Steel Garage Kits Beat Wood for Affordability and Durability
Seeking covered spaces for securing vehicles, equipment, or hobby interests, many property owners debate choosing affordable wood-framed or higher-grade steel-structured buildings. Weighing construction kit pricing plus inherent material traits makes clear that steel crafts superior garage spaces for budget-conscious investment return.
Bottom Line Cost Comparison
Basic wood-framed garage kits offering just structural lumber, fasteners, and diagrams range bottom-dollar from $3-4 per square foot upwards past $10 per square for premium packages including shingles, windows or siding pieces. This nets a basic 16x20ft garage shell falling between $1,000 – $3,200 for wood. Comparable bolt-together steel garage framing kits from reputable prefab builders like American Barn start around only $2 per square foot for commercial quality galvanized structural steel through $8 per square foot for complete insulated panels kits. This means that same 16x20ft steel garage ships for around $640 on the extreme low-end up to $2,560 for premium builds. Even maxed out pricing means steel still holds at least 20% cost savings over wood before customization extras.
Construction Quality Contrasts
Cost savings over wood becomes even clearer examining material durability beyond initial pricing. Wood inevitably splits, warps and faces threats from termites/pests plus exponential exposure vulnerabilities to moisture and rot decay. Replacing failing wood garage components after less than 20 years becomes expected. Meanwhile professionally fabricated steel with weather-resistant zinc coatings reliably withstands extreme weathering, wind and seismic conditions for 50+ years with minimal maintenance required. Steel construction equates long-term value hard to overstate.
Convenience Advantages
Steel garage construction also expedites build timelines thanks to simplistic bolt-together assembly. Clearing permits faster proves easier as well without extensive foundations necessary to build durable structures able to manage substantial weight. This prevents complex CODE compliance steps wood frames demand whose structural needs rely fully on precise lumber cuts and multiple nailing connections for adequate integrity. Steel ships pre-cut with readymade joinery precision.
While wood tempts initially with lower straight-purchase pricing, steel delivers unbeatable affordability long-term. When storage spaces must support assets and hobbies for decades reliably, steel emerges the flat-out superior lifetime value over any wood savings upfront. Steel grants property owners far more barn for their buck through enduring shelters benefiting families for generations.
