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February 5, 2025

Understanding Structural Design Criteria for Pre-Engineered Metal Buildings (PEMBs): Part Two

Our company sits in Western New York, an area renowned for major snow events. Buffalo gets over 90 inches of snow each year, on average. Some storms have dropped over 80 inches in a single event. Snow load is one of the most critical factors in designing the buildings we supply. Snow loads may seem Read More

January 7, 2025

Understanding Structural Design Criteria for Pre-Engineered Metal Buildings (PEMBs): Part One

A common misconception regarding pre-engineered metal buildings (PEMBs) is that manufacturers serve as the Engineer of Record (EOR) for the projects they undertake. While manufacturers do provide stamped drawings and calculations for their buildings, they do not function as the EOR. Instead, they deliver a product based on design loads and code information supplied by Read More

September 20, 2023

Energy Code = Competitive Advantage

The International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) has completely changed the metal building industry over the past decade. Manufacturers have spent many years developing products to satisfy the code better. Insulated metal panels have gained an incredible amount of market share. Insulation producers have continued to develop technology around High-R fiberglass insulation systems. Some metal building Read More

April 4, 2023

Is the Screw-Down Roof Dead?

Standing seam roofs are superior to screw-down roof systems for several reasons. The most obvious is weather tightness. Standing seam roofs utilize a clip to attach the panel to the roof framing, minimizing the use of exposed fasteners. Fewer fasteners (or penetrations in general) mean less likelihood of leaks. Handling panel expansion and contraction is Read More

February 24, 2023

Hybrid Building Systems

As a pre-engineered metal building contractor, I would love to tell you that every building can be constructed using a metal building system. But, while metal buildings are highly diverse and their capabilities continue to grow, there are better solutions than traditional metal buildings. A hybrid building system can be a great alternative when a Read More

January 9, 2023

2023 Price and Lead Times are Back in Check

If you looked at using a metal building system in 2021 and the pricing and lead time didn’t work for you, it’s time to reconsider. The metal building industry got hit early and hard by the COVID lockdowns. Pricing rose, and lead times ballooned fast. Lead times were as long as 52 weeks for some Read More

January 4, 2023

Direct to Consumer Metal Buildings: More Benefit than Threat

For the past ten years, direct-to-consumer (DTC) metal building providers have grown in popularity. Many contractors in the metal building industry hate DTC metal building suppliers because they see them as a threat to their business. But in my opinion, they do more good than bad for the metal building industry. Here is a summary Read More

November 29, 2022

Excessive Roof Snow on Metal Buildings

Metal buildings are designed to accommodate snow build-up on roofs based on the local snow load requirements. While under typical snow storms, the roof is well equipped to handle the weight of the snow/ice build-up, some conditions can cause the load to exceed the capacity the roof was designed for. It is important to understand Read More

October 20, 2022

Pole Barns Versus Metal Buildings

Pole barns and metal buildings can often appear very similar on the exterior. While both systems typically utilize metal roofing & siding, the two systems are very different. For those who aren’t familiar with pole barns, a pole barn or “post frame” building is described by the National Frame Buildings Association: “Post-frame construction is an Read More

September 15, 2022

Use Caution When Modifying Existing Metal Buildings

Architects and engineers reach out to us all the time for some advice on how best to lay out a metal building for cost-effectiveness. In most cases, today’s metal buildings can be customized down to an inch, but some general rules of thumb help make some layouts more economical than others. Note: It will help Read More