There is no other way to say it – farm equipment is expensive. Buying and maintaining the equipment necessary to operate a farm is a major investment, so it only makes sense to protect that investment to the greatest extent possible. That means parking it inside when it isn’t in use, so the elements can’t wear on the condition of the gear, which causes it to need premature replacement.   

To create a building that will serve as an ideal home for your farm equipment, opt for a steel barn. Steel buildings are affordable, easily customized, and require very little maintenance over the years. To build a structure that is ideal for your needs, turn to American Steel Carports, Inc. today. We have a handy Build & Price tool here on our site that is easy to use and will help you design precisely what you need to house your farm equipment and more. If you have questions, simply contact us, and we’ll be happy to help right away. It would be an honor to serve you!  

The 2 Key Design Components  

1. If you decide to construct a steel barn on your property as a way to protect your valuable equipment, the first step in that process is to design your new structure. While there is quite a bit of thinking and planning that can go into the design process, two big points need to be carefully weighed if you are going to get it just right. The first is determining how much space you need. The last thing you want to do is build this barn only to find later that it’s not really big enough for everything you’d like to store. As a good rule of thumb, figure out how much space you need, and then add about 25% to that number, if possible. By building bigger than you think you’ll need, there is some wiggle room in case you miscalculated, and you will have room for expansion later on.   
2. The other critical design component is to think about the flow of things in and out of the barn. Even if you technically have enough space, you might find it hard to use the barn if there isn’t the right access in terms of doors. Often, barns have large doors on either end, so you can move equipment in and out without having to go around – or move – everything else in the building. This is a wise design style that you may want to replicate on your project.   

Think About Other Purposes  

Even if the primary motivation for building a new barn is to create a space to store your equipment, that doesn’t have to be its only use. While you are going through the time and cost of creating a barn, you might as well think about adding some other capabilities to the space to make it even more functional. Could this building also be used to store supplies that you need to tend to your land or animals? Or could it store the harvest that you reap from the land? Consider everything that you have to do and store on your property and see how many of those functions can be improved with this new building.   

Why Go with Metal?  

We can acknowledge that wood is the traditional material for the construction of a barn. In fact, there are countless beautiful old wooden barns on farms across the country, and they certainly do have an appealing nostalgic element. Times change, however, and today, it’s best to build your barn with metal for a variety of reasons. Some of the advantages of sticking with metal construction over wood include the following –  

• Cost. Simply put, building a metal barn is almost certainly going to cost significantly less than what you would pay to make the same building from wood.   
• Maintenance. Metal buildings in general require very little maintenance, and that includes barns. Wood, on the other hand, requires nearly constant attention and upkeep to make sure the building will hold up over time.   
• Safety. Sadly, wood barns are a fire hazard, especially toward the end of a long, dry, hot summer. Metal doesn’t burn, and while you need to continue to be safe in regard to your storage practices, you can worry far less about the risk of a fire with a metal structure.   
• Customization. Because of the lightweight nature of steel compared to wood, you’ll have many more custom design options available to you in this process. In fact, it’s easy to create a large clear span building with metal, which might be just perfect if you plan on storing a lot of farm equipment within the structure.   

Build a Custom Durable Steel Barn  

Considering the affordable nature of metal buildings, adding one to your property to protect your farm equipment is a no-brainer. You’ll get outstanding value from this purchase as you can leave your equipment inside where it is protected from the weather throughout the year without spending nearly as much as would be required to purchase another type of structure. American Steel Carports, Inc. is the perfect partner for this kind of project, so let’s work together today to make it happen!