Hello! First post for me, thanks for having me.

I own 2 acres in a beautiful airpark in AR, and we’ve decided to build a hangar with a living quarters versus springing for the “forever home” under the current economy (I’m a pretty junior FO at a major airline). This way, we can get to the airpark without being “house poor.”
Hangar specs: 50x70 with 20’ sidewalls, 40’ Schweiss bifold door, 50x40 dedicated to hangar space, 30x35 is a 2 story living quarters, with a 30x15 garage.

Here is my question:
Is it worth an extra 10-20% cost to go with a turnkey Morton Building versus a less turnkey steel structure?

So far, Morton has been the fastest, most professional, most impressive, and most expensive of the 6 companies we have requested estimates from (they are the only stick built estimate as well). Of the 5 steel structure options, 2 of them have no real experience finishing out a heated/cooled living space inside a steel structure (their preliminary estimates are the cheapest). Of the 3 remaining builders, I am waiting on estimates and have been for weeks (I predict they will quote about $30k lower than Morton).

Here are my concerns with steel:
1. Made in china.
2. The problem with the steel builders is one of confidence and hidden costs; I have been warned by so many people to keep a close eye on their work, especially when it comes to the living space. The GCs with barndominium experience haven’t done a hangar door installation. The steel GCs who have hangar experience have few examples of hangar-homes. There simply aren’t many hangar-homes in my region.
3. No chance of fixed rate mortgage with steel, due to lack of comps. With Morton, there is a chance at least. Otherwise it’s in-house loans at about 4.5% with a 5 yr balloon.
4. 6-12 week wait time for steel right now. No significant wait time for Morton.
5. No advertised warranties on the work with the steel GCs. Morton has a 50 yr warranty.

Here are my concerns with Morton:
1. 20% extra cost could be $40k more. Ouch.

I want to know your opinions and experiences on both sides. Please keep in mind the finished product will be home for us and our 2 kids for at least a couple years, so it must be truly livable.

Thanks in advance!