Arch style commercial steel buildings (aka Quonset huts) became popular during World War II. They are built from a series of interlocking metal ribs that form the roof and sides of the building. Arch buildings are mostly used for storage buildings, garages, and sheds. Small arch style buildings are popular among do-it-yourselfers as their construction methods are simple and they are less expensive per square foot. They are not very adaptable or customizable, however. Their construction only allows for doors and windows in the endwalls, not the sides, and the overhead clearance drops considerably as you get further away from the center of the building.
The primary type of steel building used for commercial and industrial applications is the rigid frame style building. These are constructed with steel skeleton framing and flat steel panels for the roof and walls. They can include doors and windows in any wall, and can be expanded with relative ease. While they are still much easier to build than traditional buildings, more expertise and equipment is required to construct a rigid frame building than an arch style building.
An additional type of building often produced by the same manufacturers is the pole barn. Pole barns are simple buildings that use steel framing, but feature wood floors and/or walls. They are primarily used for agriculture. Note: most of the topics addressed in this Buyer's Guide apply more to arch style and rigid frame buildings.
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How big do you need it?
One of the advantages of commercial steel buildings is the huge open spaces they can easily contain. However, try not to get carried away: the bigger the building, the more it will cost you. The first consideration about size, of course, is usage. Whether the building is going to contain shelving units, parking spaces, pews, or offices, you should carefully plot out a desired floor plan to determine the height and width you need.
A large majority of steel buildings are single story, but they can be built with two or three floors if your application calls for it.
You also need to decide if you can live with interior columns or not. "Clearspan" buildings - those without any interior columns - can be up to around 150' wide. However the wider they get, the more weight the frame has to support and the more expensive the building becomes. In "modular" commercial steel buildings, width is nearly unlimited - over 1000' is possible - but you'll have a series of metal columns inside. (Note: the term "modular buildings" also refers to an entirely different type of construction in which smaller, more finished buildings are completely produced in a factory then shipped to their destination.)
