Every church owner knows that their audience need an environment that opens their connection to god. They also know that to survive and guide as many people as possible, the costs to build need to be low.
A metal church building can be fully customized with any level of comfort, at much lower prices than traditional materials.
If you want to find out more about steel church buildings, including pros & cons, rough price estimates and handy building guide you’ll want to keep reading.
What's In This Article
Building a church is an extensive project, and can involve a lot of work; from picking a location to picking a size to designing the interior. Due to the size of many churches to allow space for their members, building a church can be a big and expensive project. For this reason, many have turned to cost-effective solutions such as using metal prefabricated kits as the primary building material.
Within the following article, we’re going to give you a guide to working with a supplier to have a metal church built, but first we’ll go over everything you need to know about metal churches.
Metal Church Buildings Kits
What exactly are metal church building kits? They are a way of building that utilizes prefab steel construction. Prefab construction is a popular and cost-effective construction and with this style of construction, the components of the church are designed and made all at once ahead of time at a manufacturers factory and then shipped to a location where the church can then be constructed.
As you might imagine, the construction process is very efficient because the components are pre-prepared, manufactured for precise fit and can be easily assembled once they arrive. Prefab construction also offers many benefits which are specifically suited to churches such as speeding up the time of construction with more efficient build processes and durability of the final structure.
When you select a prefabricated metal kit to build your church building project, it helps to reduce the overall construction time invested in erecting the building and if anyone in the church community had building experience, it can provide a further cost reduction if they’re willing to volunteer their time and skills to guide the building process.
The following section will explore further features, benefits and other aspects to consider when selecting a church metal prefab building kit. Let’s outline the main benefits of metal church building kits.
Pros
Cost-Effectiveness
Cost-effectiveness is probably the most popular benefit of metal church building kits. Simply put, building a church the traditional way is expensive as there can be additional costs associated with building traditionally from the ground up. These include costs associated with designing the church, a longer construction process, more specialized labour input required and increased material costs if not properly managed.
With prefab metal buildings, the design process is standardized and streamlined because construction follows a precise design created to reduce material waste, is completed all at once as a package and delivered as a kit. All of this allows you to save a lot of money and time and makes the construction process much quicker.
Durable
Metal is a strong, resilient building material that provides a very long-lasting, durable structure when using a metal church building kit. Metal buildings in general are able to withstand the elements for longer periods of time without needing regular upkeep and maintenance. The strength-to-weight ratio of using steel framing in these church buildings provides incredible durability to withstand wind, driving rain and heavy snowfall and the strength of its design means it will last for years to come.
Additionally, metal doesn’t have many of the issues that are typical to other building materials such as wood making it resistant to fire damage, rotting, and many pest issues such as burrowing insects like termites. As a bonus, this natural resistance common damage could lower your insurance premiums because it lowers the risk of the building being damaged and insurance claims being made.
Wide, Open Spaces
Prefab metal churches often use clear span framing options. This opens a lot of space on the interior of the building. This is a special advantage of metal as it is strong enough to support itself without over reliance on interior columns and support beams.
This extra interior space can be utilized in many different ways, and you can work with a designer to ensure that the church interior is designed to your specifications. This comes in especially useful when designing a church because it provides extra room for your congregation, and you can even include spaces for classrooms, learning centres, gymnasiums, music rooms, offices and more.
Customizable
When you’re building a church, you will likely want freedom in the design and the ability to customize the building for your site-specific needs as well as any interior space needs. Churches are meant to represent the individuality of a community and one major benefit with prefab building design allows for the heavy customization of both exterior and interior features.
One of the initial steps in prefab construction is working with a designer to outline the specifications of the prefab building. You can fully customize the number and location of doors, windows, roof pitch and style, interior space room configuration and size, exterior design features, and more.
The exterior is a big consideration when it comes to prefab metal churches. Many worry that the exterior won’t have the same appeal as a traditional church. You’ll be happy to know that you can customize many aspects of the exterior to capture the look you want. There are even options to finish the exterior with cosmetic materials such as stone and brick as well as a variety of colour options.
Varied Usage
A church can be more more than just a place of worship as it is a community gathering space that should include areas for socializing, learning, and spending time together. You might think that prefab won’t allow space for the individuality of design, but this is not true. Prefab buildings can be built to meet these specifications and youcan work to design the interior space to include areas that suit all these purposes and more.
Additional interior usage within churches might also include a communal eating area, commercial kitchen, storage for events and music or dance rooms.
Energy Efficiency
Another benefit of metal building kits is that they are energy efficient when insulated properly. Metal buildings can be very effective insulators because the components are designed using sophisticated 3D modelling, which means the pieces fit together perfectly, minimizing air loss along the seams. It is easy to install insulation and when in place, it provides even more ability to keep hot or cold air in the building.
What this means is that you will spend less money on utilities to heat or cool the church because less air will escape. This is a big consideration when you are heating or cooling a large building like a church. Metal prefab church buildings when insulated well are energy efficient, making them a very environmentally friendly way to build.
Cons
As with any building design and construction process, there are trade-offs to consider prior to making your purchasing decision. Although metal building kits have their advantages, there are downsides as well. Next, we’re going to tell you the factors you need to consider before you can decide that metal is the perfect building material for your big project.
Potential Higher Upfront Costs
Because prefab building materials are shipped to you in a semi-completed form, your initial investment may be larger than you would spend with other building methods where you wouldn’t be required to pay for all of your building materials in one go.
With prefab building kits, you might spend more upfront than if you purchased the raw materials on their own but the cost savings on less wasted materials at site and a streamlined design process might be worth the trade off.
Less Traditional Appeal
We can’t deny that metal building kits aren’t a traditional design choice. If you’re looking for that classic, rustic appeal of a centuries-old, wood or stone styledchurch, then you probably won’t be satisfied with a metal building kit. But keep in mind that there are exterior options which can closely mimic that of a traditional design, along with many options for shaping and sizing.
Building from scratch is the more expensive and time-consuming option, but you have the freedom of more choice and flexibility to design the exact church you want within your budget constraints. You have to decide which side of the trade-off appeals to you.
Building Codes
There is also the issue of getting the permits necessary to build a metal prefabricated church building. The needs for permits and zoning restrictions tends to vary widely between different locations so it’s a prudent idea to research this area well in advance. You’ll probably have to pay a visit to the city or town hall to know exactly what is required to build a church in your location.
One issue that some have had with metal building kits is that because they are an unconventional design, there are issues with conforming to traditional design standards. This can complicate the permit process. The best thing you can do is check with any regulators before you start the process.
Price of Metal Church Kit
Next, we’ll address a question that is probably near the top of your mind – how much does a metal church cost?
The truth is that there is no single answer to this question. Even within the area of prefab construction, there are so many options when it comes to size, material, location, features, and overall design that there are many different price ranges as well.
Below is a chart for what you can expect to pay for a metal prefab church building. This is based on a standard church design. To get an idea of what you can expect to pay for your design, you’ll have to contact a prefab supplier.
As you can see, the cost ranges between roughly $60,000 on the smaller end and $450,000 on the bigger end. While this may seem expensive, it is quite cost-effective when you compare it to many traditional design options. You also have to consider that you are paying a larger chunk of the money up-front and you will save significantly throughout the construction process.
Size | Price |
3,600 sq ft | $64,800 |
4,880 sq ft | $87,840 |
7,109 sq ft | $127,962 |
9,307 sq ft | $167,526 |
12,058 sq ft | $217,044 |
23,720 sq ft | $426,960 |
Consider budgeting for additional building costs as well such as adding essentials such as electricity, heating/cooling, insulation, or drywall will all be additional costs to consider. As well you’ll need to budget costs allowances for your foundation, construction costs and any other site-specific customizations.
How to Build a Metal Church Building
If you’ve read through our guide and are interested in learning more about the prefab metal church design process, in the next section we’re going to outline exactly how you can get a metal church built to your specifications.
Step 1: Plan
Before you contact a steel church provider, take some time to really outline your needs. You should get some preliminary details on zoning restrictions and building codes to know what types of buildings you are allowed to construct. Then, you’ll need to decide what type of church you need. Choose a style, size, interior design, seating capacity, etc. You should have a good idea of what you want the result to look like so that you know whether a prefab church can suit these needs.
Step 2: Pick or Customize a Prefab Church
If you decide to go with the prefab design process, the first step is to contact a supplier and begin the process of designing your church. Because the design work has to be done before the prefab building is constructed, this is the first step.
Suppliers have a range of standardized prefab options to choose from in all sorts of building styles. Generally, this is the cheapest option because the designs have already been completed and they can be constructed right away.
There’s also the option of customizing a church to your specifications, as we mentioned above. Common customizations are the location and numbres of doors and windows, skylights, roof pitch and design as well as interior room layouts and sizes. This is generally a more expensive option, but you’ll have a church that is more customized to your needs.
Step 3: Floor Plans
Based on your needs and space requirements, the prefab designer will generate floor plans and 3D models for you to review prior to beginning the design process. They won’t start construction until you are fully happy with your designs so you have the freedom to accept or reject certain aspects.
At this point, you will also get details on cost breakdowns. You can further customize the designs if you are unhappy with the costs or if it’s coming in over budget and make changes before the actual components are made.
Step 4: Components are Shipped
Once you are satisfied with the design of your prefab church and the supplier knows that you can pay, the designer sends the plans to a manufacturer for production. The prefab materials are constructed, packaged up as a kit with all pieces and components needed and then shipped to your building site.
Step 5: Construction
The final step is the construction of the metal church. Although this is a simple construction process in comparison to traditional design, it is still a very extensive build, usually due to the size of the buildings in general. You will likely need to hire professionals, and there are still aspects of construction that might require specialists in the trades of electrical, foundation, plumbing, insulation, and more. Prefab construction is much more efficient, and you will still save time, but don’t expect it to be an overnight project!
Popularity of Metal Church Kits Across the United States
Steel church kits are popular in a majority of the states including the pacific northwest, south and central plains areas.
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