Imagine that you’re making a significant purchase. What if someone stepped in to tell you about all the things that could go wrong when making it?
Granted, American Carports will certainly help you avoid problems, but sometimes we come across customers who decide to start the process before consulting a professional.
This is when customers find themselves in a situation that becomes difficult to correct, even for the professionals at American Carports. Here are three of the most common blunders customers make, so hopefully you know how to avoid them.
- Prepare the foundation before you get the plans.
Many times customers decide they want a building of a certain size and try to speed up the process by pouring concrete before engineered drawings have been provided. However, a steel building isn’t a typical box that just sits on top of a concrete slab. Remember, this building is going to be subjected to wind and weather loads. Engineers and detailers consider your specific geographic area when they finalize foundation and building designs. In addition, you shouldn’t pour with preliminary anchor bolt patterns. Don’t pour your concrete before you have your plans—it’s a HUGE blunder!
- Never take a delivery of a steel building before you have the proper permits.
Remember, each steel building is engineered specifically for its job site location, so it’s not like you can easily erect it somewhere else. The way to avoid oversights is to pay for permit drawings ahead of time—a small percentage of the total cost of the building. This also locks in your steel price, so when you’re ready for fabrication, any increase in the price of steel won’t affect you. It is significantly less expensive to make changes that will pass the permitting process at the drawing stage. If you wait until you’re at the fabrication and delivery stages, you run the risk of making a mistake.
- Work with an in-house detailing team.
The benefit of an in-house detailing team is two-fold. First, it allows you to make changes or adjustments to your plan based on your changing needs or wants, on alterations to the structural code of your area, or even on budget demands—and it allows you to make these changes in hours or days rather than weeks. Time is of the essence with building. Steel prices may change, weather can change with the seasons (allowing only certain times to build), and contractors may change their quotes based on how long it takes to complete a project. The other benefit is that when it comes time for erection, you’re going to want to be able to speak with a professional in case you have problems or questions. Who better to speak with than the person who actually engineered the building? No one knows your building as well. An in-house engineering department allows you to have direct access to the detailer or engineer.
The steel building process is relatively easy—when you do it the right way.
