Rhino Steel Buildings Blog
177 Commercial Uses for Pre-Engineered Steel Buildings
I have discussed in earlier blogs the many benefits provided by pre-engineered commercial steel buildings. (See “Why You Should Buy a Prefab Steel Buildings.”)
I also covered “The Amazing Versatility of Pre-Engineered Steel Buildings” in a recent article. Check out this list of low-rise commercial applications for prefab metal buildings.
Commercial Aviation Buildings• Aircraft Hangars
• Corporate Offices
• Helicopter Hangars
• Maintenance and Repair Buildings
• Multi-Purpose Structures
• Private Jet Terminals
• Shade Structures
Commercial Retail Applications• “Big-Box” Warehouse-Style Retailers
• Advertising Specialty Shops
• Antique Stores
• Appliance Stores
• Art, Hobby, and Craft Stores
• Auto Parts Stores
• Banks or Savings and Loans
• Banquet Halls
• Barber Shops and Beauty Salons
• Beauty Supply Stores
• Book Stores
• Boutiques
• Carpet Stores
• Clothing Stores
• Computer Stores
• Convenience Stores
• Dance Studios
• Daycare/Childcare Centers
• Discount Stores
• Dollar Stores
• Dry Cleaners
• Electronics Stores
• Fitness Centers
• Florists
• Funeral Homes
• Furniture Stores
• Garden Shops
• General Merchandise Stores
• Gift Shops
• Hardware Stores
• Healthcare Facilities
• Home Improvement Stores
• Jewelry Stores
• Lumberyards
• Mail/Package Services
• Mailbox Rental Services
• Medical Supply Stores
• Nurseries
• Office Supply Stores
• Outlet Stores
• Paint Stores
• Pet Grooming Facilities
• Pet Stores
• Pharmacies
• Plumbing Stores
• Printing Companies
• Rent-to-Own Stores
• Spas
• Strip Mall Centers
• Technical or Training Schools
• Theaters
• Tire Stores
• Wedding Chapels
Commercial Food Service Businesses• Bakeries
• Banquet Facilities
• Bars
• Bistro
• Cafeterias
• Caterers
• Donut Shops
• Fast Food Restaurants
• Grills
• Health Food Stores
• Meat Packing Plants
• Pizzerias
• Produce Markets
• Restaurants
• Sandwich Shops
• Supermarkets
• Taverns
Commercial Office Buildings• Accounting/Bookkeeping/Tax Offices
• Advertising Firms
• Architectural Firms
• Bail Bondsmen
• Blood Banks
• Builder and Contractor Offices
• Commercial Rental Properties
• Corporate Administrative Offices
• Dental Offices
• Graphic Design Services
• Insurance Offices
• Interior Decorator Offices
• Investment Brokerages
• Law Offices
• Medical and Physician Offices
• Medical Clinics
• Medical Diagnostic Centers
• Party and Event Planners
• Photographer Studios
• Real Estate Offices
• Sales Offices
• Security Companies
• Sports Injury Treatment Centers
• Treatment Centers
• Veterinarian Offices
• Wedding Consultants
Commercial Recreational Buildings• Arcades
• Ballroom and Dance facilities
• Banquet Halls
• Baseball Batting Cages
• Bowling Alleys
• Campground Buildings
• Concession Stands
• Event Centers
• Gyms and Health Clubs
• Ice Rinks
• Indoor Basketball Courts
• Indoor Golf Driving Ranges
• Indoor Handball or Tennis Courts
• Indoor or Covered Riding Arenas
• Indoor Paintball Arenas
• Indoor Rock Climbing Facilities
• Indoor Swimming Pools
• Indoor Volleyball Courts
• Locker Rooms
• Meeting Rooms
• Mixed-Use Recreational Facilities
• Multi-Function Sports Facilities
• Outdoor Pavilions
• Professional Athlete Training and Practice Facilities
• Recreation Centers
• School Gymnasium and Athlete Training Facilities
• Skateboard Centers
• Youth Activity Centers
Commercial Service Industry Shops• Air Conditioning/Heating Services
• Appliance Services
• Cabinet Makers
• Carpet Cleaners
• Computer Repair Services
• Electrical Contractors
• Fencing Contractors
• Glass and Window Repair Services
• Landscaping Services
• Locksmith Services
• Metal … Read more »
The Many Faces of Commercial Steel Buildings
Versatility and Pre-engineered Metal Buildings
Some people expect pre-engineered commercial steel buildings constructed to all look like a barn. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Beautiful, Functional, Durable Commercial Steel Buildings
Many of the commercial businesses you frequent are probably framed with a metal building system without you even knowing it.
Prefabricated commercial steel buildings can be finished in any exterior building material. Use brick, stone, stucco, glass, aggregate panels, concrete, block, rustic wood, or colorful steel panels, to achieve the “look” that is right for your business enterprise.
Planning to open a Texas-style barbeque restaurant with a cedar façade, or a Mexican restaurant with a southwestern stucco exterior? Need a professional-looking brick building for offices or a medical clinic? Would a stone façade best blend in with the neighborhood where your church plans to build its new sanctuary? Does the motorcycle showroom for your new dealership require lots of glass show windows? A versatile prefab steel building system works every time.
Commercial Steel Buildings: The Bottom LineCommercial investors love the affordability of factory-produced metal buildings.
Premium prefab steel buildings go up faster, last longer, protect better, require less maintenance, age slower, and often rate discounted insurance.
Prefabricated metal building systems erect much faster than labor-intensive wood or galvanized steel buildings— reducing construction costs. Well-insulated steel buildings cut energy output, saving even more on long-term operations.
Step Up to SteelWhether you are planning a million-square-foot manufacturing facility, an upscale restaurant, a fire station, a commercial aircraft hangar, a mini-storage facility, an equestrian center, a retail operation, an office building, or any other commercial enterprise, consider using a RHINO metal building.
RHINO steel building systems … Read more »
Saving Energy with Commercial Metal Buildings
How Better Insulation Dramatically Improves Energy Bills
Non-residential structures constructed with pre-engineered commercial metal buildings can reap huge energy savings— with the right insulation package. In fact, commercial steel buildings provide decades of energy savings if insulated properly.
Deeper Wall Cavities in Commercial Metal Buildings
Insulation packages for commercial metal buildings are environmentally “green.” Investing in premium-grade insulation saves natural resources— and the greenbacks of the property owners.
The walls of pre-engineered metal buildings are by design deeper than ordinary 2×4 wood-framed walls. Installing thicker insulation significantly reduces cooling and heating costs.
RHINO insulation packages range up to R-30 for walls and up to R-40 for roofs. The higher the R-value of the insulation chosen, the greater the energy savings.
Completely filling the cavities— without compressing the insulation— provides optimum energy savings. The insulation in a RHINO wall or roof is not compressed, so nearly the full R-value is realized.
Pro-Value Insulation Slashes Energy ConsumptionRHINO’s Pro-Value Insulation Package delivers maximum energy efficiency, reducing energy expenditures. Customers who chose Pro-Value insulation for their metal building projects report utility bills running as much as 50% cheaper than expected.
Durable, washable vapor barriers available in the Pro-Value insulation package are 300% stronger than the flimsy VRP facing provided by many metal building companies.
In addition, Pro-Value insulation seals around the eave strut with closure strips and mastic included with the RHINO package, for even greater energy efficiency.
See the RHINO insulation web page for details.
Cool-Coated Roof Panels— an Additional Way to SaveRHINO also offer optional reflective cool-coated steel roof panels. These highly reflective panels work particularly well in locations with extreme summer … Read more »
Go Green with a Pre-engineered Metal Building
How Red-Iron Steel Building Systems Help Save the Environment
A pre-engineered metal building uses the most recycled substance in the world: steel.
For the environmentally conscious, using steel to frame a commercial building is a no-brainer.
Using a Pre-engineered Metal Building Saves Trees
For example, let’s say you are planning an 80’ x 125’ single-story commercial building. The structure would require 200-250 trees to produce the lumber for the framing. That is about five acres of forest, sacrificed for just one commercial building.
The same 10,000 square foot building could be framed with the steel recycled from about 30 scrapped automobiles.
Which would you prefer to leave on the landscape: five acres of natural woodlands sucking up carbon dioxide and replenishing our atmosphere with oxygen— or 30 old crushed cars?
A Pre-engineered Metal Building is RenewableWhat about renewability? Can’t you just plant more trees?
Yes, of course you can. Then you can wait… and wait… and wait.
It takes a Douglas Fir 80-125 years to reach only 18” in diameter. The Longleaf Pine requires 100-150 years to grow to full maturity. Even the fast-growth trees need 30-35 years of growth before harvesting for lumber.
Yet steel producers manufacture a ton of recycled steel in only 5.3 man-hours.
Current demand means trees must be harvested long before reaching full maturity. Immature trees produce less dimensionally stable lumber.
Steel has a ready supply of scrapped steel from old cans, cars, bridges, buildings, ships, appliances, railroad cars, and the like, which can be recycled again and again to make more steel— without losing any integral properties or strength.
For example, the steel industry recycles over 19 million metal cans every year— 600 cans a second!
Prefabricated Metal Buildings: … Read more »Building Green with Commercial Steel Buildings
Pre-engineered Steel Buildings: The Eco- Friendly Choice
Did you know pre-engineered commercial steel buildings help protect the environment?
Today American commercial builders and investors place great importance on using “green” sustainable building materials. According to one Gallup Poll, 73% of Americans admit being concerned about the environment.
But is steel a green, sustainable building material? You bet it is.
Commercial Steel Buildings and Recycling
Steel is the most recycled material in the entire world.
The Steel Recycling Institute reports 82 million tons of steel scrap were recycled in 2011— more than plastic, glass, aluminum, and paper all combined. Every ton of recycled steel saves 2,500 pounds of iron ore, 1,400 pounds of coal, and 120 pounds of limestone— while also conserving precious landfill space.
One of the reasons for the incredible success of steel recycling is that its magnetic qualities make it economical simple to separate from the solid waste stream with large electromagnets.
The steel industry is no Johnny-come-lately to the recycling bandwagon. North American steel makers have been recycling for over 170 years. Many steel recycling companies have been in business over 100 years.
New steel actually requires recycled steel for production.
No Loss of Properties with Recycled SteelRemarkably, steel can be recycled endlessly without losing any inherent strength. Steel is recycled over and over and over— without changing its properties. What other recycled material can make that boast?
Steel is stronger, lasts longer—and at the end of the building’s life it is 100% recyclable.
Producing steel with recycled scrap also takes a lot less energy to produce. Using recycled steel reduces mining waste by 97%, air pollution by 86%, and water pollution by as much as 76%.
RHINO’s Recycled SteelRHINO’s 100% American-made steel framing … Read more »
Pre-engineered Commercial Steel Buildings
Greater Protection from the Elements
The strength of steel delivers many benefits for the commercial market. Pre-engineered commercial steel buildings deliver excellent defense from the elements.
The Strength of Pre-engineered Commercial Steel Buildings
A steel-framed building is stronger than conventional wood framing. It offers greater protection from hurricane-forced winds, heavy snows, and earthquakes.
Steel conducts electricity much better than wood. A properly grounded commercial steel building resists lightning damage, as the current passes harmlessly into the ground.
An inorganic material, steel does not attract termites, vermin, or mold like organic wood products.
Fire-Resistant Pre-engineered Commercial Steel BuildingsNon-combustible, steel framing guards against fire damages.
Framing is the third mostly likely place for a fire to ignite in a building, so steel framing reduces the likelihood of fire over combustible wood framing. If a fire starts elsewhere in the building, the steel framing does not feed the fire like wood.
Consequently, it is often possible to get reduced insurance rates for commercial steel buildings.
Pre-engineered Commercial Steel Buildings Retain Beauty and ValuePrefabricated metal buildings are extremely durable. Steel resists decay better than any other building material. Steel buildings last longer and age better than ordinary wood-framed structures.
Dimensionally stable, steel does not change shape with humidity changes like wood.
Wood expands and contracts along its width, depth, and length—each at different rates— with changes in moisture. This causes the wood to bend, twist, warp, split, and shift in a process builders call “creep.”
With the constant movement, a wood frame becomes looser over time. Nails work out. Windows and doors no longer close as they should. Eaves and … Read more »
The Clearspan Advantage of Pre-engineered Commercial Steel Buildings
Wide Open Spaces for Floor Plan Flexibility
Steel has the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any building material. Consequently, pre-engineered commercial steel buildings allow much wider, unobstructed interior areas for commercial building projects.
How Clearspan Floor Space Enhances Commercial Steel Buildings
This ability to span long distances without interior support columns is called “clearspan.”
Clearspan steel framing supports the load of its own weight without the need to “prop up” the framing with load-bearing interior walls.
RHINO prefabricated steel buildings are capable of spanning up to 150’ wide on a standard quote. Open spans up to 200’ are possible with a custom order.
Design Flexibility for Commercial Steel BuildingsNot only does this clearspan ability work well for commercial operations which necessitate large open areas, it also permits greater interior design flexibility. For example, even though an office building might not require open and unobstructed space, the clearspan capabilities of steel framing make designing the floorplan much simpler.
The sheer size of many commercial applications demands steel framing and clearspan designing.
Large, unimpeded space works well for:
- Auto dealerships
- Churches
- Fire stations
- Fitness centers
- Health care facilities
- Larger restaurants
- Libraries
- Manufacturing facilities
- Recreational buildings
- Retail centers
- Sports arenas
- Strip malls
- Theaters
- Warehouses
Aircraft hangars definitely require the clearspan space afforded by pre-engineered steel buildings. Agricultural buildings for large farming equipment, commercial indoor horse riding arenas, and sports arenas also rely on the strength of steel to provide unobstructed floor space.
Changing the floorplan later is also much easier with a prefabricated steel building. … Read more »
How Cool Metal Roofing on Steel Buildings Saves the Environment
In the first article in this two part series, we discussed the ways cool metal roofing saves money on utility bills. However, cool-coated steel roofing also powerfully impacts the environment.
Cool Metal Roofing on Steel Buildings: Not a Black or White IssueWe have always known a white roof is cooler than a dark roof, regardless of the roofing material. Just as you are cooler in the summer if you wear white clothing rather than black, white roofing reflects more heat.
However, many people don’t realize just how much temperature difference a darker-colored roof can make.
On a 90-degree Fahrenheit summer day, the surface of a white roof may reach 110 degrees. On the same balmy day, a structure with a black roof generates a surface temperature of 190 degrees!
But let’s face it— white roofing lacks pop or pizazz.
With cool coating, roofing reflects the heat away from the building, without forfeiting color selection. RHINO’s cool-coated metal roofing allows you to choose from a wide array of sixteen eye-catching colors. We also offer cool-coated exterior wall panels in a dozen dazzling, vibrant shades.
Cool Metal Roofing: A “Green” Building Product
Buildings devour two-thirds of all electricity used in the U.S. Widespread use of cool-coated steel roofing could drastically cut that appalling statistic.
A cool roof panel wears a baked-on finish of highly reflective infrared paint. It not only reflects sunlight, it also cools itself by emitting radiation away from the roof surface. Since this makes the building absorb less heat, energy consumption in hot weather decreases.
In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports during the peak of summer, the surface temperature … Read more »
How Cool Metal Roofing Saves Money on Pre-engineered Steel Buildings
More and more people now choose cool-coating steel roof panels to top their pre-engineered steel buildings. In fact, cool metal roofing products today account for 25%-30% of all steel roofing sales.
What Is Cool Metal Roofing?
A relatively new technology, “cool coating” allows steel roof panels to reflect 40%-50% of heat away from the building and back into the atmosphere.
Discovered as a result of the military’s coatings developed for stealth aircraft, this infrared (IR) reflectivity innovation creates a practical way to save money— and our planet— by drastically reducing energy consumption.
Saving Money with Cool Metal RoofingSo how much can you save on utility bills with a cool-coated metal roof?
Savings vary, of course, depending on location. Metal Construction News reports cool-coated roofing saves on average 7%- 15% on overall utilities.
One California study concluded cool roofing generated about 50 cents of annual net savings per square foot. Another study in Georgia tracked two almost identical 90,000 square foot school buildings in two neighboring school districts. One had a standing seam metal roof, the other a cool-coated steel roof. The cool roof reaped an $8,800 energy savings the first year alone.
Lower interior temperatures also mean less wear and tear on air conditioning, extending the life of the cooling units. (It might even reduce the size of the cooling unit needed.)
Reflectivity expands the life expectancy of the roof itself, too. Since the surface of the roof is so much cooler, there is far less expansions and contraction as the temperature changes throughout the day. The roof lasts years longer, reducing maintenance costs.
RHINO Products that Save MoneyAdding RHINO’s top-of-the-line Pro-Value … Read more »
Exterior Panels for Pre-engineered Steel Buildings
Understanding Steel Roof and Wall Panel Metal Building Options
Long-lasting and durable exterior steel panels adorn most pre-engineered steel buildings. Although commercial steel buildings can be finished in other building materials for a distinctive appearance, most metal building buyers still opt for steel panels.
A far cry from the old “tin” sheets of your grandpa’s day, the strong steel panels used on modern pre-engineered steel buildings provide durable protection and lasting beauty for decades of service.
RHINO steel buildings include 26-gauge steel purlin bearing rib (PBR) panels, which install quickly and easily.
To safeguard the steel from the elements, Galvalume® coats each panel. An aluminum and zinc alloy, Galvalume® assures maximum protection from rust and corrosion. An attractive color is baked over the Galvalume® coating, doubling the protection. Available in eight vibrant hues, the color-coated PBR panels boasts a 30-year guarantee.
PBR wall and roof panels attach easily to the steel framing with self-drilling screws. The cast zinc-head screws include a durable, weather-resistant EPDM washer for a watertight seal. Manufactured to resist rust, ultraviolet damage, or ozone-induced deterioration, the screws and washers promise years of trouble-free maintenance.
Unlike many of our competitors, RHINO’s PBR steel roof panels overlap the adjoining panel fully, providing an extra 1-1/4” of steel contact. That creates a stronger, more leak-resistant connection than old-fashioned “R” panels.
Builders in coastal regions with salt spray— and areas with a corrosive environment or acid rain— should select a steel panel with a Kynar® -coated silicon, polyester, and resin finish.
Optional Exterior Panels for Pre-engineered Steel BuildingsIf preferred, … Read more »
Why Pre-engineered Steel Commercial Buildings Dominate the Market
Today, builders frame all superstructures like high-rise apartments, bridges, and multi-storied office buildings with steel. Those huge, gigantic edifices would not be possible without the superior strength of steel. Steel commercial buildings lead the low-rise, one and two-story market, too.
According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, about 170,000 new commercial buildings are constructed each year. Steel framing accounts for 70%-80% of those buildings.
Smart commercial builders choose pre-engineered commercial buildings to save time and money during construction:
- Steel is stronger, so it requires far fewer pieces to erect a much sturdier frame than wood.
- Framing pieces prefabricated at the factory require no cutting or welding at the job site.
- Every steel framing piece is consistent in quality and strength, without the grade variations of lumber.
- There is no need to cull out “bad” pieces, reducing waste.
- Each steel framing member is marked for easy identification.
- All the framing connects quickly and easily with high-strength bolts and screws.
- Steel will not warp, shift, split, or crack over time like lumber does, saving on costly callbacks and repairs.
Shrewd commercial businesspeople and property investors appreciate the long-term savings provided by steel buildings:
- Inorganic steel does not support mold or fungi growth.
- Steel does not attract termites or vermin like wood.
- Steel framing will not ignite, nor add fuel to a fire like wood framing.
- Since steel is a commercial-grade, fire-resistant building material, it often earns lower insurance rates than wood structures.
- The deeper wall cavities of steel buildings allow the use of thicker, more energy-efficient insulation, saving as much as 50% on utilities.
- Thicker insulation greatly reduces outside noise from penetrating inside the building.
- Prefabricated steel buildings … Read more »
The Benefits of a Metal Building System
The Faster Way to Get Commercial Projects Up and Running
A pre-engineered metal building system brings substantial benefits to the commercial market. The speedier construction time probably matters most to business owners and commercial property investors.
The faster a commercial building is constructed, the less the labor costs— and the quicker the enterprise opens for business to start generating profits.
A metal building system erects much faster than traditional construction because it requires far fewer pieces. The superior strength of steel means using less material to create a stronger, sturdier structure.
Typically, a metal building system’s primary frames are spaced 20-25 feet apart. Wood frame studs, on the other hand, are spaced 16-24 inches apart.
A Metal Building System Means Less Work at the Job SiteThe factory fabricates each piece of the metal building kit to a precise size and gauge. Each framing member fits into a pre-determined spot in the framing. Framing components arrive already cut, welded, and punched.
Sorting lumber and sawing wood to length slows construction. Pre-engineered metal building kits arrive clearly marked and ready for step-by step assembly.
Erecting a metal building system is much like using a life-sized erector set. The primary steel framing components quickly bolt together. The secondary framing and steel panels attach with self-drilling screws. What could be simpler?
A Metal Building System Reduces Construction Time by 35%-50%Depending on the size of the crew, the framing for a modest 2,500 square foot metal building goes up in about three days. A 6,000 square foot structure would take about … Read more »
What is a Metal Building System?
An Investment in Quality
Soaring high-rise structures like towering skyscrapers come to mind when most people hear the term “commercial buildings.” However, 90% of all commercial buildings contain only one or two stories and less than 25,000 square feet. More and more budget-minded, quality-conscious investors find a pre-engineered metal building system works best for low-rise commercial buildings.
The metal building industry sells over 40,000 metal building kits per year, according to Metal Construction News. Only about 50% of sales are over 20,000 square feet.
With a metal building system, you get just that— a system. A pre-engineered metal building systems includes four different types of steel framing designed to work together.
Typically steel “red-iron” wall columns and ceiling pieces attach to form a single frame in the primary system. The secondary framing connects across the bays with self-drilling screws for lateral support. The third part of the metal building system is the endwall framing.
Steel wall and roof panels made of corrosion-resistant Galvalume® complete the metal building system, creating the exterior “skin” of the structure. Commercial buildings constructed with a metal building system may be finished with any typical building material to achieve the “look” the customer requires. Brick, stone, glass, block, tilt-up concrete, or even wood make attractive exteriors for commercial buildings.
The RHINO Metal Building SystemThousands of RHINO prefabricated commercial steel buildings now stand across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.
Our customers honor us with their return business, as well as awarding RHINO with their enthusiastic referrals to other … Read more »
How Pre-engineered Metal Buildings Resist Lightning Damage
There are 1,800 Thunderstorms in Progress at this Moment
Lightning dances across the sky in jagged bolts. Both beautiful and deadly, lightning flashes out with awesome power, potentially causing massive property damage, debilitating injuries, and even death. The prudent take lightning precautions by building metal buildings.
Well-Grounded Metal Buildings Are Safer from Lightning
Did you know lightning causes more damage each year than hurricanes and tornadoes combined? Lightning is the second greatest cause of weather-related deaths in the U.S.
When lightning hits a nearby object, side flashes shock anything or anyone in the area. Lighting can kill up to 130 feet away from the initially strikes.
According to the Lightning Protection Institute, a properly grounded steel structure is highly unlikely to suffer lightning damage, while a wood-framed house with a wood roof is at greatest risk.
Why?
One flash of lightning can be up to five times hotter than the surface of the sun. Anything containing moisture like wood or concrete can explode when struck by lightning.
Steel conducts electricity much better than wood. In a properly grounded metal building, lightning passes harmlessly into the ground. A poor electrical conductor, wood offers so much resistance to lightning that electricity often flashes out to harm nearby objects or people. (That is why it is so dangerous to stand beneath a tree during a storm.)
Wood is also vulnerable to fire. Lightning easily ignites a fire in wood framing— and the wood continues contributing fuel to the fire after it starts.
Frightening Lightning Statistics:- There are 25 million lightning flashes a year in the U.S.
- 16 million storms occur worldwide each year.
- There are 1,800 thunderstorms in progress on Earth at any given time.
- The rapid expansion of the heated air is what … Read more »
Did You Know the White House is a Steel Building?
Renovating the American White House with the Strength of Steel
Recent action-packed movie blockbusters like “Olympus Has Fallen” and “White House Down” made me curious about the construction of the White House. After 30-plus years in of the steel building business, it was no surprise to me to learn the White House is a type of steel building.
However, it did not start out as a steel building.
Construction on the White House began in 1792. It took eight years to complete. Every president since John Adams has resided in the White House. It was the largest house in the country until after the Civil War.
Originally built with a timber frame, the structural integrity of the White House gradually deteriorated over the years. Sawing and drilling into the wooden beams for plumbing and electrical remodeling weakened the structure over time. The addition of a third floor and a steel roof in 1927 further stressed the framing.
By Harry Truman’s presidency, the White House was quite literally falling apart. The floors swayed in places. The bathtub in the president’s bathroom began sinking into the floor. In the East Room, plaster sagged as much as a foot-and-a-half. A piano leg broke through the rotting flooring.
In 1948, engineers declared the White House structurally unsound. They believed it in imminent danger of total collapse.
To avoid complete demolition and rebuilding, there was only one way to save the White House: steel.
Gutting the structure to the exterior brick walls, builders created a hollow shell. … Read more »
Comparing Pre-engineered Steel Building Costs
How Extreme Building Codes Affect Your Metal Building Bottom Line
Location must be addressed when engineering a prefabricated steel building. Local building codes designed to mitigate risk in a natural disaster influence the final building product.
For example, in coastal areas where hurricane-force winds are likely, local building codes will require a higher wind load. The seismic load must increases in earthquake-prone regions. Areas with large amounts of snow require stronger snow loads.
Higher loads may require more steel, heavier gauge steel, or increased bracing, all of which impact pricing.
One Steel Building Priced at Four Locations(Pricing as of April 2013)
To give you a better idea how costs change at various locations, I have priced the same 60’ x 100’ x 12’ RHINO steel building for four specific cities across the U.S. These quotes include Galvalume® 26-gauge purlin-bearing rib (PBR) roof panels and sidewall panels in your choice of colors. It also includes a 10’ x 10’ opening and the other standard features in every RHINO steel building package. (It does not include freight, framing erection, or foundation.)
As you can see, each city’s building codes require different loads.
- Dallas, TX— $22,995. 5 Ground Snow Load, 90 MPH Wind Load, Exposure B
- San Francisco, CA— $23,204. 0 Ground Snow Load, 85 MPH Wind Load, Exposure C, Seismic 4
- Tampa, FL— $24,989. 0 Ground Snow Load, 140 MPH Wind Load, Exposure C
- Gouverneur, NY— $29,801. 70 Ground Snow Load, 90 MPH Wind Load, Exposure B
(For estimates on concrete and framing erection, see our earlier blog “How Much Does a Pre-engineered Metal Building Cost?”)
Get a RHINO Steel Building Quote NowFor a fast, free estimate on a RHINO steel building for … Read more »
Building Codes and Pre-engineered Metal Buildings
How Recent Natural Disasters Affect Steel Building Construction
We’ve all watched in awe as natural disasters strike with increasing frequency and violence. Blizzards, hurricanes, floods, lightning, tornado outbreaks, wildfires, and earthquakes dominate the news. Property damages often run into billions of dollars. Homes, and buildings for agriculture, commercial enterprises, and industrial businesses, must be ready to face the increasing risks. RHINO prefabricated metal buildings stand ready to meet the challenges.
Building Codes for Structures— Including Metal Buildings
Building codes were created with a noble ambition— to prevent death, injury, and major property damage caused by inferior construction.
Until a few years ago, there were three different building codes across the U.S.— the National Building Code (NBC), the Standard Building Code (SBC), and the Uniform Building Code (UBC). In 1994, the nonprofit, nongovernmental International Code Council (ICC) formed to propose an International Building Code (IBC) to strengthen and simplify the building design process.
States and municipalities generally adopt the IBC suggested for their area, but may also amend it for their region. They have to weigh the likelihood of natural disasters for a given area against building costs, balancing safety and affordability.
However, the rules of the game inevitably toughen after multi-billion dollar disasters like Hurricane Andrew, Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy.
Engineers once designed structures to survive a “hundred-year storm.” Extreme weather patterns over the past three decades make that benchmark inadequate. Across the country, building codes are slowly but surely changing to reflect the need for stronger structures in new construction.
The insurance industry drives most building code modifications. It is about the bottom line. As more major disasters occur, insurance companies find themselves paying out more and … Read more »
How Much Does a Pre-engineered Metal Building Cost?
Answering the One Question Everyone Asks About Steel Buildings
The question asked most often at RHINO Steel Buildings is, “How much does a metal building cost?” Unfortunately, that’s like asking, “How long is a piece of string?”
There are so many variables for a prefabricated metal building. Here are just a few of the elements determining the final cost of a building project:
- Building codes for your area
- Clearspan framing
- Complexity of the design
- Exterior finishing materials
- Foundation requirements for end use of the building
- Foundation requirements for specific locale
- Insulation package
- Local labor costs
- Maximum occupancy of the building
- Metal building accessories added
- Number and size of door, window, and openings
- Price of steel and other building materials at the time of the order
- Rental equipment needed for framing erection
- Roofline shape
- Shipping charges for delivery to the jobsite
- Site conditions
- Weather conditions impacting the construction schedule
- Width, length, and eave height
- Wind, snow, and seismic loads for your region
- Zoning restrictions
With so many variables, arriving at a price without quoting a specific building at a given location boggles the mind.
Approximate Pricing for a Metal BuildingThat being said, here are a few “ballpark” price ranges for some of the expenses involved in a metal building project.
Please keep in mind that these are general guidelines. Costs vary greatly from place to place, project to project, and even time to time, as material prices fluctuate.
The following estimates are based on a typical 5,000 sq. ft. standard RHINO metal building. The price includes two overhead doors, one 3070 walk-in door, insulation, Letter of Certification, engineer-stamped plans, and freight to the jobsite from our nearest manufacturing plant.
- $7.50-$8.50 per sq. ft. for a prefabricated metal … Read more »
Standard or Custom Steel Buildings?
The Choice that Makes a Big Difference in Metal Building Costs
All the steel building Web sites and brochures talk about standard steel buildings and custom steel buildings. What do those terms really mean?
Standard versus Custom Steel Buildings
At RHINO, a “standard” order is a basic box design with a moderate gable or single slope roofline up to a 4:12 pitch and with an 8’ to 40’ height.
A design classified as a “custom” requires unusual or more complicated engineering.
For example, a custom order could be any architectural design with a complex roofline, a high pitch gable or slope roof, or a hip roof. Extreme point loads, mezzanines, clearspan designs over 150’, and eave heights over 40’ normally require custom designing.
Sounds simple, doesn’t it. But that’s not the whole story.
Customized-Standard RHINO Steel BuildingsRHINO offers many economical add-on options to “customize” your standard building. These options give you the freedom to maximize your metal building— without additional engineering expense:
- Various canopy/overhang configurations
- 26-gauge “A” panels
- 26-gauge PBR panels
- Heavier 24-gauge standing seam steel panels
- Highly reflective cool-coated panels
- Liner panels and partitions
- Choice of colors for steel panels and trim
- Energy-efficient “Pro-Value” insulation package
- Framed openings
- Overhead doors
- Walk-in doors
- Windows
- Gutters and downspouts
- Skylights and wall lights
- Vents
There are two advantages to remaining within the standard or customized-standard parameters. Today high-tech software engineers basic buildings quickly and efficiently. That means you get your steel building at (1) the best possible … Read more »
A Steel Storage Building to the Rescue
How a Steel Warehouse Survived the San Francisco Earthquake
After spending most of my adult life in the pre-engineered steel building business, I am always intrigued by the history of steel structures. Recently I encountered a fascinating story about a steel storage building built in 1906.
The great San Francisco earthquake struck on April 18, 1906. Estimated by modern seismologists to have measured between 7.7 and 8.2 on today’s Richter Scale, the earthquake reduced the busy metropolis to rubble. In less than a minute, the city lay in ruins.
Fires ignited by the quake burned for three days, destroying nearly 500 city blocks. An estimated 3,000 people died. Four thousand were left homeless.
A Steel Storage Building that Stood Up to the EarthquakeNearing completion when the quake hit, the new Bekins Storage Warehouse suffered only minimal damage. Although the brick facade cracked, the interior steel framing remained intact, according to a U.S. Geographical Report issued in 1907.
Bekins had just replaced their horse-drawn freight wagons with motorized moving vans at the time of the earthquake. The company quickly used the vans to gather the homeless at their warehouse for temporary shelter, as frightening aftershocks and devastating fires rocked the city.
Today a Steel Building is Still the Best Defense against Natural DisastersOver 100 years later, there is still simply no stronger building material than steel.
Thanks to innovations in the production of steel, the manufacturing of steel components, and engineering software, a prefabricated steel building today is strong, durable— and economical. Steel buildings repeatedly perform better in earthquakes, hurricanes, fires, and other natural disasters than any other building material. (See “Read more »