Pre-Engineered Steel Buildings

If you are in the market for a backyard shed, garage, horse barn, or even an aircraft hangar but don't have the time or inclination to build one from scratch, a pre-engineered steel building is the answer.

The benefits of building with steel are plentiful. Not only is the alloy metal a long lasting and durable material, but it is also cost-effective.

The pre-engineered steel buildings in our virtual showroom are available in a wide range of sizes, styles and finishes to protect against harsh climates, sun fading and rust.

Take time to explore our website and the many options available to you as you create your own modern, multi-use steel building.

Features to Consider

Once considered to be purely utilitarian, pre-engineered steel structures are enjoying a transformation. From music practice rooms to RV garages or office spaces, pre-engineered steel buildings offer many possibilities for creative usage.

Some buildings come with features like windows or a skylights, while others offer them as optional add-ons. For a workshop, office or other workspace where you will be spending a reasonable amount of time, consider the livability and practicality of the interior space, and shop accordingly for those features.

When figuring cost, be sure to factor in all aspects of the project, including the foundation, extra hardware, tools you don't already own, and extra finishes to protect your steel structure from the elements (for in-depth detail see our 'Buyers Guide'). The finish on metal sheds is important for durability. Protective finishes include paint, powder-coating, and vinyl.

Building Design Option

Quonset Buildings

• Economically priced
• Fast construction (simple for DIY enthusiasts)
• Great snow, hurricane and seismic ratings

 

Straight Wall Buildings

• Traditional peaked roof design
• Available with many exterior finish options
• faster construction than traditional buildings

 

BuildingsGuide Services

BuildingsGuide provides educational information to help you make informed steel building planning and purchasing decisions.

We offer free multiple quotes from different suppliers, with no obligation to buy, as well as sample photos and floor plans for many different types of steel buildings.

At BuildingsGuide we value our customers' service by offering them options from multiple suppliers, with all competing for your business with factory-direct prices.

Superior Structures At a Lower Price

Pre-engineered steel buildings are structures, whose main components are steel, which are specially designed and engineered to fit together to satisfy the unique requirements of specific end-uses. Because of the remarkable engineering that goes into them, these buildings fit together perfectly and have a number of distinct advantages over other constructions. They also cost significantly less!

For more buying advice, also see:

• Prefabricated Steel Buildings - Finding the Right Design
• Ten Reasons to Build - Steel Frame Buildings
• Introduction to building with metal & prefab buildings

Three Ways to Use This Site

1. Explore your options by building end-use:

• Home & Hobby
  
• Agri & Equestrian
  
• Industrial
  
• Community
  

2. Get Immediate ‘Ballpark’ Price Estimates

3. Get Free Multiple Quotes Now

Further Reading - The History of Steel

Despite its silvery-grey exterior, the history of steel and its many uses is a colorful one.

Steel, a refined product of iron, has been a vitally important alloy since the 19th century. But steel is much older than that, with its first usage recorded many centuries ago in weapon production.

Dating as far back as 1400 BC, the Haya people of present-day Tanzania in East Africa produced steel to make weapons.

In 300 BC, a form of steel was also produced in India and Sri Lanka, which later became known as Damascus steel.

Later on, around 1100 AD, Damascus steel was used to make incredibly durable and strong swords. Legend has it the swords were so strong and sharp they could slice through rock and even other swords of inferior metal quality.

By the late 18th century, the Industrial Revolution transformed structural methods with the discovery of cost-effective technologies for manufacturing iron and steel.

The full potential of iron and steel was realized in the 19th century with the construction of many world famous structures, from the Eiffel Tower to the Statue of Liberty, using steel vertical trusses. New York's Brooklyn Bridge and San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge were also both constructed using the strength of steel supports.

The frameworks of skyscrapers today are made using steel and iron. Steel rods are buried in concrete as reinforcement, creating an incredibly strong building material. The world's tallest skyscrapers, including the 1,483 feet twin Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, are all built with steel-reinforced concrete.

Today, most steel is produced in large factories through a process called BOP, or basic oxygen process. Producing steel involves loading molten iron into a furnace along with scrap steel. A lance is lowered into the furnace to blow a jet of oxygen over the molten metal. The oxygen combines with the impurities in the metal, and they either form part of the waste slag or exit as exhaust gases. The furnace is then tilted to pour out the molten steel.

Another process uses a powerful electric current to produce the level of heat required to turn iron into steel.

To produce steel sheets, molten steel is poured into cast-iron molds to make slabs. Those are then reheated and passed between heavy rollers that squeeze them into the shape or size required, typically long, thin sheets of steel. Sometimes steel sheets are shaped into rods and bars.

Steel, already an incredibly strong and durable alloy, is made even stronger and more flexible during the rolling mill process.

Different kinds of steel include galvanized steel, which is coated with zinc, and stainless steel, made by adding chromium and nickel to the alloy.

Galvanizing steel is a method used to protect iron from rusting, which occurs when iron begins to corrode after coming into contact with damp air or oxygen-rich water. Covering the steel with a layer of zinc helps to protect the iron and extend its lifespan.

Tungsten and cobalt are also sometimes added to steel to make it harder and stronger, useful as a material for cutting tools like saws.

Steel buildings are a cost-effective and versatile option that can meet most structural requirements.