Protection from Oklahoma’s Precarious Weather

Lucas Metal Works has been offering stable buildings, roofs and more for 45 years.

David Shaw in the sheet metal shop at Lucas Metal Works.

Will Rogers once said, “If you don’t like the weather in Oklahoma, wait a minute and it’ll change.” Those who have lived here for any length of time know that Oklahoma’s native son was right on target with his observation, as the Oklahoma sky can dump cold rain one day and play cloudless host to a blistering hot sun the next. That’s why the team at Lucas Metal Works takes every construction job they perform as seriously as an oncoming twister – because if you live around here, that’s just what you might get.

According to Tammy Laakso of Lucas Metal Works, wind load is one of the major considerations taken into account by the design team at Lucas once a building’s purpose and type has been chosen. Will it be a workplace or hobby shop, where the owner will do glass work, wood work, auto repair? Is the building needed for storage, and if so, what are they storing – household items, farm implements, automobiles, recreational vehicles, boats, motorcycles, airplanes? “A lot of people are buying tracts of land but don’t want to put a mobile home on it and yet don’t feel they can afford to put a traditional wood frame home on the property,” Tammy notes. “That’s why shop style homes (combination shop/home) are becoming more prevalent.”

In addition to wind load, designers also factor possible snow and ice loads into the equation as they help design the building. They have a computer system that helps them identify potential problem areas, such as wind tunnels, and that will help advise how many extra steel beams should be used to make the home or building safe against added adversity. Once these issues have been identified, plans can proceed with other desired aspects of the building, such as exterior finish and color (Lucas has 16 colors to choose from), types of doors, windows and insulation. Lucas offers metal panels in 16 colors and their materials are Energy Star rated, which will translate in to an average of 25 percent savings on utility bills.

Sometimes people already have a wood frame home, but would like to consider replacing their traditional asphalt roof with a metal one. “A traditional roof in Oklahoma has to be changed every 10 to 15 years due to heat, high winds, tornadoes, hail, snow and ice,” says Tammy. “But our metal roofs have a 40-year warranty – once you put one of our roofs on your house, you pretty much know you’re not going to have to change it.”

Lucas Metal Works has built a stellar reputation over the last 45 years, and not just for putting things solidly in place. Another branch of the business, Lucas Equipment, keeps things on the move, providing hay spears, bale unrollers, rock buckets, grapples, pallet forks, disc mower caddies, and their signature piece of equipment, the Ground Hog Arena Tool. Designed by Lucas Metal Works’ founder, Raymond Lucas, the Ground Hog Arena Tool is used to break up and level dirt in arenas for rodeos, competitions and other events, making the ground level and safe for horses and other livestock.

Whether you need a barn, a shop, a garage, a greenhouse, a home – or all of the above – or you want to consider safer, longer lasting options for your existing structure, be sure to visit with the team at Lucas Metal Works in Ochelata, where they will work with you from concept to completion to make sure your home or building withstands whatever the fickle Oklahoma sky wants to hand out.

For more information, contact

Lucas Metal Works

www.lucasmetalworks.com