Your site needs to be level, accessible, clear, and marked before the crew arrives. That's the whole job in one sentence — but each of those four words hides a requirement that trips up first-time buyers, and the cost of missing one is a return trip you pay for. Work through this list before your install date.
Before you do anything else
Confirm what your county requires. Permit status, setbacks, and foundation requirements change what you're prepping for. A gravel pad you build before finding out the county wants a slab is a gravel pad you're paying to remove. Start at What Requires a Permit?.
Call 811. Free, federally mandated, and takes a few business days. Utility locate marks buried gas, electric, water, and communications lines. Anchors go into the ground. Do not skip this.
Check your HOA and any deed restrictions. These are separate from county permitting and they override nothing but your plans.
1. Level ground
This is the most common failure point by a wide margin.
- Most crews require the pad within 3–4 inches of level across the full footprint. Confirm the tolerance with your dealer, because it varies.
- Out-of-level sites can sometimes be handled with taller legs on the low side, but it's an engineering change and a cost change. It has to be decided before the order ships, not on install day.
- "Looks flat" is not level. Use a string line and a line level, or a laser level if you have access to one. A 40-foot run can hide six inches of fall that your eye won't catch.
Grading is the one prep item most worth hiring out. A few hours of skid steer time is cheap compared to a rescheduled install.
2. Drainage
Level is not the same as well-drained. If water collects on your pad, it will collect inside your building.
- Site the building on the high ground available to you.
- Grade the surrounding ground to fall away from the pad on all sides.
- Watch roof runoff from nearby structures — a neighboring roofline can dump hundreds of gallons onto your slab edge in a single storm.
- Consider gutters and a downspout plan at order time, not after the first rain.
3. Base and anchors
Your base type determines your anchor type. Pick both together.
| Base | Typical prep | Anchor type |
|---|---|---|
| Bare ground | Cleared, leveled, compacted | Rebar/mobile home anchors |
| Gravel pad | 3–4" compacted crushed stone, extended past footprint, edged to hold shape | Rebar anchors |
| Concrete slab | Poured to plan spec, cured, edges square | Concrete wedge anchors |
| Asphalt | Existing surface, thickness verified | Asphalt anchors |
Two things to get right: a gravel pad needs containment — timber, block, or a cut edge — or it will spread and lose depth in the first year. And a concrete slab must be poured to the actual building dimensions and squared, because the frame will not forgive an out-of-square pad. Measure the diagonals; they should match.
More detail: What Foundations Can Be Used?
4. Access
The crew arrives with a loaded truck and trailer. If it can't reach the site, nothing happens.
- Width: plan on roughly 10–12 feet of clear travel path, more if there are turns.
- Turnaround: the truck has to get back out. Dead-end sites with no room to turn are a real problem.
- Overhead: low branches and power lines stop a load truck cold. Trim well before install day.
- Ground condition: soft, muddy, or recently graded ground can bog a loaded trailer. If it's been raining, call your dealer and discuss it rather than hoping.
- Gates and bridges: check width and, for bridges or culverts, weight rating.
5. Clearance around the pad
The crew needs working room outside the building footprint.
- Clear at least 3 feet beyond the footprint on all sides — more is better.
- Verify overhead clearance for the finished peak height, plus room to raise trusses.
- Remove stumps, rocks, fence posts, and debris. Not moved to the edge — gone.
- Confirm the pad still meets your setback requirements after any of this shifts your position.
6. Mark the site
Before install day, stake or paint the exact corners of the building and mark the orientation — which side the doors go on. Crews build what they find marked. If nobody marked it, somebody guesses, and a garage door facing the wrong direction is not a fixable mistake.
Quick checklist
- Permit confirmed or exemption verified
- Setbacks and HOA cleared
- 811 utility locate called and marked
- Site graded within 3–4" of level
- Drainage falls away on all sides
- Base built and cured/compacted, squared, diagonals equal
- Anchor type matched to base
- Access path 10–12' wide with turnaround
- Overhead lines and branches cleared
- 3'+ working clearance on all sides, debris removed
- Corners staked and door orientation marked
- Someone available on site on install day to answer questions
The part nobody mentions until it happens
If the crew arrives and the site isn't ready, the install doesn't happen that day and you'll likely owe a return trip charge. That's standard across the industry, not a ProSteel policy. The fix is simple: if anything on this list is unresolved a week out, call and reschedule. Rescheduling is free. A trip charge is not.