Before you Buy

Do you know the company you're doing business with? Is the supplier a member of the Better Business Bureau? Do they have a record of dealing honestly? Can they refer you to satisfied customers? Is the physical address to the company available? Can you visit them at their offices? Are they a real company with a history of quality manufacturing? Are they Active Members of the AISC (American Institute of Steel Construction) Do they post any affiliation with any steel building association? Do you know what you are paying for? Does the steel building contract give line-item prices? Will you receive comprehensive set of erection plans? Are you getting written 30-year paint and 25-year Galvalume Plus® warranties? Does the contract specify 26 gauge panels? Does their roof panels include a "purlin bearing" leg? Does the roof system have an Underwriters Laboratories Class 90 rating? Are you being supplied with premium fasteners with a lifetime red-rust warranty? Will your steel building have a sculptured trim package? Are all the clips welded to primary structural components? Are the framed openings factory located? Does the supplier have the ability to engineer a custom design? Will you receive an 80+ page fully illustrated erection manual? Does the supplier have an in-house customer service department? Does the supplier actually manufacture what they sell? Do they process and produce all their drawings in-house? Do they ask you to sign a contract and pay a deposit before you know the total cost?

Steel Buildings vs. Conventional Construction

A great advantage of pre-engineered buildings is that they can be relocated if required. Since your building is shipped to you with a complete set of instructions, detailed engineering drawings and a shipping list, you can erect you steel building without consulting a construction company. This also means that should you someday decide to relocate, you can take down your building and erect it elsewhere.

Adding partition walls in a steel building allows one building to be a meeting room, or office and storage facility and another to be a restaurant. Building with steel gives you the ultimate in design flexibility. You can either own one outright or purchase a steel building to rent to others. Your one time cost is regained sooner rather than later when you rent it as mini storage or public meeting space. Steel buildings can be designed with a almost unlimited amount of options.

If you have a need for a new building, don't make a decision until you have explored your options with a qualified steel building manufacturer. The Steel Building Network has reviewed a wide range of manufacturers, suppliers and building industry professionals, and we know that no matter what your intended use, there is steel building system to suit your needs. Getting I contact with the right company to get your questions answered is the first step in having your building needs met.

Installation and Selection of Insulation

We provide the highest quality products available. However, proper installation and selection is imperative for maximum effectiveness. Please refer to installation instructions to ensure correct procedures are used. Facings that have been torn or punctured are no longer capable of blocking water vapor and may eventually do more harm than good. Be sure to quickly patch any holes in the vapor barrier.

When selecting a facing, special consideration should be given to its reflective quality. A facing with high reflectivity reduces the need for high light levels in work areas. This results in reduced energy costs and increased productivity.

Although the fiberglass insulation itself is not affected by cold weather, the facing is. Colder temperatures can cause cold crack, a situation where the facing becomes brittle and if handled can crack. Bay Insulation recommends that vinyl faced fiberglass products never be installed in temperatures below 40 degrees.

Foundations

Do I need a foundation for my metal building? - Some people choose to pour a full slab foundation, however if you're planning on leaving the floor in a dirt or gravel condition, concrete piers will do the job just fine. Please contact a customer service representative if you don't plan to pour a full slab foundation.

Can you provide an engineer stamped foundation layout? - Yes, but in some cases your soil conditions play a major role in the type of foundation you can use. Contact our special sales department for more information. If using a local engineer, we will provide anchor bolt plans to aid your engineer in designing the foundation.

Do you supply the hardware to attach the frame to foundation? - No, the anchor bolts are usually supplied by a concrete contractor and placed when the foundation is poured.

Surface Air Film Coefficient (F)

The amount of heat flow in BTU's per square foot per hour between an exposed surface of a material and the adjacent air. It is the measure of the conductance of heat through the air film that clings to all surfaces.