Barns have long been a part of the US building tradition. While historically crafted with wood, within the last century, farmers have begun turning more and more to structural steel. Today it’s a showdown between two of the most time-tested and trusted building materials, particularly for barns. Spoiler warning: there’s a clear winner, and it’s steel.
Expenses
When it comes to price, there is a clear winner – metal buildings are much more cost-effective than wood in a number of ways. Not only is steel cheaper than wood when building a barn, it is also much quicker to construct. Steel is manufactured off-site and delivered pre-drilled and pre-cut for quick assembly. Steel often allows fewer points of contact with the earth, making pre-assembly excavation and foundation-setting minimal, if required at all. With the right crew, steel buildings can often be erected in as little as several days, whereas wooden barns can often take weeks or even months to complete. Since labor is typically one of the largest expenses of any building project, this makes metal buildings cheaper by far.
What’s more, wooden barns require regular and routine maintenance to keep their integrity, making them both more costly in the long run, and generally more expensive to insure than metal barns.
All of this means more money in your pocket from the start and down the line.
Resilience
Resilience Yet again, when it comes to strength, steel prevails. But not just against wood. Hail, water, wind, snow, dust, and dirt, you name it, steel barns are renowned for their durability against the elements. Unlike wood, which is highly susceptible to water damage, insect damage, mildew, erosion, and chipping, steel can withstand just about whatever is thrown at it. It may bend or dent during extreme circumstances, but such risks are far less detrimental than those you take by using wood, especially if your barn is housing valuable goods or equipment.
Upkeep
If it’s not already clear, choosing a steel structure for your barn will save you all the headaches and expenditures that usually come with maintenance. Steel barns are placed on concrete, so you won’t have to worry about foundational rot. With a wooden building, you can expect to repaint every few years. In contrast, metal buildings can often go 10-20 years before needing a fresh coat.
To top it all off, steel structures are much cheaper to expand due to their prefabricated members and panels, so if you ever need to make your barn bigger, steel is the only way to go.
Aesthetics
We’ll admit it – wood can look great. But take it from us, so can steel. Thanks to advances in steel manufacturing, it’s possible to bend and shape steel into unique, beautiful, and high modern forms that evoke artistic and architectural prowess. With a wide range of available finishes, from stucco to brick to multi-colored panels, Allied Steel can customize any steel building to your one-of-a-kind creative and aesthetic specification.
When it comes to building a barn, choosing steel will give you peace of mind. And Allied Steel can help. Our expertise and attention to detail are unparalleled. Come see why we’ve been leading the prefab steel barn industry for over 15 years. Price your job online or call us at 1-866-651-8116 to get started today!