History Lights the Way for Steel Buildings

In today’s world, information overload is a very real consequence to the evolution of technology. In many instances, the latest and greatest turns out to be baseless and fleeting—so much so, that people are looking backwards for the map to success in an effort to circumvent future wrong turns or dead ends.

Douglas Miracle of London, KY did just that in October 2010 when he bought his second steel arch building from SteelMaster Buildings in Virginia Beach, VA.

A decade prior he bought the same building from SteelMaster to use as a workshop/garage.

“It was a great price, needed less maintenance, and was easier to construct than other building on the market,” says Miracle. “I received their sales brochure, and there was no comparison in price at that time.”

According to Michelle Wickum, the director of marketing for SteelMaster Buildings, the company has been guided by the basic principles of offering customers a reliable, well-made, versatile, and durable pre-fabricated steel structure at an affordable price for more than 29 years, and continues abiding by those same principles today.

“At its inception, SteelMaster engineered and designed a new, stronger structure based on the historic designs of the Quonset hut,” says Wickum. “SteelMaster evolved the Quonset into a new structure that combines the architectural strength of the arch along with 21st century technology which allows the buildings to be designed and engineered to handle all types of climates and conditions. And over the years, we continued to develop the original Quonset design and engineering to meet the same primary goal: provide all-purpose prefabricated steel buildings and roofing structures that can be shipped anywhere in the world and can be constructed quickly and easily.”

The fact that he can construct the building himself is another variable that motivated Miracle to buy another SteelMaster building.

“On the first building, I completed most of the site preparation myself and then contracted the concrete work,” says Miracle. “The first day I had five people to help me begin my project. After the first day it was just my father-in-law and I. Then, after all the arches were up, I completed the building on my own. It took about two weeks to complete. It was a simple project for me; not much of a challenge. I will most likely do the construction on this second building the same way that I did the first one; except that I purchased the IBC connectors with this building. I think this will be an easier way to start.”

steel-garage

Wickum says that the fact that customers like Miracle can construct the building themselves saves them the money of hiring a contractor and also gives them a sense of pride over the finished product because they had a hand, literally, in making it happen.

“Most of our customers assemble and raise the arches to complete the construction of their SteelMaster building on their own, or with the help of friends,” says Wickum. “Our buildings feature a one-size nut and bolt system as the only fastener and precision-fit component, which simplifies the process. Our precision-built arches fit together perfectly. The precision overlap of the arches provides more steel at critical connections, ensuring the easiest-to-assemble, strongest, best-fitting arch system available.”

Once the building is constructed, customers have the option of finishing their building with any SteelMaster steel end wall or adding a custom garage end wall that they create and add on themselves. They can also add insulation, skylights, vents, electrical wiring, lighting, doors, partitions, and a host of other accessories.

“Customizing the interior of your SteelMaster Pre-Engineered Garage is easy to do,” says Wickum. “With our clear span, truss-less design you can divide up the space in your SteelMaster steel garage however you want.”

As for Miracle, he isn’t about all the fancy bells and whistles—he says he prefers to stick to simple construction.

“With my first building, I used insulated metal panels to form my end walls and later added electricity and lights,” says Miracle. “It’s basically just a neat building—strong, cool, and interesting.”

In addition to garages like Miracle’s, SteelMaster’s steel and metal pre-engineered buildings are designed for a broad range of residential and commercial applications including homes, farm buildings, workshops, agricultural storage, Quonsets, airplane hangar, RV storage, roofing systems, carports, 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.

Arizona Mom Takes Building of Family Business into her own Hands

It was the fall of 2009 when the ticking of the clock sprung Chantelle Taylor and her husband into action.

There was a man in their hometown of Holbrook, AZ who was selling his business, one that centered on the production of small wood projects, like survey sticks. The Taylor’s wanted to buy it with the hope that someday, in the near future, the business would afford them the opportunity to both work from home and raise their three children (ages 6, 5, and 1 year old) together.

But to get that dream off the ground, they needed a wood working shop—immediately. There was equipment to store and orders to fill. Chantelle’s husband worked a full-time job during the day, so the couple had to find a quality building that was affordable, practical, and up and ready to use in no time flat.

“We needed a Strong Buildings that could withstand strong wind, because it is common for us to get gusts up to 70 mph around here,” says Chantelle, who is 29 years old. “We realized it would be more economical for us to construct it ourselves, so I needed a company that would give us a quick and solid price out the door as wells as the plans for how to get it built. We found everything we needed through SteelMaster.”

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.

“The quick and easy construction of our garage/workshop kits makes it ideal for “do-it-yourselfers” like the Taylors,” says Michelle Wickum, director of marketing for SteelMaster. “The unique design of these prefab buildings provides security and durability against fire, snow, and hurricane-force winds, while remaining aesthetically pleasing.”

Because her husband was busy at work each week day, Chantelle decided to take the building of the wood shop literally into her own hands. “We subbed some of the work out, but I did a lot of it myself,” says Chantelle. “I would alternate kids so there was always one of them there with me while a babysitter watched the other two, and I just figured it out through reading books and asking questions. I built all the forms and constructed the arches myself. When it came time to pour the concrete and then again when it was time to raise the arches, I asked my family to come and help. I appreciate the fact that SteelMaster sells a product that anybody can build—you don’t have to have a lot of experience to get it done.”

“Every SteelMaster pre-fabricated buildings features easy-to-understand, complete illustrated assembly instructions in the newly revised construction manual,” says Wickum. “Using our one-size nut and bolt system as the only fastener and precision-fit components, assembling your new SteelMaster Building is a breeze.”

The extra one size nuts and bolts that SteelMaster provided with the building meant that Chantelle had a solution for an issue that was worrying her.

“Once I started wiring for the electrical, I was concerned that I didn’t have any trusses or studs to attach conduit to,” says Chantelle. But after I got started and remembered I was given many extra bolts and nuts with rubber washers, I realized I could attach to anywhere on my building! It's all together now and working just like we planned. We just worked our fifth order for survey stakes, so we are doing great and the building is a perfect fit for our needs.”

For More Information About Steel Building Kits and Garage Building Kits Visit Steelmasterusa.com

Offering Affordable, Dependable Steel Building is Only the Beginning

Seventeen years ago, James D. "Danny" Hendricks of Woodland, GA was leafing through farm and home magazines when he came upon an advertisement for a company in Virginia Beach, VA that sold steel buildings. Since he was scouting out options for a workshop, Hendricks called to request literature on the buildings and established a rapport with the director of marketing.

“I was fortunate to talk with David B. Adams, who at that time was the director of marketing with SteelMaster Buildings, and after speaking with him, I was convinced that this was the building that I needed because it would fit my needs from a quality and durability standpoint,” says Hendricks. “He was very informative from my first conversation with him, and we became very good friends.”

For more than 28 years, SteelMaster Buildings 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.

SteelMaster prefabricated workshops have been used by all types of hobby enthusiasts including wood workers, metal shops owners, classic car professionals, as well as numerous types of businesses around the globe. The company’s workshop kit, prefabricated workshops, and metal shops provide 100 percent unencumbered, usable space to organize, store, and protect valuable tools and machinery as well as provide comfort, security, and durability against fire, snow, and hurricane-force winds. People who own a SteelMaster workshop have the flexibility to truly customize the inside of their building because the unique clear-span design allows them the opportunity to hang lighting, run conduit, build shelving, add a loft, insulate, and heat/cool the building.

Three years after Hendricks bought his workshop, he purchased a second building for machinery and hay storage. Then three years later, he bought yet another building to use for storage of lawn and garden equipment. He says that part of the reason he continued buying from SteelMaster was because of the level of customer service he continued to receive after he first started communicating with Abrams.

“On one occasion after the purchase of my first building, a stranger drove into my yard,” says Hendricks. “As this man stepped out of his car, he said, ‘I am David Adams with SteelMaster Buildings, and I was passing through your area and wanted to stop by to meet you and see your building.’ We had a very good visit, and our friendship lasted.”
According to Michelle Wickum, who is currently the company’s director of marketing, SteelMaster has always taken this approach with its customers.

“Our company was founded with a mission to be the best in the business, and we are,” says Wickum. “To be the best, that doesn’t just mean delivering the highest quality buildings at an affordable rate, it also means going the extra mile for our customers and touching base with them after their building is constructed to make sure that it is everything that they need it to be. We genuinely care about the people we serve.”

Hendricks says he believes in SteelMaster and its buildings so much that he hasn’t been shy about spreading the word to others.

“I appreciate that the ease of which I have been able to assemble and construct my buildings as well as their durability, quality, and the fact that they blend very well into my farm layout and the landscape, says Hendricks. “As a result, I have helped SteelMaster sell numerous buildings in this area of Georgia. The picture that is shown in the Georgia section of the SteelMaster website shows the back side of my three buildings. I am proud of my buildings, and I appreciate them being a part of the company’s website.”

SteelMaster’s steel and metal pre-engineered buildings are designed for a broad range of residential and commercial applications including garages, 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.