How long a metal building really takes, from one job that is still not done
Salespeople talk in weeks. My contract allowed up to twenty weeks just for drawings, and the drawings were the fast part.
Where this comes from
My project record
Nobody gave me a schedule, because there was not one in the contract. What follows is the sequence every metal building goes through, with the dates from my own project where I have them and the places where a buyer can make a schedule stick.
Contract and deposit: day 0
I signed February 20, 2026 and wired $19,700. From this point the deposit is non-refundable and the seller controls the pace.
Engineered plans: up to 20 weeks by contract
My terms say site-specific plans can take up to 20 weeks. Nothing else can start without them. Ask for the actual expected date and get it in writing.
Permit: days to weeks
With plans in hand, the county application takes days to a few weeks depending on the office, zoning review and septic. In my county I pulled it myself, because the contract made it my job.
Grading, footings and inspection: about a week, if it passes
Mine did not pass. The footings were dug to 12 inches against plans calling for 14, failed inspection and had to be corrected, which added time and cost. A passed footing inspection is the first real milestone.
Pour and cure: one day to pour, weeks to cure
The slab goes down in a day. Concrete reaches its specified strength at 28 days. Erecting a heavy frame on a slab that is a few days old is a question for the engineer, not the salesperson.
Building delivery and erection: the part with no date
From the April pour to the first crew on site was about five months on my project. The building was scheduled for August 29, moved by text to “Monday at latest,” and the crew arrived September 3. A crew put up about half the frame in two to three days and stopped.
Final inspection and punch list
Mine has not happened. The contract says the crew corrects anything on the final inspection report, which is a useful promise only if the crew comes back.
Questions this raises
How long does a metal building take to install once the crew arrives?
A crew of four can stand and sheet a 30×40 in a day or two, according to one Yelp reviewer’s account of an L&G job. My 50×80 with lean-tos had about half its frame up after two to three days, with no roof or wall panels, when work stopped.
What causes the long delays?
On my project: plan lead time, a failed footing inspection, and months of rescheduling for the building crew with no date in the contract. The texts show the install date moving two days before it arrived.
Why a customer wrote this
In February 2026 I signed a $98,750 contract with L&G Building & Concrete of Asheboro, North Carolina. By September I had a cracked slab, damaged plumbing and half a steel frame. This site documents it, with the contract, photos, texts and public records. The resources exist so the next buyer does not need to learn the same things the same way.
General information from one customer’s experience and research. Not legal, engineering or financial advice.