Details to Consider Before Beginning Construction

As you begin construction on your new steel building, make sure that you have discussed with your dealer all the particulars about the delivery of the building. Before a building can be transported to the work site, it must first be designed and then pre-engineered at the manufacturing plant. Quite often, this is managed by a third-party carrier, although some steel building suppliers do deliver via their own fleet of trucks. All shipment arrangements will be made by the steel building company in accordance to the paper work. Whenever you have special accommodations for shipping, figure this into your schedule and do not wait until the last minute to inform the steel building manufacturer. Changes to shipping arrangements at the last minute may cost you significantly.

First, you must clarify whether the building manufacturer is responsible for all shipping details. More than likely the structure will be delivered by a standard carrier company. The building materials are first collected from the manufacturer and then trucked to the work site. It is up to you, the customer, to receive it and all materials at the worksite and/or delivery address unless this job is subcontracted to a building erector or contractor. Normally, the address specified on the invoice will be the location the building supplier will ship to. However, it is up to you to verify that everything is accurate on the paperwork so that the delivery will be made to the correct address.

It is your duty to let your needs be known. When do you need the building to arrive? Call the manufacturer and make your needs known. Altogether, the total construction process of a new steel building might take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. You must allow ample time for the completion of the steel building design, fabrication, and shipping.

Some customers choose to have their new building delivered to the worksite prior to the construction start date. In this case, you must ensure that the materials are sufficiently covered in order to protect all the parts from dust contamination. When the steel building parts arrive, they are already protected from the elements with primer and protective coating. Nevertheless, it is still necessary to cover the materials. The pre-applied protective coating does not make the steel framing pieces impervious to the damaging effects of moisture, even if the building pieces will be sitting at the job site for only a short period of time.

Lastly, do not assume that the company that sells you the building will erect it for you. Not every company that sells buildings will be involved in the erection process. In fact, many are not. Therefore, the onus is once again on you to arrange an erector long in advance so that you can begin construction when you are ready and not according to the schedule of an erector employed at the last minute. At some points during the year you may find that building erectors and contractors are booked up for weeks or even months in advance and will not be available at a moment’s notice. The final word on the matter is this: If you plan ahead, then you are one step ahead in being able to deal with any challenges that may arise during the course of your project.