There are five reasons that I would recommend that you choose a metal building for a home.  In this post, I will explain the construction speed, fire and earthquake safety, and durability of metal buildings that influenced us to choose one for our home.

Choose a Metal Building for Speed of Construction

My husband and I chose a metal building because of its speedy construction. We placed our order for a hunter green, 1000 square foot, and two-story-high metal building at our local Metal’s Direct.  The payment was made and we were told when it would be shipped.  Everything would be ready to assemble with screws. Also, we were told that there was a month or more wait time for county permits. Consequently, we chose to go ahead with the project and get permits later. A concrete slab was also needed, so my husband found a contractor friend to help him with that. My husband had a 30-day trip to work on the concrete to supervise the building construction.  A private crew was hired to put up the building.

As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn commissions on qualifying sales at no extra cost to you.  Thanks for supporting my channel by using my links.

Watch the Video

My husband, at the time, drove up to our 332-acre property in French Gulch California.  When he got there, the two ladies were still camping there with their two chihuahuas.  You will get to see and hear them barking in this video.  Unfortunately, Gary didn’t have a camera, so he used the camera on his laptop to video the progress of the building going up.  He had an accident where something hit him in the face, so doesn’t look his best.  One day, one of the workers almost fell with the ladder to serious injury or death, but Gary grabbed the ladder in time. This is the only video that he sent me of the progress of the metal building construction.

Choose a Metal Building for Lower Cost

The price for building a metal building home seemed lower than other homes when we did our research. Actually, what we paid was around $20,000.00.  I have recently paid $6,000.00 for the building engineering.  We didn’t have all the money when we started. Some prefab homes that were already engineered had a price way out of our budget.  Consequently, we needed to have a workable pay-as-you-go plan.  I believe that no matter what the cost, it is less expensive in the long run to have a metal building rather than to have to rebuild a wooden structure after a fire.

Choose a Metal Building for Fire Safety

Our building site was surrounded by trees with no time to cut them all down.  Therefore, it seemed to be crazy to build a wooden structure under such circumstances.  Metals can melt in extreme heat, but they aren’t flammable from sparks flying in the air as a wood home would be.  Who wouldn’t want a beautiful log cabin?  But, we wanted to choose a home that could be more protected in the dreaded California fires.  I have been teased by some family members saying that I live in a shed.  Maybe it is like a two-story-tall shed for now, but once it is built inside, it will be a metal building home.

Choose a Metal Building for Earthquake Safety.

Living in California, you have to give some thought to earthquakes and how well a structure can stand in a strong quake. There are strict earthquake codes for California that are more than met by metal buildings. Metal buildings have been found to hold up well in strong earthquakes.  I chose to build a metal building home because of its sturdy steel construction and ability to hold up in an earthquake.  For more information on this subject, check out the following link.  https://www.bossbuildings.com/blog/metal-buildings-and-earthquakes#:~:text=In%20fact%2C%20through%20several%20tests%20and%20real-world%20events%2C,those%20living%20in%20areas%20that%20may%20experience%20earthquakes%21

Choose a Metal Building for Durability

The home where we used to live in Fallbrook had some areas of dry rot in the wood.  It also had places where termites were eating away at the wood.  Fortunately, with a metal building, the outside of the home should last a long time since it won’t get dry rot from the weather or be eaten by termites.  I am not so naive to think that termites can’t get inside a metal building to eat the wood. Therefore, the wood used on the inside will need to be treated.

Conclusion

A lot of thought needs to go into the kind of home you will choose for the area you choose to live in.  Keep in mind the disasters possible in the area.  A beautiful log cabin may be a good choice in an area without forest fires, but a not so pretty metal building could be more practical in the long run to keep you safe from forest fires and earthquakes.  The cost is relatively low and they can be assembled quickly.  It will be worth all the teasing that you live in a shed to have a durable home free from rot and termites.

Previous Posts of Interest

Planning the Homestead

https://healthyhomesteadingadventures.com/planning-the-homestead/

Title Company Advice: Interspousal Transfer Grant Deed

https://healthyhomesteadingadventures.com/title-company-advice-interspousal-transfer-grant-deed/

Check out my Redbubble Shop.  The two products below are a sample of many products.  Thank you for supporting my channel.