There are several types of underground utilities and they are made from different materials. Detection and location methods may also vary and are performed by professional utility locators who use maps and special equipment.

Typically, buried utilities with petroleum products are marked permanently with posts, because damaging them would be very dangerous, due to their content. Metal pipes are detected using electromagnetic equipment and a transmitter, while concrete and plastic pipes are detected by ground penetrating radars and radiolocation.

Buried utilities are also marked with particular colors (orange for telecommunications, blue for drinking water, red for electric lines, yellow for gas and other flammable materials, green for sewage and purple for reclaimed water) as well as flags that help identifying the ownership of the lines.

Utility locating services

People do not do that often digging and excavation projects on their properties therefore many do not realize that they can cause extensive damage by simply digging a hole for installing a fence.

In these circumstances, the answer to the question “Why do I need to call a underground cable locator” is rather obvious. If your property has not been marked recently, you have to call a utility locator, as this is the only thing that ensures safe digging and keeps you away from being fined and held legally responsible for damaging utilities that serve an entire community.

When it comes to contacting utility locators, you have two options.

• Dial 811

This is a phone number that can be dialed from any location in the US and will direct you to public utility locating service. You will talk to an operator, explain what you plan to do in terms of digging/ excavating, provide your address and then, in a few days, you will be visited by professional locators sent by companies that have buried facilities in your area. This public service is free; all you have to do is dial 811 a few days before starting your excavation project. However, there is a downside: public underground utilities are water, electric, gas, and sewer and, if there are other utilities on your property, such as fiber optics or other private buried lines (for heating a pool, providing power for a garage, lighting a parking lot etc.), they will remain unmarked, as public locators do not deal with them. In these circumstances, you must consider a second option.

• Contacting a private utility locator

Private utility detecting services are not free, but you get the advantage of having public and private utilities marked. These companies have quality equipment, trained personnel and use different utility locating technologies, being able to detect even the trickier lines, so you can dig and excavate safely.

Always remember that digging without marking the site for underground utilities may result in very costly damage that may include particularly dangerous hazards such as fire, electrocutions and explosions. A private locating service will ensure your peace of mind and keep you away from problems.

Many business owners and individuals who are already convinced about the reliability, strength and versatility of steel buildings still have doubts about the aesthetic appeal they can enjoy with their buildings. The short answer to the question “can steel buildings be made beautiful?” is a resounding yes – here are a few features to support the argument.

Endless Design Options

In terms of initial design, steel buildings are plain structures that can be embellished almost any way. A metal building consists mainly of panels, frames and trusses that can be covered to make the walls resemble more conventional, brick and mortar buildings and the design options are almost unlimited when it comes to adding openings and deciding about roof style.

Design Options for the Walls

The wall panels can be left exposed for a more industrial appearance or they can be covered or coated to confer them a truly unique look. Owners can use pre-engineered exterior panels to be installed over the walls to create the appearance they want without having to add weight to the walls with traditional masonry.

Design Options for the Roof

Steel buildings can be fitted with flat roofs, with sloping roofs or with a combination of the two for an attractive contemporary look. The wall panels can be painted and coated to resemble shingles or clay tiles and cool roofs are also available if energy-efficiency is the owner’s top priority.

Accessories

The additional features, such as the skylights, windows, doors and vents used in steel buildings are also available in an almost endless variety:

• Steel buildings are very stable and resistant structures, therefore they can be fitted with windows of any style and size without compromising the integrity of the building;
• The roof can accommodate any type of skylight to add not only visual appeal, but natural light to the interior space as well;
• Door options are also wide, allowing owners and designers to choose the style that reflects the use of the building. Simple walk doors, garage doors, overhead roll-up doors, glass doors, sliding doors and many other types are available;
• The gutter pipes and the vents can also be chosen to meet functional and design-related considerations. The pipes available for modern steel buildings serve not only the purpose of channeling excess water, but they can also be used as accents that mark the building perimeters. As for the vents, you can get them coated to the color around to conceal them or you can paint them in a contrasting color to use them as design accents.

Colors and Finishes

Most steel building manufacturers offer a wide range of colors that they have in stock, but if you cannot find the exact shade that you are looking for among the default colors, you can get custom colors mixed to your exact specifications.

Textured finishes are also available. You can choose not only glossy or satin finishes, but rough textures as well, so you can mix, match and combine colors and textures to create the modern, elegant, attractive building that meets your requirements and is a pleasure to look at.