Steel vs. Wood for Agricultural Buildings
Classic Barn Look
There’s no denying that wood is the classic building material for most agricultural buildings, especially for barns. A red-and-white wood barn is beautiful and charming — so long as it’s well maintained.Custom-designed steel buildings enable us to mimic that classic barn look, including multiple color options.
Maintenance
That maintenance qualification for wood barns is a big one. There’s a saying in the construction industry — where there’s wood, there’s work.
Wood requires continual attention, being painted every few years and sealed periodically against the elements. Even with diligent attention, wood barns are still susceptible to insect infestations (e.g. termites) and rotting supports in the ground.
Steel has none of these difficulties. It’s not susceptible to rot and insect damage, and galvanized steel buildings also won’t rust. You will need to keep your steel building clean though there is little other work required to keep a steel agricultural building in good condition.
Of course, steel’s reduced maintenance requirements don’t just save you headaches and money. Less maintenance allows you to spend more time working on what the farm actually produces.
Initial Construction
Prefabricated steel is also easier and faster to construct. You don’t have to worry about all of the pitfalls that come with building with wood onsite as the prefabricated steel agricultural buildings from SteelCo come ready to assemble. The pieces come pre-welded, pre-punched and pre-drilled from the factory, so they just have to be matched up and fastened together.
Prefabricated steel buildings can be erected much faster than a comparable wood building which saves money and hassle.
Safety
Because steel isn’t combustible like wood, it’s also safer to use for agricultural buildings. This reduces the risk to crops, livestock and equipment, as you have more time to respond even if something does catch on fire.
The reduced fire risk that steel has is recognized by insurance companies. The premiums to insure an agricultural steel building are usually lower than those for similar wood ones.