What Type of Building ‘Kit’ is Right For You?

Since you first started playing with toys, you’ve been introduced to some kind of ‘kit.’ When you were a kid, what type of toys did you play with? I’m sure some of you played with G.I. Joe action figures, and others had massive Barbie collections. What about all of the young builders out there? Did you ever put together Erector sets? You’ve got to remember them! Kids would spend hours building metal robots, buildings, cars, and of course, the ever-popular Ferris wheel.

Think back to those Erector sets. If you’re old enough, you might recall they came in a red metal tool kit. You’d open the tool kit, and reveal many different metal parts of all shapes and sizes – and it came with an easy to follow instruction manual. It was such a popular toy (and still is today) that it was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame in 1998.

But then, you inevitably grew up. It happens to the best of us! Your penchant for playing with toys might have slowly dissipated, but the need to build never died. Now, your favorite power tool is probably your favorite toy!

What was the big draw of these Erector sets? Was it the idea of endless construction possibilities? The unique thrill of building? How about the personal feeling of accomplishment after a job well done? Maybe all those feelings, all rolled into one?

I’m sure you probably fooled around with Lincoln logs as well. This was another fun toy in every young builder’s collection. While you could stack the pieces together, the overall construction wasn’t as permanent as your well-constructed erector set. Lincoln logs weren’t specifically fitted for all types of designs, and you were kind of confined to a certain design limit. This is kind of the way a pole barn works. Still, this toy was used by millions, and even found its way into the National Toy Hall of Fame a year after Erector sets.

If you’re like me, and those toys really get your motor runnin’, then I’ve got good news. Pre-engineered metal building kits are the grown up version of those Erector sets. And just like the popular toy, pre-engineered metal buildings come in kits as well.

We call these building systems “kits,” because most of the parts you’ll need to erect the structure come directly from the manufacturing facility, together. That means the primary and secondary framing, specifically engineered for each distinctive project, arrives ready for erection. All the pieces are precut and most are pre-punched; they’re designed to bolt together with no on-site welding – just like an Erector set. The simplicity of metal building kits provides owners with a quickly erected building in less time than traditional construction methods, for about half the cost.

I’m sure you appreciated the versatility of Erector sets. Fastening every component together, and building a mini masterpiece was half the fun. That might have been the beauty of the toy. It’s the same with a steel building kit. You’ll get your engineered pieces, and you just have to fasten them together. Even if you wanted to go back and add on to it later, you just needed more pieces. This toy was easy to expand and extend its length and width, and so are pre-engineered buildings.

Starting to see the similarities between the toy and its grown-up counterpart? Just as Erector sets can be loosely compared to pre-engineered metal building kits, those Lincoln logs can be compared, to a certain degree, to pole barn kits.

When you were a kid, you had tons of choices, and played with lots of different toys. Now that you’ve grown up, those same choices remain. Building kits are widely available in different construction materials, like shed kits, pole barn kits and pre-engineered metal building kits, and its up to you to pick the right one for you. It’s true – both toys and their grown-up building methods are ‘Hall of Fame’ worthy. However, pole barns might be something IN the Hall of Fame, while Steel Buildings ARE the Hall of Fame.

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