Since steel buildings tend to come in pre-made kits, the quality of the product coming out of the factory is of the utmost importance. The more complicated the design, the more important it is to have good engineers familiar with your requirements and local building code to get an end product you’ll use for years to come. Factors like customer service and their financial situation will have an impact when you run into problems. Here are a few tips on how to find the right manufacturer for your steel building.
Determine Your Objectives
Firstly, determine what your overall objectives are. What type of building are you building? If it is a basic garage, there are many potential suppliers. If you’re building a multi-functional commercial building or home, you probably want to work with a steel building supplier with experience designing these structures and track record delivering high-quality buildings that match their plans.
Decide How Much You’re Going to Do Yourself
Determine the amount of work you’re willing to do relative to what is required at the site. If you’re going to be doing all of the work assembling the building, go for a company like Armstrong Steel that is known for perfectly fitted building pieces and labor-saving solutions like pre-made insulation. Understand that most steel building manufacturers will give you a site plan, but they won’t pour the concrete slab. They certainly won’t clear the site of debris and level the ground for you. If you’re going to hire a contractor to do all of this work, you can research the contractors the steel building supplier recommends.
Begin Vetting Your Potential Choices
Ask contractors how much experience they have assembling buildings like yours. Ask about the experience their assembly teams have, as well. The company’s engineers may have twenty years of experience, but the assemblers themselves may not have been in the business very long.
Ask the company about its financial strategy too. Do they use a line of credit? How do they pay their suppliers? You don’t want to end up with a partially assembled building and a lawsuit from the steel building manufacturer because the contractor quit or went out of business.
You should also ask questions that help you verify their quality of work. Learn if the steel building manufacturers are AC472 accredited. Another point in their favor is if they are a member of the Metal Building Manufacturers Association. When you’re talking to contractors and brokers, ask where they get their buildings. Verify that the steel building suppliers they use to meet your standards. When someone cannot answer questions to your satisfaction, strike them off your list.
During this process, ask what quality metrics they’ll use to track the quality of work being done. Determine how the process for handling last-minute change requests or resolving problems on site.
Assemble Your Team
If you’re going to assemble the steel building yourself, the only crucial element is a good steel building manufacturer delivering a quality product to your site. If you’re working with a contractor, you need to know they’re going to do a good job and will order the steel building that meets your exacting standards. If you’re going through a broker, you’ll have to vet their suppliers and come up with a contractor if you’re not going to do the assembly yourself.
Conclusion
Always do your due diligence before commissioning a steel building. Thoroughly research your options before hiring contractors to do the assembly work or going through a broker.
