Friday, July 27, 2012

A California Couple Pioneer Home Building

Many people consider their home a haven from the world around them—a place to retreat from the masses to regroup and recharge.

In many respects, Tony and Bobette Milici of Pioneertown, CA are just like many people in that they consider their home a haven. But there aren’t many people who have a steady stream of strangers knocking on their door (Bobette calls them "looky loos") with questions about their house like the Milicis do. The couple takes the questions in stride, and the conversation usually revolves around one constant—SteelMaster Buildings.

The company, which is located in Virginia Beach, VA, has manufactured, designed, and supplied pre-fabricated arched steel structures for more than 29 years to 40,000 customers located in every state of the United States, in 40 countries, and on seven continents around the world.

People driving through Pioneertown are surprised by the couple’s steel home, a decision the Milicis say was largely influenced by the land they found to build it on. Pioneertown is located northwest of the Yucca Valley in the high desert and was originally built in the 1940s as an old west movie set. Tony happened upon the spot they now call home in 2004 when he drove through the area on his motorcycle on his way to visit his brother.

The high desert boasts scenery that varies from high desert shrubs and wildflowers, to hundreds of Joshua trees, jagged peaks, and canyons with willow-lined streams. The climate has extreme fluctuations of daily temperatures, strong seasonal winds, and clear skies.

"We knew that with the extreme climate changes here, we would need a building that could withstand heavy wind and snow loads, and our SteelMaster can do that," says Tony.

Michelle Wickum, who is the director of marketing for SteelMaster, says that their buildings are versatile in that they can be adjusted to withstand wind and snow load requirements of any local area. "All of our buildings also do not require a coat of paint or maintenance due to a coating of Galvalume Plus, and a standard 30 year warranty," says Wickum. "The Galvalume Plus coating also works to keep the buildings cool in the summer and warm in the winter, plus the orientation of the windows, walls, awnings, and porches maximize solar gain in the winter by providing more natural light and lessen the need for electric lighting during the day."

The Milicis also used structurally insulated panels (SIP) which result in a building system that is extremely strong, energy efficient, and cost-effective.

"Our SteelMaster buildings provides us with a very interesting and livable home and studio," says Bobette. "The living area is an upstairs loft. The study, bedroom, and master bath are off the entry downstairs. Heat and cold are not a problem because of the insulation of the SIP’s and the sprayed-on foam insulation on the outside of the steel. The upstairs has a wrap-around deck, so we are able to enjoy the lovely summer evenings with spectacular views. I love being off the grid."

Judging by the amount of "looky loos" the couple receives, as well as the fact that photos of their home were selected in 2009 as the winner of a SteelMaster photo contest, Tony and Bobette couldn’t be more thrilled by the attention they are receiving.

"We really enjoyed working with Robert [D'Agostino], who was our SteelMaster representative, and we love giving tours of our home now," said Tony.

In addition to steel homes, SteelMaster’s steel and metal pre-engineered buildings are designed for a broad range of residential and commercial applications including Garages, Workshops, Carports, Quonsets, Airplane Hangars, RV Storage, Military Buildings, Commercial Warehousing, and Industrial Storage as well as a wide variety of Custom Building applications including Athletic Facilities, Retail Stores, Churches, Bus Stops, Smoke Shacks, Doggie Dorms, and Correctional Facilities.

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