“I bought some batteries, but they weren’t included. So I had to buy them again.” – Steven Wright

If you’re purchasing a steel building for the first time, your natural inclination may be to trust yourself into the hands of the salesperson to do the right thing and give you all the materials you need. You might be surprised to find that some essential items you would assume come standard do not always come standard.

There’s a logic to excluding certain items from the base price of a building package. Because these items are not considered essential for every job, leaving them out makes the base price of your building look better. Savvy salespeople take this opportunity to upsell you with add-ons, increasing their commission along with the total sale for the company.

Unfortunately, not all salespeople take advantage of this opportunity. They’re shortchanging themselves, but they’re also doing a disservice to you.

Here are a few items you may want to look for in the fine print of your contract:

• Base Angle and Rat Guard. A simple angle piece along the bottom of each wall and a metal trim that sits at the bottom of your wall panels. These items are not structural, but they seal off the building along the bottom edge of the wall. As the name implies, rat guard prevents any manner of pests from infiltrating your building through openings created by the ribs of your panels.
• Foam Closures. Most metal panel companies offer formed, foam closure strips that fit the outside and inside profiles of their panels. These closures not only keep bugs and rodents out, they seal off the building from the outside air, an essential if you have Heat and A/C installed in your metal building. Vented closure strips may also be available for the peak of your building, allowing the building to breathe.
• Color-matched screws. Many manufacturers automatically color match your fasteners to the colors of your panels – but not all. Be sure and ask if color-matched screws are included in your building package.

Will adding these items increase the package price? Yes.

Can you add them later? Not really. Once your wall panels are installed, you can’t add rat guard and foam closures without removing the panels. Ditto for the color-matched screws. Not only will you have new screws going into old holes, you’ve increased the possibility for leaks and rust at those connection points.

A few extra dollars up front saves dollars and, more importantly, aggravation later. Know before you buy. Make it easy on yourself. That’s what we’re here for, making steel buildings easy.