Category Archives: steel buildings
Steel Building Exterior Finishes That Add Character and Value
We love the look of our steel buildings, and we want to make sure our customers do, too. Our sheet metal siding comes in a wide range of colors which you can “try before you buy” using our 3-D Building Design Tool.
But a steel building doesn’t have to look like a steel building if you don’t want it to. Our customers have the benefit and flexibility of using a range of other exterior options if sheet metal isn’t their preference.
Between siding options and exterior finishes in a variety of colors, your metal building can be designed to resemble traditional construction … without losing all the benefits that come along with choosing a steel frame structure.
Aesthetics That Match Your Vision
Having the flexibility to choose the look of your exterior walls can be particularly important when trying to match a look that may already exist on your property – or matching a new steel frame house to the surrounding neighborhood.
Worldwide Steel Buildings’ team has worked with many of our customers to design steel structures using a range of exterior finishes beyond metal wall panels, including brick, stone, stucco, and even wood siding.
Brick exterior
Bricks are one of the oldest building materials, having been used as far back as 7,000 BC. Brick is a durable and fire-resistant exterior finish option that provides a high-end, classic look with lots of curb appeal. Brick veneer is a good choice for a single family home, detached garage, or small business.
Stone siding
Stone (or faux stone like GenStone) provides a unique, organic appeal to single-family homes and certain commercial buildings. It is more durable and lower-maintenance than wood, and natural stone is likely to outlast most everything built today. Stone can camouflage the appearance of prefab metal buildings almost entirely.
Stucco
Traditional stucco is a very popular finish option especially in warmer climates thanks to its light-colored natural appearance. If you want your metal building project to gain even more energy efficiency and durability (stucco is resistant to fire, mold, rot and infestation, just like steel), consider stucco. Because the material now comes in pre-cut stucco panels, adding a stucco finish can be an easy way to enhance the appearance of your home, commercial building or recreational building.
Wood siding
Customers who want all the benefits of a custom metal building as well as the appeal of traditional construction often choose wood siding as a finish option. Wood offers a lot of variety in format (between shiplap, shake, shingle, tongue and groove and more) and customization (because it’s so easy to paint and repaint). Wood siding is also a comparably inexpensive and accessible finish option, and using it on a steel building kit negates some of its drawbacks (like a lack of insulation).
Strength You Can Depend On
Whatever exterior finishes you choose, you still get the strength and durability of our steel truss framing, backed by our unmatched 50-year guarantee. You also get the other benefits of our steel building kits, including full customization, clear interior spans giving you flexibility of interior layout, affordability, and ease of assembly.
Need some inspiration to get started on your project? Look at photos on the “Steel Buildings” tab, check out our 3-D Design Tool, or talk with a Building Consultant specialist to create a structure with the perfect look for your needs.
For more information about metal building kits contact us, or start designing your building with our online 3D Building Designer Tool by clicking the image below.
Garages Keep Your “Summer Fun” Vehicles Shaded and Secure
Whether you like to hit the road in an RV, go off-road on a ATVs or dirt bike, or take to the water in your boat or personal watercraft, summer is a great time to enjoy the outdoors. All these vehicles are an investment in summer fun for you and your family – and steel buildings are ideal as garages to store, maintain and protect your investment.
Customize the perfect size
Our steel building kits are 100 percent customizable to accommodate vehicles of all shapes and sizes, and designed to store one vehicle or many. With clear spans up to 225 feet across and customizable ceiling heights and roof pitches, there’s virtually no vehicle our steel garages can’t hold. We can help you design the perfect building for you, from a small garage for your personal fishing boat, or a large-scale structure for your commercial fishing business.
Built to last
You already know steel structures unmatched strength and durability. But steel also offers great resistance to wear and tear from the elements compared to other building materials like wood. We manufacture all of our trusses ourselves using American-made steel, dip them in a rust-proof coating and inspected to ensure the highest quality. And, our sheet metal is designed to maintain its appearance regardless of weather conditions. So let us know what elements your garage needs to withstand – our kits can be designed for any snow or wind load in the U.S., with truss framing backed by our 50-year warrant.
Flexible financing
We understand you need a shelter for your summer vehicle now, not later. Because we build every kit at our own factory, you avoid the “middle man” mark-up, making our steel building kits an affordable, high-quality option. However, if it makes more sense to finance your garage kit, we are here to help. Our Building Consultants can not only guide you through the design process, but can discuss financing options available and arrange the one that works best for you.
Check out examples on the “Steel Buildings” tab, and give us a call to learn more. A Worldwide Steel Building will make sure your summer vehicles have it made in the shade.
Let us know how we can help keep your vehicles shaded and secure! For more information about metal building kits contact us, or start designing your building with our online 3D Building Designer Tool by clicking the image below.
Beat the Heat: AC for Metal Buildings
Summer is officially here – but we don’t need to tell you that. Cities across the country have been experiencing record heat and high temperatures, and there’s not much relief in sight … fall is still months away. It’s hot out there!
Fortunately, air conditioning is available pretty much everywhere, and that certainly includes inside steel buildings. Each of our metal building kits is completely customizable to accommodate the specific climate control needs of your building usage. Keep in mind, when you’re considering an HVAC system for your metal building, an AC unit probably won’t cut it. It will get cold again (I know, it feels hard to believe) and you want to be prepared.
Flexibility to Incorporate Building Systems
Whether you want to air condition the office space within a hybrid warehouse/office structure, or provide climate control for your entire garage, workshop, or single-family steel home, you can plan and lay out your own HVAC (as well as power and other systems) for part or all of your building kit. Need a little help determining what your building needs? Our experienced customer service team can work with you to understand your HVAC and systems needs and customize your building kit to achieve them, with maximum energy efficiency in mind.
Design Elements to Help You Keep Your Cool
While a central HVAC heating system and cooling system is the primary means of keeping things cool in the warm weather (and vice versa), some of the most basic design elements can also be used to help manage climate and air circulation in your steel building:
- Doorways/openings: With clear span buildings 24-225 feet, our steel building kits allow for large garage door openings on multiple sides of the building to provide cross-ventilation. This is most often a consideration when designing the exterior walls of commercial buildings.
- Windows: Another obvious, but important element: Worldwide Steel Buildings’ clear span designs also allow you to place windows to maximize (or minimize) natural light and ventilation based on your specific building site. Homeowners in particular should consider the climate aspects of their prefab steel building kits. When the weather is pleasant, don’t underestimate the power of opening those windows to circulate some fresh air!
- Ceilings/roofs: The open design of our building kits means you can customize the ceiling height and roof pitch to allow heat to rise to the top of your building, vent out of your building and away from your belongings, equipment – and from you. Our building kits also allow ductwork to distribute warm and cool air throughout every square foot of your building.
- Insulation: While much of the energy-efficient climate control is inherent to the properties and design of your steel building, insulation systems make a major impact, too. Whether you opt for loose-fill, blown-in, batt and roll, reflective insulation, radiant barriers or spray foam, your building can accommodate it.
Let us know how we can help you design a building with an adequate heating and AC system, so your new project stays comfortable all year round. And for now … stay cool!
For more information about the benefits of Worldwide Steel metal building kits, contact us today. You can also start designing your building with our online 3D Building Designer Tool!
The Benefits of Using Recycled in Your Building Kit
If you’ve owned a steel building in the past, or even if you’ve just been researching building options, you probably already know some of the benefits of steel: strength, durability, value … those big, tangible benefits you’ll appreciate regularly as you use your building over the years.
But did you know steel is the #1 most recycled material in the world? According to the Steel Recycling Institute, between 60 and 80 million tons of scrap steel are recycled every year by North American steel mills into new steel products and components. In fact, scrap steel is a primary ingredient when producing new steel.
Our building kits at Worldwide Steel Buildings are made of approximately 94 percent recycled steel, all of it steel scrap sourced from American steel mills. Using recycled metal gives our customers all the great features of steel – lighter yet stronger than other building materials; resistance to all types of weather; flexibility of design; and more – with the added benefits that come along with recycling scrap metal.
Among the benefits of recycling steel are:
- Performance. Because of steel’s properties, it doesn’t lose strength between raw materials and reuse.It can be repeatedly recycled from one use or product to another without compromising structural integrity or performance.
- Environmental impact. Recycling steel reduces the amount of natural resources consumed and CO2 emissions produced involved in creating steel products, because reuse uses less energy than creating from scratch. Those energy savings mean recycled metal has a smaller footprint on our environment and our planet, and uses fewer of our most valuable resources.
- Economy. Not having to produce new steel for every new product also reduces the cost of steel products to consumers – enhancing the already great value of this high-quality building material. Maintaining the current steel recycling rate also provides demand for the growing U.S. recycling industry.
- American manufactured. Worldwide is proud to use exclusively materials produced by the American steel industry in all stages of the production process. That means – because U.S. steel mills use largely recycled materials – that buying recycled steel is an important part of keeping money and jobs in our country and our communities.
(Read more: American Iron and Steel Institute Sustainability Fact Sheet)
Be sure to check out all the custom styles, finishes, and other options we offer, and give us a call to let us help you with your next (recycled) steel building project!
For more information about our metal building kits and the benefits of recycling steel, contact us today. You can also start designing your building right now with our online 3D Building Designer Tool by clicking the image below.
Customer Success Spotlight: Wings of Faith Ministries
Our goal at Worldwide Steel Buildings is to provide our customers high-quality, affordable steel building kits customized to their unique needs or purpose. We love to share our customers’ stories and the great things they are doing with our products:
Wings of Faith: “Real People Meeting Real Needs”
Wings of Faith Ministries provides ongoing support and donations to missionaries serving mainly Native American populations in California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, as well as communities in Appalachian West Virginia. Their volunteer light aircraft pilots make more than 60 flights a year to bring food, clothing, medical supplies, and other aid to those who need it.
Several years ago, Wings of Faith purchased one of our steel building kits to house supplies and donations awaiting distribution to the communities they serve. Jim Yost, who coordinates logistics and deliveries for Wings of Faith, shared these thoughts and photos:
“Our building from Worldwide has proved absolutely invaluable in serving the very poor of the Native American reservations of the Four Corners area. I cannot imagine doing what we do without it. In May 2018, we moved over 50,000 pounds of supplies through this building.”
Thanks to Jim for sharing your story, and for the great work your organization is doing to help others! To learn more about Wings of Faith, visit flywithwings.org.
How are you using YOUR Worldwide Steel Building? Let us know – we’d love to hear from you!
Metal Building Wedding Venue and Event Spaces: ‘Tis the Season
Summer is here, and wedding bells are ringing. Thanks to the generally pleasant weather, June, August, September, and October are the most popular months for weddings in the U.S., as well as other large gatherings, like family reunions, outdoor concerts or community events.
When it comes time to plan one of these big events (“big” in both attendance and importance), the event venue is one of the first decisions you need to make before you say “I do.” The wedding venue not only sets the tone for your budget but for the look and feel of the wedding day itself.
If you’re struggling to find the perfect wedding venue — one that’s in a great location, beautiful, big enough to hold your loved ones and won’t kill the budget? Consider building one instead!
Designing and building your own venue for a wedding ceremony and wedding reception has so many benefits: not only will your big day be completely unique (who else can say they’re holding their ceremony somewhere that nobody else ever has), but after the wedding is over, you can start renting out the event space to other people and making a return on your investment.
Turn to Worldwide Steel for your Perfect Wedding Venue
Our high-quality steel building kits are fully customizable and an affordable way to create an event space tailored to your needs. Whether you own catering or special event business and want to offer customers a dedicated wedding/event space; your church wants to add or do renovations on a reception hall, or you’re a proud parent wanting to create a custom space for your daughter’s (or son’s) dream wedding, we are here to help.
Wide Open Spaces
Because they don’t need columns, our prefab recreational steel structures offer clear spans from 24 feet to 225 feet, giving you usable space across the floor (care to dance, anyone?) and all the way up to the peak. You can choose your floor plans to be fully enclosed (and then converted into barn homes after the big day), semi-enclosed (which provides natural light with an enclosed kitchen, restrooms and bridal suite, which is common for an event barn), or open air (which gives the feel of an outdoor wedding with protection from any potential rain). No matter how many square feet you need to accommodate your loved ones, you can design the perfect event center with Worldwide Steel.
Durable and Economical
Steel building kits are a convenient and quicker alternative than traditional construction – and generally much more affordable. However, the value of our DIY custom metal buildings comes not just from the budget but from their quality, durability, and ease of assembly. We manufacture our own trusses, which are welded in precision jigs for accuracy, double dipped in a rust-proof coating, and inspected to ensure your structure will stand the test of time.
Finishing Touches for a Perfect Space
Both our interiors and exteriors are fully customizable with various styles, colors, and finishes to ensure your event space is not only functional, but attractive. So no matter whether you want an indoor or outdoor ceremony, it will be against a beautiful backdrop with the help of Worldwide Steel.
Our customer service team will work closely with you to design your space inside and out, from \ electrical, water and HVAC, to layout, interior walls, overhangs, porches and pergolas, and finishes ranging from wood to stone to stucco. Want a country-feel rustic wedding? Our Gambrel barn specialists can help you create a classic look and charm for your space.
For more information about metal building kits, contact us, or start designing your building with our online 3D Building Designer Tool by clicking the image below.
Champions of Business: Championing Our Customers’ Goals
Worldwide Steel Buildings was recently honored by the Kansas City Business Journal as one of its 2018 Champions of Business. This annual program recognizes companies based in the Kansas City area that contribute to our community’s economic strength and quality of life.
We are particularly proud to be a Champion of Business because the qualities the selection panel looks for are the same thing we believe allow us to provide a great product and great service to our customers:
Innovation
Our commitment to create steel buildings customized to each customer’s exact needs drives us to constantly find new and innovative ways to deliver on that promise. This includes our 3D Building Designer tool, which we developed to help you design every aspect of your dream building before you order. It also includes our approach to designing and manufacturing our steel building kits for easy DIY assembly to streamline budget and timeline. And, it’s why we love working with our customers to make their unique building ideas a reality – you are part of our innovation team!
Strength and Stability
Just like our building kits, Worldwide Steel Buildings starts from a solid foundation. We own and operate our own manufacturing facility so we control every aspect of quality and fabrication to meet your expectations. We work hard and smart to ensure you are getting an outstanding value, backed by our 50-year warranty. Our focus on giving customers a great product and great service with great value has kept us going and growing for 35 years, so you can be sure we will be here when you need us.
Giving Back
Most importantly, we are committed to being a great place to work to help our employees and our community thrive. As our owner, Jeff Snell, told the Business Journal: “Having an enjoyable place to work is part of the culture, but on top of that, we want our employees to feel empowered to make decisions and make the right decisions based on the customer experience and pride in their work.”
We take great pride in being able to give back to our community through creating jobs and contributing to the local economy. Also, by using exclusively American-made steel, we are not only ensuring high quality of our steel buildings, but by serving our customers in a way that supports our country’s economy as well.
This recognition couldn’t have happened without our tremendous employees and without the support of you, our customers. Thank you for your trust and confidence in us – you are our “Champions of Business”!
Check out our Champions of Business profile here. And as always, call us at any time with questions or to discuss your next project.
For more information about metal building kits contact us, or start designing your building with our online 3D Building Designer Tool by clicking the image below.
What Does it Take to Be an AWS Certified Welding Fabricator?
When you take a look at Worldwide Steel’s website or any of our materials, you may notice the words “We are certified by the American Welding Society (AWS) as a Certified Welding Fabricator.” For our company, it’s a source of pride and a recognition of our commitment to manufacture steel buildings of the highest quality. But what does it mean to our customers? It means top-quality craftsmanship at the hands of a master metal fabricator, a commitment to excellence in every building kit we ship, and peace of mind as you embark on your new building project.
Top-Quality Craftsmanship
Commitment to top-quality craftsmanship is a full-time priority for Worldwide Steel, and that commitment is evident in our Certified Welding Fabricator designation.
To be designated as a Certified Welding Fabricator (CWF), companies go through a rigorous and lengthy process. Contrary to popular belief, it isn’t about one single employee being a certified welder. It’s less about the skills of the individual employees, and more about the culture, knowledge and capabilities of the company as a whole. The first step on the path to CWF designation starts with an application documenting quality processes, personnel experience, and capabilities. Then, an AWS expert reviews the company’s quality manual and recommends any improvements needed. Next, AWS performs an on-site audit of the manufacturing facility and another detailed review of the quality manual. The company then must undergo a problem-solving exercise and make any changes needed to meet the AWS’ industry-recognized standards to produce the highest-quality steel fabricated structures.
Commitment to Excellence
Becoming a CWF not only means we employ an experienced welder/fabricator team with the experience, knowledge, equipment, and capabilities to ensure the strength and durability of our structures. It also means we constantly maintain and improve our quality processes across our fabrication shop, and participate in yearly quality reviews, to keep our certification year after year. It takes time and dedication to maintain these high standards – that’s why only about 200 companies the U.S., Canada, and Mexico combined have earned this select designation.
Peace of Mind
At the end of the day, what really matters to our customers is that every weld in your steel building is durable, strong, and can withstand whatever weather conditions, loads, or special uses you require.
At Worldwide Steel, we ensure each and every construction project our customers undertake goes exactly according to its blueprints, and that comes down to precision. Much of the precision of the metal building components is thanks to the welding process while the steel is still in the warehouse. When your trusses, girts, sheet metal and other metal products are all handled by an experienced welder, using a mix of hand tools and power tools and MIG welding and TIG (or GMAW) welding, as the situation calls for, you can feel confident that they’re welded precisely and made to last.
Our steel buildings are backed by an unmatched 50-year warranty – and by the expertise and quality commitment of our Worldwide Steel Buildings employees. This means that not only are you getting an affordable steel building kit customized to the needs of your home or business, you are getting the highest quality our industry has to offer.
So when you see the AWS CWF symbol – just like the Worldwide Steel Buildings name – you can have the confidence and peace of mind knowing your structure will maintain its integrity and appearance for years to come.
Worldwide Steel has almost 40 years of experience in designing the highest quality stainless steel building kits for a variety of building designs and uses.
Let one of our skilled, professional staff members help you customize a high-quality steel building kit, or check out our 3D building designer tool to draft your own design. Either way, we will ensure your product is of the highest standards.
For more information about metal building kits contact us, or start designing your building with our online 3D Building Designer Tool by clicking the image below.
The Steel Building Process – One Client’s Real Life Experience
I live in northern Kansas and I needed a building built. I had a 40-50 year old machine shed that had been converted into a pole barn on the property. The people we bought the property from had added a concrete floor. The building was an absolute piece of junk. It only had one garage door in it. It was rusted and dated. I looked into painting it and got several quotes, but the painting costs were outrageous. The cost to paint it was going to be $13,700 due to the rotting and the condition of the siding. The cost for the new building was $14,200.
Finding a Company
I looked at pole barns and other steel buildings and read some of the testimonials. I called 8-9 different companies. To be honest, when I called to talk to some others, they transferred me around. I left messages places and never got responses. Many of them never bothered to even call back.
Choosing Worldwide Steel
When I reached Derek at Worldwide Steel, he was extremely easy to talk to, answered all of my questions, and gave me quotes. He sent me brochures, I looked at the quality and different things. It was pretty evident right from the beginning that he was customer service oriented. I felt very comfortable with Derek. He followed up several times and we talked over the course of maybe a month and a half before I figured out what I wanted for sure. He walked me through the process and the warranty was excellent.
The Storage Garage
I bought a 30×56 building because I already had the pre-existing concrete pad from the old barn. It’s a garage – three full garage doors plus a toy door for bringing in the lawn mower, ranger, etc. I will be using it for equipment storage – a boat and two vehicles.
The Construction
I originally had a local contractor take down the old building and do some concrete work. The contractor gave me a ridiculously low price to build out new building as well. When I called Worldwide to talk with them about the contractor’s plan, they were able to give me helpful tips and explain to me exactly what needs to be done as far as the construction of the new building. They also got me in touch with a contractor who could go through the process seamlessly.
Instead of trying to build it myself, I hired a contracting crew that was recommended by Worldwide Steel and is one of their number one contractors. I was extremely pleased with them. They came out and built it in five days. They worked with the insulation company and were very professional. They did a super job!
Changes along the Way
Worldwide Steel is extremely customer oriented. From day one, when I finally decided the size of my building, they sent me blueprints for the building based on what I had told them I was hoping to get from the building. I could email and call and was able to completely customize and revise the blueprints with the help of worldwide employees.
Communication Was Key to a Seamless Job
Anytime I had questions, anytime I would call, I never talked to anyone from Worldwide who wasn’t overly helpful. From the littlest question to the receptionist, it didn’t matter who I was talking to or what I was asking. I had no hiccups along the way. I added the insulation package per the salesman’s suggestion and I have been extremely happy with it. The tiny issue that I ran into with the insulation company not sending enough insulation was immediately handled by Worldwide Steel and only postponed the whole process by half a day. The contractor didn’t charge extra for the additional time since it
wasn’t my fault. I’ve stayed in touch with our sales rep since then and have bragged continuously about how easy the process was and how seamlessly the project went.
Worldwide Steel’s Customer Service Is Amazing
Worldwide will build you whatever you want. You give them what you want and you can either put it up yourself or hire one of their exceptional contractors to take care of the job for you. Derek has obviously never pressured us. I can’t emphasize the customer service level enough.
My One Regret
I wish I could say more. We just love the building. The only thing that I regret was that we didn’t include the mezzanine for additional storage. I would recommend that to anybody. Much better warranty than anything else and I was impressed from the very beginning.
If you’re planning on building a garage, shed, large barn, or other structure, make sure to call Worldwide Steel first. We’ll make it painless. Call and talk to one our helpful salespeople at (800) 825-0316 or contact us online. We’ll make sure your steel building is exactly what you wanted!
How to Finance a Metal Building
Sometimes, you have to make a responsible, educated leap of faith to make your dreams come true. And when that dream happens to require investment in a physical property — whether it’s finally becoming a homeowner by building a new metal home or barndominium for your family, a new metal garage to support your independent vintage car repair shop, a commercial building so you can expand the footprint of your small business, or a horse barn, so you can finally have a horse of your own — the dream may well come before the dollars.
Worldwide Steel Buildings understands that, and we don’t expect our customers to pay for their entire metal building kits up front, no matter what their goal or financial situation. That’s why we offer metal building financing options that are attainable for just about everyone.
Metal Buildings That Are Easy to Build and Easy to Afford
We know it’s important to your personal and corporate financial success to have the space you need when you need it. Oftentimes, that means you need to invest in your metal structure before the money can follow. That is why financing options are available on every building kit, to those who meet basic criteria.
Worldwide Steel Buildings is happy to offer financing services that can help you make your dreams a reality and allow you to build when you need to.
Plus, our metal building kits are cost-effective anyway (especially compared to a traditional home), so the monthly payments you’ll make on your low-maintenance, long-lasting building should be reasonable and affordable.
How to Qualify for Financing
Financing for a metal building kit is easy to get. There are no upfront fees, no prepayment penalties, and no appraisal required. Unlike with many other contracting agencies, equity is not required for metal building kit financing.
Want to finance your metal building, but worried your credit score or credit history will keep you from being approved for metal building financing? We truly encourage you to enquire regardless. The lenders we work with will be able to modify your loan terms based on building cost, down payment, and other factors that are within your control.
Our lending partners offer competitive interest rates and specialize in construction loans, so you can feel confident you’re working with people who know what they’re doing (both at our lending partner, New Century Bank, and at Worldwide Steel, where we manufacture your steel structures ourselves — no middle man).
What Kind of Metal Building Kit Will You Finance?
We cannot stress this enough … it’s whatever kind you want! Worldwide Steel offers a wide variety of steel and metal buildings in all shapes, sizes and finishes. From a modest carport to an imposing storage building or crowd-ready community building, no construction project is too big and no construction project is too small.
You can choose the size and style that fits your needs. See our steel building kits page to see different types of buildings, the assembly process, and the tools and equipment needed to complete your project. Then start designing your building online with our 3D Building Designer Tool to see just how customizable our building kits really are.
Did You Say Customize?
Sure did. Worldwide Steel buildings are extremely versatile. You can choose from over 42 million variations of designs and add-ons. With our available building accessories, you can customize everything from the dimensions, colors, and exterior finish, to adding lofts, cupolas, skylights, and more. There really is no limit to what you can do with a steel building!
We can’t wait for you to find out firsthand.
Let’s find the perfect type of loan for your new metal building project, together. Contact us or call (800) 825-0316 to learn more about beginning the financing process.
