For years—decades even—home owners, business owners, and developers have gone back and forth over metal buildings versus concrete buildings. Even as steel continues to grow in popularity, some builders and property owners lobby for concrete. For some, it’s merely a personal preference. For most, it’s a matter of cost and structural integrity. So, with that criteria in mind—cost and structural integrity—let’s compare metal buildings to concrete buildings.

Cost

On the surface, it may seem like metal buildings cost more than concrete buildings. By itself, steel is more expensive than concrete. However, if one were to build two identical structures—one of metal and one of concrete—the metal building would cost less.

A metal building’s simple construction method lowers its overall cost. Compared to a concrete building a metal building is far less labor-extensive. In fact, most people can assemble metal sheds and steel barns themselves.

Structural Integrity

Both metal and concrete are strong building materials. They’re both inorganic which means they won’t be subjected to rotting, fungi, termites, and mold. Steel has the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any construction material. And concrete simply does not budge. But which is better?

One aspect that separates metal buildings from concrete buildings is the flexibility of steel. For example, if you experience an earthquake, a metal building can bend and move with the quake. A concrete building, on the other hand, might crack since it’s not very flexible. Furthermore, steel is more impervious to harsh weather like hurricanes. Again, though, both materials are extremely strong.

The debate over metal buildings and concrete buildings has no end in sight. It’s likely that both metal and concrete buildings will pop up for years and years to come. But, if you’re looking at facts like cost and structural integrity, metal buildings are an affordable and durable option.

A Steel Barn Has Uses Beyond Farming

When you think of a steel barn, most likely, you think of a farm. Barns are heavily associated to farms but a barn can be used for other things. Simply, a barn is more space on your property. Single, double, and triple-sized products are available; that is a lot of space to implement onto your property. What could you do with your steel barn?

Vehicle Storage

Farmers use a steel barn to house livestock and machinery, but one can use the durably-framed product to store other things. Does your house have a garage? If not, you can use the steel barn to protect your vehicle from outside elements. Do you have more than one vehicle? Purchase a double or triple-sized steel barn to fit your needs. You pay a lot to own your vehicle; doesn’t it make sense to protect your investment?

A Workshop or Office

In addition to storing vehicles, some use a garage as a mini workshop or office. Painters, business people, metal workers and more can benefit from having space on their own property to attend to their work. Depending on the size of your house and family, you may not have the desired room in your home to focus on work. Or, it may not be safe or desirable to do work in the house due to such things as fumes or excessive noise. A steel barn is the perfect place to do just about any kind of work.

Playhouse

Children love to play, but sometimes don’t have enough space in the home or they can cause a distraction to others. A steel barn can serve as a playhouse for children. Toy chests, tables for tea parties, and even basketball nets can be established in a steel barn. A double or triple-sized barn ensures that children will have enough space to play. Building a steel barn on your property gives you the peace of mind of knowing children are safe on your property.

Choosing the right barn company to manufacture and build your barn is one of the most important aspects of getting exactly what you want for your new structure. Unless you’re looking for a generic structure, working with a barn company which can offer customized solutions will prove to be essential in terms of getting the best results. These options can include:

* Color options – A variety of color options will allow you match or blend your barn with your home or other nearby buildings.

* Style options – Like color options, style options provide the opportunity for your new barn to complement surrounding structures.

* Roof options – Roof options give you the opportunity to extend the style of the building while providing additional structural support for areas where severe weather may be present. High winds, snowfall accumulations, and ice buildup can all prove damaging to structures which aren’t prepared for them.

* Sidewall height options – These choices provided by your barn company will allow you to build a barn to your specifications and needs including accommodations for storage and other uses.    

Your barn company should be able to certify its structures when local or state regulations require it. Be sure that the company you deal with can certify wind speed as well as snow/ice load ratings with a stamp of approval from an engineer. While barns used for agricultural purposes do not require certification, not being able to provide structure certification can prove to be a big problem if local ordinances require it.

Lastly, be sure to deal with a barn company that manufactures the product and do your best to avoid retailers or dealers that operate as re-sellers of structures manufactured by others. Going directly to a manufacturer will give you better prices, a full range of customization options, and much better customer support. Dealing directly with a manufacturer can also present more financing options at a lower cost than many retailers. Manufacturers often come out with financing promotions, zero down payment options, and interest free programs which can keep your expenses at a minimum while allowing customization options to give you the barn you want.  

Carport Empire provides shipping and installation in all 48 states in the continental U.S. with great prices and a full range of customization options. To work with a barn company that can help you build the exact structure for your needs,  call (800) 985 7678.

At carport Empire we offer much more than your everyday carport. We offer the ability to customize your carport to fit your needs. Whether you are looking for a car cover or car canopy, a pole-barn or pole-building, garages, storage buildings, and pump houses, or if you are just looking for a car-port that fits your style. All of our residential carports and our commercial carports are great for protecting your investments from cars and trucks to boats, RVs and trailers from harsh weather conditions and damaging UV rays. Contact us and ask us about any deals or specials that we are currently running for any of our carports.