Don’t Settle for Less than the Best!

Published July 31st, 2008

by Houston Reid

There is nothing worse than being stuck in a business contract with someone you hired to help complete a building project but who is inexperienced and therefore unable to finish the project on schedule. Poorly trained steel building erectors could cause a variety of problems for your new steel building construction project. Of course, putting the structure up incorrectly is the most obvious potential trouble.

You have to work with a person who is trained and practiced in the type of building you want assembled. Some erectors have training in some, but not all, steel building systems. There are some helpful guidelines in getting a qualified erector and a capable crew for your real estate project.

Talk with someone for guidance in finding the erector you need. The first step to take when looking for a prospective erector is to look over past work. Look at least one recent and one older project. See to it that the work on these building projects was acceptable and to see if any mistakes that came up were addressed.

It is very smart to see if the erector’s crew has attended recent training sessions to update their skills and if the erector is certified by a professional steel building company to erect the model of building necessary. Some so-called professionals may have a piece of paper on the wall dated ten years ago, but have no recent certifications. You want someone who keeps their credentials current and renewed.

Every building project needs to have a superintendent to manage the labor and be a liaison with the other personnel. The lowest bidder is not necessarily the smartest decision. At times the lowest bidder is the one that in the end does shoddy work. An unusually low bid might not budget for every necessary detail of the construction project. If something is not left half-done, you could encounter long, unexpected delays besides, of course, additional expenses to complete the job.

The most costly erector could have originally been the least expensive. A copy of an OSHA-approved safety program has got to be presented by the erector you are thinking about. Weekly on-site safety meetings have got to be held and the erector must be current on all safety requirements.

Choosing an erector is an important step in the procedure of gathering all the necessary pieces in order to begin construction. Yet, it is only the start and there are further needs to address. Don’t allow any changes in design. Thus, it?s important that you have the original drawings on site. As we said before, make sure there will be a full-time, on-site superintendent to take charge of all these day-to-day responsibilities at the worksite and handle any problems that may occur during building. Having the best men on the job will ensure that your building is off to a good start and on its way to a successful completion.

Finally, it’s a really good idea to analyze the work regularly and make sure that the proper tools and equipment are being used, that temporary bracing is being utilized constantly throughout the building site, that design bracing requirements are followed for the permanent bracing, and that the appearance is not “out-of-plane.” Finally, adhering to these guidelines will help make sure that your building is erected properly and thus give you many years of satisfactory use of the new building.

Now that we have gone over this, do you have any questions? We imagine that you do as we have only provided a very brief overview for what is a much more complicated process and subject matter. We therefore recommend that you call a company directly with those questions. We’re not here to promote any specific company but merely to provide you with the basic knowledge to point you in the right direction.

About the Author:

MetalBuildingGuide.com is an excellent resource for anyone involved in a steel or metal building project. The site has lots of free articles as well as a forum to exchange ideas and ask questions.