While we all harbor visions of our dream home, fewer of us take the time to fantasize about what that home might be made from. While construction materials may not seem like a priority to you, it’s a safe bet that you’ll want your ideal home to maintain a difficult balance. This is the balance between saving money, and having the peace of mind of knowing that your home is crafted from the materials that will ensure that your family are safe and secure even in the face of calamitous weather or natural disasters.
If you’re thinking of moving house, or considering building a house from scratch you may be pleasantly surprised by how prudent an investment a steel house can be.
Investing in steel
Like most natural resources, the price of steel fluctuates. The good news is that those fluctuations are almost always increases. Like any commodity (especially metals), the price of steel is dependent on the variables of the market including supply, demand and quality.
While investing in a steel home will inevitably pay dividends in the long-term, it’s important to be conversant of the price of steel at the time of building and get it locked down as soon as you are able. It’s also important to ensure that you’re investing in the right kind of steel for construction. You may be tempted to splash out on expensive high density steel, but unless you’re planning on building your own railroad, you should be looking at high grade, minimum yield strength steel. This will be more than adequate to the task of keeping your home and your family safe and secure.
Saving money
Check out this steel building cost calculator and you’ll realize that it offers a significant overall reduction in costs compared to other materials. On average, a steel home costs between $50 and $65 per square foot. That’s around 30% cheaper than homes made with traditional materials such as wood, brick, concrete or stone. Because steel houses are built from purpose built, prefabricated parts they are quicker and easier to build resulting in lower construction costs and significantly reduced labor times for contractors.
The innate durability of steel means that maintenance costs are virtually non-existent and since steel materials are designed to withstand severe weather and acts of nature, this makes them much cheaper to insure. As steel is a natural conductor of heat, it will even help to lower your heating and cooling costs.
Safety and security
Saving money is great, but peace of mind is priceless! Fortunately, steel’s durability is superior to that of most construction materials, even in extreme circumstances. Steel has no need to be repaired or maintained, and is usually treated with paints and finishes with warranties that last decades. Steel offers unparalleled protection from extreme weather conditions. Steel constructions are built to last and whatever your circumstances you’ll benefit from knowing that your steel home will last for decades, withstanding pretty much anything nature can throw at it. Steel buildings can easily tolerate wind speeds of up to 150 miles per hour without incurring any structural or external damage. Steel buildings can also withstand earthquakes, with outer shells that are completely flame retardant.
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