The Entire Buying Process: From Start to Finish

You’ve purchased your metal building, now you’re stuck thinking, “What happens now?” Trust me when I say, you aren’t the only one that feels this way. And if I am being honest, there is actually quite a bit that happens between the first conversation you have with your building specialist and your installation day. But don’t worry, I am here to make the process easier to understand so you know exactly what to expect along the way. 

Designing Your Building

Everything starts with a conversation with one of our project specialists. This is when you let your specialist know what you are planning to do with your building, the type of property you have, and your budget and they help you come up with something that is perfect for you. Some need a garage for their vehicles, some want a workshop for projects, while others are just looking for shelter for equipment storage, or maybe even a commercial building. Every project is a little different, and your project specialist will help you navigate the choices that are right for you. 

During this part of the process, you will choose the size, layout, and customization options for your metal building. This can include things like doors, windows, lean-tos, colors, panel orientation, and other upgrades. A lot of the decisions that you make during this step will affect the way your building functions long term, so this stage matters more than many people realize. 

Once everything is designed, your building specialist will provide a custom quote along with 3D renderings of the building. These renderings will help you get a much better idea of what the finished structure will actually look like before moving forward. 

Deposit and Order Verification

Once you are happy with the way your building will look and with the price, the order can officially be placed. At that point, your order moves into verification and a deposit is collected. Before your order is sent to one of our vetted manufacturers, the details of the order are reviewed carefully to make sure everything is correct. We will also send over the contract for signatures to ensure there is a clear record of the building specifications and agreed-upon details. This step might not seem very exciting, but it’s the first step in ensuring that the manufacturer knows exactly what you are wanting! 

Catching mistakes early is a whole lot easier than trying to fix them after materials are ordered or the building is already being installed. 

Manufacturer Coordination

After your paperwork is completed, the order is sent to your designated manufacturer. During this stage, the manufacturer will reach out to you directly to verify that the order is correct and check on the status of your job site. The manufacturer will request site pictures, ask whether permits are required, and check whether the site is actually ready for installation. This is a very important step because it determines whether your project is ready to be scheduled or not. 

Hold vs. Ready Status

Not every project moves directly into scheduling after it has been sent to the manufacturer. Sometimes an order has to be placed on hold temporarily while a few remaining items are completed. 

The most common reasons that a project is placed on hold is due to missing site pictures, unfinished site prep, or permits that still haven’t been approved. Until these things are finalized, the project cannot move forward. However, once everything has been received and approved, the project will move in “Ready” status. This is when your lead time officially begins. 

Scheduling

Once your project has been marked as “ready”, it will move into scheduling. During this phase, the manufacturing company begins coordinating installation routes, reviewing crew availability, and placing the project into install queues. 

Scheduling can vary depending on the season, weather, demand, crew availability, and even location. Since installation crews often travel across large areas, routing plays a vital role in how scheduling is organized. 

Manufacturing

While the office is working on scheduling your new metal building, the shop is working on getting the materials for the building prepared. Framing, panels, trim, and other components are coordinated based on your exact building design that you selected. 

Even though your building is not on site yet, your project is still actively moving forward. There’s a lot of coordination that happens before installation day ever arrives. 

Installation Day

It’s finally the day of installation, the crew arrives on site and begins assembling your new building. The structure is installed according to the specifications selected during the design process, including the dimensions, colors, and customization options, that were all agreed upon at the very beginning. 

In many cases, the actual install moves pretty quickly once the crew gets started (depending on the size and the complexity of the building, of course)! This is usually the most exciting part of the entire process, because you will finally get to see the project go from a 3D rendering to real life! 

The Bottom Line

There are honestly quite a few steps that happen before a crew even arrives at your site to start installing your structure. Between design, verification, scheduling, manufacturing, and site preparation, every stage helps get the project ready for a successful install. 

It is important that you have an understanding of the process upfront because it helps make everything feel a lot less confusing along the way. And when you’re ready to start designing your building, our team is here to help answer questions, walk you through the process, and help you find a structure that fits your needs.