Imagine a building custom-tailored to suit your worship needs that costs less, is erected faster, and lasts for many years to come.

It’s no dream. Thousands of pastors and church boards are already realizing the benefits of a custom-engineered steel building.

Steel buildings give you a flexible option for creating attractive structures of enduring value. You will find that today’s solutions can be completely customized to fit your needs and specifications.

Along with serving as an ideal solution to meet your unique design-build requirements, steel buildings enable you to take advantage of a more efficient construction process and better life-cycle costing. 

Here are some examples of how you can save time and money while producing a building of the utmost quality and attractiveness.

Design Flexibility
Steel buildings can be tailored to meet the specifications of virtually any design application, resulting in beautiful structures of superior strength. They can be especially effective in the development of facilities requiring large areas of open floor space, as certain framing systems can be developed with less bridging and fewer columns. Finally, steel buildings are easy to expand, allowing for economical additions and floor plan re-configurations before, during and after construction.

Faster Construction
During construction, labor costs are reduced because the building is fabricated in the factory to arrive on site already cut to the pre-specified design. Also, because steel buildings provide greater loads and can span greater distances, they also require fewer materials to build overall. Ultimately, a custom-engineered building will make installation and erection go much faster, saving you costs for labor and speeding up the process to allow for faster occupancy.

Energy Efficiency
Steel buildings offer higher energy efficiencies than concrete, brick or block. This is because the lightweight steel panels and insu­lation store very little heat or cold. As a result, the temperature systems concentrate on heating and cooling the air within the building, rather than the walls surrounding it.

Lower Maintenance Costs
Along with long-term energy cost savings, steel building solutions can be easier and less expensive to maintain than traditional structures. Metal buildings maintain their structural integrity for many years, so you don't have to worry about problems such as wood rot or expansion. In addition, the special properties of the paint used for steel walls serve to prevent rust and erosion, ensuring a beautiful appearance that lasts.

Better Life-Cycle Costing
Independent studies show that the life expectancy of steel products exceeds that of some competing materials by an average of 14 years. At the same time, less effort and money goes into the repairs and general maintenance of steel buildings than traditional ones. Finally, the superior weather-tightness of steel products means there will be less wear and tear and fewer replacements of parts over time.

Greater Durability
The undisputed strength of steel provides you with a solid building of quality and longevity. This is because steel buildings are durable, easy to maintain, and less susceptible to fire, water and weather damage. You will even find insurance costs are lessened by the use of steel buildings.

High-Quality Steel Buildings
No matter what your building construction project requires, make sure that your steel building supplier supplies the highest-quality steel buildings manufactured in the United States today. The steel building should have solid I-beam columns and rafters. It should have 26-gauge steel roofing and siding with up to 80,000 psi tensile strength. There should be a 20-year paint warranty. These are just a few of the features that should be included in any steel building package.

Low Prices
When you are dealing with a steel building company, make sure that they are dedicated to saving you money without sacrificing quality. Ask them if they will design a steel building for your application that meets your budget. And, ask if they will help you locate other construction professionals for concrete foundations, building erection, architectural services or general contractors who can help you keep your construction costs down.

Honest Customer Service
Request from the steel building supplier that they put their quote in writing and itemize all accessories (this includes components such as walk doors, overhead doors, windows, skylights, vents/louvers, insulation and gutters and downspouts). Also, make sure that the building is AISC (American Institute of Steel Construction) quality certified.

With all these great reasons to use a steel building system, it's no wonder that so many pastors and church building committees are making steel their first choice. Now that you know all the advantages, let's take a look at how to get started on your system for success.

So, you’ve settled on a steel building system, and you have some great ideas about how you would like it to look and function. How do you begin to turn your facility concept into a working reality?

First and foremost, I recommend setting some primary goals and expectations. This will help to ensure that your needs are adequately presented and communicated throughout the development process. Though individual requirements will vary according to each project, any steel building owner’s expectations should include the following:

1. Customization
You should expect to have a building that’s ideally suited for your needs, including the right functions, quality and appearance for your specific end-use.

2. Value
Not only should your facility be affordable, but it should also provide a level of quality that will ensure the structure’s integrity, longevity and durability, now and in the future.

3. Timing
The faster you can occupy the building, the sooner you will be in the facility. Thus, it is imperative you chose a building partner that adheres to a reasonable timeframe for construction.

4. Service
As a building owner, you are entitled to have your structure built with minimum frustration. That’s why it’s important to do your homework---and make sure your building contractor understands you and your needs from the very beginning.

In conclusion, never make a purchase without checking with the local Better Business Bureau. A legitimate company will always list their physical address of their place of business. Check on the record for this company before making a large and ultimately unwise purchase. Remember the old adage “buyer beware.” By doing this, you can deal with a solid company that wants to help you with your building project. Good luck with your building project and God bless.

Harry Donahue is president of Steelwise, www.steelwise.com.