Home Building with Steel: The Latest Trend

Steel buildings [1] have traditionally been used for large industrial structures, as well as garages [2], sheds [3] and storage facilities.  However, metal construction [4] is increasing in popularity for smaller structures like schools, churches, retail stores and even private residential homes.

Until recently, the lack of curb appeal [5] and versatility was the reason many would not consider metal for anything other than commercial steel buildings. Today, these aspects are much more attractive and the affordability and durability are recognized and sought after.Alt=

Siding [6], brick, stucco [7] and additional options can now be used for the exterior. These options are well-insulated [8], easy to maintain and the construction time has a much smaller window than traditional options. They also cost much less than stick-built homes of the same size and quality.

Steel buildings are also extremely versatile in the framing. These can be framed to look exactly like traditional houses, or have a vast open floor plan with few interior walls. Pole construction used while building makes the walls non-load bearing, so the poles support the weight of the walls, allowing for large open spaces. These can create dramatic, wide open areas for entryways, living rooms [9] and kitchens [10] but smaller rooms [11] can be contained for bedrooms [12] and bathrooms [13]. There are also much cheaper framing costs.

Some individuals are also choosing prefabricated building kits [14] for the ease of assembly and additional cost savings. This option has the structure partially assembled when they are shipped to the lot. Since a lot of the assembly is completed at the manufacturing site, the construction is quicker and costs less.

So don’t be surprised if your cousin tells you he’s building a dream palace out of steel.  You might be tempted to picture a cold, impersonal high-rise and send him to have his head examined.  But now that you’ve heard about the latest trend in steel home building, you’ll be a little savvier in your response, and your cousin won’t have to be committed.

For more information on steel home construction, visit www.steelbuildings.org [15].