Steel or wood, that is the question! When a company needs additional space to house employees or provide storage, the decision maker will wonder whether to go with a traditional wood frame or steel building contractor. Both are experienced. Both provide high-quality work. Following are 5 good reasons why steel wins out over wood.

1. Faster Construction Time
Steel frame buildings save between 30 and 50 percent of construction time compared to traditional wood frame construction. Because it is pre-engineered, a metal building can be manufactured and delivered to a job site very quickly. Steel buildings require less labor overall, which means lower costs than the labor required for traditional construction.

2. No Warping Like Wood
Wood warping costs the U.S. wood industry millions each year. Wood becomes warped when too much moisture enters the wood. In order to keep wood from warping, it must be kept in a low-humidity environment (55%) with good ventilation--not always easy to do.

Sometimes warped wood can be fixed, but it adds work--and costs--to the project. There is no warping issue with steel, which saves worry, time, and money.

3. Much Lower Maintenance Costs
Steel construction eliminates rot, mold, and structural deterioration due to aging, unlike wood. Steel does not shrink, split, or warp like wood and there are never any nail pops or drywall cracks to fix with steel. Steel framing performs better in high wind, rain, snow, and seismic activity--reducing potential costs for repairs or reconstruction.

4. Low Fire Hazard/Lower Insurance Costs
In a word, steel buildings are non-flammable. This means insurance costs will be much lower. The above-mentioned high performance of steel buildings in all types of weather and natural occurrences also serves to lower insurance costs with regard to the reduction in potential claims for injuries and for added costs of labor and materials for repair/reconstruction.

5. Resistance to Pests
According to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Entomology, there are 17 wood-attacking insects. The best known of these are termites, carpenter ants, and powderpost beetles, all of which are difficult and costly to eradicate if they decide to invade your wood building. Steel buildings eliminate this concern entirely.

We hope these 5 points help you in making your steel vs. wood decision, but if you have any questions please feel free to email us or give us a call at 603.926.4966.

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