Buying Steel Buildings: Preparing for Delivery

You did your homework, learned about steel buildings, found a supplier and placed your order. You may feel like you’ve run a marathon, but you’re not finished yet. You’ve got some work to do to prepare for the delivery and erection of your new structure. These tips can help you get ready.

Ensure Access to the Building Site

The trucks that deliver steel buildings need to be able to pull up to your building site in order for you to unload. If your actual building site is inaccessible to a large vehicle, you’ll have to set up a staging area where the components of your metal building can be offloaded.

Double-Check on the Delivery Date

Your contract with the manufacturer or broker will state the expected date of delivery. As that date approaches, check in with the company to make sure that things are still on track. It’s important to know when to expect delivery of your metal building because you’ll have to arrange for the unloading.

Clear Space for Unloading

Clear a space near the building site to unload the truck and place all the building components. The steel buildings supplier should be able to give you information on how much space you’ll need to stack all the components.

Arrange for Unloading Help

If you’re working with a contractor who will be doing the actual erection, make sure they know the date your building will arrive and arrange to have them on site to do the unloading and check-in of all the components. If you’re doing the construction yourself, arrange for help with the unloading. You will be responsible for getting the components off the truck and checking in all of the materials. Depending on the size of the components, a rented forklift might be very useful.

Check In and Inspect the Steel Building Components

Have your contract handy and any packing list sent with it. As you unload the metal building components, check off each piece, inspect it and make a note of any missing components or damaged pieces. In most cases, you’ll have to report those within a very narrow time frame to get any replacement or refund on missing pieces without additional cost.

Make sure that you understand all the terms of delivery and receipt of your pre-engineered steel building components. The more you understand about the process of purchasing and accepting delivery of steel buildings, the more smoothly the entire process will go.