Nearly every commercial building is built for the purpose of creating income in some way, shape or form; to offset the costs it takes to keep it maintained. Whether it’s a retail location to serve clients or a head office to run your business, you still have to pay for things like lighting, heating and much more. It’s important to keep this as balanced as possible, and cut corners when you can in ways that won’t threaten the integrity of the building in any way. There are tons of ways you can lower the costs and save yourself money after a commercial building has been completed. Here are just a few.

Programmable Heating

Using a programmable thermostat is a great way to save money since you won’t need to have the temperature the same all day. You can set timers to change the room’s temperature at different times of the day, depending on whether or not people will be there or not. You can set it to lower during the nighttime for example, since nobody will be in the building to know the different. Heating and cooling are the biggest chunk of any type of energy used in your steel building, and programming the rise and fall throughout the day and night can reduce your bill by up to 10%.

Insulate!

Insulation is extremely important for your steel structure, and there are plenty of types that work for every kind of budget. Focus on how resistant the type that you’re looking is to heat transfer – or how air from getting out and cold air from getting inside the building. This is called the “R-Value” and every kind of insulation has a different level of it. It will be important for you to do just a little bit of research as well as looking around in order to find the kind that works best for you and your steel building.

Sensitive Lighting

Lights are another thing that eats up tons of energy, and the fact of the matter is that they don’t need to be on all the time. If nobody is in the space, it’s much better if the lights or off for obvious reasons. However, even the function of turning the lights on and off manually might cause you to waste energy. The reality is, it’s easy to forget things like that and you might not end up with any savings at all. Installing motion sensors that turn the lights off or on depending on if someone walks in is crucial. Any space that is only used sometimes during the day – like bathrooms, conferences rooms and more – work to save you plenty of money on your electricity bill.

Minimize The Work

The heating and cooling systems inside your steel building can’t be doing all the work, so it’s important that you find ways to minimize the workload of these appliances. Things like weather stripping your doors and windows to prevent air leakage and cold air from getting into your structure. Choose energy efficient windows and doors to make it a bit easier, and during the construction process pay attention to where you put certain features like windows. South-facing windows will allow much more natural light and heat into your space, taking some extra pressure off your heater.

For more information on our steel buildings, call us at 1-888- 449-7756

When we think of prefab steel buildings, we don’t often think of the ways it could help an industry like travel and tourism. Depending on where you’re looking to building, putting up a new hotel can seem like a long shot, but why not try with prefab steel structures? Steel buildings are much more than industrial structures suited for factories, and here’s just a few reasons why.

Thanks to a handful of factors, prefab steel structures can save you plenty of money in both upfront and long term costs. This does wonders for the cost of ownership. For starters, the building will require a smaller and simpler foundations than would normally be required with other more traditional building methods. Because all the parts of your structure are put together elsewhere, the project can start to come together right away as soon as the pieces arrive to your build site. This prevents what might be expensive construction delays that would prevent you from starting your business sooner and getting a return on your investment.

Steel buildings are also extremely energy efficient, with natural insulation that helps keep the temperature inside regulated. Including extra insulation to your structure is a simple process no matter what method you choose. This will ensure the comfort of your guests without costing you tons of money in utility bills. Also, thanks to the lack of required maintenance, you’ll also save plenty of money due to the fact that the hotel won’t be undergoing constant costly repairs.

Contrary to popular belief, steel buildings are extremely customizable, able to look like a structure built of more traditional materials like wood or concrete. People tend to shy away from steel because they assume it will have a box, industrial appearance but this isn’t the case at all. There are plenty of styles, paints, finishes and detailing available to make your structure exactly how you want it. No matter your target market, you can make sure your hotel look just how you need it to look. You’ll also be able to accommodate the amount of guests that works best for you, since steel structures come in an array of sizes and layouts that can be changed in any number of ways before, during and after the construction has been completed.

The most important feature of steel structures is how durable they are. If you’re building a hotel, particularly a large one, it’s safe to assume that this is a structure you will want to operate for a long time. Steel buildings give you the type of structural stability that can last for decades against everything from heavy rain, high winds, fire, pests, moisture damage and so much more as long as the structure has the right paints and protective coatings in addition to the natural strength of the material.

For more information on our steel buildings, call us at 1-888- 449-7756

Prefab steel structures are known for the their strength and durability, especially when it comes to standing up to the elements. One of the things about building in Canada is that you have to consider so many different types of weather throughout the year’s seasons that the structure has to be able to stand up to. Regardless of the size or what you’ll be using it for, it’s imperative that prefab steel structures be strong and able to withstand many different types of weather and elements so that the building can remain in good shape and working order for years to come.

High Winds

Steel structures stand up well to strong winds of up to 120 mph, often much better than buildings made from more traditional materials like wood. In highly windy areas, this is important so the building doesn’t sustain punctures and other types of damage that can be caused by high winds, especially if the items you’re storing inside are valuable in any way. This is also where the natural insulation of steel structures and the inclusions of additional insulation comes into play, since it  essentially adds an extra layer of protection from the elements so the inside of your building remains safe at all times.

Rain & Snow

Moisture is a big deal with it comes to steel structures, and ensuring that your building can stand up to it is important. With more traditional building materials like wood, water and ice damage can have serious impact on the integrity of the building. With prefab steel structures, the appropriate coatings and protective paints keep moisture from having an affect on the exterior or interior of the structure. Also, the specially engineered nature of the building means each and every part of the structure is made to fit perfectly with all of the other parts. This leaves very little room for cracks and spaces for moisture to get into the building and damage anything you might have inside.

Heat & Cold

Natural insulation is your best defense against the heat and cold of the changing seasons in Canada, in addition to including more insulation via a handful of different methods. No matter what you choose to do, steel’s natural insulation helps absorb and keep warm air inside the structure while keeping cold air at bay during the winter months. Conversely, the siding and roof panels are great at bouncing off excessive heat and keeping the building’s interior at a much more reasonable temperature. This also helps with the costs of keeping your building up, since any heating & cooling appliances you have inside will use much less energy in order to keep the building at a reasonable temperature. This will save you money on utility bills since the appliances will be doing much less overtime work in order to keep your building’s temperature regulated.

For more information on our steel buildings, call us at 1-888- 449-7756

With any construction project, there are a handful of procedures you should get through in order to make sure it ends successfully. Though cost-effective, it’s still a pretty big investment, so making sure it goes well every step of the way is imperative to ensuring you get the desired end result. Here are a few things you should start off with to make sure your steel building project is successful

Make A Budget.

The first thing you need to do is set a comprehensive budget for your project. Also, consider where these finances might come from.  It’s important to set a realistic budget for your project so that you’re able to stay within that budget and not have any surprises. Setting a budget will give you a good idea of what you can and cannot do with your structure.  Particularly if this is your first steel building project, it will be important to keep everything in line so last minute cost don’t affect your project.

Make Plans

Once you have a comprehensive budget, it’s imperative that you have plans for how you want your building to look. When choosing a steel building kit, you can choose one that’s closest to what you want it to look like, but also keep in mind you have nearly endless customization options to bring your vision to life. It’s important that you keep function in mind as well, since a building is much more than the way it looks. Our prefab steel buildings are designed by engineers with years of experience and use the best quality steel, so take advantage of this and combine it with your own ideas for your future space.

Make A Schedule

One of the best things about steel buildings is how quickly the structures can be put together. Even so, it’s important to set a time frame for your project, particularly if you plan on adding plenty of customization or other extras. What may have taken just a few days might have to turn into a week or two of constant work depending on what your end goal is, so do keep that in mind before you begin. It’s important to consider whether or not the time frame is realistic, and any delays that might stop the process and make it all even longer than you previously anticipated. If you have a particular deadline, as is often the case for commercial spaces, consider the possibility of hiring extra labour in order to get everything done even more quickly.

Ask Questions

One mistake people often make during the construction process is not asking enough questions until it’s too late. Get as much information as you can before you begin so you know exactly what’s going on; especially if this is your first project. Not sure what all the addons will cost? Ask! Wondering what tools you’ll need to have on hand on your job site? Be sure to get that information so you’re prepared. The most important part of this process is having open communication and understanding between everyone involved.

For more information on our steel buildings, call us at 1-888- 449-7756