Before deciding on which steel building will best suite your needs it is important to do your homework in order to avoid a costly mistake. Know what you want beforehand and which is the best steel building for your needs.
There are basically three categories of steel building, all of this type of building falls within one of these three categories.
Quonset Hut Steel Building
The Quonset Hut Steel Building was originally of military origin. A Quonset Hut is usually defined as any self-supporting structure, usually in an "arch" or curved shape. There are no interior posts, trusses or support beams of any kind. The exterior sheeting is what most of the building is made of.
Quonset hut steel buildings are normally offered in two styles. First is the old-fashioned "full arch" steel building and, second - is the more up to date modified Quonset, which has flawlessly straight walls and then a curved roof. The modified Quonset buildings are becoming quite popular in that they have done away with one of the problems of the older full circle buildings: no longer is there wasted space to contend with as a result of the walls being completely straight. The width that you need for your building will decide to some extent on the style you will use, since the modified Quonset buildings are typically available only in the narrower widths of 18 to 40 feet. If your purpose is grain or crop storage - you’ll have to stick with the full arch building, not the modified Quonset.
Steel I-Beam Buildings
The Steel I-beam building is the most frequent kind of construction for steel buildings. This type of steel building got its name because the profile of the steel beam looks like a capital letter "I", forged out of steel. This system could also be named a "rigid frame" steel building or a "red iron" building. A steel mainframe truss is the support for the building. Each truss is made up of 4 sections: two sidewall sections and two roof sections. The steel "I" beam truss is raised and then bolted to the concrete foundation. An archetypal spacing between trusses is usually 20-30.
The majority of commercial steel buildings are likely steel I-beam buildings. There are available, "pre-engineered" kits, and others are custom designed structures that are fabricated on site. Many of these buildings can be complex and a bit overwhelming even - for the most skilled and motivated do-it-yourselfers if you go beyond the pre-engineered kit. It is a good idea to stick with standard sizes and configurations and eliminate any custom designs, you’ll save a lot of time not to mention, money.
Steel-Wood Buildings
This Steel – wood combination building uses a main frame open web steel truss placed every 10-16 feet apart. Each truss is made up of four pieces: two sidewall sections and two roof sections. Each section is bolted at the peak and at the eve. Normally trusses are assembled on the ground and then pulled up on to the anchor bolts, which have been set in the concrete foundation.
Steel buildings have their advantages, as well as disadvantages. Before deciding if you need a steel building, or which design is best for you, visit a manufacturer to find out as much as you can about each design and its drawbacks.
