Mississippi is a state firmly rooted in its lineage as home to the Old South, where locals appreciate their history and good ole southern hospitality. It is a place where small towns are spread out among rolling farmlands and wooded hills.
While Andy Wedgeworth is a tried and true Mississippian, his home brings a new element to historic landscape—steel.
“Our home is very comfortable, and definitely different,” says Wedgeworth, who lives in Forest, MS.
In 2004, Wedgeworth decided to convert his shop into a home, and when looking for a strong, durable material that offers flexibility with design, he decided on a steel arch building.
“Structural steel is easier to handle, stronger, and less expensive than any other common building materials,” says Michelle Wickum, marketing director for SteelMaster Buildings, which is located in Virginia Beach, VA. “Steel’s inherent strength resists fire, earthquake, and hurricane damage, and steel components weigh up to 60 percent less than wood members.”
Steel or metal arch buildings like Wedgeworth’s are highly versatile pre-fabricated structures that offer strength, ease of construction, clear span space, and expandability. Most arch buildings are made of heavy commercial steel or metal with galvalume, galvanized, or stainless steel coating. Unlike conventional wood structures, steel or metal arch buildings do not require heavy equipment during construction.
While many people associate steel or metal arch buildings with garages, carports, workshops, and storage, Wickum says more and more people are building their homes with the material because of the economical savings and the fact that the buildings are ‘green’ and environmentally friendly. “Green buildings are designed to reduce the overall impact of the built environment on the natural environment by efficiently using energy, water, and other resources; protecting occupant health; and reducing waste, pollution, and environmental degradation,”
Wedgeworth decided to incorporate the rustic outdoors inside his home by covering the interior space with #2 knotty pine wood. “It really wasn’t different than framing any other house,” says Wedgeworth. “I just needed to leave space between the interior and exterior walls.”
He also says it is fun to watch the reactions of people who visit his home for the first time. “Just from driving up out front, they say that they never imagined it would look like it does on the inside.
According to Wickum, that is another benefit of working with steel that people may not know about. “Steel buildings can be painted, and you can run electrical wiring through them,” says Wickum. “They can be customized using trim kits to tie into other material such as wood, vinyl siding, even brick or block. For more intricate designs, an architect or engineer may need to be hired, but typically, people can put up their own steel building on their own in a matter of days.”
