The everyday rigors faced by those in the agricultural industry require strong, durable buildings and equipment. When you or your organization are equipped with the right tools and reliable farm buildings, your overall efficiency is improved which, in turn, allows you to maximize your profits and yield simultaneously.
As rustic and quaint as wooden farm buildings may appear, when it comes to strength, durability, level of maintenance, cost, and even looks, steel buildings should be at the top of your list for which building material to use for a new farm or agricultural structure. A new building is an investment, and like any smart investment you want to be sure that the new construction will have long-lasting benefits for you and your farm.
Considering Alternative Farm Buildings
Steel is one of the most popular choices for new farm building constructions, but there are pros and cons to other materials as well. While metal farm buildings are often a clear choice for reasons we’ll examine in a moment, there are situations where wood or Quonset farm buildings might be a better solution:
Wood Farm Buildings
The quintessential image of a red barn is iconic. These timber-framed buildings have been used for years for animal shelter, equipment storage, crop storage, and other purposes on the farm. Wooden buildings have a high-degree of aesthetic appeal, and are fairly customizable (for a price) at the beginning of construction (later additions to a wood building however, are a different story). But there are a few potential drawbacks of choosing an organic material for your farm building.
For example, wood requires a lot of maintenance to avoid damage from weather conditions. Scorching sun can beat down the protective paint and finish on the building’s exterior, leaving the wood exposed to rain and snow. Over time, the wood has a high risk of rotting and mold, which causes health concerns and threatens the structure’s integrity. Additionally, wood can make it challenging for pest control as some pests (i.e., termites) are actually attracted to wood!
Quonset Farm Buildings
Quonset farm buildings have the advantage of steel construction and, at smaller sizes, they often carry a cheaper price tag compared to the cost of a full rigid frame building. These prefabricated barns, huts, and storage buildings also utilize floor-space effectively, as they require few (if any, depending on the size of your building) internal columns.
However, even though they are built using steel, the design of quonset structures limits the maximum efficiency you can get out of one of these buildings. Steel is undoubtedly a strong building material, but the curved shape of a quonset building actually limits the height and width of your building. In addition, a rigid frame steel farm building can be built up and with multiple stories if so desired; a quonset building, by contrast, cannot have multiple stories and your vertical storage space is limited because of building limitations but also because of the curved roof (which makes it difficult to fit, for example, industrial-sized storage shelving into your building).
Beyond the unique look of quonset structures, there really aren’t that many benefits when compared to rigid frame steel farm buildings.
Why Steel is the Best Choice for Farm Buildings
Let’s examine some of the features of steel farm buildings, and why this material is the absolute best choice for your next agricultural structure.
Strength and Security
A metal barn stays strong in all weather conditions. Steel materials are naturally resistant to the effects of the elements, but when equipped with an optional layer of finishing, metal structures are highly resistant to sun, rain, wind, snow, and even seismic activity. The durability of the metal makes steel buildings a clear choice if you want a building that will last for decades to come.
Since steel is hard to penetrate, it helps to maintain the security of your farm. Keep expensive farming equipment and valuable livestock protected inside the walls of your steel farm building.
Many of an agricultural operation’s assets come in the form of expensive equipment that a farm relies on for its continued operation. Such equipment includes things like tractors, ploughs, trailers, back-hoes, harvesters, and balers. Without these machines, it’s near impossible to survive in the farming industry. Keeping these machines inside a steel structure reduces the risk of theft and also protects your heavy equipment against damage from the changing weather conditions throughout the year.
Customizability
Every farm is different, which is why you require the ability to customize your buildings to accommodate the changing needs of your organization. Whether you need a well-ventilated building for livestock or are looking for a solution for storing product and feed, a metal farm building is easily customizable upfront and even years down the road when an expansion/addition to the building is required. Unlike quonset structures, rigid frame steel buildings can be designed specifically to meet the size, layout, and feature-requirements of your organization.
That iconic quintessential image of a red barn is actually very easily achieved with a steel building. Metal panels are available in bright red finishes as well as several other colours. Steel buildings allow for several customization options include roof accessories, personalised layouts, wall accessories, additional doorways, flashing and trim, insulation, clear-span designs, and multi-span frames. The possibilities are limitless.
And – they are expandable. As your farming operation grows, your metal building can grow with it.
Low Maintenance and Industry-Leading Warranties
Every hour you spend on building maintenance takes away time you could be spending on your fields or livestock. When you are investing in a farming or agricultural steel building, making sure you choose a solution that requires minimal maintenance is of the utmost importance.
A steel barn holds up in all weather conditions, ensuring durability and strength when the sun is shining, and the snow is falling. While you may have to perform minor periodic maintenance of some kinds – when compared to the maintenance required for wood buildings, steel is far and away the easier option (consider rot, mold, and other types of wear and tear that wooden buildings experience over time).
Plus, all Norsteel buildings come with industry-leading warranties, giving you additional peace of mind
Environmental Sustainability
Sustainability is a priority when building an agricultural steel building. Since steel is 100% recyclable and reusable, steel is the material of choice for environmentally conscious builders. In addition, steel buildings offer a number of construction-related environmental benefits: fast construction time reduces community disruption, reduced onsite waste, less pollution for heavy machinery, and a smaller job site footprint.
Not only does going green make you feel good, but it differentiates your farming operation by demonstrating a commitment to social responsibility. If you are looking for a way to give an excellent first impression, then steel buildings offer a great solution for your farm.
Affordability
For smaller farm buildings, you can choose from our line of EasyBuild steel building kits, and for larger or customized farm buildings we will work with you to design the perfect structure for your needs. Regardless of what size of building you require however, all of our steel components are prefabricated and pre-cut which keeps your building affordable and easy to install. The materials are fabricated before delivery, saving you money on material and labor costs since the steel will be ready to assemble once it arrives at your job site.
Other cost savings are enjoyed after the farm building is constructed. For example, you can expect lower insurance premiums and reduced maintenance expenses, saving tens of thousands of dollars over the life of the structure.
Customize Your Farm Building
What features are best for the design of a farm building? Speak with a member of our experienced team to learn Norsteel Buildings can help you design and construct the farm building of your dreams. We’ll discuss your plans for the building and provide recommendations for design, materials, and features.
Our knowledgeable staff members at Norsteel Buildings are happy to answer your questions and assist in identifying the optimal solutions for your farming operations. Contact us for a consultation using our online contact form or by calling: 1-866-971-7575.
