This website is independent of any manufacturer or supplier of steel, steel sheds or buildings. The site's purpose is to help prospective steel shed buyers in the selection, preparation and assembly of their new building.
Steel buildings cover a broad scope of the total building activity in any given area. The range and possibilities of steel buildings are so great, this site has been limited to the most common sizes and applications in the pre-engineered, pre-fabricated category.
Pre-engineered buildings, more commonly called sheds, probably account for up to 75 percent of the pre-fabricated steel building market. If you are not in the business, buying and erecting a large steel building is usually a once in a life time excercise. It can all look confusing at first and there are lots of traps for beginners.
The technicalities involved in the design, manufacture and assembly of steel buildings are complex and time consuming. Throughout this site we try to simply explain some of the technicalities in basic lay-man terms. Due to time and space constraints all details might not be included or fully explained. It is therefore important that anyone planning to purchase a steel building should obtain actual and current information from their supplier.
Steel buildings are the natural progress from earlier forms of construction such as masonry, wood, and thatch. Non-residential steel buildings have moved away from the traditional stud and plate design and most have portal frames. That means they have a series of rigid column and rafter assemblies spanning the width and spaced well apart along the length of the building. Diagional bracing is added to stop the frames from twisting or leaning under wind load. This is called the main frame.
The portal frames are connected together at roof level by steel sections running the length of the building. These are called purlins. Similar steel sections called girts are used around the girth of the building. In large buildings, bridging ties are placed between the purlins and girts to prevent twisting. All these components are known as the sub-frame to which the external cladding is attached using special screw fasteners.
The area or space between each portal frame is called a bay. A building can be almost any number of bays long. The width of bays (the distance between frames) is variable, but the size must be nominated before engineering is commenced. The wider the bays, the stronger the steel has to be. Bays may be open or enclosed with wall cladding or doors, and may be divided with a wall called a partition.
So, before you order your steel shed, reading the contents of this site might save you lots of hours of frustration, and money. There are also tips that will help reduce the need for costly maintenance and upkeep throughout your building's life.
