Other Metal Building Details

Fasteners: Self-drilling fasteners are designed for rapid drilling without slipping of the drill point, thus reducing walking and surface marring. The neoprene washer keeps your building watertight as well as providing vibration dampening.

Structural Bolts: We provide all the nuts and bolts to assemble your building through pre-punched holes.

Closure Strips: Our Steel Buildings come with closure strips which when installed provide weather tightness. The closure strips are pre-formed to match the profile of the panels.

Ridge Cap: The ridge cap is designed to match the slope and contour of the roof providing a tight seal along the ridge of the building.

Trim, Flashing, Gutters & Downspouts: All our buildings come with standard trim to give the building a finished clean look. Optional Gutters and Downspouts provide additional protection from the elements.

Plans and Drawings: We provide a full set of anchor bolt plans for the placement of anchor bolts in the foundation. We also provide engineered stamped and certified construction prints. In addition we provide an in depth erection manual to walk you through the erection of your building.

Misleading Information - Deceptive Practices

The standards and values of our industry are regularly masked by the deceptive practices of the unprincipled few. These companies deliberately mislead people hoping to increase their chances of a sale. At Metal Building Depot we know that the more you understand about the product you are buying, the more confidant you will be at purchase time.

Arm yourself with information - No manufacturer keeps an inventory of buildings "ready to ship." Without exception, steel buildings are made specifically to order. A building should be designed to meet your needs and more importantly - your building code. Some companies create "general" price lists for common sizes, but the selection is very limited to a geographic area with limited variance in design.

Beware of companies implying they keep an existing inventory of buildings. To find out whether a "clearance" or "cancelled order" really exists inquire on the earliest ship date. You should be able to take immediate delivery on a building "ready to ship."

There is no such thing as making simple structural changes on a pre-designed building. Moving or adding a door opening on an existing or "ready to ship" building - could require the use of a wind column or portal frame. This could change the rigid frame design and render the existing design useless. Additionally, changing the wind or snow load could require the girt and purlin spacing to change and the location of connection plates along columns and rafters may not be located properly. The bottom line is that a structural change most likely requires a new building design. The moral of this story is: If a seller claims to have a building "ready to ship" make sure it will meet or exceed you local building codes and loads and more importantly - your needs.

Proposal or Propose "ALL" - We want to help you eliminate the "gray areas" in a typical building quote. The items listed on your contract should be made clear as to exactly what is being promised. Our itemized contracts are detailed and specific and you'll never see "included" in one price (without a description). All your accessories and options are listed as separate line items. With our online quote you will always know exactly what you're paying for.

Mini Storage Buildings

If you have thought of being a small business owner you might consider the self-storage market. Self-storage and mini storage buildings are a fairly inexpensive way to start a business that is designed to bring in dependable monthly revenue. Many storage facilities currently have waiting lists due to the ever-growing need for space. Mini storage buildings can be designed to include any number of individual units, depending on the site constraints. Steel frame mini storage buildings can be designed with a variety of options.

Pre Engineered Metal Buildings

Deciding to use a pre-engineered metal building is a wise choice. But, there is important information you will need to provide to the manufacturer in order to have your new steel building to be designed to precise specifications. Understanding your building needs and restrictions can help when you consult with a steel building manufacturer.

A few questions you need to ask yourself once you decide to buy a metal building system. What are my size limitations? What will the building be used for? What special building requirements are needed?

Why the answers to these questions are so critical is that they expose precisely what kind of pre-engineered building system will satisfy your needs. Metal church buildings have very different structural demands than those of mini storage buildings. If investing money into a pre engineered metal building system it only makes sense to research all options.

Perplexed about where to start? Contact a manufacturer; they will ask you the right questions to get what information they need to suitably determine your building needs. They can also help you review your requirements to equip your structure with the appropriate interior and exterior features.

Frame Types

Unlike any of our competitors, we allow you to price all building frame types. Select from Clear-span or Modular rigid-frame buildings. We allow you the full flexibility to choose Gable, Single Sloped or Offset Peak building shape. By far, we offer the widest selection of building and frame types. For options not available through the online system, you will need to request a special quote.

Clear-span Frames - A clear-span rigid frame offers strength and economy. Since no interior supports are necessary, this design is best when you require large areas of clear and uninterrupted space. Factories, warehouses and agricultural buildings are just a few building types that may utilize a clear-span frame building. A clear-span design does have size limitations. As the desired width increases, the frames will become larger and heavier to carry greater loads across the length of the frame. At some point the cost will outweigh the benefit. Even so, clear-span buildings are still effective for buildings as wide as 150' feet and wider in some cases.

Modular Frames - Modular frames use interior columns to evenly distribute the load; reducing the cost of both the frame and foundation of extra wide buildings. The economical advantages become obvious when a building width is about 100' wide or wider. As a result, almost all buildings 100' wide or wider have interior support columns. Modular designs are often used for large factories and warehouses.

Single Slope Frames - Single slope frames have high and low eave heights creating a roof that "slopes" from side to side. To select a single slope design, you specify one eave height and define the roof pitch. Single slope designs are frequently used for strip shopping centers, offices, and RV/Boat storage facilities.

Just about every steel building has at least one framed opening. It is not unusual for buildings to have several openings. Most openings are created for an overhead door, but can be used for the installation of glass fronts or other entries. Most other online sellers offer "field located" framed openings, which require cutting and fabricating on the job site. Metal Building Depot always provides factory-located openings unless your project requires something otherwise.