SteelMaster Hangar Kit Delivery

Rocky Take-Off Leads to Smooth Landing

Roger Edwards of Anchor, Florida has quite the story regarding his SteelMaster experience. Thankfully, Roger Edwards also has a great sense of humor and realizes sometimes things do not always go as planned.

Perhaps being a seasoned pilot and owning his own plane may have a little something to do with his attitude. Pilots realize weather can change on a dime. They know turbulent departures can lead to clear, blue skies and a smooth and safe landing. In a metaphorical sense, that sums up Roger's building delivery, assembly and ultimate pride and satisfaction with his 40'x45' SteelMaster airplane hangar.

His decision to buy a SteelMaster buildings was not part of the glitch. During his tenure as a pilot, he came across and admired several SteelMaster hangars and storage facilities. Roger met a SteelMaster rep during an Air Show in Lakeland, Florida where SteelMaster had an exhibit booth. Roger enjoyed talking to the rep, describing him as "friendly, yet professional". That was where he decided to get straight to the brass tacks and purchase his own pre-fabricated steel, Quonset-styled hangar.

The 18-wheeler semi that delivered his SteelMaster kit was right on schedule. Getting the materials to the area Roger wanted them to be unloaded on his property was a different story. Roger's neighbor saw the truck coming and warned him, "I'm telling you now Roger, that driver is not going to make it all the way down this driveway in that 18-wheeler!"

The driver looked over the situation and said, "I think I can manage this."

And he did.

Roger seems reasonable and said upfront, "I'm sure they (SteelMaster) told me I would need to have help to unload the materials, but I probably forgot and consequently, I did not have any help available – other than my tractor."

Again, the driver of the 18-wheeler lamented a moment and then said, "Well, actually I'm not supposed to help with unloading materials, but I see you are alone here, so I will make an exception and help you out."

As fate would have it, a few minutes later, the driver endured a cut on his leg worthy of bragging rights, but not bad enough for these two men to stop unloading the precious cargo onto Roger's tractor. The driver simply applied a big piece of duct tape over the cut and proceeded.

After Roger's SteelMaster kit was completely unloaded, the driver reviewed the damage to his leg. It was still bleeding. At that point, Roger insisted on returning the favor and took him to an urgent care facility, with the result being several stitches.

The driver had one more delivery scheduled for the day. It was another SteelMaster pre-fabricated steel building kit going to its new home in Tampa. He had already called the customer to advise he would be later than anticipated, and would stay in touch. Roger and the driver shook hands thanking each other for their respective help, and the driver started back down the driveway in his big rig.

But the driver did not get very far.

He got stuck in the thick, sand of the Floridian driveway – just like Roger's neighbor said would happen.

After many, many attempts and help from others to assist the driver to get on the road, the sun was setting and the situation was not looking so good. The driver called the customer again and said to expect him first thing in the morning.

The driver spent the night in the driveway in his rig, and it took two tractors and a truck to get the driver on the road the next morning. Unfortunately, we do not have the name of the truck driver to sing his praises – yet.

Fortunately for Roger, he enlisted the help of a neighbor (another proud SteelMaster Building owner), a contractor and helper to assemble his hangar. The contractor poured a slab foundation and secured bolts into the slab. Roger admits to struggling a bit with the roof and when their man-made scaffolding did not cut it, they ended up renting a one-person lift to get the first segments of the arches in place. The rest was a snap.

Although many SteelMaster customers do not find a lift as a necessity when building their buildings, Roger recommends one. He also advises that customers need to be aware they need help to unload their kit from the delivery truck, a point he says he may have missed when talking to his sales rep. "And…, said Roger, Keep in mind some of the edges are very sharp!"

Even though Roger's delivery day did not go as expected, he is ultimately thrilled with his hangar. He said he appreciates the support and follow up he has received from the SteelMaster team. Roger emphasized, "Hey, don't get me wrong – I love my hangar! It is a nice-looking building too, and it should last forever! And I would definitely recommend SteelMaster to others!"

SteelMaster's steel and metal pre-engineered buildings are designed for a broad range of residential and commercial applications including homes, farm buildings, garages, workshops, agricultural storage, Quonsets, airplane hangars, RV storage, roofing systems, carports, military buildings, commercial warehousing, and industrial storage as well as a wide variety of custom building applications including athletic facilities, retail stores, churches, bus stops, smoke shacks, doggie dorms, and correctional facilities.

SteelMaster is celebrating its 30-year Anniversary this month. This milestone marks over 40,000 satisfied customers with SteelMaster buildings constructed worldwide on six continents, in over 50 countries, and throughout the United States.