Affordable, low-maintenance and completely customizable, pre-engineered steel residences have exploded in popularity in recent years. If you are on the hunt for a primary residence, a space that combines living and workspace, or a way to add extra living space to your property, a steel home may fit the bill. Read More
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)
Accessory dwelling units, which sometimes go by “mother-in-law apartments,” “granny pads,” “elder cottages” or “secondary suites,” among other names, are small dwelling or living spaces erected on the same property as an existing home. As the “baby boomer” population continues to age and home prices continue to increase just about everywhere, these smaller, more affordable residential units are becoming far more popular because they allow older adults to live independently in their own homes while still maintaining close proximity to family.
While many people use accessory dwelling units to house their aging parents, others use them for a wide range of other purposes. Because they are affordable, easy to erect and conveniently located, many people use them to generate steady income as AirBnBs or rental spaces. Others granny flat owners choose to use their pre-engineered steel dwelling units as:
- Mother / Father In Law Apartments
- Rental Units
- Home Gyms, Offices, Art Studios
- Man Caves / She Sheds
- Teen Apartments
- Guest Houses
When limited housing markets and rising costs would otherwise keep aging parents or others from living in their own homes, self-contained metal accessory dwelling units present affordable alternatives that increase the value of a property.
Provisions
Accessory dwelling units are self-contained, so there are provisions in place regarding sleeping, cooking entry and sanitation. Sunward Steel is well-versed in these provisions and can help those looking to add parent pads to their properties design units that meet their needs and comply with applicable codes and requirements.
What Is Included With My Building Purchase?
STANDARD INCLUSIONS
- Engineered Certified Plans & Drawings
- Primary & Secondary Framing
- Roof & Wall Sheeting with Siphon Groove
- Complete Trim & Closure Package
- Long Life Fasteners
- Mastic Sealant
- Ridge Cap
- Pre-Marked Parts
- In House Manufacturing In One Of Our 3 Local US Factories
- Delivery to Site
CUSTOMIZABLE OPTIONS
- Insulation Packages
- Insulated Metal Panels
- Thermal Blocks
- Doors
- Windows
- Vents
- Fans
- Skylights
- Solar Panels
- Wainscot
- Cupolas
- Gutters & Downspouts
- Exterior Finishes
COLOR OPTIONS
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Frequently Asked Question
Can I Build a Home Out of Steel?
Are Local Building Codes Mandatory For Building Purchase?
You may have questions about whether your building will need to conform to any particular building code requirements when you erect it. The short answer is, yes, you do need to make sure your building will adhere to any county or state building code… Read More
Can I Erect My Metal Building Myself?
Sunward Steel Buildings offers several metal building kits that can be the perfect solution for the DIY contractor. Our pre-engineered steel buildings come pre-punched, pre-cut, pre-welded, and labeled for easy to understand erection. Read More
How Can I Customize My Steel Building?
At Sunward Steel, we field a wide range of questions from our clients, and one we commonly hear involves exactly how potential buyers can customize their pre-engineered steel buildings to meet their unique needs. The short answer is, there are near-endless methods you can utilize… Read More
What is a Pre-Engineered Steel Building?
Whether referred to as “pre-engineered,” “prefabricated,” “premanufactured” or “preconstructed,” these buildings accommodate a broad range of structural needs, and they provide an economical alternative to more conventional building designs… Read More
What is Included When I Buy a Prefabricated Metal Building?
At Sunward Steel, we field a lot of similar questions from our customers, many of whom are wondering what, exactly, their prefabricated metal building purchase includes. There are many essential features that come standard with every Sunward Steel Building… Read More
What’s The Difference Between A Broker And A Manufacturer?
You have options when buying a pre-engineered steel building, both in terms of product and provider. Most steel building suppliers are either brokers, meaning they serve as middlemen between manufacturers and customers, or manufacturers, meaning they handle all aspects of design and creation in-house… Read More
What Roof Pitch is Best for My Metal Building?
When designing a pre-engineered metal building, one of the main decisions you will have to make involves what type of roof pitch you’d like your structure to have. The roof pitch, or the slope of your building’s roof, determines how many inches your roof rises… Read More
Why Have Accessory Dwelling Units Become So Popular?
As the baby boomer generation ages, many older adults are finding that they want to be near family, but that they aren’t necessarily ready to surrender their independence. In-law apartments offer the best of both worlds, because they allow aging parents to live near family and potentially help with child-rearing and similar efforts while still having their own place to call home.... Read More
What’s the Average Cost of a Steel Building?
Steel buildings offer affordable, economical construction solutions for today’s cost-conscious buyers, but you may be asking yourself what, exactly, that really means. Ultimately, how much you can expect to pay per square foot can range broadly based on local building code requirements, the customization options… Read More
What Our Customers Are Saying
We are very pleased with our Sunward Steel Building and everyone involved with the company. Choosing Sunward for my building project was the best move I ever made. Sunward’s engineering an...
See MoreGreg Polk
Rocky Mountain Pavememt Maintenance
After researching steel buildings and the many manufacturers, we chose Sunward for several reasons. First; the sales representative, designer, engineers and other employees of Sunward Steel ...
See MoreChris and Brett Watson
Arvada, CO
We are very pleased with our Sunward Steel building and everyone involved with the company. The building arrived on time, fit together well, has a beautiful finish and over four years in use...
See MoreFred and Connie Strotham
Confire Vineyards - Palisades, CO
Choosing Sunward for my building project was the best move I ever made. The insulation package option has saved me money every month. Our building went up fast and we have since added on to ...
See MoreKen Walter
Walter’s Auto Specialties - Englewood, CO
We’ve been in our building now for over eight years. It was an economical building for us to build. The engineered erection prints and anchor bolt plans provided by Sunward helped us get t...
See MoreGeoff Glenn
Three G’s Body & Paint - Littleton, CO
Having built a warehouse before, using Sunward’s steel building system, when it came to making a decision on a building for our van body and truck equipment operation, choosing Sunward was...
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Alfred Industries - Henderson, CO
We put our building up ourselves, did not run into any problems. Sunward supplied us a building manual which showed us all the tools we would need and how to get the building foundation squa...
See MoreButch Hartman
CAM Services - Denver, CO
Our “shop” was manufactured in 2005, and has held up thus far. Bringing all THREE companies based out of this shop, many great years and plenty of space. The bosses were able to make it ...
See MoreMulch Mill
WedgCor/Sunward Building which we purchased in Spring of 2012 has been a great addition to our Commercial Property Portfolio. We love running our business out of this facility and get commen...
See MoreBrett Kalias
My building has been up since the spring of 1998 and looks as good as the day it was built, even the paint hasn’t faded. An excellent company to deal with.
Ken Thomas
Excellent customer service! Worked with me more than one project. The project as a whole was completed before listed deadlines. Revised minor parts discrepancies immediately and everything w...
See MoreJerod McClanithan
Thank you for reaching out to us, I was unaware that our building was a Sunward Steel Arena until recently. The arena was previously owned by L.L.Bean and with much anticipation the company ...
See MoreFreeport Equestrian Center
Sunward Steel has excellent project management, ensuring a successful project. They very clearly outlined expectations for budget and timeline, and worked with us to adjust and fine-tune bot...
See MoreKathryn Edwards
I would like to say that the overall experience with Sunward Steel Buildings and their team exceeded my expectations. From the beginning stage of the building planning the owner of the compa...
See MoreDarrell Linkus
My company is in the business of erecting metal buildings in Colorado. We have been installing metal buildings for over 35 years. We have erected most brands of buildings and worked with num...
See MoreRobert Bliss
Featured Sunward Steel Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Buildings

Prefabricated Steel Building Addition - Penn Valley, CA
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