To make certain that you understand all aspects relevant to the trucking of your steel structure, you should touch base with your all-steel building manufacturer or contract manufacturer long before your structure is due to be delivered. Trucking to your job-site will occur once your all-steel structure has been finished. Normally, this is done through a regular trucking company, although various steel structure suppliers will transport using their own fleet of trucks. All delivery arrangements need to be set-up before your structure even enters the design phase. Any special delivery instructions should be ironed out before the due date. Changing addresses or other shipping information at the last moment can prove costly.
Two people, employed by the trucking company, will be accountable for safety of the structure from the time it is loaded in the truck till getting delivered. Once the delivery is done at the right time and address, it becomes responsibility of the purchaser. So, it is quite important that you are personally present at the delivery site on time to check upon quality of the delivered objects and the state in which they were delivered. In case you can’t be present at the delivery site, make sure that someone else, whom you trust, is there to accept the delivery on your behalf.
Fabrication of a steel building, in addition to design and fittings, can take any number of days, or months, if it is ordered during peak season of the plant. You should allow ample time for the process of planning, designing and fabricating your structure.
Prior to the beginning of a construction process, some owners wish to have their pre-engineered steel building shipped to the job location. Without proper cover or protection, the steel components are left to the mercy of the elements. Your duties lie in making sure that the parts are protected. If they get ruined and have to be replaced, this can set you back a pretty penny, not to mention a costly time delay. Although quality steel structures are produced with protective coatings, not all companies furnish this service. Weeks, even months before the transportation of the components of your building, be sure you have the proper team of erectors assembled. If you plan on raising the roof during the busy season, pick your team off-season so they will be ready.
When considering buying a prefabricated, pre-engineered steel structure your schedule should be:
- Purchase the land and prepare the ground
- Check the local building codes
- Acquire the proper permits
- Hire the team of erectors
- Get your plan into the design stages
- Determine shipping and delivery dates
- Sign the final papers
- Fabrication
- Accept delivery
- Erect your building
- Do the walk-through with a walk-through inspector
Of course, the bottom line with a project as complex as steel building construction is to be flexible. No one wants interruptions or surprises, but they can happen. While a lot of problems can be prevented by careful planning, the ones that do come can be handled more easily if you are well prepared. Have your “numbers” handy and keep ready with an action plan.
Constructing a steel structure is apparently but getting the delivery of the necessary equipment in a primary hurdle that need to be overcome successfully. There aren’t many construction companies that assure their customers of safe delivery of steel structure. USSteelBuilders.com is one construction firm that offers one-stop solution to all steel building construction related issues, starting from safe delivery of the materials to completing the job.
