If so, you might find yourself looking around at the other steel buildings that are going up in this state, leading you to ask the question, “What steel building types are trending in California?”.
The answer actually depends on who you ask: a residential or a commercial steel building customer. This article goes through some of the reasons your customers are making their purchases to help you make a decision on your upcoming project.
The Residential Customer
A residential customer is typically buying their steel building to be used as a:
- Carport – No one likes to load or unload their vehicle while exposed to the weather. The carport option provides environmental protection for the owner and their vehicle.
- Garage – Just like the carport, but better! Besides basic weather protection, there is room to store property, and it will be secure.
- Barn – If the owner has acreage or horses, this is a no-brainer. There’s plenty of room for animals, supplies and equipment, and feed.
- RV storage – If the owner has an RV, they likely want to protect that investment from the elements, local wildlife, and prying eyes.
- On-the-property business – Owners can set up a workshop/office on the property. This can eliminate the daily grind of a commute and allow for more time spent with family.
- Family home – With steel, it’s very easy to create a one-of-a-kind, custom dream home. Simply add and arrange the prefab pods or units to suit.
Residential steel building kit buyers in California are looking for a simple, cost-effective, and a quick solution to their needs for protection, space, and security. Considering these needs, a steel building is always a smarter choice when compared to a traditional wood-framed building.
What’s more, the overall process of choosing and purchasing a steel building is very straightforward. The customer chooses the size and finish level, and then waits for the steel building to be delivered. Everything shows up at once, and nothing is left out.
Since the steel building is sold as a complete building, everything is kitted together. All the steel structural components, the exterior panels, and roof sections are in the “kit”. Any connectors, brackets, or flanges needed to finish the job are going to be on-site with the entire shipment. Also included are all the nuts, bolts, washers, and locknuts that are needed. There’s absolutely nothing else to buy.
Since all of the component sizes were determined at the factory, the assembly process goes rather quickly. All of the options such as door and window locations, roof pitch, and other available features were built into the steel building at the factory. You simply follow the manufacturers’ assembly blueprints, and the final structure is then ready for use.
The Commercial Customer in California
The commercial steel building customer has needs similar to those of a residential customer, but on a larger scale. The steel building option is the smartest choice for many commercial customers based in California, especially when the building use is:
- Warehouse
- Commercial
- Aviation
- Equestrian
- Cold Storage
- Agricultural
- Industrial
The commercial customer is looking for a flexible, affordable, and eco-friendly solution. In light of this, there are three main reasons why a steel building is superior to a wood-framed one.
1. A steel building provides virtually unlimited design options, no matter what the use of the building will be. For industrial and retail/office use, the design starts with the steel building “shell”. From there, the buyer can custom-configure the whole space to fit the needs of the tenants/occupants/designated use.
Steel has a greater span length than wood, meaningless rows of support columns are needed to support the load of the building. This translates into more usable and uninterrupted floor space, however the steel building is being used. Has anyone ever said “no” to more space?
2. Due to the prefab nature of steel buildings, even for larger projects, there are significant savings for the commercial customer. All of the engineering documents and technical drawings required for permit approval are included.
The buyer also enjoys labor savings during the construction phase, since all of the calculating and cutting has been done at the factory. Maintenance costs for a steel building are less than those of a similar wood building, saving money over the life of the building, too.
3. Steel can be recycled and used again. Maybe it will be for someone’s new car, or maybe even as another steel building. Recycling is just not an option with a wood building. The trees take years to grow back before they can be harvested and used. Steel can be completely recycled and can be made ready for reuse in just a few months.
In California, the options for steel building formats and uses abound. What will your prefabricated steel building be used for?
