Prefab metal buildings are experiencing a revival. When Richard Warren Sears began building his mail-order homes back in the late 19th century, he was one of the early sellers of prefabricated building kits, following the example of even earlier prefab house and commercial building developers in England and Australia. No matter where you lived, he'd ship you the home kit by railroad, complete with all the supplies and instructions you'd need to build your building. Prefab building has come a long way since then.

The latest popular craze is prefabricated steel buildings used for commercial and agricultural purposes, replacing traditional wood construction. Your prefabricated steel barn kit, once constructed, is designed to house and protect horses and livestock and provide storage for feed, farm equipment and machinery. But a metal barn kit isn't limited to agricultural use. Whether you want to build a metal barn to house animals or farm equipment or even use as a home or general outbuilding, a prefabricated steel barn has many advantages over a conventional wood barn. It also has some disadvantages you should know about before you buy.

The advantages of metal barn kits are:

• Agricultural metal buildings offer durability and strength beyond that of wood barns.
  
• Metal buildings are fireproof--well, as much as any material is fireproof. Consequently, you may save on property insurance or fire insurance when you have metal buildings on your agricultural property.
  
• Steel as a building material is a cheaper alternative overall to wooden barns. For standard size and building construction, building a metal barn from a prefab kit makes financial sense.
• Metal barn kits are not only economical to build, but also to heat. They are energy efficient.
  
• Steel barns are resistant to insects and rot.
• With metal versus wood, horses and livestock are less likely to injure themselves if they try to break free.
  
• Depending on the size (for those barns generally under 60 feet in width and 12 feet in height), no heavy equipment besides a forklift may be needed.
• Horse and dairy steel barns tend to last longer than traditional pole barns.
• Although you can get steel barns built for you, DIY metal barn kits are relatively easy to put up.

Disadvantages include:

• While comparatively cheap, some metal barn kits offer a limited choice of colors and plain, geometric designs, often without complex corners or roofs.
• Other pre-engineered metal buildings besides barns tend to have more eye appeal.
  
• You have to invest the time to put up the prefab barn yourself--or, if you're not into DIY, hire someone such as a carpenter to put them up for you.
• You have to assure that the standard prefab kit meets your local building codes.
  
• Non-standard sizes aren't well accommodated in agricultural steel building kits. You'd probably have to opt for custom builders.
• While fireproof, if a fire does develop, the danger to those living inside the metal barn is increased.
  
• If you're considering building a metal barn with living quarters, you probably don't want a prefabricated steel kit. Contact a custom builder of agricultural steel buildings and homes.

• Figure out the dimensions of the metal barn--height, length and width. Decide where the barn will go. List the ways you are going to use the steel barn--who and what will go in it, how you'll need to maintain it, etc. Then decide if a prefabricated kit will fill your needs.
  
• Besides prefab metal barns, there are kits for loafing sheds and other agricultural buildings designed for standard storage and farm animal maintenance needs. Some pre-engineered steel farm buildings even accommodate a loft or high-clearance. (You will need to shop around if you have special requirements.) Choose a steel arch farm building for storage sheds if you don't need to hang any equipment inside the shed.
  
• Contact steel building manufacturers for price quotes. All metal barns are not created equal. Compare not just prices, but quality of materials and workmanship and ease of construction. Metal barn kits should come with detailed instructions for building.
• Consider wood and metal hybrids, such as steel-sided pole barn kits with shed or gable and truss roof construction that you can make with a combination of timbers and metal.