Everything is OK at the Steel Corral

During the summer of 2009, Sandie Cardone realized her lifelong dream when she and her husband Wes purchased a steel storage shed kit from a company in Virginia Beach, VA and built it up in a clearing on their 10 acres of wooded property in Chelsea, MI.

To be certain, it wasn’t the actual building for which she yearned, it was what it allowed her to do, which was to bring her horse and mule home from a local stable where she had been boarding them for the past five years.

Once the steel storage buildings was up and able to provide the shelter that the Cardone’s needed to complete their equine space, the animals were able to come home to “Equiscape Gardens” where they joined a miniature donkey, miniature horse and two goats already living on the property.

“In 2007, we began to prepare our yard to keep [the horse and mule] at home,” says Sandie. “We did this slowly as we could afford it, avoiding any debt in the process. By the summer of 2009, I could wait no more!”

The Cardone’s bought the majority of the items used to prepare their “barnyard” second-hand from the Internet. In seeking “farm-stuff”, Sandie came across a small steel shelter, which began her search for a larger one to be used as a run-in.

“I stumbled upon the SteelMaster website doing a Google search for Quonset Huts,” says Sandie. “I really liked the shape, size, and ease of construction that the buildings offered. I liked the fact that the side walls of the building are straight, with the round top, which allows for the most room inside for the horses. I liked the company’s industrial foundation—it made the construction a breeze! The cost also sold me! I had done a lot of research on how to create the best shelter for the animals. The SteelMaster building had the most to offer for the amount spent!”

After asking their good friend (who is also a licensed builder) to put together the storage building, it took about one week to have the footers framed and poured. After that cured for one week, the Cardone’s were then able to begin construction.

“The assembly only took three days,” says Sandie. “I wanted to keep the animals away from the metal walls, so I wanted a wood lining in the shelter. We had our trees that had been cut down to clear the corral area milled into lumber. The builder used Maple boards to build the kick walls, which took one day. We used treated wood to add the short wall in front so that a gate would fit the opening and be able to swing into the building out of the way. This was another day’s work. So in total the process took about three weeks to prepare the foundation, assemble the SteelMaster building and add the custom wood liner/gate.”

Now that Sandie has everything she has dreamed of, would she do anything differently? “Overall, I am very happy with my SteelMaster building,” says Sandie. “The product was as nice in person as it was in the photos online. My builder referred to the building as “a giant erector set” and had a ball putting it together.  The animals are happy to be home, and they have the perfect shelter to protect them from the Michigan heat in the summer and brutal winter weather.”

Home Away From Home During Hurricanes

In 2004 and 2005, Aubrey Brown was living a quiet life in Clanton, Ala., passing the time spinning his wheels to create pottery to sell at craft shows around the region. But it was during those two years that Brown and his wife came under the attack of unwelcome visitors on three separate occasions. The intruders pounded on the doors and windows, bellowing out their insatiable demands and leaving chaos and destruction in their wake.

To be fair, it wasn’t just the Brown family who found themselves at the mercy of these adversaries. Their whole community and most of the state were frantically doing everything they could to protect themselves from the treacherous reach of Hurricanes Ivan, Dennis, and Katrina.

Like everyone else, Brown gathered supplies and battened down the hatches in preparation of the storms—but as many of his neighbors made their way to the local shelter, Brown moved his family into their steel shed, which housed their motor home.

“My SteelMaster shed can withstand 140 mph winds, which is more than I can say about my house,” says Brown. “Before each storm hit, I stocked the motor home with bottled water and food, gassed up the tank, made sure the generator was working, and then my wife and 82-year-old mother and I hunkered down until the hurricanes passed.”
As the family watched shingles fly off the roof of their workshop and trees bow in half to touch the ground, Brown said they had nary a worry from their vantage point inside the steel shed that he bought years before from SteelMaster Buildings in Virginia Beach, Va.

“My wife and I travel a lot in our 32-foot motor home from craft show to craft show, so I bought the RV shed to house it in and keep it out of the sun during the off season,” says Brown. “I also store all of my welders and cutting torch and tools for mechanical and farm repair in the shed. Anytime the weather is too cold or raining, I just back the motor home out, pull in what needs to be repaired, and fix it. When it is real cold, I lower the 12 by 12 door and use a patio heater to work in comfort.”

The versatility of a SteelMaster building and roofing system goes a long way with the company’s thousands of customers, many of whom have worked along with SteelMaster engineers to custom design their building to meet their very specific needs.

“SteelMaster offers unique custom solutions for building applications such as architectural design, affordable steel housing, athletic facilities, retail stores/business facilities, as well as specialty buildings such as bus stops, smoke shacks, doggie dorms, churches, and so much more,” says Michelle Wickum, the director of marketing for SteelMaster. “Regardless of what purpose our buildings and roofing systems serve, each and every one provides security and durability against fire, snow, and hurricane-force winds, as was the case with the shed that Mr. Brown and his family sought shelter in.”

SteelMaster’s steel and metal pre-engineered buildings are designed for a broad range of residential and commercial applications including homes, farm buildings, garages, workshops, agricultural storage, Quonsets, airplane hangars, 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.

A Man Uses Steel to Work on his Muscles

Although it is 2011, the 1960’s and 70’s are still rumbling and roaring in a 25 foot by 50 foot Steel Building located in the quiet suburbs of McKinney, TX.  It is in this steel arched building that Stephen Martinez keeps the carefree, rock-n-roll attitude of that era alive by restoring classic muscle cars, which are more popular and valuable than ever. 

For years, Martinez worked on restoring the cars in the cramped space of a standard attached garage. But in 2006, he revved up his surroundings by purchasing the large steel building from SteelMaster Buildings, which is located in Virginia Beach, VA.

 “It is climate controlled, insulated, and has a full complement of auto shop tools, including a two-post car lift,” says Martinez. “We chose to purchase from SteelMaster because we wanted an engineered building that would not require any maintenance. I used the industrial rail mounting, and the buildings fit together well when care is taken to assure that the starting sections are plumb.”

 Martinez liked his building so much in fact, that he turned to SteelMaster again in 2007 to buy a 10 foot by 12 foot building to use for storage. Then in 2010, he bought a 12 foot by 30 foot building to use as a workshop to house his hobby of building furniture and gifts made of exotic hardwoods.

Brenda, the author, states that now its quite easy to assume any steel building under steelmaster complaints experts. By giving examples, the author draws the fact of importance of such arch buildings in the market.

 Now the owner of three SteelMaster steel buildings which stand side by side on his property, Martinez says his “compound” is complete. “My experience working with SteelMaster Buildings has been excellent,” says Martinez. “We are very pleased—especially so when we finished the installation, which we did ourselves.”

With thousands pf satisfied customers, including buildings located in every state in the United States, on six continents, and in more than 40 overseas countries, SteelMaster takes pride in knowing its steel buildings have earned the favor of people like Martinez.

SteelMaster’s steel and metal pre-engineered buildings are designed for a broad range of residential and commercial applications including Garages, Workshops, Carports, Quonsets, Airplane Hangars, RV Storage, 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.

What Would You Keep in Your Steel Building?

While taking a peek inside Clarence Abadie’s steel building will answer the question as to what he stores inside, that answer will undoubtedly leave you wanting to know more.
Like, for example, why does this 76-year-old man keep a fully functional, one-person helicopter inside of his steel building that sits in the backyard of his home in Tickfaw, LA?
The short answer is simple—building and flying helicopters are hobbies of his. The long answer is much more interesting and involves travel, intrigue, high flying adventures, duty to country, and loss.
As a young adult, the Marine Corps taught Abadie how to fly, and after his four years of service were finished in 1960, he knew he wanted to focus his career around flying. He was due to rotate back to the states before his discharge from his post in Okinawa, Japan, but he accepted an offer from the CIA to work for Air America, doing various covert operations during the next 15 years in places such as Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. After the company disbanded in 1975, Abadie came home to Louisiana and finished earning his college degree in professional aviation.
From there he worked for various companies during the next two decades and lived in Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, Kwajalein Island, Abu Dhabi, and the Bahamas before returning to Louisiana where he retired in 1996.

“When it was time for me to retire, my wife and I were quite happy to come home to Louisiana and settle down here,” says Abadie. “Our three sons were grown and out of the house, so we were ready for a slower pace of life.”
When Abadie’s wife of 30 years died in 2007 after battling thyroid cancer for six months, he realized that the best thing he could do was keep his mind and hands busy, so returning to flying was the natural choice for him.
“I bought a helicopter kit and built a rotary wing gyrocopter, but I soon found out that it was too difficult to fly it out of my yard,” says Abadie. “I sold it and then built a Helicycle instead. I wanted to move it out of my garage, and that is when I bought my SteelMaster building. I wanted something durable and something easy to put up. SteelMaster was it.”
For more than 29 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.
“SteelMaster Aircraft Hangars provide clear span buildings that are both economical and durable, making the steel structures world-renowned in the field of aviation,” says Michelle Wickum, the company’s director of marketing. “The unique design of SteelMaster’s metal buildings allows spans up to 150 feet in width, with unlimited lengths. With no need for interior supports, people can maximize the use of the space in these steel Airplane Hangar. Whether you have a single, twin engine, or commercial jet, SteelMaster steel buildings can accommodate your needs.”
Now that Abadie has his own helicopter and a proper building to store it in, where does he want to travel?
“Out of all the places I have been, I’m more than content to just fly around here for fun,” says Abadie. “I’m comfortable here—Louisiana is where I belong.”
SteelMaster Buildings manufactures, designs, and supplies customers with pre-fabricated arched steel structures including garages, workshops, carports, agricultural storage, metal barns, Quonsets, airplane hangars, RV storage, roofing systems, storage buildings, military buildings, commercial warehousing, and industrial storage as well as a wide variety of custom building applications including homes, 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