Winter’s Mess Shows which Building is Best

When some people think of snow, delightful images of hot chocolate and cozy fires come to mind. For Gil McNeely of Waynesburg, PA, there is nothing delightful about snow—in fact, it makes him downright miserable.

With his home located two long miles from a paved road, McNeely has been left to plow and shovel virtually nonstop these past two winters to keep up with the record amount of snowfall. “Last winter we lost power a few times during the storms and had to use the generator,” says McNeely. “It was a heavy wet snow that damaged some trees and even caused a metal 10 x 10 building out back to completely cave in—but my SteelMaster was just fine. These winters have put it to the test, and that is one tough building.”

For more than 28 years, SteelMaster Buildings, which is located in Virginia Beach, VA, has manufactured, designed, and supplied pre-fabricated arched steel structures to 40,000 customers located in every state of the United States, in 40 countries, and on seven continents around the world.

In 2006, McNeely built his SteelMaster steel building to keep his two jeeps in as well as for storage of various other items. He bought the building from the company after spotting one of their ads in a farm and dairy journal. “I was searching for something that was low maintenance, and that is exactly what I got with my SteelMaster,” says McNeely. “I have another pole building on my property made of wood and metal, and I’ve had to paint the roof a few times, tighten loose nails, and do a bunch of other maintenance—I’m just tired of all the upkeep. With the SteelMaster building, once I got it up, I didn’t have to even think about it again. There is nothing to maintain. Another thing I noticed is that the building doesn’t sweat. When I keep my jeep in another one of my buildings, sometimes I go to get in them and there is condensation on the windshield. That has never happened with my SteelMaster, so the ventilation in it is really good.”

Structural steel is easier to handle, stronger, and less expensive than any other common pre-fabricated buildings materials. It does not rot, warp, shrink, or split, and it is non-combustible. Steel’s inherent strength resists fire, earthquake, and hurricane damage. Steel components weigh up to 60 percent less than wood members, and all steel products are repeatedly recyclable.

“With a SteelMaster building, you don’t have to treat it, paint it, or maintain it,” says Michelle Wickum, director of marketing for the company. “You can just enjoy it. The Galvalume Plus coating provides years of maintenance-free use. And the rugged resilient steel will take the bumps and bangs common to a storage building.”

McNeely likes his SteelMaster building so much that he purchased another one that he plans to build on to his SteelMaster that is already standing once this winter is behind him. His cousin, who owns part of the 156 acres that McNeely lives on, recently bought a SteelMaster building himself as well. “I’ve actually been seeing more and more SteelMaster buildings going up around these parts,” says McNeely. “They are a great investment, require no maintenance, and they look good, so I’m not surprised people are buying them. I’m already making plans myself to buy a third one because I love the buildings so much.”

In addition to storage buildings, SteelMaster’s steel and metal pre-engineered buildings are designed for a broad range of residential and commercial applications including garages, workshops, carports, metal barns, Quonsets, airplane hangars, RV storage, roofing systems, military buildings, commercial warehousing, and industrial storage as well as a wide variety of custom building applications including athletic facilities, retail stores, churches, bus stops, smoke shacks, doggie dorms, and correctional facilities.

For this Couple, Steel’s All Wright

In Rhinebeck, NY—roughly 400 miles northwest of Mill Run, PA—there is a mini-compound of three Steel Buildings situated together amongst many trees. One of the buildings functions as a home, the other a garage, and the third a studio.

The three buildings are pleasing enough to look at and all feature a Quonset-style form with arched roofs and many vertical windows that mimic the length of the trees that surround them. Passersby may think it curious that owners Andy Weintraub and his wife chose steel buildings instead of a more customary material like wood, but the Weintraub’s had a plan. Whether they realized it at the time or not, that plan utilized ‘organic architecture’, a term coined by the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

A seven-hour drive from the Weintraub’s home would find them at Mill Run, which is where Wright’s most famous structure can be found—one that many say best typifies organic architecture. Known as ‘Fallingwater’ or ‘Kaufmann Residence’, this private home was commissioned as a nature retreat for the owners, and Wright did not disappoint. By its definition, organic architecture is a philosophy which promotes harmony between human habitation and the natural world through design approaches so sympathetic and well integrated with its site that buildings, furnishings, and surroundings become part of a unified, interrelated composition.

Fallingwater is built on top of an active waterfall which flows beneath the house. The fireplace hearth in the living room integrates boulders found on the site and upon which the house was built— ledge rock which protrudes up to a foot through the living room floor was left in place to demonstrably link the outside with the inside. The stone floors are waxed, while the hearth is left plain, giving the impression of dry rocks protruding from a stream.

Now, while differences abound between Fallingwater and the Weintraub’s steel residence, the couple’s concerted efforts to integrate the inside with the outside point directly to Wright’s penchant for organic architecture. But why did the couple begin with a steel building?

“We spent a lot of money on our land and needed to build something that wasn’t too expensive,” says Weintraub, who bought all three buildings from SteelMaster Buildings in Virginia Beach, VA. “The nice thing about the SteelMaster building is that its simplicity is what allows you to do with it what you will. There are no interior posts or supporting walls so you can divide the space any way you see fit.”

SteelMaster offers unique custom solutions for pre fabricated building applications such as architectural design, affordable steel housing, athletic facilities, salt storage, retail stores/business facilities, as well as specialty buildings such as bus stops, smoke shacks, doggie dorms, churches, and more.

“Whether it is a unique application for our standard Metal Buildings or a design that requires additional support from an architect or engineer, SteelMaster has years of steel building experience in solving building and design challenges,” says Michelle Wickum, the director of marketing for SteelMaster. “This uniquely qualifies us in the industry to competently address questions and concerns, and then professionally create solutions that will work, structurally, functionally, and aesthetically.”

Weintraub says both he and his wife have been actively engaged in building and designing their own homes for their entire marriage—which they will celebrate in August on their 50^th wedding anniversary. Being that their SteelMaster home was the seventh that they have built, they had a good idea of what they wanted.

“The SteelMaster structures were designed by my wife and me, and we utilized the sweeping curves of the SteelMaster buildings,” says Weintraub. “We wanted a low maintenance, eco-friendly residence and work space which also had some "character", and, to our minds, beauty. We decided to use natural materials found on the property within the house, including stone and trees.”

On the inside of their steel building, they sprayed 4" of polyurethane, which provides a very high "R" value for insulation, and, because it is applied in one continuous application, there is no air infiltration around windows, electric outlets, etc. After the polyurethane cured, it was covered (sprayed) with Monocote, a light weight mixture of cement, fiberglass, and vermiculite, which serves as a thermal barrier and a finish.

The Weintraub’s are pleased with the final look of all three of their buildings, and say it provides the perfect amount of space for when family comes to visit.

“We have only one official bedroom in the house, although we have rooms that can serve as such,” says Weintraub. When our children and grandchildren visit, we can sleep a total of sixteen, with more room on the floor. We have a total of three and a half bathrooms between the house and the studio, which serves as guest quarters. We’ve definitely recommended this type of construction to many people…we love it.”

For this Couple, Steel’s All Wright

In Rhinebeck, NY—roughly 400 miles northwest of Mill Run, PA—there is a mini-compound of three Steel Buildings situated together amongst many trees. One of the buildings functions as a home, the other a garage, and the third a studio.

The three buildings are pleasing enough to look at and all feature a Quonset-style form with arched roofs and many vertical windows that mimic the length of the trees that surround them. Passersby may think it curious that owners Andy Weintraub and his wife chose steel buildings instead of a more customary material like wood, but the Weintraub’s had a plan. Whether they realized it at the time or not, that plan utilized ‘organic architecture’, a term coined by the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

A seven-hour drive from the Weintraub’s home would find them at Mill Run, which is where Wright’s most famous structure can be found—one that many say best typifies organic architecture. Known as ‘Fallingwater’ or ‘Kaufmann Residence’, this private home was commissioned as a nature retreat for the owners, and Wright did not disappoint. By its definition, organic architecture is a philosophy which promotes harmony between human habitation and the natural world through design approaches so sympathetic and well integrated with its site that buildings, furnishings, and surroundings become part of a unified, interrelated composition.

Fallingwater is built on top of an active waterfall which flows beneath the house. The fireplace hearth in the living room integrates boulders found on the site and upon which the house was built— ledge rock which protrudes up to a foot through the living room floor was left in place to demonstrably link the outside with the inside. The stone floors are waxed, while the hearth is left plain, giving the impression of dry rocks protruding from a stream.

Now, while differences abound between Fallingwater and the Weintraub’s steel residence, the couple’s concerted efforts to integrate the inside with the outside point directly to Wright’s penchant for organic architecture. But why did the couple begin with a steel building?

“We spent a lot of money on our land and needed to build something that wasn’t too expensive,” says Weintraub, who bought all three buildings from SteelMaster Buildings in Virginia Beach, VA. “The nice thing about the SteelMaster building is that its simplicity is what allows you to do with it what you will. There are no interior posts or supporting walls so you can divide the space any way you see fit.”

SteelMaster offers unique custom solutions for pre fabricated building applications such as architectural design, affordable steel housing, athletic facilities, salt storage, retail stores/business facilities, as well as specialty buildings such as bus stops, smoke shacks, doggie dorms, churches, and more.

“Whether it is a unique application for our standard Metal Buildings or a design that requires additional support from an architect or engineer, SteelMaster has years of steel building experience in solving building and design challenges,” says Michelle Wickum, the director of marketing for SteelMaster. “This uniquely qualifies us in the industry to competently address questions and concerns, and then professionally create solutions that will work, structurally, functionally, and aesthetically.”

Weintraub says both he and his wife have been actively engaged in building and designing their own homes for their entire marriage—which they will celebrate in August on their 50^th wedding anniversary. Being that their SteelMaster home was the seventh that they have built, they had a good idea of what they wanted.

“The SteelMaster structures were designed by my wife and me, and we utilized the sweeping curves of the SteelMaster buildings,” says Weintraub. “We wanted a low maintenance, eco-friendly residence and work space which also had some "character", and, to our minds, beauty. We decided to use natural materials found on the property within the house, including stone and trees.”

On the inside of their steel building, they sprayed 4" of polyurethane, which provides a very high "R" value for insulation, and, because it is applied in one continuous application, there is no air infiltration around windows, electric outlets, etc. After the polyurethane cured, it was covered (sprayed) with Monocote, a light weight mixture of cement, fiberglass, and vermiculite, which serves as a thermal barrier and a finish.

The Weintraub’s are pleased with the final look of all three of their buildings, and say it provides the perfect amount of space for when family comes to visit.

“We have only one official bedroom in the house, although we have rooms that can serve as such,” says Weintraub. When our children and grandchildren visit, we can sleep a total of sixteen, with more room on the floor. We have a total of three and a half bathrooms between the house and the studio, which serves as guest quarters. We’ve definitely recommended this type of construction to many people…we love it.”

Steel Garage Displays Signs that Many Folks Consider Art

Although Ron Skeenes has lived in Hainesport, NJ his whole life, he, his wife, and children have found themselves continually drawn to the small-town charms of Lancaster, PA. They all load into the family’s 34-foot RV and travel along the winding roads of the area, taking in the picturesque landscape that includes expansive farms marked by barns of all shapes and sizes.

Many of the barns in the area are painted with octagonal or hexagonal star-like patterns, which is a form of Pennsylvanian Dutch folk art that is sometimes referred to as a ‘hex sign’. Throughout the 20th century, hex sign designs have been reproduced and mounted then sold to tourists who use them to decorate both the exterior and interior of their homes and buildings.

The beauty and history associated with hex signs made it the perfect choice of decoration for Skeenes, when in 2005, he constructed a SteelMaster steel building to use as a garage. “We added two center doors on the front of the building that slide left or right, and that makes it look something like a barn from Lancaster,” says Skeenes. “On each of the center doors we’ve mounted a Jacob Zook Hex Sign—the left side has the American eagle that represents strength and independence. On the right side is a friendship sign that represents love and friendship.”

Before buying his SteelMaster building, the family did not have a garage, which is something that always bothered Skeenes. “I am a fire apparatus technician for a busy fire department, so keeping equipment out of the weather elements is something that in my mind helps bolster the longevity of the equipment,” says Skeenes. “I did a lot of research at the time, and I just kept coming back to the SteelMaster website because their buildings have a clear inside span, and that makes it very easy to back a RV into, even though it is almost 13 feet tall. Also, SteelMaster’s buildings fall below the town’s required height limit—if I chose a garage that didn’t, I’d have to apply for a variance, and that costs money.”

For more than 28 years, SteelMaster Buildings, which is located in Virginia Beach, VA, has manufactured, designed, and supplied pre-fabricated arched steel structures to 40,000 customers located in every state of the United States, in 40 countries, and on seven continents around the world.

“Our steel garages are the perfect way to organize, store, and protect your cars, RVs, tools, and other valuable possessions,” says Michelle Wickum, the director of marketing for SteelMaster. “The quick and easy construction of our garage kits makes it ideal for the “do-it-yourselfer”. The unique design of these prefab residential garage buildings provides security and durability against fire, snow, and hurricane force winds, while remaining aesthetically pleasing.”

The fact that he could build the garage himself fit in perfectly with Skeenes’ plans. “I built this building myself with some help from my son and his friends from school and some junior cadets from the fire department,” says Skeenes, who uses the garage to house his 34 ft. fifth wheel RV, his Ford F-350 pick-up truck, and his daughter’s Ford Mercury Stable. “I always try to do the work myself around the house and yard—that is just the way my wife and kids are—we work hard, and then we can sit back and enjoy.”