Most people have never watched a building get set and have no idea what to expect. Here is the whole thing, in order, so nothing on the day is a surprise.
Seven to fourteen business days out: the call
Somebody from our team calls you to verify the details before your building is scheduled. The exact address, where on the property it is going, how we get to that spot, and anything unusual about the site. Take this call seriously. Almost every problem that shows up on delivery day is something that would have been caught here.
The day before: your job
Pad finished and level. The path from the road to the spot clear, with roughly two feet of open width past the building width the whole way. Low branches trimmed to give about 13 feet of overhead. Gates open or panels pulled. Vehicles, trailers and equipment moved out of the route. Pets inside, and the yard picked up including pet waste, because our crew will be walking that ground. If we have to cross a neighbor’s property, that written permission in hand. All of it is on our preparing for delivery page.
Morning of: arrival and a walk
Deliveries run Monday through Friday. We do not deliver on Saturdays. The crew arrives with the building on a trailer, and the first thing they do is not unload. They walk the route and look at the spot. If something is going to be a problem, this is when you will hear about it, and it is better to hear it then than halfway down the yard.
The set
Depending on access, the building comes off the trailer directly onto the pad or gets moved with a mule, which is a small remote-controlled machine that picks the building up and walks it into places a truck cannot go. This is the part worth watching. A good crew can put a building into a spot you would swear was impossible.
Leveling
Once the building is on the pad, the crew levels it and blocks it as needed. This is why the pad matters: a level pad means quick, clean leveling and a building that stays put. An unlevel or soft pad means shimming, and shimming means the building will move again as things settle.
Check the doors yourself before the crew leaves. They should swing and latch cleanly. If they do not, say so while somebody is still standing there.
What can go wrong, honestly
Three things, in order of frequency. Soft ground, where a loaded trailer would rut or sink, which usually means rescheduling for a dry stretch. Overhead limbs nobody trimmed. And a pad that is not finished or not level. All three are avoidable and all three are on your side of the line, which is not a criticism, just the reality of how this works.
After the crew leaves
Walk around the building and look at the base of the walls and the drip line. Watch where water goes the first time it rains hard and fix the grade if anything pools against the skids. That is the single best thing you can do for the life of the building.
Timelines and terms
Stock buildings typically deliver in 1 to 12 business days, custom builds in 3 to 6 weeks. Buildings start at $1,900 for a C+ Utility 6×8 and $2,762 for a Cardinal Utility 8×8, in sizes up to 16×60. Rent-to-own has no credit check, 24 to 60 months, from $75.44 a month, first two months as the deposit, no early payoff fee. Every building carries our 10 year guarantee covering storm damage, settling and craftsmanship, with a 50 year LP SmartSide siding warranty and a lifetime AdvanTech floor warranty, and we handle claims for you.
Get Started on Your Smithland Building
You do not have to drive to a lot to get moving. Use our 3D Shed Builder to pick your size, siding, colors, doors, windows and add-ons and see the building take shape on screen. When it looks right, send it to us and we will confirm pricing and a delivery date for Smithland.
Prefer to talk it through? Call our main office at 618-518-5578. We will walk you through building styles, custom options and rent-to-own and financing, and answer anything on our FAQ page. You can also see what we serve nearby on our location page.
