Customizations & Aesthetics

A steel building doesn’t have to look like an industrial metal box. With modern manufacturing techniques and a wide array of finishing options, your new pre-engineered metal structure can be highly customized to match the aesthetic of your primary residence, blend into its natural surroundings, or stand out with a bold, unique color scheme.

This guide breaks down every aesthetic and functional customization option available, helping you design a building that is as visually appealing as it is structurally sound.

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1. Color Matching and Themes

The most impactful visual decision you will make is selecting your building’s color palette. We offer 15 standard colors, allowing for thousands of unique combinations.

Standard Color Options

• Neutrals & Earth Tones: Pebble Beige, Rawhide, Earth Brown, Clay, Light Stone
• Grays & Metals: Pewter Gray, Quaker Gray, Galvalume, White, Black
• Bold Accents: Slate Blue, Royal Blue, Barn Red, Burgundy, Evergreen

[!TIP] No Extra Charge for Multi-Color: You can mix and match colors for your roof, side walls, end walls, and trim at absolutely no additional cost! Many homeowners choose to match the roof and trim to a secondary accent color, while keeping the main walls a neutral shade.

Reflectivity and Heat

If your building will be located in an area with intense summer heat (such as high-sun desert zones or open farmland), strongly consider lighter roof colors like White or Galvalume. These highly reflective colors bounce significant solar radiation away from the building, acting as a passive cooling system.

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2. Wainscoting (Vertical Colonial Style)

One of the most popular aesthetic upgrades is Wainscoting (often referred to in the industry as the Vertical Colonial Style).

Wainscoting involves applying a secondary, contrasting color to the bottom 3 feet of the exterior walls. This breaks up the visual mass of a tall building, pulling the eye downward and giving the structure a much more premium, residential feel rather than an industrial look.

• Installation Mechanics: Adding wainscoting requires the installation crew to use a specialized two-piece panel installation process (a shorter 3-foot panel on the bottom, and the main panel above it), separated by a transition trim piece.
• Cost: Because of the extra materials (the transition trim) and the added labor to install the split panels, wainscoting does incur a slight additional charge.
• Orientation: Wainscoting is primarily offered on buildings with Vertical side panels. While possible on horizontal sides, it is much less common and visually disjointed.

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3. Doors: Access and Functionality

Customizing your access points is critical for the daily functionality of your building.

Roll-Up vs. Overhead vs. Walk-In Doors

Understanding the different types of doors is essential when planning the layout of your steel garage or commercial wide span.

Feature	Roll-Up Doors (Canister)	Sectional Overhead Doors	Walk-In (Man) Doors
Mechanism	Rolls up into a cylinder above the opening	Slides up on tracks along the ceiling	Swings open on hinges
Best For	High-clearance storage, tight interior spaces	Insulated garages, residential matching	Daily pedestrian access, egress
Space Required	Requires 18”-24” of headroom above	Requires track space along the entire ceiling	Requires minimal wall space
Insulation Options	Very difficult to insulate effectively	Highly insulatable (Polyurethane/Polystyrene)	Pre-insulated steel or fiberglass
Trim Style	Framed with L-Trim	Framed with L-Trim	Framed with J-Trim

[!NOTE] Door Framing Options: If you prefer to install your own custom garage doors (to perfectly match your home) or specialized French doors, you can simply purchase “Frame-Outs.” The manufacturer will frame and trim the opening to your exact dimensions, leaving the space empty for your third-party door installer.

Standard Walk-In Door Sizes

Walk-in doors are essential for pedestrian access and emergency egress.

• Standard Options: 36” x 72” and 36” x 80”.
• Heavy-Duty Options: We also offer Heavy-Duty Walk-In doors in 36” x 84” and 48” x 84” for high-traffic commercial use.

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4. Windows, Light, and Ventilation

Natural light is crucial if you plan to use your building as a workshop, hobby space, or retail storefront.

Wall Windows

Standard window sizes are 30” x 30”, 36” x 36”, and 30” x 53”.

• Framing: Like walk-in doors, all factory-installed windows use J-Trim to create a sealed, finished, leak-resistant edge.
• Ventilation: Most factory windows are single-pane sliders with screens, allowing you to open them for cross-ventilation during hot summer months.

Skylights and Clear Panels

If you want massive amounts of natural light without sacrificing valuable wall space (which you might need for shelving or tool racks), clear polycarbonate roof panels (skylights) are an excellent option.

• Availability: Clear panels are ONLY offered on Vertical roof systems. They come in two sizes: 3’ x 4’ and 3’ x 8’.
• Heat Gain: While they provide excellent light, be aware that clear panels act as magnifiers and will significantly increase the heat load inside your building.

[!WARNING] The Leak Risk: While beautiful, polycarbonate clear panels expand and contract at a very different rate than steel panels when exposed to temperature changes. Over time, this constant movement degrades the weather seals around the skylight. Because of this inherent physical limitation, workmanship warranties rarely cover skylight leaks. Ensure you understand and accept this maintenance risk before opting for clear panels over traditional wall windows.

Conclusion

Customizing your metal building is the most exciting part of the purchasing process. By carefully selecting your colors, adding wainscoting for a residential touch, and strategically placing your doors and windows, you can transform a simple steel frame into a beautiful, highly functional extension of your property.