A Garage Kit: Six Advantages of Steel Framing over Wood

VersaTube Building Systems have been around since 1994, specializing in steel framing components for a variety of uses from residential to agricultural to commercial. By 1997 they had patented an innovative "slip fit" steel framing system that made assembling steel frames much easier and faster, so they expanded to offering full building systems, including a garage kit that any do-it-yourself homeowner could build in a weekend.

But in building systems, wood has always been the material of choice, so why use steel? Here are six advantages of a steel framed garage kit over wood framed buildings.

1. They are easy to install. The steel tubes are precisely engineered to fit together, with one end sliding into the other. No special fasteners are needed, and fewer workers are needed to complete the process. No sawing, holding, and nailing together long, heavy and bulky 2"x4" or 4"x4" planks.
   


2. Cost effective. Since the metal is precisely cut in the factory, there is no on site waste (no need to pay for slightly longer wood to make sure they are long enough which you then cut down to size). Since fewer workers are needed, that is less wages to pay if you are having the building assembled by someone else. And in some areas, steel framing in a garage kit will reduce insurance premiums.
   


3. Safer and resistant to nature. A steel framed garage kit is obviously more fire resistant than a wood framed building, steel is also unaffected by termites, insects or rodents as well as mold or fungi. It does not have to be treated with chemicals like wood does, and a steel framed building is well grounded and less likely to be struck or damaged by lightning.
   


4. Less maintenance and improved construction quality. A steel garage kit does not age and deteriorate like wood buildings do over time, so you know you have a building that will last. The steel used by VersaTube, which is made in the USA , is manufactured to uncompromising standards for strength and consistency, so as a homeowner you  don't have to worry about any weak spots. Steel is corrosion resistant, it is dimensionally stable and it also remains straight, no concerns about warping with weather changes.
   


5. Lightweight but strong and durable. Steel has one of the highest strength to weight ratios of any construction material, so is great for a garage kit. Steel will never buckle, split, warp, twist, crack, rot or splinter. All this strength, yet it is also weighs less than wood, making it easier to handle, move around and build with especially when raising walls and roofs.
   


6. Recyclable. Wood is obviously recyclable, but steel is the most recycled material on earth, with more than 100 billion pound recycled annually. There is little waste and no trees are used, which may be a renewable natural resource but only when properly managed.
   

When it comes to selecting the best building kit for your shed or garage, take a good look at steel garage kits. As shown above, they offer numerous advantages from easy installation to being more cost effective and more resistant to natural occurring problems. They are also very strong, low maintenance and recyclable. Plus, they come in a lot of configurations, colors and options so with a Versatube prefabricated steel garage kit, you win on many fronts.