Turnkey Engineered Steel Buildings, From Blueprint to Standing Structure
Foundation and erection services are available in general: Northcraft can arrange them through contractors it works with, as work separate from and priced apart from the steel building Northcraft supplies.
Building prices alone are published by size, starting at $10,500 at 20x24 — see sizes & prices. Foundation and erection are priced separately for your specific site and scope, not folded into those floors.
50-Year Paint Warranty, 50-Year Rust Perforation Warranty, 60-Year Structural Warranty, and Lifetime Warranty on Hardware — all transferable to the next property owner.
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- No obligation — we’ll send the price, not a salesperson to your door.
- Engineered drawings stamped for your state.
- 60-Year Limited Structural, 50-Year Limited Paint, 50-Year Limited Rust Perforation, and Lifetime Limited Hardware warranties.
- Delivered nationwide, all 50 states.
50-Year Limited Rust Perforation Warranty • 50-Year Limited Paint Warranty • 60-Year Limited Structural Warranty • Lifetime Limited Hardware Warranty
What Turnkey Means
This page covers the sequence from engineering and fabrication through foundation and erection. Foundation and erection are available, arranged for you and priced separately from the steel building. See our Services page for how each is scoped and priced individually.
STEP 1
Engineering & Fabrication
Every component is CAD-engineered to your specs and factory-fabricated to exact tolerances before it ships.
- • Drawings are stamped for the specific state and county your building goes up in — the same drawings your local permit office will ask for, so submitting for permit can start as soon as they're issued rather than waiting for the building to arrive.
- • Door, window, and any dock or mezzanine openings get locked in here. Decide those before this stage closes, not after — reopening engineering once fabrication starts costs real time.
- • Typically 45-60 days from order to delivery — the same window every dimensional page on this site quotes, because it's the same production line.
STEP 2
Concrete Foundation
A poured concrete foundation is prepared on your site to the engineered plan, ready to receive the steel frame.
- • The pour follows the engineered plan for your specific building and loads, not a generic slab — reinforcement and thickness are sized to what the steel above it will actually carry.
- • The foundation must be complete and cured for about 30 days before the building is erected. Your steel can arrive before the pour, so schedule the pour back from the erection date to keep the foundation from becoming the bottleneck.
- • Site access for concrete trucks and any utility locates are worth confirming before the pour is scheduled, not the morning of.
STEP 3
Steel Erection
Pre-cut, pre-drilled components bolt together quickly — no welding in the field, no guesswork on the ground.
- • Erection is scheduled once the foundation has cured and the freight package has arrived — the same site-access and staging-room considerations covered on each size page apply here, magnified by having a crew and possibly a crane on site at the same time as delivery trucks.
- • Smaller buildings can sometimes be self-erected or handled by a small local crew; larger and I-beam buildings require professional, crane-assisted erection as standard practice — ask your estimator which category your project falls into.
- • No field welding — pre-cut, pre-drilled components bolt together, which is what keeps this phase fast once the first two are actually done in the right order.
What You Handle vs. What Northcraft Coordinates
Northcraft supplies the engineered steel building and can arrange foundation and erection as separate work. Here is what to discuss with your estimator and contractor.
Northcraft coordinates
- • Stamped engineering drawings for your delivery state
- • Factory fabrication of every structural and panel component
- • Freight to your site
- • The concrete foundation pour, built to the engineered plan
- • Professional steel erection
You (or your contractor) handle
- • Pulling the building permit — we supply the stamped drawings it requires
- • Site access and any utility locates, for both the concrete and steel phases
- • Doors and windows, if your project needs them
- • Insulation, if your project needs them
- • Deciding early if you already have a foundation contractor lined up, or need one
What to Have Ready Before Drawings Start
You don’t need final dimensions to start a real conversation — but a few answers up front keep the project moving instead of stalling mid-engineering:
- • Your site address or zip code, so we can confirm the real snow, wind, and seismic code for that location
- • Your general use case, and anything you plan to hang from the frame now or later — a crane, a mezzanine, a finished ceiling with ductwork above it
- • Rough door, window, and any dock or loading-area locations
- • Whether you already have a foundation contractor lined up — it changes how the foundation and erection phases get scheduled against each other
- • Your realistic timeline, including any permit lead time your jurisdiction is known for
Backed By Real Warranties
YEAR LIMITED RUST PERFORATION WARRANTY
YEAR LIMITED PAINT WARRANTY
YEAR LIMITED STRUCTURAL WARRANTY
LIMITED HARDWARE WARRANTY
* Warranty coverage is subject to applicable warranty terms, conditions, limitations, and exclusions. Complete warranty details are available before you place an order and included within the applicable purchase documentation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to buy the full turnkey package, or can I choose just one piece?
You can buy the engineered steel building on its own. Foundation and erection services are available in general: Northcraft can arrange them through contractors it works with, as work separate from and priced apart from the steel building Northcraft supplies. Tell your estimator which services you need.
What actually determines how long a turnkey project takes, start to finish?
Four things stack up: engineering and fabrication (typically 45-60 days), your local permit timeline (which varies widely by jurisdiction and is worth starting as soon as drawings are issued), the concrete cure window before erection can begin, and erection scheduling itself — which for larger buildings means coordinating a crane. None of these are Northcraft's alone to control; permit timing especially depends on your local building department.
Who pulls the permit on a turnkey project?
You or your contractor, not Northcraft. We provide the stamped engineering drawings your permit application needs, but submitting and managing the permit itself is the customer's or their contractor's responsibility, the same as it is on a building-only order.
Does the foundation have to be completely finished before my building arrives?
No. Your building can arrive before the foundation is poured. The foundation must be complete and cured for about 30 days before the building is erected.
Can erection be arranged on a foundation I've already had poured myself?
Yes, as long as it's built to the engineered plan your specific building requires. Tell your estimator up front that the foundation is already in place, or already being handled by someone else, so the drawings and erection schedule both account for it correctly.
How are foundation and erection priced?
Foundation and erection are separate work, priced apart from the steel building, and neither is folded into the published per-size floors (see the sizes and prices page for what the building alone starts at).
Is turnkey available on every size Northcraft sells, from the smallest to the largest?
Yes, though the erection phase looks different by size. Smaller C-channel buildings are sometimes realistic for a self-erect or small local crew; larger buildings and every I-beam size require professional, crane-assisted erection as standard practice. Ask your estimator which category your specific size falls into before you plan your own crew.
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Call: (888) 460-9294 | Email: Estimating@Northcraftsteel.com
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