7 Benefits of Steel Barns for Agriculture
Steel barns are sought after for agricultural purposes due to their longevity and low maintenance requirements.
While farm buildings have been used around the world for centuries, steel barns have only been around for about the past six decades. Their function remains largely the same, however, there are a number of advantages they offer over traditional wood-framed structures.
At the end of the day, the goal of any farm structure is to provide shelter and protection. Ones made of pre-engineered steel just happen to do it a little bit better. Here’s why:
1. Quick to assemble
Because they’re pre-engineered, steel barns can be erected quickly. Once the building package arrives onsite, an average sized structure can be assembled in as little as six weeks.
- Not only does pre-fabricated approach help get your operation up and running faster, it also helps:
- Avoid costly weather delays
- Improve efficiency through an assembly-line approach
- Lessen material costs through bulk buying
- Save time and money on manpower on the jobsite
2. Multi-purpose
Steel barns can be used for many different applications. All you need to do is determine what your needs are, and there’s a pre-engineered steel building that’ll serve your needs:
- Machine and equipment storage
- Workshops
- Barns
- Hay and grain storage
- Riding arenas
- Other outbuildings
3. Longer clear spans and open spaces
By combining the structural integrity of steel with precision-engineered design work, you can achieve considerable spans without the need for support posts. This comes in handy when you’re moving equipment and machinery indoors and you don’t want your movement to be impeded.
4. Virtually maintenance-free
Whether you’re growing crops or raising animals, you don’t have time to worry about whether your barn needs another coat of paint. Any time you devote to maintaining a building is time you lose doing the things that actually generate revenue.
With steel buildings, you might have to hose the dirt off once in a while, but that’s about it.
5. Long lasting
Compared to wood frame structures, steel buildings simply last longer. Whereas wood posts and framing can sometimes rot, steel is impervious.
6. Customizable
Contrary to popular believe, steel buildings are highly customizable. With the array of cladding colours, exterior accents and design features, it’s possible to configure a building to meet your exact needs.
From mezzanine floors to skylights to the various roof types, all you need to do is select the features you want and the designers will incorporate them into the planning.
7. Insulated or cold storage
Depending on how you intend to use your farm building, you may or may not want to insulate it. If it’s going to be for storing equipment and other items that are unaffected by the cold, then you can forego the extra expense of insulating it.
If you intend to use it as a workshop, or need heated space for other reasons, the thermal values achieved by structural insulated panels add superior energy efficiency.
To learn about other applications for steel buildings, read our post: 4 Popular Commercial Uses for Pre-Engineered Steel Buildings.
When you’re looking for a dependable agricultural building, consider Metal Structure Concepts. We specialize in complete design-and-erect services for steel barns, workshops, equipment storage and other outbuildings. Call us to discuss your next project.