Questions to ask
The questions I did not ask before wiring $19,700: license number, who pulls the permit, lift terms, slab verification, dates, and what happens if work stops.
Resources for anyone about to buy a metal building
Everything here was written after the fact, by the customer, from a signed contract and a half-built frame. Use it before you sign, and you will be ahead of where I was.
Contract red flags
Clause-by-clause red flags from a signed 2026 NC metal building contract: non-refundable deposit, wire only, no concrete warranty, no dates, and more.
Verify a license
Step by step: search the NC licensing board, check the Secretary of State, confirm the qualifier, get insurance certificates and search eCourts before you sign.
Owner-builder risk
What the NC owner exemption affidavit says, why metal building sellers push the permit onto the customer, and the risks of holding the permit on a $40,000-plus job.
Payment schedule
My contract put $90,182 of $98,750 due before completion, by wire. Here it is next to a schedule tied to inspections and delivery, milestone by milestone.
Document your project
What to save, photograph and write down during a metal building or concrete job: dated photos, text exports, wire confirmations, inspection notes, an evidence log.
Work stopped
A step-by-step plan for NC customers whose metal building contractor stopped work: secure the site, stop the money, send notice, get the county file, call the board.
Read a concrete contract
What each line of a slab contract means, using a real one: pad size, 6 vs 4 inches, 3,000 vs 3,500 psi, footers, vapor barrier, grading hours, the warranty page.
Glossary
Plain definitions of the words on a metal building quote and slab contract: certified, vertical roof, 14 gauge, lean-to, frame-out, telehandler, psi, control joint.
Certified vs non-certified
A certified metal building comes with stamped site-specific plans. What that adds in cost and lead time, what it does not guarantee, and how my footings failed.
How long it takes
A realistic timeline for a metal building and slab in NC, from a project signed in February 2026 and still half a frame in September: plans, permit, pour, erection.
Slab cracks
Shrinkage cracks, control joints, and the crack that runs through the joint. What a customer can tell by looking, what takes an engineer, what “no warranty” means.
Get your permit file
Permit applications, inspection results and affidavits are public records in NC. What to ask for, how to word the request, and what the file can prove.
Notice letter
How to write a calm, dated, specific notice to a contractor who stopped work in NC: what to include, what to leave out, how to send it, and an outline to adapt.
Licensing board complaint
What the NC Licensing Board for General Contractors can and cannot do for a customer, the $40,000 threshold, what to include, and what to expect after you file.
Telehandler rental
What a 7k telehandler is, why tall or wide buildings need one, what a week cost me, and how a customer-provided lift at $0 became the center of my dispute.
Damaged plumbing
When PVC stub-ups are damaged during a metal building install: photograph, compare to pre-pour photos, notify in writing, get a plumber, read the contract.
Log and manifest templates
Copy-and-use templates for a homeowner’s daily construction log and evidence manifest, with the columns that mattered when my metal building job went into dispute.
Out-of-area sellers
L&G is based in Asheboro; my lot is about 100 miles west. What distance changes about permits, crews, equipment and getting anyone to come back, and what to ask.
Read a quote
Using my real L&G sales order: how list price and a 45% discount work, what the $0 lines really cost, which items are openings not doors, and what is missing.
Business search
What the NC Secretary of State search tells you about a building company: legal name, status, formation date, registered agent, annual reports and related entities.
Also on this site
Ten checks before you sign is the short version. The buyer guides have the real prices and measurements. The county guides have the permit offices around Hickory and Asheboro, checked against each office’s own site. How to file a complaint is for when it has already gone wrong.