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How To Save Construction Costs with a Pre-Engineered Steel Building
Steel buildings are a construction option for manufacturing facilities, office space, retail businesses or other heavy-use structures
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Business New Haven
11/22/1999
By: Priscilla Searles
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Technology has given Americans access to products that were unheard of even a decade ago. But keeping up with an ever-increasing selection of goods and services is not easy.
For businesses looking at expansion or construction of an entirely new facility, comparisons should be made between conventional construction and pre-engineered buildings. Although pre-fabricated buildings have been around for quite some time, one option available today is the pre-engineered steel building, a more sophisticated, higher-technology version of the old wooden pre-fab building.
Steel buildings are a construction option for manufacturing facilities, office space, retail businesses or other heavy-use structures. Before committing to this (or any) type of construction, questions have to be addressed in order to understand how much flexibility is possible in the design and layout of a pre-engineered steel building and what, if any, are the advantages. Obviously, work with a company that has plenty of experience and can show you completed projects.
People in the pre-engineered steel building trade say that this is the fastest-growing construction method, with numerous possibilities available for both exterior and interior design. The industry uses computers to design the structures, saving design and cost-estimating time.
By using a computer, when the structure is designed, a materials list becomes instantly available, an advantage over conventional construction. This efficiency in building design and construction may result in saved time and money for many projects.
Building use has to be established up front along with design decisions. Changes in conventional construction plans can be costly, but changing your mind about a steel building when it's just been delivered to your building site is a whole different ball game. Work with a qualified designer to study your options before committing to a size and design.
How are you going to use the building? Do you need large areas of open space? Are you going to need a lot of offices? Framing systems come in rigid frame and continuous-beam frame. The rigid frame system is desirable for an unobstructed, column-free interior. If support columns are acceptable, the continuous-beam frame gives the most space at the lowest cost per square foot. Column spacing can be equal or unequal.
Once you've chosen the framing system, you have to pick a wall system that is appropriate for your facility. There are several options available; you'll have to ask questions to compare the pluses and minuses of each one.
The exterior of a steel building can have a variety of architectural appearances. The customer must decide what he or she wants used, such as brick, block, glass or a metal wall system. Another aspect of metal buildings is several types of roofs and a wide variety of color choices.
The pre-engineered steel building industry points to code compliance as a plus for their products, since the buildings are constructed to meet or exceed all state building code specifications. Maintenance is another issue to consider. Steel system components are not affected by damp rot or insect infestation. They typically will not warp or crack, or even require regular maintenance. Metal walls and roofing systems are coated, again providing a low maintenance product.
A pre-engineered steel building may not be appropriate for everyone. In spite of that fact that conventional construction usually takes longer and budgets are often difficult to do and almost impossible to stick to without going over, it is still the method of choice for many. A longer construction time along with increased maintenance, both in terms of time and money, are problems that some are willing to deal with.
The bottom line for pre-engineered buildings comes in cost saving - and cost predictability. Those in the industry note that pricing is more accurate due to standardization of system types.
The selling point the industry is pushing is that it is providing building solutions that combine style, function, fast construction and affordability for long-term value.
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