Industry quality secrets to building your ideal metal facility

The first of our two-part series reveals how you can gain greater value of workmanship for your investment.

The best clients are the ones who have done their research to get the facts and figures they need to make informed decisions about their steel building project. If a construction company is not completely transparent and open about what they do, it’s a red flag and an indication that it’s time to walk away and find a better building partner. Educated customers make better decisions. 

As with every profession, experience is the best teacher. Over the years, those dedicated to their craft learn the trade secrets that make the difference between a good and great completion. As the premier pre-engineered metal facility supplier, Summit Steel Buildings specializes in custom engineering and constructing solutions for commercial and industrial purposes. Over the decades of leadership experience, our team has learned many industry secrets that help save clients frustration and make the journey of finishing a building project much easier, quicker and more cost-effective. 

Two frequently cited reasons why clients choose their builder are related to the most important factors in project management: quality and price. The focus of this article concerns the first of these. We’ll outline three of the “secrets of the trade” to allow you to get the best out of your next construction project. A future article will focus on how to get the best price for your project.

1. Work directly with a manufacturing partner

A pre-engineered building manufacturer has the expertise and practical experience to deliver the best quality building. They manufacture every building component and install it according to exact specifications without compromise.

By working directly with a manufacturing team, you don’t surrender control over the quality of the building project and can reduce unforeseen issues. One single turnkey provider is able to coordinate schedules and immediately address any complications so as to deliver the best solution. Correct parts and custom tools, which subcontractors might not have access to, are essential to producing the ideal build.

Trust and provenance are also vital. Through a direct relationship with the manufacturing team, you know exactly where your components are coming from, how they were made and if they meet the meticulous standards your building requires. You don’t need to wait for imported panels, beams and joists to arrive. Any alternations can be made much sooner than by relying on foreign supply chains and waiting for items to arrive. 

2. Approve and keep copies of your building drawings 

It is essential to pay particular attention to the drawings you are provided with by the building team. A durable final building is the result of starting with a solid plan, well laid out in advance. In creating an ideal commercial building, your plan begins with approved blueprints created by the architect. These blueprints not only provide the guide for construction, but they also assure the building has been approved by city engineers and will be built to surpass local building codes. 

During the initial quoting and planning stages, these designs might change considerably. You want to be sure to approve the final version and to keep a signed copy for your own records and reference. Engineers and tradespeople rely on blueprints for accuracy and for ordering all the components and parts the final construction needs. It is for this reason that you don’t want to begin work until the final documents have been approved by both you and the municipality. 

As with all contracts and agreements, the drawings become the standard to which all involved parties will be held accountable at a later date, particularly once floorplans and items such as doors, windows and plumbing and electrical systems are installed and become much more difficult (and costly) to change.

3. A single turnkey builder is best 

Summit Steel Buildings’ team includes architects, structural engineers and tradespeople with all the skill and specialized knowledge to create your ideal pre-engineered steel building. Working with a single provider ensures communication is kept as simple as possible and you only work with the actual people familiar with all stages of the project. The leadership team at Summit Steel Buildings is dedicated to your complete satisfaction and focuses on building the ideal building solution that fits your needs and budget. If you need answers or an update, you get it immediately from the project leader, who is onsite overseeing all activity. 

A single provider helps keep schedules on-track and maintains supervision and quality inspection as each component gets installed. 

With one oversight team, the professionals on site have all been involved with the project since its conception and are fully familiar with all the original criteria for your build, from initial site survey to material costing and supply chain to finishing touches. Because the design and pricing have all been formulated at the outset, your single turnkey provider has your best interests in mind. 

All the various cross-specialization abilities of Summit Steel Buildings’ professional team are included in one inclusive price of your building solution. Hiring the various talented people or firms separately increases the cost of your construction and takes longer to find, select and hire. And more teams in the mix create a complicated version of the “telephone game”, leading to miscommunication that can cause delays and cost overruns.

A quality building is the result of strong partners with trade experience 

Tricks of the trade are really nothing more than just good common sense based on best practices and experience.
The advice provided here is the result of Summit Steel Buildings’ leadership team’s expertise with engineering and designing pre-engineered metal industrial facilities for over 40 years. 

For cost-effective, energy-efficient designs and high-performance wall and roof systems, pre-engineered metal buildings provide the long-term solution for any industry. Our construction experience across a wide variety of industries (such as agriculture, warehousing, forestry and mining) have proven that steel materials are best when considering your future production and storage needs. Call us today where we will discuss your project and provide you with all the facts and figures you need to make an informed decision about your next building solution.