Why Pay More For a Steel Building?
3 August 2021
IN BRIEF
- An average warehouse costs around $3,000 to $3,500 per square metre for a complete turnkey installation.
- Investing in a quality structure gives you better ROI and more value over time, and helps you avoid future repair costs. Steelcorp offers Australian-made structures with a lifetime structural warranty, featuring hot-dip galvanized steel frames that ensure long-lasting durability without significant maintenance costs.
- Delaying the project due to inflation can result in a loss of value, making it more advantageous to build sooner.
- Cheaper prefabricated structures lead to higher maintenance costs due to low-quality materials.
- Compromising on price can reduce the space and usability of your finished structure.
Investing in Quality
Settling for a cheaper structure now could cost you dearly in the future. Here’s why.
Let’s face it – we all like to save a dollar here and there when we can. But when you’re looking to invest in a purchase that’s likely to outlive you, paying a little more for quality is the right decision.
We often get asked how much a building costs and find ourselves explaining the differences between our prices and our competitors. We’re typically at the premium end of the market, and we don’t shy away from this position as a high-quality builder.
This means that we’re not the right fit for everyone – but, if you see the value in a premium quality product, we’re here to make your idea a reality.
Weighing Up the ROI of a Top-Quality Structure
There are a number of reasons why it makes better sense to spend more on quality. One of these is that better quality equals better value over time.
Getting the ‘best value for money’ doesn’t necessarily mean getting the cheapest deal in town: looking at value over the life of your building means that you spend once on quality, and get peace of mind that your structure will remain sound and functional for its entire lifetime.
You won’t be forking out money down the track for repairs, maintenance, or even tearing it down and having to build an entirely new structure: customers that choose Steelcorp know that they’ve got a shed for life.
So what does this look like in practical terms?
If we consider a farmer who is storing hay out in the weather, the hay might only last six months before it’s no longer fresh – and effectively worth nothing.
If he had it stored under cover it may last twice as long, which means for one season he can be earning all year round.
So, although our farmer isn’t seeing any return on investment in the first six months, over the next six months he could be doubling his profits which will quickly pay off the initial cost. Basically, you can look at the ROI of your structure like this: if it lasts longer, the extra investment will seem trivial many years from now when you’re still benefiting from this high-quality asset
Plus, if you have a great-quality building your property value will be greatly enhanced compared to a lesser-quality building.
The Influence of Inflation
“The best time to buy was yesterday. The second best time is now.”
Putting off spending money on a quality building means a potential loss of value due to the natural influence of inflation.
For our customers, this means that investing in the best quality now – instead of deferring your project to some distant date in the future – will give you better value per dollar. Our prices, like every business, are subject to inflation, particularly because so much of our product is made from a commodity product: steel.
If you want a structure that will keep giving year after year, go with the best quality you can and avoid inflation by building sooner rather than later.
Lifetime vs Limited Warranties
At Steelcorp we supply all our structures with a lifetime structural warranty. Sixty years from now, if something fails, we’ll be there to sort it out for you.
Compare our total lifetime quality commitment to some other suppliers who use less robust materials like painted steel frames: they simply can’t offer a true lifetime warranty as these types of frames only last 20 years.
The engineer states that a 15-year steel coating is enough to satisfy the minimum requirements of a building. This does not mean it will only last 15 years – it just means that some maintenance will be required.
Why not make it a lifetime without maintenance?
Think of the Sydney Harbour Bridge: it needs to be constantly maintained, firstly because of its painted frame, and second because of the salty humid environment. This is a huge cost to consider.
Make sure you’re actually getting what you pay for: a lifetime structural warranty isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on if your builder is using cheap and nasty materials. We only use hot dip galvanised steel for your frame which will stay strong for the life of the structure.
Maintenance and Repair Costs
Spending a little more can make a big difference to the maintenance costs you could be up for in the future. Although some cheaper prefabricated structures appear to be a good deal, in just a handful of years you’ll begin to notice damage, corrosion and deterioration which is typically due to the low-quality materials used.
At worst, cheaper sheds can become unsafe and unusable, and even when they are still functional, they’re often not fit for purpose because the owner has compromised on space and usability to save a few bucks.
If you’re running a business, paying for repairs and maintenance on something that should be a ‘set and forget’ investment is frustrating and eats into your profits.
So How Much Does a Commercial Structure Cost?
To give you an idea of costs, a structure such as an average warehouse costs around $3,000 to $3,500 per square metre for a complete turnkey installation. For a structural kit installation only, the cost drops significantly to around $500 – $700 per m2. Read our latest article about commercial building costs here.
What you don’t see in this simple number is the experience gained building hundreds of structures across Victoria and NSW; the commitment to really partnering with our customers to design the perfect structure; the expertise in Council approvals and permits that we can take off your hands.
Plus, you’re paying a premium for quality. We use a hot dip galvanised frame with a lifetime warranty, ensuring there’s no rust and the steel is fully protected. All COLORBOND® roofing and rainwater components are Australian Made and tried and tested in Australian conditions. We use quality installers because the way a structure is installed has a huge effect on the structure’s performance.
Within this price is a real tangible value that we’re proud to offer to our customers. We’d like the opportunity to work with you on your steel structure, so give our experienced team a call to find out how to get the best quality building that you can rely on for years to come.
