FS Construction Services metal roof

How Does a Metal Roof Compare to Other Roofing Types?

When it comes to home ownership, it usually feels like there is always something that needs to be done. And to all but maybe a select few, the never-ending cycle of painting, repairing, and replacing can wear out its welcome very quickly. While we would love to say that we have the magic product that can make all those headaches go away, unfortunately that’s just not reality. However, we do have a product that’s maybe as close as someone can get to a maintenance-free life.

 

Invest in a Metal Roof with FS Construction Services

 

Here at FS Construction Services, we have talked often about the benefits of installing a metal roof. One thing we haven’t done though, is show how a metal roof directly compares to other kinds of roofing material, particularly in how much ongoing maintenance is required. One thing that’s true of metal roofs is there can be a bit of a heftier cost up front, but hopefully you’ll see in upkeep and longevity, they can more than make up for it.

Cost

A metal roof can run anywhere from $800-$1,200 per square (for 100 sq. ft.). Traditional asphalt shingles will run as low as $350 per square, a shake-shingle roof or a slate roof from can go up to $1,500 per square, and a tile roof will be somewhere in between. While an asphalt roof is significantly cheaper up front, it requires more upkeep and will need to be replaced sooner than any other type of roof.

Longevity

Speaking of longevity, that asphalt roof will probably last anywhere from 15-20 years. A shake-shingle roof has an average lifespan of 30 years, whereas tile and metal roofs have average lifespans of 50-plus years, and the slate roof can last up to 75 years.

Upkeep

Now here’s where the metal roof advantages really start to show. An asphalt roof needs regular upkeep, shingle replacements, and general repairs as it ages. Tile roofs have less wind resistance, so they will need regular maintenance and inspections. Similarly, because shake-shingle roofs are made of wood, they need to be checked regularly for rot and mold. Slate roofs, while built to last long, will need regular inspections to check for sliding slates, cracks, and chips. Metal roofs, meanwhile, rarely need replacements or repairs. Inspections are recommended but their strength and fade resistance often mean they can be installed and effectively let go for a long time.

Style

Asphalt and slate roofs come in limited colors and shades, while shake shingles are a more natural look for specific applications. Tile roofs have limited colors but a variety of styles. However, metal roofs, by nature of being metal, come in a huge variety of colors and styles to perfectly fit each application.

 

We could go on and on about energy efficiency and cheaper shipping costs, but the metal roof picture is pretty clear. While not as inexpensive as traditional asphalt roofs, metal roofs offer a peace of mind that no other roofing option comes close to. If you are in need of a new roof, please let Gateway FS Construction Services know. Give us a call at 866-551-3454, and let our specialists help you find exactly what you are looking for. We look forward to providing you the best customer service experience.

FS Construction Services Veterans Day

Saying Thank You this Veterans Day

It won’t come as a surprise to anyone that life comes at you fast, and often it seems like it’s only just speeding up. November is a busy time of year, whether it’s harvest coming to a close, holidays on the horizon, winter prep underway, or simply the day-to-day demands of life. So often we can be too busy, or too tired, or too distracted to slow down a little bit and take stock of where we are. These annual days of remembrance such as Veterans Day can be helpful signposts along the way, a chance to think about where we were the year before or an opportunity to find some gratefulness in the midst of our busyness.
 

Show Your Appreciation This Veterans Day

 
Here at FS Construction Services, we wanted to take a moment this Veterans Day to say thank you to the brave men and women who have served our country. We hope you’ll join us this Thursday, November 11, in remembering that our freedoms have come with a cost and we have all collectively benefited from the service of so many that have come before and will come after us.

To our friends, neighbors, and clients who have served, and to the countless numbers of those we don’t know, we would like to say, “Thank you.” Your sacrifice has allowed us to do what we love and serve our community in our own small way. If you or someone you’re close to is a veteran, be sure to show your appreciation.

As always, FS Construction Services is here for your building, garage door, grain system, seed system, roofing, and other needs. Our group of experts and specialists are always happy to answer your questions, give you advice, or help you in any way. Please feel free to reach out to Gateway FS Construction Services. You can give us a call at 866-551-3454, and let our specialists help you find exactly what you are looking for. We look forward to providing you the best customer service experience.

FS Construction Services building uses

Building You the Best: New Building Uses

Maybe it sounds dramatic to say, but when you think about building a new building there is really no end to the new building uses. At FS Construction Services, we have constructed our fair share of buildings over the years and each of them was its own, unique structure with its own, unique purpose. So while we like to think that any building can be anything you want, we also know that there are certain types of buildings that are better suited to specific tasks and needs than others.
 

Many Uses of Post Frame and Steel Buildings

 
Post-Frame

Many of our clients choose to construct a post-frame, or pole barn, building on their property. These buildings have almost limitless size, color, and layout options. Often, these buildings work as part garage, part recreation, part storage, part horse barn, or a variety of other uses.

A quality post-frame building goes a long way. From a backyard shed to house your lawn equipment to a machine storage shed to house your agriculture equipment, these buildings scale up and down and in and out to fit your requirements. With help from our partners at Walters Buildings, we can build you anything from storage space to a retail space to a horse barn to a church.

Steel

Now just because we’re talking about steel doesn’t mean that all customizability is gone. Our partners at Sukup Manufacturing and Butler Manufacturing allow us to provide strong, tailored steel buildings to our clients. Whether you need a huge, clear span for large machinery, or you need warehouse or retail space for your business, we can get you the steel building you want in the timeframe you need.

No matter the type of building you choose, we will work closely with you to make sure that it not only suits your needs, but looks and feels the way you want it to. If you are considering a new building, please let Gateway FS Construction Services know. Give us a call at 866-551-3454, and let our specialists help you find exactly what you are looking for. We look forward to providing you the best customer service experience.

FS Construction Services building types

Building You the Best: Building Types

One thing we know very well at FS Construction Services is that every tool has its own purpose and function. And in a similar way, every building has its own purpose and function. Now often that function is multi-faceted, but that also doesn’t mean that in any situation, any kind of the several building types will do. If you are dreaming up a new building for your property or for your business, there are a number of things to consider, not the least of which is what kind of building do you actually want.

FSCS Can Help Decide Which Building Type is Best for You

Over our many years we have worked extensively with wood, steel, and pole barn/post-frame buildings. Our partners at Walters Buildings, Sukup Manufacturing, and Butler Manufacturing manufacture some of the most well-built, customizable buildings around. Meaning that we can work within your limitations to meet your needs.

When you work with us to build your dream building, you get fully-engineered structures with thick, galvanized steel support, clear, open spans if you need them, endless window and door options, and a variety of insulation options to improve your building’s thermal efficiency. From agriculture to residential to commercial to horse barns to community buildings to machine storage and pretty much everything in between, if there’s a need for it, we will work to find a way to make it happen.

Whether you choose a wood, steel, or post-frame building, you will get a strong, functional structure that has been designed to meet your needs and your budget. And perhaps most importantly, we are a community-minded business that partners with other community-minded businesses. Because at the end of the day, we know that it’s you, our clients and friends, that matter the most.

If you are thinking about a new building, or have some questions about what we can do for you, please let Gateway FS Construction Services know. Give us a call at 866-551-3454, and let our specialists help you find exactly what you are looking for. We look forward to providing you the best customer service experience.

FS Construction Services machine storage

Project Profile: 8,640 sq. ft. of Machine Storage

At FS Construction Services, we know that sometimes you just need to store something really big without having to worry about accidentally destroying your building in the process. It’s a simple concept for sure, but building proper machine storage is no joke. Whether it’s agricultural equipment or boats or a variety of other possibilities, when it comes to machine storage, you need something that is as rugged as the machines themselves. And perhaps most importantly of all, you need something that’s big, with a wide, clear span.

Building You the Best Machine Storage

This was the case for a recent client who needed, more than anything, as much storage space as possible without much fuss. Tom Marcheski and his team stepped in and built a huge 72’ x 120’ x 16’ building with a wide-open interior for anything the client would need to store there. In order to make the structure as convenient and easy-to-maintain as possible, we also installed an extra row of splashboards, an 18-inch overhang on the left endwall, and seamless gutters. Additionally, our team put skylights into the roof for improved lighting and installed a Dripstop condensation prevention system to keep moisture from dripping down from the metal roof onto the equipment below. To make things as accessible as possible for the client, we also installed a 36’ x 16’ sliding door system, a 30’ x 16’ sliding door system, and a standard-sized door.

The importance of a building that just works can never be overstated. If you are in the market for machine or agricultural storage or any other kind of residential or commercial building, please let Gateway FS Construction Services know. Give us a call at 866-551-3454, and let our specialists help you find exactly what you are looking for. We look forward to providing you the best customer service experience.

FS Construction Services buildings storage needs

Project Profile: Solving Storage Needs

It can be easy to think of a building as something immovable and permanent. And while we certainly want our buildings to feel that way, we also know that doesn’t mean that a building can’t change once it’s been constructed. At FS Construction Services, we know that things change all the time. Life circumstances, careers, storage needs, and so on. We build durable, longstanding buildings that are designed to withstand the test of time. But that’s not to say that they can never change, grow, or adapt.

Sometimes You Need a Little More Storage Space

This past October, previous clients of ours found themselves in a situation where they realized they needed just a little bit more space on a building we had previously constructed for them. Rather than tearing down a wall and starting over, Tom Marcheski and his team took a more creative, more efficient approach. They extended the building by adding a 15’ x 48’ x 9’ lean-to onto the side of it.

The lean-to was tied into the existing roofing and sided to match what came before and was engineered to be open on both ends for ease of access. This extra storage provided our clients with just the right amount of space and protection for them, without needing to create an entirely new, totally closed-off section of a building. In just a week, they had exactly what they would need to be ready for the cold months ahead.

We are big fans of problem solving and finding solutions. So whether you are looking at new construction or need to find some update or modification to an existing building, please let Gateway FS Construction Services know. Give us a call at 866-551-3454, and let our specialists help you find exactly what you are looking for. We look forward to providing you the best customer service experience.

FS Construction Services pole barn

The Many Uses of the Humble Pole Barn

At FS Construction Services, we spend lots of time with highly-specialized equipment, like seed treaters and grain bins, which each have a pretty specific use and wouldn’t serve much purpose outside of what’s intended. And we love equipment that’s designed to do one job and do it as effectively as possible. But there’s also something exciting about building something that has two or three or four possible uses, which is one of the reasons we always enjoy talking about pole barns.

Versatile and Functional Pole Barns

Pole barns are some of the most customizable structures we get to work with. They can be used to build garages, sheds, agricultural storage, churches, auto repair buildings, horse barns, and even airplane hangars. The possibilities are really just how much someone can imagine. On top of that, our partners at Walters Buildings offer a huge variety of color options, window options, and more. A pole barn can be outfitted with a standard garage door, sliding doors for large equipment, Dutch doors, Dutch porches, or a combination of all of these.

Over the years we have built pole barns for clients that are part storage space, part recreation space, part horse stables or simply large, wide-span structures to keep agricultural equipment safe from the elements. The simple, yet dependable idea of a pole barn matched with superior materials and tried-and-true construction methods mean you can get the building you want, designed the way you want it, and you won’t have to wait around for it to happen.

If you are looking at how a pole barn might suit your needs or if you have interest in another kind of wood or steel building, please let Gateway FS Construction Services know. Give us a call at 866-551-3454, and let our specialists help you find exactly what you are looking for. We look forward to providing you the best customer service experience.

Gateway FS Construction Services metal roofing

Project Profile: Roofing Steel

At FS Construction Services, we understand that a building is only as strong as its weakest part. Thick, steel walls may stand strong for decades, but the building won’t be very comfortable if it has a thatched roof covered in holes. That’s why we have enjoyed our partnership with Fabral so much. Their metal roofs are designed to look good and hold up far longer than traditional roof shingles.

Discover the Durability and Stability of Metal Roofs

In mid-August, Tom Marcheski and his crew traveled over to Sparta, IL to take on a 6,000 sq. ft. roofing project. Using Fabral’s 1 ½” SSR metal roofing system, they covered the building in the 24-gauge steel floating standing seam roof. This roof features a Class A fire resistance rating, a Class 4 hail impact rating, and a Class 90 Uplift test rating. In addition to its ability to stand up to impact, it also has a fastening system that allows for thermal movement and a factory-applied sealant to provide a tight, secure roof that doesn’t draft or leak. In addition to the built-in features of these particular roof panels, our team also installed a snow retention system. These snow and ice guards not only protect the roof itself, but more importantly, anyone who may be entering the building below. While our client chose black-colored panels, Fabral’s roofs come in a variety of colors, so you can always match your specific building.

In our opinion, the durability and security you get with a metal roof makes the investment worthwhile. Their strength and longevity are unmatched, and with a number of styles and colors available, you can always find the most attractive option for you.

If you are in need of a new roof and would like to consider going metal, please let Gateway FS Construction Services know. Give us a call at 866-551-3454, and let our specialists help you find exactly what you are looking for. We look forward to providing you the best customer service experience.

FS Construction Services garage door openers

Refine Your Garage Door Experience

As we say often, garage doors tend to be things that are easily overlooked until something goes wrong with them. Unsurprisingly, this holds true for garage door openers as well. At FS Construction Services, we have partnered with Raynor Garage Doors, and not only do they feature a premiere lineup of garage door choices, they have a similarly impressive lineup of garage door openers. We are going to take a look at some of these openers and sort out what makes them distinct and hopefully help you determine which one is right for you.

Premier Selection of Garage Door Openers

When most people think about garage door openers, they likely picture a rounded rectangle hanging from the ceiling of the garage. The garage door opens, a light comes on, end of story. However, there is more to the garage door opener story than just that.

Raynor’s line of garage door openers features standard openers like the Airman II, which is designed to be a no-fuss, durable opener that comes at a good price. However, there are a number of openers that have additional features like the Sentinel, which is an opener with a built-in live feed camera. The General II has corner-to-corner lighting so your entire garage is illuminated. The Prodigy II is a wall-mounted opener, which along with being quiet, also saves a lot of overhead space.

Most of Raynor’s garage doors come with wifi, meaning they can be controlled from your phone, and they even offer battery-backup openers, so you can still use your garage even if the power is out. While it may not have been something you thought much about before, customizing your garage door opener could be that extra bit of convenience or safety that puts your mind at ease.

If you have any questions about garage door openers, or garage doors in general, please let Gateway FS Construction Services know. Give us a call at 866-551-3454, and let our specialists help you find exactly what you are looking for. We look forward to providing you the best customer service experience.

FS Construction Services Butler metal building

A Better, Faster Metal Building

Understandably, when it comes to major projects, like building a new structure from the ground up, clients want to know that corners haven’t been cut and concessions haven’t been made. At FS Construction Services, we understand the hesitation in believing in something that just sounds too good to be true. However, thanks to some very smart engineering and good planning, our partners at Butler Manufacturing have really pushed the envelope with their Tier II Classic Building System.

Build the Best with a Butler Metal Building

This metal building system isn’t just fast, but it also offers wide-ranging customizability and flexibility, allowing it to serve every function from warehouse to agricultural storage to commercial space and pretty much any other option in between. These building can be built to almost any size and scope, with a variety of structure, roof, and wall systems, as well as options for skirt walls, below-eave canopies, and adjacent units. Additionally, there is an option for pre-insulated metal panels, increasing the thermal efficiency of your building.

Of course, one of the most unique features of these buildings is just how fast they can go from idea to standing structure. Butler has worked to ensure short lead times, but more than that, all of their structures come with factory-punched roof and wall panels designed to fit together in any number of configurations. This allows for an assembly that’s 30% faster than a traditional new construction.

Our partnership with Butler has been long lasting and valuable, meaning our team knows their way around a Butler building. If you are in need of a new building, and even if you need it fast,
please let Gateway FS Construction Services know. Give us a call at 866-551-3454, and let our specialists help you find exactly what you are looking for. We look forward to providing you the best customer service experience.