A red oxide primed structural steel frame partly erected on a concrete slab, showing bolted knee joints and anchor bolts.

Steel Frame Homes and Barndominiums in Kansas

A steel frame barndominium uses red-iron columns and rafters bolted together into rigid frames, carrying the roof across wide clear spans with no interior posts. It is the choice for big shop bays, tall overhead doors and long open living areas. On an open Kansas site the frame, the bracing and the anchor bolts are sized to the wind and snow values your jurisdiction publishes, and the foundation is designed for the soil — including expansive clay, which the Kansas Geological Survey calls a pervasive problem in the state. The frame design comes from the steel manufacturer's licensed engineer; we build it and coordinate everything around it.

Stamped drawings where your jurisdiction requires them
Drawn to your jurisdiction's snow, wind and frost values
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Steel Construction: how the work runs

Four stages, in this order. The sequence matters more than it looks: settling who has jurisdiction, the septic answer and any permits before anything is fabricated is what keeps a Kansas build from stalling.

1

Frame layout and design values

Bay spacing, clear span, eave height and door openings set the frame. The design wind speed and snow load come from the code your city or county has adopted or, where a county has no building code, are agreed with the manufacturer in writing before the order is placed.

2

Foundation and anchor bolts

A steel frame concentrates its loads at the column bases, so the foundation and anchor bolts carry the wind uplift and the sideways thrust of the frame. Footings go below the frost depth your jurisdiction sets, and the slab is poured with the bolt pattern set exactly to the manufacturer's drawings.

3

Erection and bracing

Columns and rafters are stood, bolted and braced in sequence, then purlins and girts go on. Bracing and connections follow the manufacturer's design exactly: on a windy site a missed brace or an under-tightened bolt is not a detail. Where your jurisdiction inspects, the frame is ready for that inspection before panels cover it.

4

Envelope and finish

Roof and wall panels, trim and openings close the building, then insulation and interior framing turn the living side into a home. Steel moves heat readily, so the insulation and air-sealing details at the frame are planned rather than improvised, and condensation is kept off the steel.

Exterior detail of a metal-clad home showing standing seam roofing, vertical wall panels, and a downspout discharging away from the wall.
Clay under the slab

The frame is the easy part — the foundation under it has to cope with Kansas clay

The Kansas Geological Survey describes expansive soils as a more pervasive problem in Kansas than landslides, common where clay deposits lie under the ground, heaving and shrinking from season to season and cracking foundations. The Johnson County building officials' foundation guideline warns that placing foundations and slabs on dried, shrinking clay may cause cracks and heaving once the soil returns to normal moisture. A steel frame sits on its anchor bolts, so we check the soil before the footings are sized.

Where we deliver steel construction

In Kansas the line that matters can be a city limit or a county line. Inside a city you usually have city zoning and a city building department; just outside one, a city can extend its building code with its subdivision or zoning regulations; out in the county, some counties enforce an adopted code and some issue no residential building permit at all. Cross one of those lines and what changes is whether the build is inspected, who reviews the drawings, how the land is zoned and whose snow, wind and frost values the drawings answer to. The septic permit, under the county sanitary code or the state minimum standards, goes with you everywhere.

Barndominium builders across Kansas.

Every city and county we build in has its own answer on permits, septic and design values. The service area pages set out what each one publishes.

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Before you commit

What actually decides the price

Square footage is the number everyone leads with, and it is rarely the one that moves a barndominium budget. These four do.

  • Clear span and eave height

    Wider spans and taller eaves need heavier frames and bigger column bases. A shop sized for a combine or an RV door costs more in steel than one sized for a pickup.

  • Wind and snow design values

    The wind speed and ground snow load your jurisdiction publishes, and your site's exposure, set the frame weight, the bracing and the anchor bolts. Open, flat Kansas ground usually carries the higher wind pressure.

  • Soil and foundation design

    Expansive clay, fill, a high water table or rock under part of the footprint can each change the footing design. Johnson County's building officials list fill below footing level and footings bearing partly on soil and partly on rock among the conditions that call for a soils test or an engineer's input.

  • Door openings

    Large overhead doors need framed openings, and a big door in an end wall changes the end-frame design. Door count and size move a steel package price noticeably.

A red oxide primed structural steel frame partly erected on a concrete slab, showing bolted knee joints and anchor bolts.

Steel Construction in Kansas: common questions

8 questions we get asked most often about building in Kansas. If yours is not on the list, ask it directly.

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Why choose a steel frame over post-frame?
Steel carries the widest clear spans and the tallest eaves without interior columns, which suits big shop bays and large overhead doors. Post-frame dries in fast and takes conventional finishes easily. The right answer depends on span, door size and how much of the building is living space.
Who designs the steel frame?
The steel manufacturer's frame design is prepared under its own licensed engineer, to the design values for your site. Where your building department asks for sealed drawings, those come with the frame package or from a Kansas-licensed professional engineer.
How does a steel barndominium hold up to Kansas wind and hail?
NOAA notes that severe thunderstorms with large hail and high winds are common in Kansas. The frame, bracing and anchor bolts are sized to your jurisdiction's wind speed and your site's exposure. For hail, the roof and wall panels matter more than the frame: ask what gauge, coating and impact rating the panels carry.
Does expansive clay affect a steel building?
It affects the foundation under it. The Kansas Geological Survey notes that expansive clay heaves and shrinks with moisture and cracks foundations. Footings and slabs are designed for your soil, and the soil is kept from drying out before the concrete is placed.
Is there a statewide Kansas wind speed for steel buildings?
No. Kansas leaves building codes to cities and counties, so the design wind speed comes from the code the jurisdiction over your land has adopted. Where your county has no building code, we agree the design values with the manufacturer in writing.
Does steel make a house cold or noisy?
Not when it is insulated and detailed properly. The insulation is planned around the frame so steel does not bridge heat or collect condensation, and interior walls and ceilings are finished like any house. Insulation and a finished ceiling also take out most rain noise.
Can a steel frame barndominium have a second floor or loft?
Yes. A mezzanine or loft is designed into the frame or carried on its own structure inside it. It needs to be settled before the frame is ordered, because it changes the loads.
How long does a steel frame last?
It depends on coating, drainage and maintenance, and the manufacturer's warranty states what it covers. The practical questions are usually about the panels, fasteners and sealants, which need periodic inspection and eventual replacement. Our pros and cons guide covers maintenance in more detail.

Sources

Keep reading

The pages that answer the next question this one raises.

Pole Barn Homes

The other structural route, and when it is the better answer.

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Site Preparation

Clay, rock and drainage under the slab a steel frame is bolted to.

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Metal Homes

What the finished envelope looks like on a steel frame.

Read it

Ready to put steel construction against a real plan? Start there and the rest follows.

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Tell us about the land

Tell us where the parcel is and what you want on it, and we will come back with who has jurisdiction, what the land needs before it can be built on, and a realistic budget range. Starting the survey costs nothing.

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