Metal Buildings

John
Dec 5, 2020
2 min read

Updated: Apr 4, 2021

My current building design is based on using a prefab metal building as the structure. It has become clear to me that for a variety of reasons the interior finish walls will be on an independent stud wall system. See below image from the Rhodes Building Systems blog.

Good overview about Sustainable Metal Buildings from the Continuing Education Center
Detailed Assembly Instructions from Worldwide Steel Buildings, who have an excellent website, and also a video about metal homes.
Insulation Information from Rhino Steel Building Systems, who also have a good site
I did a test building on Rhino buildings to see the cost
Blog post about DIY

Metal Siding and Roof Details

A great set of details from a more advanced metal siding/roof system
A Hidden Eave gutter detail from another system
Good Basic details including window head/sill/jamb

This article on Metal Roofing and Costs has this cost information:

Cost Information – Part 1

Metal siding has a price range of $5.00 to $35.00 per sq. ft. installed.

Note: the above cost range covers 4 different material options:

Steel is usually under $10.00 per sq. ft. installed, unless going with architectural grade material or design options.
Aluminum is usually under $12.00 per sq. ft. installed, unless going with architectural grade material or design options.
Zinc comes in at around $10.00 to $20.00 per sq. ft.
Copper is the most expensive option that goes up to $20.00 to $35.00 per sq. ft. installed.

I am curious about ZAM (Zinc-Aluminum-Magnesium Alloy) coatings for metal. The company website is here. What does it look like unpainted?

Companies providing Metal Buildings

Butler Buildings