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Aluminum Vs. Wood: A Cost-Value Analysis - Updated 2005
By: SchoolFacilities.com - Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Source: SchoolFacilities.com
Historically, Most School Systems Have Chosen Wood,
Distributors of aluminum steps and handicapped-accessible ramps have tried to persuade school systems to replace site-built wooden ramps and steps with aluminum solutions for more than 20 years. But, it’s been a very hard sell, due to the lower initial cost of building with wood. Despite aluminum products’ long-term cost effectiveness, most school systems couldn’t justify spending any additional current budget on items with cost-recovery periods longer than three years.
Now, a New Model Is Gaining Momentum
The prices of aluminum products have steadily decreased during the past several years, while wood prices have continued to rise. Today, distributors can make a convincing case that aluminum ramps, steps, and landings are actually less expensive than the same wooden structures. In fact, the cost of a 4’x30’ aluminum ramp has dropped from about $3,600 in 2002 to as little as $3,000 today. Automation and improved manufacturing processes, combined with an aggressively competitive marketplace, have accounted for an industry-wide price reduction of approximately 20 percent.
The New Model Also Provides Other Essential Benefits
In 1990, the federal government passed the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), which requires handicapped access for all buildings, including modular classrooms. The use of current nonconforming modular buildings is allowed only through local code variances, which DO NOT provide legal protection. School systems are under increasing scrutiny from the U.S. Department of Education regarding modular access for handicapped students. Additionally, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) requires termination of the use of wood products treated with Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA) wood preservatives, effective December 31, 2003. Most of the steps and ramps installed in schools today use CCA-treated wood.
When school systems take advantage of the lower cost of ADA-compliant aluminum solutions, they also reap the additional benefits of conforming with the federal government’s mandates that are outlined above.
How the Baseline Parameters Were Derived
American Incline gathered a sampling of the initial installation costs and maintenance expenses for implementations using wood in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Texas school districts, over a three-year period. The expenditures were then averaged to establish a typical baseline. The baseline installation is a straight-run, 30-foot, ADA-compliant ramp that includes ADA-compliant handrails with pickets and a 5’ by 5’ landing platform with steps.
Three-Year Cost-Value Analysis
This table shows the derived baseline costs for a wooden installation, compared with the costs for an identical aluminum structure with a five-year manufacturer’s warranty, based on a 10-unit volume installation.
|
BASELINE COMPONENT |
ALUMINUM |
WOOD* |
|
5’x5’ Landing and Steps |
$1,210.00 |
$1,665.00 |
|
4’x30’ Ramp |
3,000.00 |
$1,800.00 |
|
Installation** |
350.00 |
00.00 |
|
Maintenance |
150.00 |
150.00 |
|
Staining to prevent exposure to CCA
(recommended every other year) |
00.00 |
600.00 |
|
Replace tread strips, year two |
00.00 |
100.00 |
|
Replace warping, rotting, splitting, shrinking
boards and repairing nail pops, year two |
00.00 |
225.00 |
|
Steps maintenance (rails), year three |
00.00 |
100.00 |
|
Replace splintered and damaged boards,
and pickets, year three |
00.00 |
425.00 |
|
Replace tread strips, year three |
00.00 |
100.00 |
|
Move to new modular unit and repairs
due to modular unit move, year three |
00.00 |
1,050.00 |
|
Eventual removal and disposal |
00.00 |
150.00 |
Total |
$4,710.00 |
$6,365.00 |
* Marine-grade installations in coastal areas are significantly higher and are not factored into this analysis.
** Installation price of wooden landing and steps is included in the construction price. Aluminum landings, ramps, and steps can be installed by school maintenance personnel in approximately four hours or through American Incline’s installation service for approximately $350.00.
Summary
Historically, school systems have chosen wood installations over aluminum installations based entirely on cost. Now, the lower cost of installing and maintaining ADA-compliant, aluminum ramps, landings, and steps, is establishing a new model. The new model allows school systems to take advantage of aluminum solutions’ many additional benefits, too. To learn more about these benefits and other advantages of aluminum products, please visit http://www.americanincline.com.
About American Incline
American Incline offers modular aluminum ramps, steps, and platforms to commercial, education, and residential markets nationwide. The company is committed to supply the finest, ADA-compliant, aluminum solutions at the lowest possible price, delivered with world-class customer service. American Incline is also recognized as an extremely reliable source of product and regulatory expertise for this industry. To join more than 1,000 facility directors who currently receive American Incline’s quarterly ADA update and current pricing information via fax, please contact David Eberhart, Vice President - Partner Development, at deberhart@americanincline.com.
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