Volunteer Friendly Steel Building

SteelLite Metal Buildings Co. produces buildings that are particularly well suited for church construction, providing all of the benefits of traditional steel buildings without the drawbacks. Steel is a wonderful building product but, typically, it's application has been one of brutishly large members placed without regard to the aesthetics of the structure. Instead, the structure's features had to be arranged around the steel frame.

Because of the simple construction techniques and light-weight components SteelLite buildings are "volunteer friendly." Small groups of volunteers are easily able to erect the buildings without special training or special equipment. Engineered drawings provide all the details necessary to complete construction with common tools such as a drill and a circular saw. Larger structures may require some kind of lifting equipment. Even then, the individual components are lightweight so smaller equipment can be used and lifts will be more stable.

The majority of the components arrive ready to put into place.  SteelLite engineers and fabricates each component ready for installation. There is very little scrap material to waste.

---Elimination of Columns
An important distinction of SteelLite's buildings is the elimination of large, obtrusive columns and rafters, utilizing instead "bearing walls" of uniform thickness and steel trusses.

Traditionally, steel in buildings means large, bulky columns and rafters which project into the usable space, requiring "boxes" along the walls in sanctuaries, classrooms, and corridors. These columns require large, specially engineered concrete piers for their support. Also, the building openings, doors and windows, must be located such to avoid the columns.

SteelLite eliminates the need for columns by building uniformly strong walls. In other words, the entire wall can support the imposed forces instead of the forces being carried by a few large pieces of steel. Openings can be located anywhere, boxes along the walls are eliminated, and concrete piers are unnecessary.

The need for special concrete piers in the foundation is also eliminated by the use of uniformly loaded walls and through the elimination of "kickout forces". Kickout is a large sideways force created by the large beam and column construction of rigid frame structures, and compensated for by large mass of concrete and steel in the foundation. Using trusses as the primary roof members eliminates any kickout force, therefore eliminating the need for special foundation design.

Other important SteelLite features not easily obtained with typical steel buildings are the ease of installing interior and exterior finishes, high energy efficiency, steep roof pitches, and flexible structural designs.

The interior can be easily finished with Sheetrock or paneling simply by installing furring strips over the walls and ceiling. Plywood and shingle roofs, or other conventional type roofs can be used instead of metal sheeting.

Typical metal buildings drape the insulation over the frame, then compress it between the framing and the exterior sheeting. This technique prevents thicker insulation without "oil canning" the metal sheeting. Most importantly, though, when compressed insulation loses its insulation capability. While rigid frame steel buildings brag about being able to provide R7 to R11, SteelLite buildings easily achieve R30 insulation capability without special design.

---Why Build With Steel At All?
Steel possesses the highest strength to weight ratio of any building material. It is one of the strongest, most durable and economically manufactured materials. Metal roofing has long been recognized as the most durable roofing protection available. For centuries, lightweight metal has provided superior protection against severe environments.

Steel has long been the building material of choice for commercial construction for reasons of strength, durability and stability, cost, and speed of construction. It's not surprising that nearly 80% of all commercial buildings are constructed with steel as the primary structure.

Stronger and straighter than wood, steel will not warp, twist, shrink, rot, or be eaten by termites or other pests. Steel is mildew resistant and does not burn. Nail pops, those unsightly bumps on the wall caused when wood shrinks, are non-existent with steel studs.

Steel components are engineered for quality. Because steel is created in a controlled environment, it's quality is more consistent than that of wood. Steel buildings are resistant to high winds and earthquake forces because of their screwed connections and low material mass.

---Environmentally Friendly Material
Steel is North America's Number #1 Recycled Material. Each year, more steel is recycled than aluminum, paper, glass and plastic combined!  Scrap has become the steel industry's single largest source of raw material.

Steel is one of the few materials you can purchase that is guaranteed to be recycled, every new steel product is made in part from post-consumer recycled steel. In fact, according to the Steel Recycling Institute, the steel industry saves enough energy in one year to electrically power 18 million homes for one year.

Because of their steel content virtually every car taken off the road today is recycled, it takes about 45 seconds to shred the average automobile into fist-sized pieces of steel for recycling. And steel can be recycled repeatedly without loss of quality or strength. Every time you buy a steel product, you're completing the recycling loop by buying recycled products.

---About SteelLite Metal Building Co.
SteelLite Metal Building Co. was formed at the beginning of 2003. The first two years were spent developing the engineering and fabrication of the system, constructing several structures to test and refine the technology. By participating in the actual building erection and talking with contractors SteelLite identified many ways to improve components with an eye toward ease of construction.

SteelLite's founder, Michael Flenniken, is a 24 year veteran in the metal building industry. Prior to SteelLite, Mr. Flenniken served as Vice President of Engineering of another metal building manufacturer where he oversaw the design and fabrication of more than 2,000 structures, a great many of them churches of all sizes, projects as large as $17 million.

Contact Information:

Michael Flenniken
President
SteelLite Metal Building Co.
(866) 369-0421 toll free

Click here to visit the SteelLite Website.

Contact Information:

Michael Flenniken
President
SteelLite Metal Building Co.
(866) 369-0421 toll free
 

Click here to visit the SteelLite Website.