Frequently asked questions

Florida law has an owner-builder exemption that lets property owners pull a permit and do certain work themselves, and the permit office asks the owner to sign a disclosure statement before it applies. Limits on who may help you and on selling or leasing the building soon afterward can apply. Ask your county building department how it handles owner-builders before ordering a kit.

Not without new engineering. The Florida Building Code applies across the state, and a kit going to a Florida site needs drawings sealed for the wind exposure and design speed at that address. A frame sized for a calmer region can be too light in the rafters, bracing or anchor bolts, so ask for drawings made for your lot.

In most counties, yes. Inspectors commonly look at footings, reinforcing steel and the anchor bolt layout before concrete is placed, then return for framing and a final. Call the building department for its inspection list, because a missed foundation inspection is hard to fix once the slab is poured.

Usually the primary frames (columns and rafters), secondary framing (girts on the walls, purlins on the roof), roof and wall panels, trim, fasteners, sealant, and the doors and framed openings you ordered. Ask for an itemized list: concrete, anchor bolts and insulation are not always included.

The assembly instructions for your specific building: plans and elevations showing each frame line, member marks that match the tags on the steel, bolt sizes and tightening notes, bracing locations and panel layout. They come alongside the engineer-sealed drawings the permit office reviews.

Whoever builds the foundation, working from the anchor bolt plan, which ships ahead of the steel. Bolts set out of position are one of the most common ways a do-it-yourself erection goes wrong, so many buyers use templates and have the layout checked before the pour.

Beyond a small building, plan on a telehandler, reach forklift or crane to lift the frames, a man lift or scaffolding for work at the eave, impact tools for the bolts, and fall protection. The rafters on a clear-span frame are heavy and awkward to lift by hand.

Many owners do, especially on smaller buildings, if they are comfortable working at height and can rent the lifting equipment. Read the complete erection drawings before deciding, and confirm your local building department lets an owner pull the permit and do the work.