NOT ALL BUILDINGS ARE CREATED EQUAL

ARE YOU COMPARING APPLES TO ORANGES?

If you are looking for the cheapest metal building you can get, we may not be able to help you. But, give us a chance to explain why.

Standards are what one might call “flexible” for some companies. Not for Heritage. However, we don’t expect you to just take our word for it.

We are affiliated with several independent organizations, such as the International Accreditation Service (IAS), the Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA), and the Better Business Bureau (BBB), that review our standards and practices on a regular basis and issue their respective approval based on their findings. We are, and have always been, in good standing with these organizations.

In addition, we have several internal checks and balances in place to ensure that your steel building is not only an extremely good value, but that it will also meet the specified codes and loads requirements of your particular locality.

It is well worth your time to investigate the particulars of any estimates you may receive to make sure you are not purchasing a structure that your local code officials will refuse to issue a permit for or, worse, a building that may fail if not designed properly.

Of course we understand that it’s in your best interest to shop around, and we are confident enough in the quality of our products and our team’s 150 years of combined experience to encourage that. If you obtain quotes from multiple steel building manufacturers, they may appear to be for identical projects. But if another company’s quote is significantly less expensive than ours, there are usually errors or compromises they have made that will account for the price difference.

When a competitor has us “beat,” it’s imperative to determine why they were cheaper. Structural loads are one of the most common areas where we see others cutting corners that could hold up the building permit process or lead to mistakes that could result in building failure, in the event of stresses being placed on the structure.

Please take a moment to understand these terms and why they are important:

This is the inherent weight of the building system. A building must be designed to withstand its own weight. However, the building must also be able to accommodate other temporary and permanent loads that will place stress on the frame.

This is a temporary load on the roof of the building that is produced by workers, their equipment and materials being on the roof. It occurs during initial construction and during maintenance. It does not include loads that will be caused by wind or snow, or seismic events. The roof live load must be accounted for when designing the building, even though it is a temporary load, or else the roof could fail.

This accounts for the weight of the permanent materials affixed to building system, such as sprinklers, mechanical systems, electrical systems, partitions, and ceilings. It is imperative that all collateral loads be taken into account during the design phase. Their weight and placement could drastically affect the design and necessary bracing of the structure.

This is the load that will be induced on the building’s roof surface or an element of the building due to the weight of standing snow. Snow loads are generally a function of the Ground Snow coupled with several environmental factors such as Snow Exposure, Thermal Condition, and Snow Drift.

This is the load caused by the wind on any of the four walls or four corners, from any horizontal direction. Location determines if you fall within Wind Exposure B, C, or D. Visit the Technical Library Codes & Loads Information section for more information on the different kinds of loads and how wind exposures are categorized.

Please look for discrepancies in the details listed above among the quotes you receive, and confirm any questions with your local building officials before making a buying decision. If you receive a quote from any company, they should be well-versed in these matters.

If a company downplays the importance of codes and loads in an attempt to sell you an already-manufactured building or cannot explain them to you, you should proceed with caution.

THE HERITAGE DIFFERENCE

Heritage Building Systems stands apart from our competitors because of the standards to which we have held ourselves since we opened our doors in 1979.

We sell our products based on our own merits, not by pointing out the faults of our competitors; however, we would like the opportunity to help you make an educated buying decision and understand some of the ways you may not actually be getting a “bargain.”

We will not guarantee we can beat any competitor’s price, but we will help you understand a competitor’s quote to see what you are actually getting for their price. No one wants to end up with an apple if they wanted to purchase an orange.

At Heritage Building Systems, it’s not all about simply “making the sale.” More than half of our business comes from referrals and repeat customers, and we think that speaks for itself. If you are someone who values excellent customer service, the highest standards in the industry, we would love to earn your business. We don’t build buildings, we build relationships.

STEEL BUILDINGS, BUILT TO LAST OVER 35,000 CUSTOM BUILDINGS SINCE 1979

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