contents 1. Benefits of a Pre-Fabricated Steel Building System 2. Make Sure You are Purchasing a Quality Building 3. Before You Sign That Contract Things You Must Know 4. How to Erect a Steel Building 5. Steel buildings in earthquakes and hurricanes 6. References

They are cheaper than custom designed steel buildings because they are sold to the customer directly without commissioned salesman or new engineering costs, passing the savings along to you.

These types of pre-engineered kits are a major money saver for homeowners and small businesses because they can be erected in a few days, even by those with little construction experience. The ease in assembling these buildings yourself provides a huge savings on the cost of hiring a contractor to construct your steel building.

However, there is still a lot of work, planning and resources involved in erecting a steel building of any type. If you are considering buying and erecting a prefabricated building yourself, but are not sure if you really can do the job, please see the special section entitled, "How to Erect a Steel Building!"

Each individual building purchased comes with a detailed erection manual specifically for that building. "How to Erect a Steel Building" should give you enough general information as to the procedures and equipment involved so you can determine, ahead of time, if this is a project you can effectively undertake.

Prefabricated buildings can be ordered in many different colors and finishes, providing aesthetic appeal. Some manufacturers have hundreds of choices available. Just because they are a less costly option, they do not have to look like it! There will, however, be an added charge for adjustments such as special finishes, and additional framed openings.

No longer just for sheds and carports, steel building systems now can be used for a wide array or purposes, including: steel storage buildings, metal barns of all types, steel garages, metal shop buildings, prefab metal warehouses, churches, rec centers, and many others.

Did you know.

Steel roofing not only protects you in the case of a wildfire, but also lasts two to three times longer than traditional asphalt shingle roofs...

The advantages of purchasing a pre-fabricated building are many. Advances in the manufacturing process over the past sixty years, the properties of steel as a building material, as well as the pre-engineered nature of the buildings themselves, provide these types of buildings with significant advantages over ones made of other materials.

1. Lower Construction Costs and Shorter Construction Time -

   Cost has always been one of the main reasons for purchasing a steel building, and prefab building systems have even more cost advantages than custom designed metal buildings.

   Prefab steel building kits are specifically engineered to be straightforward and trouble-free for even a lay person to construct. As with model airplane kits, metal building kits are designed for all the various parts to fit together easily and exactly. State-of-the-art computerized design and manufacturing processes, (CAD/CAM) using automation, insure standardization of the components.

   As a result, the skill required to assemble them is considerably lower, so the purchaser/owner can accomplish the erection of the building without hiring professionals. This amounts to a substantial savings for the building owner of up to 60%!

2. Constructed much quicker than traditional buildings- so you will be using your new building that much quicker. A small one story building such as a prefab barn or metal storage system can be assembled in a few days, with the help of some willing and handy friends.

3. Minimal Maintenance Needs- Most steel buildings come with a long lasting sealant already applied to all the components to protect the steel from rust, and protect the paint job from the elements, as well as the wear and tear of normal use. A reputable steel building supplier should guarantee the paint job- even up to 20 years! A steel building is easy to clean with nothing more than mild detergent and water.

4. Lower Insurance than other types of Buildings- Steel has the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any construction material, approximately 25 times greater than wood (steel frames are actually lighter than wood). Although strong and sturdy, steel is "ductile" or slightly flexible; this combination of qualities gives steel a superior advantage to withstand extreme weather conditions including earthquakes and hurricanes. Steel is also fire retardant. Because of these factors insurance companies will insure a steel building at rates up to 40% less than a traditional wood or masonry building. This varies of course, so check with your insurance provider

5. Durability and Stability- As previously mentioned, by virtue of its superior strength, steel can withstand extreme weather conditions including blizzard, high winds, hurricanes, and even earthquakes. (For more info on earthquakes and hurricanes, see the article at the bottom of this page)

   Hazards to ordinary buildings such as fire, termites, cracks, splitting, and rotting, are no longer an issue with a steel building, adding to its maintenance free appeal. A reputable steel building manufacturer offers a structural warranty of up to 50 years! Your investment is secure from the moment you erect your steel building.

• Does the steel building come with a structural warranty? (Minimum 50 years indicates a manufacturer who stands behind their product.)
• Is there also a paint warranty? (Good quality steel buildings come with a finish that should last 20 years, with minimal maintenance.)
• Does the structure use solid I- beam construction for the columns for the sidewalls and roof rafters? (Material used should be minimum 50,000 and 36,000 psi. Some manufacturers use only 35,000 psi. yield strength material, which is not as high quality)
• What is the psi of the sheeting? (26 gauge, 80,000 psi. strength sheeting is highly resistant to dings and dents)
• Are there pre-welded clips for ease of erection? (most metal building manufacturers only supply the clips)
• Do the girts and purlins overlap for additional structural integrity? (A very important detail, especially if you live in an area with high wind, heavy snow or seismic activity.)
• Do the framed openings have C-section jambs and headers for easy installation of over-head doors
• Is the building fully trimmed at gable, corners and eaves for a more finished look and additional protection from dust and wind seepage?
• Does it come with all necessary columns, beams, rafters, girts, purling, sheeting, nuts and bolts? >li> Does the building come with cable bracing and/or portal frame and/or rack brace which will add strength and rigidity.
• Does the building come with approval drawings and building plans stamped by an engineer certified for your state?

Have your building supplier provide certified, stamped and engineered blueprints so that you can be sure your steel building is in compliance with code. Upon completion of the new building, you must schedule a walkthrough with a local building inspector.

Before signing the contract for your metal building, you must contact your local building department to verify that these codes meet or exceed your local standards (important: it is better to choose a design above your code requirements instead of below). Reputable manufacturers will not ship you a metal building that doesn't meet codes for your area!

Click here for information about building codes

When erecting your new steel barn, metal storage system or prefab building of any kind, the most important thing to remember is- SAFETY FIRST!

Safe working conditions and accident prevention practices must be the main priority on the job site. Local, state and federal health and safety standards should be followed at all times, to insure worker safety.

Jobsite safety is the joint responsibility of all involved, including owners, contractors, delivery personnel, employees and especially friends and relatives who might be assisting with the erection of the building.

Complete erection manuals come with every building. Each plan is prepared specially for that individual building and should be followed exactly as written.

Familiarize yourself and crew with these drawings prior to start-up.

Some basic precautionary measures include:

• Make sure all workers know the safest and most productive way of erecting a building. (This information will be in the "Erection Manual" supplied with the structure you have purchased.
• Make sure emergency telephone numbers, location of first aid stations and emergency procedures are readily available and known to all.
• Avoid working in weather which puts people at risk from high wind, lightning, hail, heavy rain or snow, etc. This is common sense, but the desire to quickly have the use of the finished building can sometimes override common sense.
• Use hard hats, rubber sole shoes for a good grip if working on the roof and appropriate safety gear, including nets if necessary.

Before your building arrives, the foundation should be ready, to avoid delay in assembly of the steel building itself. Most metal building manufacturers recommend that the foundation be designed by an experienced professional foundation engineer. This will insure proper design, make the actual erection of the building go a lot smoother and reduce costs. Proven construction techniques and adherence to OSHA and other local codes are highly recommended.

The importance of accurate foundation construction and anchor bolt settings cannot be overemphasized! Foundation errors and improper location of anchor bolts are the most frequent and troublesome errors made in metal building construction. The foundation must be square, level, and the anchor bolts must be in the locations as specified in the Anchor Bolt drawing provided by your steel building manufacturer.

Anchor bolts may pull loose, concrete spall (chip out along edges) may occur and equipment may crash or crack slab. Normal Portland cement should cure in at least seven days and high-early-strength concrete in at least three days. Special circumstances may require even longer curing periods!

Another thing that must be handled before the delivery of your steel building is access to the site. Obviously, the vehicle transporting your building must be able to access the site from the adjacent highway or road. This access must be prepared in advance of the truck arriving!

Any obstructions or anything in the way needs to be removed. It is helpful to either gravel or lay planks on the access route if the soil cannot sustain the heavy wheel loads.

Check the planned building site to make sure there is enough space to physically perform the tasks required to erect the building. The proximity of adjacent buildings and other obstructions can severely hinder the construction process.

The availability of any required utilities must also be considered in advance. Take note of any overhead power lines, and notify your utility company if necessary.

Unloading, checking and storing the materials are important parts of erecting your steel building. Detailed planning is required at job sites where storage space is restricted. In this case, a planned separation of materials in the order needed in the erection process is necessary to minimize the costly and time wasting double handling of materials. Manufacturer's trucks are loaded to maximize efficiency, maximize trailer weight and insure safety. When unloading them, here are some points to make the assembly of the building more efficient:

• Unload material near its usage points to minimize lifting, hauling and re-handling during assembly of the building.
• Have the necessary ramp for the truck prepared and ready to use.
• The edges of the concrete slab should be protected to minimize the danger of chipping or cracking from either truck traffic of loading materials onto the slab.
• A crane, and or forklift are required to unload the steel building off the truck, as well as for the erection itself.
• You will use the same lifting equipment to unload and to erect the structural parts. To minimize costs, as soon as the truck is unloaded, the lifting equipment should start erecting the columns and raising the assembled rafters into position.

All items received should be listed on a packing list, and as they are unloaded they should be checked off that list. This refers to all boxes, crates, bundles, and any other large components.

If, during inspection of the contents, damages or shortages of items are found, a report should be filed immediately with the driver of the carrier. If damages are evident from the exterior of containers, they should be opened and inspected thoroughly at the time of receipt.

When the boxes, crates, etc are opened following delivery, a check must be performed to determine the quantity of items received and their condition. If damages or shortages of items are found, a written claim should be sent to the carrier. If a shortage is discovered within a container, a written notice should be mailed to the manufacturer at the same time.

This is vital for your protection; if these reports or claims are not filed immediately, settlements of the issue become much more complicated and hard to resolve. A shortage that is discovered later might be caused by theft, misplacement or other causes; at this point neither the carrier nor the manufacturer will accept responsibility.

Galvanized or galvalume panel crates should always be opened and inspected for white or black rust. These materials are susceptible to damage from prolonged periods of contact with moisture while stacked together.

If there is evidence of moisture while unloading, panels need to be dried and stored out of the weather to prevent permanent discoloration. If water is allowed to remain for extended periods in bundles of primed parts the pigment will fade and the paint will gradually soften, reducing the bond to the steel.

Upon receipt of the materials, all primed parts should be stored at an angle to allow any trapped water to drain and permit air circulation for drying. Puddles of water should not be allowed to collect and remain on columns or rafters for the same reason.

Use wood blocking to elevate and slope panels in a manner that will allow moisture to drain. Cover the stacked bundles with a tarp or plastic leaving enough opening at the bottom for air to circulate.

DO NOT install any material if the quality is in question.

A lot of time and trouble can be saved if your building site is organized with a pre-arranged plan.

1. Columns and rafters are usually unloaded near their respective final positions, for speedy erection.
2. Endwalls are laid out at each end of the concrete slab with the columns near their respective anchor bolts.
3. Hardware packages should be located centrally, usually along one sidewall near the center of the building, to minimize walking distances to other parts of the slab.
4. Sheet packages are usually stored along one or both sidewalls off the ground and sloping to one end, to encourage drainage in case of rain.
5. Accessories are unloaded and stored on a corner of the slab or off the slab near one end of the building, to keep them out of the way.
6. Important- An access area through the center of the building must be left for erection equipment!!!

Tips for Safety, Cost Effectiveness and Ease in Erecting Your Building.

• The work of assembling the building can be divided into individual jobs and assigned, in proper sequence, to specific workers.
• All workers are properly trained and instructed in advance as to what they are to do and the safe way to do it. This eliminates time wasted waiting around to be told what to do next.
• As many parts as can safely be raised in a single lift should be bolted together in sub-assemblies on the ground, (where the assembly work is faster and safer) requiring fewer lifts and fewer connections needing to be made in the air.
• Start erecting the steel framework at one end and continue bay by bay to the other end of the building.
• Tools and equipment are industrial rated, professional quality, and available in sufficient quantity. Experience shows that lighter duty tools, although cheaper, will not hold up satisfactorily and in the long run will cost more, not only in repairs but in lost time.

NOTE: Improper tool usage results in injury! All tools should be OSHA approved for commercial construction use.

Your specific erection manual will contain a complete list of all necessary tools and equipment. It will also contain step by step instructions and diagrams, showing you exactly what to do first, and how to proceed for easy assembly.

Click here for illustrations of building assembly.

Investigations of earthquakes have helped us learn how metal buildings actually perform in seismic events and if any improvements can be made to enhance their performance.

Here are the some of the results of studies of metal building performance during three major earthquakes:

1. Coalinga, California May 2, 1983, at 4:42 p.m.
   Earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale
   The epicenter was approximately nine miles north-northeast of Coalinga.

   The earthquake devastated the city's central business district, which was quite old and built mainly of un-reinforced brick masonry. A survey done after the earthquake included the investigation of 37 metal buildings.

   The survey stated:
   "There was no visible damage to any moment frame, but one building had a broken rod and one had a broken cable [brace]."

2. Loma Prieta, California
   October 17, 1989, at 5:04 p.m.
   Earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale

   The cities of Hollister, Watsonville, Gilroy, and Soquel were surveyed to ascertain the performance of metal buildings during the earthquake. These cities ranged from eight to 40 miles from the earthquake epicenter.

   The survey concluded: "Metal building systems performed very well during this 7.1 magnitude earthquake. The building tenants and owners were very pleased with the performance of their buildings. The bracing systems of the metal building systems performed very well, even with heavily loaded mezzanines."

3. Northridge, California
   Monday, January 17, 1994, at 4:31 a.m.
   Earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale.

   This particular quake was a "shallow-origin, thrust-fault seismological event" that produced very high ground movements. J. R. Miller and Associates made an independent observation of nine metal buildings in the effected area.

   Their report stated: "In general, the metal buildings performed extremely well. In most cases, the buildings could be occupied as soon as utility service was restored. In all the observed buildings, the bolted moment end plate connections appear to have behaved in a ductile (flexible) manner and remained intact when subjected to the strong ground motion of the earthquake."

   The U.S. Government gives metal building construction the thumbs up as well in regard to seismic activity. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) 267 Interim Guidelines state: "light, single-story (metal) frame structures, the design of which are predominated by wind loads, have performed well in past earthquakes and may continue to be designed using conventional approaches, regardless of the seismic zone they are located in."

   Although metal buildings, on the whole, have performed satisfactorily during quakes in the past, the steel building industry is moving forward with plans to strengthen metal structures' ability to more fully and completely survive these types of events.

   The Metal Building Manufacturer's Association (MBMA) is sponsoring a two to three year research study to explore how the performance of metal buildings in seismic events can be improved upon even further.

   The combination of this new research, plus data already compiled on the performance of metal buildings, will confirm steel building construction as the preferred choice for low rise commercial building in areas prone to high (or any) seismic activity.

   The results of this research will undoubtedly lead to upgrades and changes in manufacturing specs and building codes to enhance this already outstanding construction option.

   Hurricanes

   If you live in a hurricane area, you will want to know about the stability of metal buildings in high winds. Metal roofs have been proven over time to remain intact during even the most extreme weather. Steel buildings are designed to meet local building code requirements for specific areas- if you live in an area that gets hurricanes, the building you purchase should be designed to have the strength to survive most hurricanes fully intact.

   After Hurricane Katrina devastated Louisiana and Mississippi last year, a survey team of industry experts inspected many of the damaged areas and reported that metal buildings held up extremely well, overall. Of course, anything can happen, and it would be impossible to guarantee a building against the unpredictable forces of nature, but metal buildings' track records prove them to be an optimal choice for areas prone to hurricanes and tropical storms.

Metal Building Manufacturers Association, "Seismic Design and Performance of Metal Buildings" by W. Lee Shoemaker, P.E., Ph.D. March 31, 2006 http://www.mbma.com/display.cfm?p=37&pp=3&i=87

Metal Building Manufacturer's Association, Rural Building Magazine; December, 2006 http://www.mbma.com/display.cfm?p=37&pp=3&i=120

Steel Building Buyers Guide, BuildingsGuide.com Online Inc. http://www.buildingsguide.com/buyers-guide/steel-buildings-buyers-guide-2.html

Quickie Building Systems http://www.quickiebuildings.com

The Steel Recycling Institute http://www.recycle-steel.org/