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There is nothing like the sound of a choir reverberating throughout a church sanctuary. While some say, “seeing is believing,” when it comes to the spirituality of a congregation, an amazing choir can effortlessly turn the phrase into “hearing is believing.” Now, I’m sure your choral group lets the Spirit shine on Sunday morning, however, are you maximizing their acoustic potential? If your church leadership group is considering new church construction, go ahead and let your choir blow the roof off your old building, and replace it with a church building made from steel.

Because your choir is one of the centerpieces of your sanctuary, it deserves a venue of divine sound quality. But don’t get caught in a trap. Recently, I spoke with a pastor who had been in charge of a church building campaign, and he shared his experience with me.

When his church committee decided it was time for more space to accommodate a growing congregation, he and members of the church staff traveled around their city, and observed different architecture and building styles and determined what best fit their own needs and wants. They compiled a list of likes and dislikes, and brought ideas back to their building designer. The acoustics of the church were a priority, but ultimately didn’t make the top of the list. They thought, while important, it was something that could be postponed until later in the process. So their building was designed with the church leaders’ plans in mind, and the process was expedited to the next phase.

Later, while the church was being erected, the pastor approached the design team, and started inquiring about acoustics and if he should hire an acoustical consultant. He had a mental picture of his choir filling his new sanctuary with musical greetings of the organ and old hymns refreshed in the Holy Spirit. But he was a little too late.

While its very possible to add some small acoustic finishes to a church building, it doesn’t generally make a large impact. Don’t get me wrong, advice from acoustical consultants can help, but the biggest acoustical differences are essentially decided by a building’s size and shape. During the design process is the time to discuss and determine acoustics.

This process could have been avoided if this pastor chose a steel building manufacturer with an in-house project manager, focused on all phases of a church building mission. Providing a plan from conception to completion is a part of the blueprint of our company. In fact, we ask every client how each building is going to be used. I need to understand each factor’s significance and convention from paper to erection.

Insulation also affects the acoustics and sound quality of a steel church building. Insulation has the ability to absorb sound and keep it from moving throughout the building, and it also can decrease the amount of noise coming in and out of the building.

Reducing outside noise is vital because you don’t want your congregation to be distracted by traffic, construction or other exterior sounds. According to the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association (NAIMA), adding metal building insulation to the metal building construction can reduce noise levels in a metal building by 5-6 decibels. (A decibel is the unit used to measure the intensity of sound.)

To maximize a metal building’s acoustical performance, the NAIMA recommends the wall and/or roof panels should include at least one layer of faced metal building insulation, and one layer of unfaced metal building insulation. Facing is the thin layer of plastic or paper attached to one side of the insulation.

Let your choir be heard the way God intended! What are ways you’ve found to maximize the sound of your singing group?

Photo courtesy: US Embassy Sweden

Search Results for: project manager

How are you doing on your resolutions so far? Every year, it seems like the same scenario. You make a resolution, and don’t stick to it. But this year, you vow to change. This is the year you finally decide to buy a pre-engineered metal building.

You’ve put it off for too long. Whether you need more storage space for your tools, or want a place to tinker with your cars, a pre-engineered metal building is the ideal solution for your building needs.

Even though it’s the beginning of the New Year, why not just call it a resolution? Have you ever met someone that actually stuck to his or her New Year’s resolutions? It seems so hard to commit to an idea, or pledge yourself to get healthier, quit smoking or volunteer more of your time. As you read this, you might be struggling with your own resolutions. According to a University of Scranton study on New Year’s resolutions, 45% of people in the U.S. pledged to make a change in 2013, and the study found that only 8% of those people were actually successful in achieving their goals.

Only a dismal 8%? Why is that number so low? Are people biting off more than they can chew? Getting organized, or spending less doesn’t seem like a herculean task. While different people have different problems with new year’s resolutions, I like to narrow it down to one in particular.

Simply, it’s a weight on your shoulders.

Even if you think you live in a completely stress-free environment, something will weigh you down. Could be a decision, a goal, or any particular situation that troubles you. If you disagree with this statement, then I’d love to meet you and ask you about your secret. As the year begins, it seems like everyone is filled with unrealistic optimism, and they focus on vague aspirations instead of small, attainable ambitions. For instance, if you resolve to eat healthier, you can’t let yourself get derailed after a few desserts! Give yourself a plan to follow, and try to showcase your willpower.

Too often, we look at reasons why we don’t succeed. Well, let’s turn the tables for a moment. What are some of the reasons people achieve their goals? Could it be the motivation? Sticking with the ‘eating healthier’ example, we see people conquering their aspirations because they have the incentive, a personal trainer, or someone to guide them through the process.

Armstrong Steel’s team of building experts, engineers, and project managers will provide plenty of motivation, and help you along the way to reach your goals and get you into your pre-engineered metal building.

We’ll help you muster the effort in the planning and design of your new building. You just have to tell us about your situation and specifications, and then the only ‘work’ you’ll have to potentially do is erect the building.

That’s like showing up on the last day of spin class and being in better shape than the rest of the class.

Let us do the hard part, while you reap the rewards.

This year, instead of a resolution that you might blow off a month into 2015, make yourself a promise to get yourself into your very own pre-engineered metal building. People keep their promises!

Photo courtesy: Walter-Wilhelm

Search Results for: project manager

The New Year is upon us, and I personally can’t wait to get started. There’s something special about this month and it invigorates me. Maybe it’s the feel of a new beginning, or an inherent positive outlook that this month brings along with it. Either way, I’m choosing to embrace it. But I’m not just looking to put life on, ‘cruise control,’ – this is the year I’ll incorporate this philosophy permanently into my life and use it as a symbol all year long.

I think that’s a straightforward approach when it comes to people in any industry. Choosing to have a better attitude about what you do can make all the difference. I’ll walk into work everyday like I have a new lease on life. It isn’t always easy. If you read the newspapers or watch the news, you’ll see lots of differing reports on the future of the steel industry. Will 2015 present a good year for commodities like gas and oil? How will that affect steel prices? Will the market become more or less volatile?

My advice? Stay the course. Plan your project. Get it done now.

According to the multinational corporation Ernst & Young, the demand for U.S. steel will likely improve on the back of residential construction. The steel industry outlook is better than 2013, and 2015 holds the promise for greater improvement. The report produced by Ernst & Young adds, “American and other global leaders in the steel industry plan to address price volatility.” Really, only time will tell how the market responds to supply and demand, but we can’t afford to waste time watching something out of our control.

Again, I am making a choice to stay confident. That means I’ll still keep my eye on global production or the consolidation of the Chinese steel industry, but I won’t be a slave to it. Armstrong Steel is still dedicated to the customer, the first time builder, small business owner, and contractor. And regardless, Armstrong Steel is subject to American steel production, only, because we only sell American made steel. We’ll use our focus to help you stay on time and on budget.

So how do you go about buying a steel building?

First, ask yourself what you can afford. A realistic price to a farm family is different that what is reasonable to a small business or a large corporation. When you talk to an Armstrong building expert, they’ll help you secure your steel price. That’s the first step towards getting the building of your dreams. You’ll pay a nominal initial payment, and your steel price is frozen in place for up to 90 days.

From there, we’ll send your project on it’s way to our in-house detailing and design team. After about 5-7 days, your project will hit the desk of a project manager. If you take advantage of the Direct Buy process, next you’ll go through several phases including the approval drawing process and the permit drawing process. After those two extremely necessary steps are finished, you’ll release your project for fabrication, and receive a set of construction drawings and an inventory of all the parts to your steel building. All that’s left is for you to take delivery and erect your building!

There is a lot in store for Armstrong Steel. Join us in 2015 and help us build something special. Something unique. Something yours.

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Natural disasters are impossible to predict, and we constantly have to deal with the aftermath. The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre estimated that 220,000 people in the U.S. were displaced or removed from their homes due to natural disasters in 2013. It’s a startling fact when you put it in global terms; 22 million people lost their homes due to flooding, hurricanes, drought, and tornados – and the IDMC estimates that’s three times more than war.

How do people protect themselves financially against disasters of this magnitude? One of the most common ways is insurance.

You might wonder as a first time builder, “How do I protect myself and my investments against something so unpredictable?” Steel buildings are one of the the best construction materials to stand up to Mother Nature. We’ve discussed the extensive benefits of Armstrong Steel Building systems in our past blogs. Steel buildings are more durable and cost less than traditional construction, offer numerous design options, expand and assemble quickly, and can be engineered to span long distances with no interior support beams. Convinced yet? Well, there are more benefits to consider. But one significant, and lesser-known advantage to steel buildings, that’s usually an afterthought, is the possible savings on insurance.

Insurance companies acknowledge the durability and lifespan of steel buildings and many times, offer customers savings and rebates. Think about the decisions you make in the buying process. If you factor insurance costs into the equation, choosing a building just got easier.

Why do people need building insurance? If your building is financed, your lender is going to require it. Most basic insurance policies are in place to protect a building from the elements, fire, flood and even vandalism. Mother Nature, however, has proven herself to be quite powerful on many occasions, and sometimes even destructive.

Insurance premiums on pre-engineered steel buildings also depend on the typical weather conditions of a specific area. Cities on the East Coast might have more flood or hurricanes and necessitate more coverage of that type, while Californian cities falling along the San Andreas Fault Line are susceptible to earthquakes. These two geographic areas require different coverage. It’s important to insurers that these buildings are engineered to withstand these types of conditions. The less likely a building will need structural repair after a storm hits, the lower insurance rates will be.

Steel buildings are also extremely resistant to fire, and insurance companies also recognize that advantage. According to the Metal Building Manufacturers Association, insurers follow a building rating system for fire resistance. The more fire resistant a building is, the more cost effective it is to insure. To determine a fire insurance rate, a building is first classified according to its construction. Those classifications, which the MBMA says could include variations, range on a scale from class 1-6, depending on the building components, and how they respond to fire. Class 1 buildings are considered the ‘most combustible’ while class 6 buildings fall into the ‘least combustible’ category.

Steel buildings usually fall in the noncombustible category, which is class 3. However, you can work with an Armstrong Steel in-house Project Manager to make the building more fire resistant with internal protection like a sprinkler or fire detection system, and those types of actions could have an effect on your insurance rates, as well.

Insurance premiums and cost savings will vary from one building to the next depending on several factors, like building function and its setting. Make sure to speak with your insurance provider if there are any special or extra circumstances you’ll need to plan around if you live in a potential disaster zone.

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Search Results for: project manager

If you’re reading this right now, there’s a good chance you have some questions about the Direct Buy Process, and how to steer yourself through a steel building purchase. It’s our desire to help you with every part of the process, ultimately guiding you to your dream building.

To make it easy on you, we break down the entire procedure. In a recent blog, we talked about what approval drawings are, how you use them, and your role in the approval drawing phase. It’s a great read for people with questions and is a step-by-step process for how to proceed directly after your purchase. If you just pulled the trigger on your new investment, I recommend you start reading about the approval drawing phase first.

Many people want to make changes to their building, and customize it to their specifications. This is where the Direct Buy Process is extremely useful. Buying a building direct isn’t just about taking advantage of the price of the steel, but also to mapping out where you would like the doors and windows to go; whether or not you might want insulation, and having a hand in managing the process and getting what you want.

After you finish marking up your drawings and the revised approval process is completed, you will move to the permit drawing phase. What are permit drawings, you ask? Permit drawings are an engineer’s detailed site plan of your building, submitted to your county for review and permitting, or your bank for financing. These plans are usually required by your local zoning or permitting offices to guarantee a building is structurally sound, and that the building has been engineered to adhere to required codes and regulations.

Here’s the best part: We provide these drawings for you. All you have to do is take it to your county for the proper permits.

At this time, your area’s local government will review the design, and make sure all the zoning regulations, codes, and building loads are correct. This is a vital step. Building codes exist to ensure the safety of the people using them, and to preserve the building integrity over its lifetime. Armstrong engineers must design each individual building to the unique conditions of each part of the country. For example, a building in Texas won’t have the same snow load capacity as a metal building in Michigan. Each building needs to withstand the elements, and must be engineered to do so properly.

An in-house Project Manager, like me, will work with you in this phase. It’s one of the top features of the Direct Buy process. We realize that many customers are familiar with this step, and don’t need our help. Also, while we’re working on your permit drawings, its time for you to develop idle hands. Don’t make a huge blunder by pouring a foundation or releasing your building for fabrication before you have secured your permits. You might think you’re saving time, but you’re not.

Once your permit drawings are approved, you can sign your fabrication release form. The next set of drawings you will receive are construction drawings, which describe how your building is erected.

Check back later as we continue to break down each step of the Direct Buy Process, or read more about it here!

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The perfect workshop has many uses. It’s the ideal man cave or ‘lady lair.’ For the car enthusiast, it’s extra space to hunker down and put more concentration on alternators, drive shafts and transmissions. For the carpenter, it’s a place to work on wood and other crafts. It’s definitely a place to store your tools, lawn equipment and that plastic jungle gym you keep telling your kids you’ll set up once the weather gets warmer. It can be all of these things, and much more.

Your perfect steel workshop begins with a steel building. It’s durable, costs less than conventional construction, and you can erect it quickly and easily. With the ability to engineer a steel workshop directly to your unique specifications, you can have what you want, exactly the way you want it.

Let’s go beyond steel. How do you plan for the perfect steel workshop? What goes into the process of starting a project with nothing, and finishing with a masterpiece? A steel workshop requires a lot of the same considerations as a residential or commercial building would. You’ll need to think about your interior and exterior space needs. What will your steel workshop rest on? Preparation is crucial when it comes to pouring your foundation, especially in the winter time.

Start thinking about your own bottom line. We’re talking about budget. Do your research, and find out how much the ‘shell’ of your building will be, and determine your costs. You might want to add doors, windows, and other accessories depending on your building’s function. This is another huge benefit of a steel building. It’s a high quality structure that’s easily assembled and tailored exactly to the user’s desires.

What will you use your workshop for? Make sure you leave yourself enough space to practice your favorite hobby while also storing your tools and equipment. Will you be accommodating cars, motorcycles, bicycles, or heavier farm equipment? Make sure you pick your dimensions according to the gear you already have.

What’s the operative word in ‘workshop?’ Even though you’ll have your fun moments in your steel workshop, you know you’ll be getting some serious work done. Don’t forget about a workbench, cabinets, counters and plumbing. Another important feature of your workshop should be a ventilation system. You’ll be working with wood and sawdust, or around paint fumes. Having the proper ventilation system to circulate the contaminated air is smart and health conscience. Consider installing plumbing and equipping your building with a sink or bathroom and drainage in the event of floor spills for easy clean-up.

One big misconception about steel buildings is that the outside has to be made of steel. Any kind of facade or exterior finish can be added to the outside of your workshop, assuming the weight of the finish is accounted for in the design process. Propose a different surface to your project manager if you want a distinct outside finish.

As you continue the planning process to your perfect steel workshop, it’s imperative to think about not only your present needs, but also your future needs. Workshops made from steel framing will last multiple decades, if not longer. You’re most likely to have a steel workshop sit on your property for as long as you own it, so you want to mull over your options. This doesn’t mean you have to outfit your workshop with the best technology now, but design a place for it, if necessary, if you think you might use it in the coming years. You’ll most likely install lighting and electricity to run your tools, but even if you only have battery-powered gizmos now, maybe in the future, you might need a place to plug them in.

You can accomplish all your goals with a pre-engineered steel building. From the basics to the more advanced developments, your perfect steel workshop is waiting to be erected, and finished with tons of possibilities.

Search Results for: project manager

There comes a time in every company’s lifespan when the owners and leaders need to make hard decisions. It happens all over the country everyday, and it even happened to us a few years ago. As our company started to grow and our workforce expanded, it was apparent a new setting was needed to help us move to the next level. Armstrong Steel needed a new facility, one with more offices for project managers, more space for our growing in-house engineering team, and more room for our employees. It was extremely apparent everyone needed to collaborate without literally sitting on top of each other.

Does this sound like your situation? Are you running out of workspace for your employees? Are you in the process of building your fleet of trucks and don’t have a place for them? Maybe you are operating a successful home-based business and you think it’s time to move to a new location. Perhaps you should look into the cost of a metal building.

This isn’t a project you need to rush into quickly. Grow too fast, and your business might not be able to control all the increased costs. But if you grow too slowly, you might miss out of some valuable openings in the marketplace.

First, determine all the reasons why you think a move to a new facility would be beneficial. Accurately assess your facility needs and what you need to do to maximize your effectiveness. Will there be cost advantages to moving to a new facility beyond the money you’ll save by erecting a metal building? What additional costs will you incur? Think about extra equipment costs or financing. How do you plan to pay for your metal building?

How much does the change cost? – Look into getting multiple estimates of how much a move would cost you. If you ditch the rent for building ownership, you won’t have to worry about playing a lease every month. Instead, you gain equity as your own landlord.

Does this mean there are no additional costs other than the building? No. Sadly, change can have costs associated which a new location can’t constrain – collateral changes, for instance – new business cards, letterhead, and signage; advertising, and even the cost of the move, itself. You’re going to need trucks, man hours to move, and set-up time, which could mean lost business. But if you’re smart and plan ahead of time, the losses or expenses you experience will be more than made up for with a renewed vigor, a new energy, and a boost to your momentum.

You’re likely thinking about expansion so you can serve more people. Will this expansion into a metal building expose you to a new customer base, while allowing you to keep your old clientele at the same time? Will you still be able to offer the same quality of service? You’ve built or are still in the progression of building a brand, and you need to be able to provide the same superiority to which your customers are familiar. Here’s a small business story I like to tell about customers. After a consumer leaves your store, hangs up the phone after they speak with you, or closes their web browser after visiting your website, would you say they’re done with you?

Absolutely not!

Your business, or any business for that matter, isn’t an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ operation. The way you interact with consumers, whether it is directly or indirectly, affects how they think of you. An expansion should foster and strengthen the relationships your company has already made and make your business more visible and appear like it’s growing. People tend to buy from businesses they think other people are also buying from.

Some of the previous decisions can be made based on the location of your expansion site. Think about the new community. Is it located in a big city, or a small town? Can people get to the new location easily? Are there plenty of able-bodied people willing to join your workforce, and can they travel easily to and from the expansion site? Your new location must be at a strategic location that makes your business profitable, as well as rewarding to your employees.

A new business facility comes with a lot of work but has its fair share of rewards, like the ability to control your costs, expand and serve more customers while increasing your profitability and visibility.

Don’t let the process of expansion scare you! You can complete a successful expansion into a metal building if you allow yourself to make a game plan and analyze all the risks first!

Photo courtesy: Startupstockphotos, AlexanderStein, joergelman

Search Results for: project manager

This day and age, all the information you’ll ever need is literally at your fingertips. Fire up your computer, tablet, or smartphone, and punch a few keywords into your favorite search engine. Now you’re sitting in the driver’s seat on the information superhighway, traveling as fast as your fingers can carry you.

That’s really all it takes to do research. So how do you pick what you want? In this particular case, you think you might want a new building on your property. Now you have even more choices. What kind of building do you want? How about you tell us! Which building from the choices below – without knowing, which is which – would you rather have? Will you choose a pole barn, or a steel building? Take our “Construction Taste Test!”

Building A – Is this a steel building or a pole barn?

‘Building A’ is a lightweight structure, and the components used to put the building together are readily available and popular for construction projects in the United States. This building is adequate for small structures, but requires more framing for structures that have longer spans. ‘Building A’ doesn’t come with any structural warranties and comes with several extraneous costs associated with it. It costs more to insure ‘Building A,’ and it costs a significant amount to build and design, ‘Building A’ (and both the building and design processes have separate costs). Plus, ‘Building A’ comes with a high labor cost. Contractors for this building type are expensive, and an architect might be needed if you plan to build your own version of, ‘Building A.’

‘Building A’ is an organic product and can be recycled, but is susceptible to deterioration from moisture, rot, mold, fungi, and all types of insects and termites. Unfortunately, ‘Building A’ is very combustible and doesn’t prevent the spread of fire. ‘Building A,’ works in residential and agricultural ventures, however, could require a lengthy installation period, sometimes covering several months or more. This building type also requires multiple trusses and interior columns to support the structure, rather than utilizing open, usable space. Lastly, ‘Building A,’ isn’t easily expandable. Also, sometimes this building doesn’t require a foundation, and might actually cheapen the land on which it sits.

Building B – Is this a steel building or a pole barn?

‘Building B’ is very durable, and also uses components available and native to the United States. This building can be as small or as big as the user necessitates, with lots of open space and no interior poles for support. In fact, this building can span hundreds of feet and still won’t require interior columns.

‘Building B’ comes with 50-year structural warranties, 40-year paint warranties, and 35-year roof warranties. It has significant cost advantages over, ‘Building A.’ Labor costs are kept in check because anyone is able to erect it, and you can manage the design and engineering process with the help of an in-house project manager. That’s right, this building doesn’t always involve the talents of an architect.

‘Building B’ isn’t an organic product, but it is a, ‘green’ product because the construction components can be recycled. It is immune to rot, cracking and termites. ‘Building B’ is classified as, ‘non-combustible,’ and will not encourage the spread of fire.

‘Building B’ can be erected in days, or weeks. It’s easily expandable and requires little to no maintenance over its lifetime. Finally, ‘Building B,’ appreciates over time, and will most likely increase your land value as well.

How was your blind taste test? At this point, you’ve probably guessed, ‘Building A’ is made of wood, and, ‘Building B,’ is a steel building.

Which building would you rather have?

Photo courtesy: Zepfanman

Search Results for: project manager

What makes some businesses successful, while others are less so? It has nothing to do with these companies wanting to be effective. That can be said about every business. It has everything to do with creating good habits, and turning them into everyday processes that are woven into the very fabric of an organization.

Your beliefs become your thoughts, your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions, your actions become your habits, your habits become your values, and your values become your destiny.” –Mahatma Gandhi.

Just as Gandhi articulates, a belief can easily become your destiny. This quote can be applied to certain business practices as well. Taking this quote, and making it relevant to your company isn’t a big jump. Steel building providers, like Armstrong Steel, are available to make sure our customers gets exactly what they want, down to nearly every detail. But companies can’t create values without developing some good thoughts and habits first.

Before you go out and make a decision on which steel building provider to buy from, make sure they possess these values and integrate these practices into their business model. These habits are the customary, instinctive practices of the top steel building providers in the industry.

Commitment to Quality

The best quality buildings aren’t built on an assembly line. A commitment to quality means every building is designed by engineers with an obsessive attention to detail and components are fabricated in state-of-the-art facilities. Quality doesn’t happen by accident. It’s a pre-planned, coordinated effort. Quality is a guarantee and promise that a building with a 50-year structural warranty will last, no matter the size or the shape. Steel building providers with superior standards and guidelines are the difference between mistakes and excellence.

Detailing

What is detailing? Detailing is the process of designing each structural piece of steel, ensuring that every piece of primary and secondary framing lines up correctly and all the necessary components come in the correct quantity. The steel building provider should do all the detailing in America, as opposed to overseas, to prevent communication and accuracy errors.

Assistance at Every Step

Choose a steel building provider that makes it a habit to give support at every step of the process. Instead of just telemarketers and a website, look for a company with expert building consultants, in-house engineers and project managers. These specialists will have intimate knowledge of every project, and will continue to provide feedback for first time builders to improve the product and the erection experience.

Logistics Department

Getting a building delivered on time to your job site, of course, is one of the most important steps in the process. The top steel building providers will be able to arrange for delivery, and work through any problems a customer might have.

Fabrication Facility

Some successful companies own and operate their own manufacturing facilities. Other companies use multiple fabricators across the country. No matter how the business operates, the focus needs to be on the customer’s schedule. Most important, choose a company that offers the best geographic coverage to cut down on delivery costs, travel time, and other miscellaneous expenses.

No matter what kind of steel structure you plan on building, do your research first. Plan on how much space you’ll need, and then pick out which steel building works best for you. Then, ask your steel building provider what your other options are.

Photo courtesy: Nicola

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What’s the hardest part about being a contractor? I know it’s a tough question, but can you, ‘nail down,’ the answer? From earning new business to erecting the structures themselves, it’s a tough job. But above all else, you do what you do because you love it, and you enjoy seeing your customer happy.

Since that’s the attitude that constantly drives you and gets you up in the morning, your aim should focus on satisfying your customers AND save them money. While money isn’t the most important thing when you submit your request for proposals (RFP) on a project, it’s often going to get the lion’s share of the attention. Each customer is different and has his own set of ‘deal-breakers’ when reviewing those RFPs, but lots of people don’t realize that they could be making a mistake that costs them hundreds, maybe even thousands of dollars.

Get the facts straight. In the bidding process, don’t make a mistake and forget to include a pre-engineered metal building in the proposal to your customers.

Pre-engineered metal buildings offer cost savings at nearly every stage in its lifecycle. Steel structures just cost less than traditional construction. In the erection process, the framing goes up very quickly, and therefore construction delays are minimized. No waiting on parts to be built. Since the building can be erected with ease, there aren’t any surprise cost increases associated with steel buildings. The parts fit together, and the pre-punched holes line up perfectly the first time.

Because steel buildings are designed in-house at Armstrong Steel, there isn’t any leftover waste on the job site. All the members and components are specifically engineered so every piece fits together, and the erector only receives what they need. With wood built structures, at the beginning of construction, a massive amount of lumber is delivered to the property. Then wood trusses and framing can be constructed at each location, and the wood is potentially left unused after field fabrication. The customer still has to pay for that lost lumber.

Further in the design process, the cost savings is evident. Tell your customers how they won’t need an architect to design the building. An Armstrong Steel project manager is available at no extra charge to the customer, along with a whole team of engineers who work directly with every project and will be familiar with any changes or additions are made in the approval process. Really, that’s the beauty of working with one provider.

Now the savings are really starting to stack up for the consumer. Add energy efficiency to the list. Pre-engineered metal buildings can be insulated far better than wood frame steel buildings. That, in turn, leads to a building becoming more energy efficient and leads to added savings on heating and cooling costs. On top of that, there might be energy efficiency standards that customers are legally required to follow.

After the cost savings compared to conventional construction, the amount of money saved on design, engineering, and in the actual erection process, there is still another fact to consider. Steel buildings that require permits and some kind of a foundation generally appreciate with time. Other methods of construction have the potential to depreciate, as they get older and weaken. A building is supposed to be an asset, not a liability!

If your customer chooses a stick-built pole barn or brick and mortar structure, they could be making a thousand dollar mistake. Convince them a pre-engineered building is the right way to go. They’ll save more hard-earned money and you’ll reap the benefits of erecting the building. It’s a clear win/win for all parties involved.

Photo courtesy: Steven Depolo