Thanks truck, and thanks stage. We have been researching, looking, calling, comparing,etc. since the beginning of 2014, and yes, the Morton buildings are really sweet, but way out of our basic budget.
I designed a customized layout of the building (enclosed carport pretty much), with the frame at 12g, and beefed up also. I also have the siding where it will overhang the edge of slab to minimize/eliminate stormwater getting under and into the building. And yes, vertical roof also.
One of the friends I mentioned has had all types of shops/garages/pole barns, and he currently has a 30x40 enclosed carport and swears that this is the way to go out of all of them for him. He has had buildings over 100' long including the red steel framed ones. I have another friend that has a 24x40 enclosed carport and loves it. Both looked great.
We are not worried that this is the type of building we want, but the so very mixed reviews really have kept us on the fence, and our dealer rep has been caught up in our never-ending conversations of concerns, and we feel bad for him (I have really put him through the ringer for over a year planning this), and he has been good enough to hang in there for us.
And for what it is worth, the contract is between Carolina Carports and the buyer. Not the dealer and the buyer. On a more personal note, I inspect construction engineering for a living, and have to watch after several contractors performing several critical services from pouring concrete sidewalk to building major bridges, and I have to say, work ethics have really changed in the last 30 years. Almost every company I inspect for wants to shortcut on the work, for the full price to do so. And companies fear of legal actions are at an all time low, too. The customer is NOT always right anymore, and companies are NOT held responsible for coming up short on their end. Not all companies, but it does seem like a roll of the dice most of the time these days... have you had a problem cashing in on a product warranty issue lately?
For the most part, from what we know, Carolina Carports has done a good job with every one we know that has used them. And the majority of the complaints are for rescheduling over and over. And even if you have a contract that guarantees, or a legal ground to stand on when the **** hits the fan, who wants to go through the long drawn out hassle of putting the reins on a company to make it right? It is getting harder everyday to make it right for the customer. Sorry for rambling, been a long day. Thanks for allowing me to share my frustrations and concerns.