Steel Building Buyer Beware

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After being employed in the steel building industry for six and a half years, I can fairly say that I’ve witnessed pretty much every blunder a person can make when purchasing a metal building. If you read only one educational item to help you along this process of purchasing your prefabricated building, it should be this one. The following are what I consider the top four major errors to avoid making when buying your metal garage, storage shed or workshop:

1. Not reading your contract:

If you think it seems silly for me to be mentioning this, then you need to know that more people are guilty of this then you would think. It’s so important to review your purchase paperwork and double check that everything you think you’re getting is listed on your contract. It’s also very important to review the terms and conditions, and know what each one means. Don’t be afraid of them. Every pre engineered building outfit out there has comparable terms that need to be signed or initialed as well as signing the contract. Just make sure you review them carefully. The terms are the company’s way of letting you know what they are required to do and what you are required to do. But of course, if you disagree with any of the terms do not sign them. Also, the salesman may lead you to believe that something he said verbally to you is included with your purchase but you don’t see it on your contract. So please keep this in mind, if it’s not written on the contract, don’t expect it to show up at delivery time. Also, if a certain additional spec that you talked about with the salesman is not in writing, don’t think that just because he says you’re getting it that you will get it. This includes telling you that your drawings will be rushed or your delivery time frame will be cut in half. Everything discussed should be put in writing or what you’re expecting to happen won’t happen. One more thing to be aware of is that just because you and the sales rep are throwing around the words “metal barn” as a description of the structure, do not assume that you’re going to receive everything for the inside of the steel building to accommodate your horses. You’re only buying the outer metal building and possibly the insulation and doors from the steel building company. You’re responsible for supplying everything to finish the inside of your steel barn.

After your order is finalized (all paperwork is signed and full deposit it paid), you will be receiving important information that is crucial for you to read. If you got mail from the steel building company you just purchased from, wouldn’t you agree that what’s in that envelope may have some importance about the status of your order? You would be shocked at the amount of customers who don’t even open those envelopes. Before the arrival of your metal barn, you’ll be sent a lot of information like when your plans will be mailed, the time frame for giving your okay to move your order into fabrication, your expected delivery date, and recommendations for off-loading and inventorying your materials. All of these letters and notices are crucial pieces of information and need to be reviewed. Some of them require your signed response. Not reading this information could even be costly to you, such as not knowing the inventory process and how long you have to let the factory know if anything is missing, resulting in you having to pay for materials that otherwise would have been shipped to you free of charge.

2. Not verifying your county requirements:

This error has two sides to it. Side one is, even before you decide to purchase a steel building, not researching possible zoning stipulations for your property. There may be regulations restricting certain sized metal garages or steel barns in your neighborhood. Your HOA may limit your color choices so your new structure will match the neighborhood better. Plus there may be other restrictions targeting only your property (easements or setbacks) that might keep you from getting a permit or rules that forbid you from even having a steel building on your land at all. You can’t assume that just because your neighbor has a steel barn that you won’t have any problems so you don’t feel compelled to do your research. It’s surely a positive sign if he does have a steel building on his property, but you don’t know the details of somebody else’s property regulations or building department negotiations. Just phone them yourself, you’ll be glad you did. Not only will you feel better moving into the purchasing phase of this process, you just might discover that your structure doesn’t require a permit at all.

Side two of this error is not confirming what code and loads are required for your county in order to erect a structurally sound pre engineered building. Does it snow where you live? Are hurricanes or tornadoes a common occurrence? Feel the shake of an earthquake every once in a while? Then you have to be sure that your structure can endure what the elements in your area throw at it. You don’t want to forget such an important step. If you do you could end up with a large pile of steel with a tarp over it laying in the corner of your property because you were denied the approval from your permitting office to put the metal building up. All firms in the pre engineered building industry behave alike when it comes to figuring what loadings are required for your garage, shop or barn. They might suggest what is appropriate for you because they’ve sold steel buildings in your area, but the bottom line is that you are responsible to confirm those suggested loads with your permitting office. Revisions to the loadings after your order has been finalized can be costly, especially if your order has progressed into the fabrication stage or has already been delivered.

3. Not calculating the TOTAL expense of your venture:

As soon as you make the decision that now is the time to purchase the metal garage you’ve always wanted, you should make a list of all costs that cover the entire budget for your venture. A few of the added costs to include in your overall budget in addition to the structure itself are permitting costs, jobsite preparation, foundation, equipment rental to unload the metal building, anything you will be buying separately for the metal building such as horse stalls, and all of the interior items you are thinking of having installed such as electrical or plumbing. Obviously your itemized list will be specific to your Steel buildings purpose, but as soon as your list is complete (don’t forget an extra ten percent for incidentals or unanticipated expenses) be clear that your grand total is something your wallet can handle. I’ve witnessed too many customers who forfeited their deposit money due to the cancellation of the building delivery because their overall budget was going to be a lot bigger than what they thought it would be.

4. Not recognizing high-pressured sales tactics:

Granted, most salesman are very persuasive (that’s why they make good salesmen), but you’re the one putting up the cash so you shouldn’t be pushed into making choices you’re not ready to make. In a time when the customer has resources at their disposal, like the internet, the best kind of salesman is the one educated about prefabricated buildings who also knows that the customer isn’t beginning this purchase process blindly. These companies are competing for your business so it is to their benefit to have you speak with someone who at least knows what roof pitch or bay spacing means. If you have the good fortune of talking to a salesman who sounds like he’s reciting lines from a pre-written presentation, get set to hear one of the most popular steel building sales tactics. This tactic is to inform you that another customer couldn’t take their metal garage and it’s at the plant and that you can have it for a fraction of the original cost but, of course, you need to hurry while it’s still available. Don’t fall for this tactic to get you to purchase right away. The structure you buy will be designed to meet your local area’s requirements. In rare cases it is true that a company might need to get rid of a building that is already made and sitting at the plant. In these cases you can expect delivery right away because the building is ready to go. But don’t make that purchase under pressure because it’s a lot less expensive than other quotes you’ve been getting, unless you’ve done your research beforehand and the code and loads are exactly what you need for your area. Because with a building that’s already been fabricated, nothing can be changed and you’ll be stuck with a metal garage or metal barn that won’t stand up to your local weather conditions.

A salesman could talk about ways to reduce the cost of your steel building such as rebates from the mill or using consolidated freight. You won’t know for sure if these cost cutting measures are true or not, but hearing things like this shouldn’t alarm you. What should concern you are any promises that the salesman makes that are not followed up in writing on your proposal. Insist that he revise your proposal to include everything that was discussed until he gets it right. If he refuses then you’re not doing business with a company that’s on the up-and-up and you should move on. Most of these tactics are pretty transparent and the average customer has an easy time spotting them. But as long as in between the almost laughable gimmicks he shows that he’s knowledgeable about what he’s selling then you shouldn’t be worried about the legitimacy of the company you’re about to purchase from. The only suggestion I can give you is to do your homework. Get estimates from a few other firms all with equal specifications. Don’t just let the words “have I got a deal for you” persuade you to purchase without getting a second opinion. In the end, if you’ve done your homework like I’ve advised, then the trust with that salesman will follow and you’ll know that you’ve made the right decision to purchase that steel building from him.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

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