Assembling steel buildings is a relatively straightforward process. Most steel buildings are delivered ready to assemble, with bolt holes pre-drilled and channels pre-cut. All you have to do is put the building together. If you think it’s rather like putting together a building from an erector set, you wouldn’t be far off – but the sheer size and scope of the project does require that you do things in a certain order. If you’re putting up a metal building for use as a carport, garage, storage building, home office or any one of a myriad other uses, these tips can help make the assembly process as simple as possible.
Make sure that your building site is prepared for construction before you begin. You can do this before your building kit arrives. Generally, you’ll need to level and grade the site, then excavate and add a 4-inch thick layer of gravel. That will guarantee that you have a level, strong surface on which to build.
Lay out all the pieces of the kit and check them against the shipping manifest to be sure that everything is there. Take out the assembly instructions and the blueprint and do a “walkthrough”, locating each needed piece before you begin assembly. If there are any missing parts, you can contact the manufacturer or dealer immediately so that it can be shipped while you are working on other parts. With luck, you can avoid building delays while you wait for a missing part to be delivered by taking this one simple step.
Always wear work gloves when you’re handling steel parts. The edges for assembling metal buildings can be sharp.
Start with the floor. Lay all of the pieces out on the ground, and only bolt them together after you have everything laid out where it belongs. This will help ensure that all of the fastenings are tightened correctly and make it easier to fit everything properly.
Most steel buildings are lightweight, though their shape – much like the Quonset buildings with which most people are familiar – makes them sturdy. It’s usually a good idea to anchor your floor to the ground, however, for additional security in high winds. In fact, your local building codes may require it. This is often best accomplished by setting footings in concrete and securing the floor to the footings.
Assemble your walls starting with corner panels on at least two adjacent corners, then fill in the wall panels between the corners. Line up the pre-drilled holes in the two pieces you want to fasten and bolt them together using a power drill to make sure that they’re properly tight.
Lay out the roof and the side frames on the ground and connect them together before attaching them to the building. The more work you can do on the ground, the easier it will be to get everything together properly.
Attach the roof securely and add the trim. If you’re installing electricity or plumbing, you should be able to run the wiring, cabling and pipes before adding the roof.
Once the shell of your steel building is complete, you can move on to adding a plywood floor and customize the interior as you desire.
Ease of construction is only one of the many advantages of using steel buildings as storage buildings, home offices, garages and other additions to your home. These tips can make your experience erecting a steel building even easier.
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