Originally Published as: Holding It All Up (Without Losing Your Cool)

Fall means harvest, football, and — if you’re in this industry — cold-formed steel starting to feel like the only material that makes sense in a world that keeps throwing curveballs at builders. This issue is a bit of a structural biography of a project, from the bones on up.

We start with trusses, the unsung skeleton of every metal building, quietly doing the heavy lifting while everyone else admires the exterior. From there we go underground — sort of — with CFS foundation attachments, because a building is only as trustworthy as what it’s standing on. Turns out there’s drama to be had below grade, too.

Next we head into hybrid territory: buildings that blend CFS with other materials, proving that the industry’s favorite framing material plays well with others. It’s less “steel vs. everything” and more “steel and everything,” which is honestly the more mature approach.           

Naturally, none of this happens in a vacuum. Local codes and regulations show up like an uninvited but necessary guest at every project’s table. We walk through what that means today, because “check with your local jurisdiction” is a sentence editors love writing and nobody loves reading — but here we go anyway.

And to close things out, we look at CFS design options for multifamily residential, because apparently CFS didn’t get the memo that it was supposed to stay in its agricultural and commercial lane. Multifamily is calling, and CFS is picking up.

So pour a coffee, settle in, and let’s talk trusses, footings, hybrids, code books, and apartment buildings — proof that this industry never runs out of new ground to cover, even when it’s the same steel doing it. As always, thanks for reading, and for building.

Correction: In the Summer 2026 issue of Metal Builder, the photographer for the image featured on page 6 in the Go Big or Go Home article was inadvertently omitted. The photo credit should go to Schweiss Doors. (https://www.bifold.com/) We regret the error and are happy to set the record straight.