Arkansas Metal Buildings

Common mistakes to avoid when erecting your own metal building.

If you are a do-it-yourself kind of person, our metal building kits are for you. Each custom prefabricated building arrives with plans and ready to assemble.

When it comes to building assembly, it can be related to a very large, less complicated, Lego set. Arriving with details plans, the instructions are clear and precise and come in English.

The beautiful part of erecting your own metal building kit, is that you save money. We do recommend that you have some building experience and are not afraid of heights. Some building experience may help you avoid some critical mistakes.

Always get written permitting and/or approval before starting your project.

If you do not do your due diligence, you may find yourself in a mess of costly trouble. There would be nothing worse than erecting your dream building and then finding out it violated your local HOA, local building codes, zoning requirements, easements, or any other law. You can literally be forced to disassemble your complete building kit and even demolish the concrete slab if found guilty.

We highly recommend getting your permitting during the planning stages of your project.

Your local building codes will come in handy when ordering your metal building kit. They will make sure the building is pre-engineered for your location. This is important for insurance purposes as well.

During this time, it is beneficial for you to locate any if not all the locations of buried utilities.

Our team is here to help you find out what all is required from your permitting office.

When you purchase a metal building kit from us, it will arrive with engineered stamped drawings and a letter of certification. This makes the permitting process a breeze.

Proper Site Work for Your New Building

Arkansas Metal buildings come perfectly engineered plumb and square. It is essential that proper site work be prepared for a quality level slab. In addition, storm drainage should be taken into consideration so your building doesn’t encounter flash flood problems in the future. Larger, heavier, steel building kits may require a soils report to determine the integrity of the ground below.

Another aspect to consider is to leave ample room around the slab for delivery trucks and erection equipment such as a fork lift and/or scissor lift.

An unfortunate, yet common mistake for DIYers is pouring the concrete premature to receiving anchor bolt plans.

We understand that people get excited and want to be prepared; although, there is a process to doing things right. Prefabricated buildings are not made to fit concrete slabs, it’s the other way around. Concrete slab's perimeter, horizontal, and vertical beams must be strategically placed to accommodate the load of the building. The anchors bolts must be located in the exact location the columns were engineered to be located.

Don’t skip ahead, follow the plans precisely.

Call it a man thing, we just don’t like to hassle with instructions when we feel that we can do or figure it out ourselves. Because metal buildings are very heavy, we recommend following the assembly structures step by step to avoid any accidents or injuries.

Onsite Metal Building Alterations

Confident and even experienced construction do-it-yourselfers may feel the urge to alter part of the metal framing in the field. Do not do it!

Every steel building kit has been precisely pre-fabricated to be assembled in pieces. None of the pieces should need altering. Removing or altering pieces may decrease the integrity of your building as well as forfeit any kind of protection or warranties from the manufacturer.

If you have any problems during assembly, make sure to go back and check the erection manual and plans. If you still cannot figure it out. Contact the manufacturing company.

If something does not seem to fit as it should, refer again to the erection manual and plans.  If retracing your steps does not solve the problem, contact the building supplier.

Cutting, welding, or altering and part of the metal building kit is not required and a must not.

Correctly installing screws on your metal building panels.

Metal fastener installation may be one of the highest areas mistakes take place.

The included fasteners with your metal building package are designed to be watertight. Leaks can be avoided by installing the screws to a proper tightness, not over tight or too loose.

Conclusion

You Can Do It!

If you would rather let a professional do it, than contact our team and we can take care of your project.