Fifteen questions to ask any metal building company before you pay a deposit
Print this, call the sales office, and write the answers down next to each question. Then make the answers part of the contract. Anything a salesperson will say but will not write is not part of the deal.
Where this comes from
My project record
I bought a $98,750 building and slab after a few phone calls and an e-signature packet. Every question below is one I either did not ask or asked and did not get in writing. The order follows the life of the job, from the first call to the last payment.
What is the exact legal name of the company I am contracting with?
Not the brand on the truck. The name that will appear on the contract, the invoices and any lawsuit. Look it up on the North Carolina Secretary of State site before you call back. Mine was L & G Building and Concrete LLC. The BBB lists a related company at the same address under a different name; a buyer should know which one they are dealing with.
What is your North Carolina general contractor license number, and who is the qualifier?
North Carolina requires a license at $40,000 and up. Ask for the number and the name of the licensed qualifier, then check both on the licensing board’s site. If the answer is “we are manufacturers, not contractors,” which is what my contract says, ask how a $40,000-plus job gets permitted and built without one.
Who pulls the permit, and in whose name?
If the answer is “you do,” ask why. Then call your county inspections office, describe the deal exactly as it was offered, and ask whether that is how they expect it to be permitted. My contract made the permit entirely my responsibility.
Will the crews on my land be your employees or someone else’s?
My order form says orders may be filled by an independent manufacturer or installer. That matters for insurance, for who you call when something breaks, and for who is standing in the trench when the inspector arrives.
Can your insurance agent email me a certificate of insurance directly?
General liability and workers’ compensation, sent by the agent, not forwarded by the salesperson. If the crew is a subcontractor, you need theirs too.
When will the engineered plans arrive, in writing?
My terms say site-specific plans “can take up to 20 weeks.” That is the longest lead item on the job. Get the date written on the contract, and do not pay for concrete until you have the foundation sheet in hand.
What footing size and slab thickness are on the plans, and does the concrete contract match?
My plans said 14-inch footings. My concrete contract said “1x1.” The crew dug 12, the inspection failed, and the contract made the correction my cost. Make the concrete contract reference the engineered drawing by sheet number.
Will a concrete pump be needed, and is it in the price?
I was charged for a pump that appears on none of my signed paperwork. Ask whether the truck can reach every form, and if not, who pays for the pump.
What is the lift arrangement: what size machine, for how many days, and who pays if your crew is late?
My order listed a telehandler as customer-provided at $0 for one week. By text, L&G agreed anything longer “runs through us.” The crew came five days late, put up half the building, and I was told to supply a different machine. Get the lift terms into the contract itself, not a text thread.
What is the start date, the finish date, and what happens if you miss them?
My packet has none of the three. Ask for a start window, a completion date, and a daily credit or a right to cancel and recover unearned money.
How much is the deposit, and when is it refundable?
My terms describe a 10% minimum deposit. My actual deposit was 38.97% of the building price and non-refundable the moment it was wired. Negotiate the number down and get the refund conditions in plain words.
What payment methods do you take?
L&G takes only bank wires. A wire cannot be reversed. If wire is the only option, tie every payment to something you can see: stamped plans in hand, a passed inspection, material on the lot.
What is the warranty on the concrete, and what is the warranty on the building?
Mine: none on the concrete, by a separate signed page; 90 days workmanship and 10 years on the sheeting for the building. Ask before you see the signature page, and compare with an independent concrete contractor’s warranty.
If the building fails final inspection, who corrects it and who pays?
My terms say the installation crew corrects anything on the inspection report. That is one of the few clauses in my favor. Make sure yours has it, and that it is not undone by a clause elsewhere.
What happens if the job stops halfway?
Nobody asks this one. Ask it anyway. Who holds what money, who owns the material on the ground, how long before you can hire someone else to finish, and whether you need their permission. My building has been half a frame since September.
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.