Let this be a lesson: all press is great press. That’s what Jason Gullett, President of Prestige Steel Buildings, wants Steel Design readers to know. “We actually got this job because of a previous article in Steel Design,” he chuckles. “Our client loved what we’d done, and called us to ask for a house like that of his own.”

That house, as it turns out, is standard fare for Prestige Steel Buildings: a prefabricated steel house, stretched out along the client’s property, with cathedral ceilings and a complementary all-steel outbuilding-slash-business “office.” Built in the middle of a field surrounded by the forests of Northern Ontario, the home in Elmvale was a “Dream home” for its new residents, a way to accomplish everything they wanted without breaking the bank too much.

Home steel home

One of my favourite pastimes is to look up real estate listings and ogle the listed properties, imagining how I would use different spaces and critiquing poor design choices. But at each post on Zillow — and in my own actual house — there are issues: I would wish the floorplan was slightly different, or wish that this door wasn’t exactly here, because it’s actually the perfect place for a Couch.

That’s the appeal of a from-scratch home, Gullett says. “Our clients want to have their own designs made real.” Instead of trying to fit their lives into a pre-existing structure, Gullett’s clients want to build that home around their lives.

This of course is true for any home built from the ground up, but steel has certain advantages over other, perhaps more traditional methods of construction. “The appeal of steel is that it’s strong. It’s light,” Gullett explains. “And that gives you freedom to do whatever you want.”

Freedom means a fully-custom floorplan. Freedom means windows where you want them. And freedom also means totally bespoke design for less money than building out of brick or fibre Cement.

“Because steel is so strong and light, you don’t need load-bearing walls,” Gullett expands. “You can have complete control over your room layout without worrying about the ceiling collapsing on you.”

For most of the homes Gullett is building, gone are the days where room size and shape was dictated by where supports had to be. Gone are the mid-floor columns holding up the upper storeys. Open spaces can be truly open! According to Gullett, you just need to build with steel!

High and low

“Everyone that walks into one of our homes comments on the space, and the light,” Gullett beams. “We hear it all the time.”

Steel, here, is the answer, too: Steel siding acts as its own support structure, eliminating the need for further columns and studs in the walls. The exterior envelope can stretch upwards, creating cathedral ceilings that add incredible height to any space.

It can also support windows. Massive ones. “That’s one of our best selling points,” Gullett says. “You can put in larger windows and doors.” Especially in Northern Ontario — known for its rugged beauty so captivating it has entranced famous Canadian artists for a hundred years — you want to be able to look out and admire the views.

“That was the big thing the client said when we started talking,” Gullett adds. “He’d seen our massive garage-door windows on our main office and wanted not exactly that, but he wanted the windows.” 

Steeled for speed

There are other advantages to a steel building that makes it attractive for people looking to build a new home, Gullett says. Cost is obviously a factor. Building a home from scratch will never be cheap, but Gullett says that steel is competitively priced — if not cheaper — than most other materials on the market.

Speed is another factor. Whenever we talk to Prestige Steel Buildings, I am amazed at how quickly projects progress, even in harsh winter climates. “This Elmvale house, start to move in, took about eleven months,” Gullett says, clarifying that that was the complete project, including initial conversations with the client. “And it could have been faster if the weather had cooperated.”

The key to Prestige Steel Buildings’ speed is, well, steel. “We cut and stamp the steel at our facilities. We’ll galvanize it. We’ll order custom trims and products from our suppliers,” Gullett says. “But most of the actual construction happens off-site.”

Pre-fabrication doesn’t mean off-the-shelf solutions, though. “We don’t have a catalog of designs,” Gullett says, adding that every building they work on is entirely custom. “‘Pre-engineered’ would be a better label than pre-fabricated.”

Foundations and main supports still have to be done on-site, of course, but everything beyond that point can be planned for and shipped to the site, ready to be rapidly assembled. Once the outer shell is up, further detailing and trim is added. Before you know it, the entire house is ready to live in!

As easy as one-two-steel

Another advantage to steel homes? “The maintenance!” Gullett points out. Or, rather, the lack of it.

The durability of the steel is a topic that keeps coming up throughout our conversation. “We’re all so busy, we all have so much to do already,” Gullett says on our call, which he squeezed between two meetings. “The last thing I want to do is come home and have to fix everything.”

Steel, though, stands strong. Siding holds fast against the elements, and protective finishes allow steel to stand up to decades of rust and rain without much wear and tear. Steel roofs are increasingly popular on residential buildings due to their long life and little need for upkeep — now imagine if the same could be said for your entire house!

“You can get something that looks really good, and that also is low-maintenance,” Gullett grins. “That’s a win-win!”

At the end of the day, steel is a tool and material. Its value lies in what we can do with it, and what shapes we can twist it into. It’s heartening to see it transformed into something people can see as a home, a place to rest and sleep and live. It can become exactly what you want it to be.