Too Many Options?
When purchasing a new carport, garage, or other metal building, the options can be overwhelming.
Whether it’s a simple carport, storage shed, garage, livestock, or industrial building, you are making an investment designed to protect other investments, so you want to be sure that you are selecting the best materials for your project and your wallet.
However, shopping around for the best building options can be quite a task. Big box home improvement stores will advertise “free installation” and “lifetime guarantees” on a variety of wooden buildings that sound like great deals, until you read the fine print. Online retailers will offer DIY vinyl sheds, flat-packed and shipped to your door. You never know what exactly you’ll get, and you also have to build it yourself.
Apart from all the options to consider, such as size, windows, doors, etc., is the material itself, which is the best place to start. In this blog, we will take a look at How steel compares to other materials.
Material Types
What is the best material for strength, durability, customization, and value?
Wood
Wood deserves credit for being the original building material, but when it comes to the needs of modern homeowners, it just doesn’t cut it anymore.
Lumber is easy enough to work with, especially if you want to do it yourself, but it’s also expensive, heavy, and prone to defects. It also absorbs moisture, no matter how well you treat it, and will eventually rot – but not before attracting pests, swelling, and mildewing first.
Wood is not particularly weather resistant, which is surprising when trees spend their entire lives outdoors. Snow, ice, and heavy rain will reduce the lifespan of your building dramatically, and fire will destroy it altogether.
And that’s if you use high-quality lumber. Most buildings you’ll find “on sale” in big box stores are made from low-quality OSB and plywood.
Vinyl/Resin
Various plastics, such as vinyl or resin, seem like an attractive option. They are lightweight, come in a variety of colors, and can be easily assembled without extensive tools or experience. Vinyl buildings are often available online at discount prices and shipped directly to your door. But that’s about where the advantages end.
Vinyl is waterproof but not particularly weather-resistant. Its lightweight comes at the cost of structural integrity, and hail, high winds, and fire can easily damage vinyl buildings. Vinyl, resin, and other plastics degrade and become brittle over time, usually lasting only twenty years.
Plastics are also non-recyclable material that damages soil and is made from petroleum; plastic production significantly contributes to air and water pollution.
Steel
When it comes to carports, garages, and other buildings, steel is superior to wood and vinyl in nearly every way.
It is lightweight, malleable, and infinitely customizable without sacrificing strength and durability. It is highly weather-resistant and offers protection from all-natural elements, including fire.
Steel structures are designed to last 40 to 50 years with little to no maintenance and can last 60 years or more. If your building is damaged, the damaged portions are replaceable and recyclable. Our steel meets the requirements for the country’s leading green construction agencies: LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program by the US Green Building Council and the National Green Building Program.
In addition to being structurally superior and environmentally responsible, steel is a more economical solution for larger projects, such as agricultural and truss buildings. Metal barns and large equipment storage buildings and more energy-efficient, less expensive to maintain, and cheaper to insure than their wooden counterparts.
When purchasing a new carport, garage, or other metal building, there is really only one option: steel.
There are many benefits of how steel compares to other materials. Ready to start personalizing your shed or garage? Try our interactive 3D Builder or Contact us today to get started! 📃