I'm looking at building a small commercial bldg. as per submitted photo (50'x 120'), with wall heights in excess of 20'. With the availability of engineered wood products achieving enhanced structural capabilities, I am curious why such projects are seemingly few and far between? Any feedback would be welcome.

It depends but usually with the bigger spans steel is cheaper.

Yeah I too agree with HP home, Steel is cheaper.

Wood is a conventional material used for building purposes. In spite of being the oldest used material it lacks few properties that steel has. No doubt that Steel is one of the widely used building materials around the globe, and yes it is cheaper when bought in good quantities. With the scope that it can be recycled up to 98%, makes steel one of the most preferred metal.
Talking about the cost involved, Steel buildings normally range from $50-$70 per sq. ft. That's a bit costly as compared to wood.

I would suggest using steel for major supporting structures of your building along with the wood. Also with the mix of wood and steel the cost will be less. This will not only give you flexibility in building but also provide strength to the structure.

Posted By Terry on 27 Feb 2016 06:03 PM
I'm looking at building a small commercial bldg. as per submitted photo (50'x 120'), with wall heights in excess of 20'. With the availability of engineered wood products achieving enhanced structural capabilities, I am curious why such projects are seemingly few and far between? Any feedback would be welcome.

For general dry storage steel is by far less expensive , it is more difficult to make a wood framed building in excess of 20 ft high structurally stable at a reasonable cost

For general dry storage steel is by far less expensive , it is more difficult to make a wood framed building in excess of 20 ft high structurally stable at a reasonable cost

Thank you all for your responses. In my region, I sure do not find steel to be a reasonable option when compared to wood.

what is your region

If you live near timber country, then lumber is the least expensive way to go. They are now making multi-story high-rise commercial buildings using LVL/GluLam beams.

There are pros/cons to each. With steel beams, attachment is the issue. One just can't screw into it with screws. Steel is a horrible thermal bridge (if that matters to you) and it has no R-Value to it. Heavy timber is easy to attach to, has good R-Values, and is actually quite fire resistant due to the dense LVL/GluLam.

Depending where you live, steel I-Beams might be cheaper but they might be more expensive. Call around and price it out. Everything is regional. What costs less in Georgia will cost more in Utah. Truck freight is not cheap.

Just north of Edmonton, Alberta where everything seems to cost more than every where else...lol. I will see if our provinces latest bust phase does anything to change the numbers I have seen so far.

Thanks Lbear, I tend to agree with most everything you have stated. I'm in Alberta Canada. I just so happen to love wood products...period. I'm also a level one certified thermographer, so I know a lot about heat transfer via the usual methods. I do have to say that Sips do combat a lot of those issues, but like everything else, come with their inherent strengths and limitations, dependent on the project.

I had the occasion in 2013 to do some consulting for the Kehewin Cree Nation that was east of Edmonton. They were constructing a new administration building with SIPs. On the trip there saw a lot of heavy steel being used for the oil industry, maybe their use is driving cost of steel up in your area. I do cost analysis from time to time for steel stud vs. wood studs and last I checked it was the same cost either way.

The answer to that question depends on your priorities.

Steel-frame buildings are a good fit when you need extremely wide (well more than 100') clear-span interiors, such as in a large manufacturing facility. Wood trusses max out at about 100'.

For metal buildings less than 100’ wide, a wood post-frame is generally a better choice for the following reasons:
Design Flexibility

It is much easier, and thus less expensive, to get higher-pitched roofs, interesting roof lines, overhangs, dormers, offsets, etc. on wood-frame buildings than steel-frame. That’s why it is so common to see steel buildings with extremely low-pitch roofs and no overhangs.
Energy Efficiency

Post-frame buildings are easier to insulate and don’t suffer from the extreme thermal bridging of steel-frame buildings. Learn more about the energy-efficient attributes of post-frame, steel-frame and block.
Savings

Lumber is nearly always less expensive than manufactured steel beams, sometimes substantially so. The lower material costs in a post-frame building translate into savings for you.

I've heard some contractors won't use steel in basements because if the basement floods,
steel rusts and it compromises the integrity of the stucture?

While it may get wet, I would think that it wouldn't stay wet for very long. Or if it does, there are going to be numerous problems.

steel