Steel Building Packages: What’s in the Box?

Steel buildings packages and kits are an economical, efficient and an earth-friendly way to expand your business, add storage space to your property or erect an enclosed structure for almost any purpose. If you’ve never worked with steel buildings and suppliers of steel building packages, it’s helpful to know what’s typically included when you buy a DIY steel building. Understanding some of the basics will help you choose your building, and from whom you make your purchase.

The Basics – What’s Included?

Most steel building packages include steel I-beams for the frame, pre-fabricated steel walls and roof, and all fasteners to assemble the building. In most cases, the quoted price will include the color of your choice for the walls and the trim, generally powder-coated for weather-resistance and coverage. Look for a company that provides commercial grade U.S. steel for the highest quality.

Your package should also include engineer-stamped plans, designed to meet your local code requirements, and anchor bolt plans to show exactly where each bolt and beam goes in the assembly of your building.

What’s Usually Extra

Generally, the price you’re quoted for your metal building will not include doors and windows, in part because there are so many different styles and materials from which to choose. In most cases, you’ll work with a contractor after your purchase to customize the building for your specific needs.

In addition, the quote for your steel building also will not include insulation, since that’s greatly dependent on local building codes.

Tips for Buying Steel Buildings

Direct communication is vital to the process of buying a steel building that will serve your purposes. Make sure that you can contact the supplier you work with via a toll-free number with any questions and to help you work out the details of your purchase. In addition, the company should assign a professional engineer or designer to work with you and help you make decisions about details such as insulation, venting and roofing choices.

Talk to the steel buildings supplier about your erection options. Many suppliers of steel buildings work with a network of contractors throughout the country and can recommend one in your area to do the work of putting your building up.

Finally, be sure that you are familiar enough with the local building codes that you can be sure your building purchase meets them completely, or at the very least, hire a local contractor or engineer to look over the plans for your steel building and ensure that they meet all the engineering and code standards for your location.