Lifespan of steel commercial building?

[Erik W.]

I am looking to purchase a steel building that has 6 bay units.  Each unit has an overhead door (12 feet high?) and separate entry doorway.  Each bay is about 32W x 50L and my guess is the ceiling height is between 14-16 feet.  Currently rented by several businesses, each of which is related to an aspect of automotive repair / customization.  The structure was built in 1991.  Parking lot is asphalt, in decent condition, and appears to have been sealed recently.  The roof slops to the back and there are gutters with good draining out the rear.  The parking area is sloped to where water should drain toward the street and not pool up or enter the building itself unless we had an unusual amount of flooding.

How long can one expect a steel building to last, given normal maintenance?  Aside from power washing, what other maintenance tasks on the steel structure itself?  How often would one expect to need to repaint it?

[Bill O'Donnell]

@Erik Whiting

I have been in functional steel buildings built in the 50's. Depending on your climate, they will need the roof painted every 5 years or so after the first 20 or so years. Sunlight is the enemy of the paint. The more sun and heat, the more often they need paint. The walls typically outlast the roof, so paint them to maintain appearance as needed. Choose the most reflective paint you can find, especially for the roof.

Some metal buildings have rubber washers under each screw. Keep an eye on them if you have them. Potential weak link.

Not all buildings have them though.