge of what you want to do, and this include know the right specifications for the kits.
Do-it-yourself (DIY) is quite tedious but very rewarding in the end. If you can sort out all your home building kits by yourself, and you know all the specifications you need, then you should be able to construct the home by yourself. Doing it yourself may not be an easy procedure and you may need the help of a friend, family member or colleagues to help you with lifting heavier items and even the roofing. When you build your metal home by yourself, there are some other things you will have to consider;
▪ The concrete flooring- while some people prefer metal flooring, others want concrete flooring for their metal home. Remember, the concrete flooring preparation will require that the concrete mixture be poured professionally, hence you need to hire a competent concrete mixer if you are not sure about handling this step.
▪ You need to have a strong foundation- a foundation may be needed for your metal home; hence you may want to seek help on having the ideal strong foundation to support the entire metal building, except you are a professional in designing a suitable foundation for metal structures.
▪ Interior work- building a metal home does not end with strong foundation and erecting a metal structure, you will have to work on the interior too. Though, the interior of the building will depend on your personal preferences but you still have to consider the taste of your entire household before you make a final decision. The interior design also includes specific needs for the bedroom, bathroom, and the living room, except you are erecting a metal building for your office or store house.
▪ Utilities- aside from furniture and some other interior components, you need to consider the utilities for your metal home. Plumbing and electrical works for instance must be handled by professional plumbers and electrician, except if you are a genius who knows about these things. Plumbing and electrical works can be a major concern because you are erecting a metal home, hence you must seek the help of a professional. All these components will definitely add to the final cost of DIY approach to metal home building.
- Using a professional metal home builder
Maybe you want to save yourself the stress of constructing a metal home by yourself, there are so many benefits of using a professional builder for this purpose. There are two ways to this, you can either purchase the kits by yourself and let the builder construct the home, or you can have the professional builder purchase the kits based on his pre-assessment of the construction site and other necessary specifications. Allowing the professional builder to purchase the kit can speed up the construction of the home itself.
Another reason why you need to hire a professional builder is that he understands the interior decoration options as well as the plumbing and electrical needs of the home, hence he can handle such tasks according to safety regulations and specifications.
Perhaps the only downside to the use of a professional metal home builder is the fact that you will end up spending more, especially on labor and expertise. Metal homes have evolved to a large extent over the decades, and specifications and rules of constructions have changed, as an individual who know little in this field, you may not likely understand the new rules and that is the reason why a professional builder should be hired for this project.
A professional home builder can help you design some exteriors, including special yards, and porches, as well as special landscapes that will transform the entire home and make it even more desirable and more valuable. The interiors of a home can have different needs that must be met, bathroom fixtures such as faucets, pipes and shower heads that must be installed in the interior of the home must also meet specifications that are quite different from what obtains in normal brick and mortar homes and you may not be aware of all these.
Do not gamble with the construction of your metal home, hence if you are unsure about anything, then you must consult with a professional. It is better to hire a professional before the beginning of the construction agent , than to hire the professional after the construction because fixing some errors may require that part or the entire building be pulled down, and that will eventually cost you more on the long run.
Conclusion
metal buildings are always fun to have, they cost a fraction of traditional homes, hence they are much more economical while providing more durability and better functionality than traditional homes.
