Delivery & Site Prep

If you're buying a building off one of our lots, delivery typically happens within five to seven business days. If you're ordering a custom build, it's usually three to four weeks from order to delivery. Either way, it moves faster than most people expect.

It depends on the time of year and how busy the shop is. Spring and summer tend to book up faster, so the earlier you reach out, the better. Give us a call or text and we'll let you know what the current timeline looks like. We'd rather give you an honest answer than a guess.

Weather is the biggest one. Heavy rain, snow, or a muddy site can push things back a day or two. Seasonal road restrictions in the spring can occasionally affect routing in rural areas. And during peak season, the build queue at the shop can run a bit longer than usual.

Yes. John, our dispatch manager, will reach out with plenty of time to coordinate your delivery. He's been doing this for over 15 years and he's great at working with your schedule to find the right window. If something needs to shift or you have specific timing concerns, he's flexible and always willing to work with you. You're not going to be left guessing when your building shows up.

It's the best way to make sure everything goes exactly the way you want it. You can confirm placement, point out any obstacles, and make sure the building lands in the right spot. Our drivers, guys like Jerry, Sherwin, and Greg, are experienced pros, but nobody knows your property like you do.

If the site isn't accessible or the ground conditions won't work, the driver will do their best to find a solution. But if the building truly can't be placed safely, it may need to come back another day once the issue is resolved. That's why we always recommend talking through your site details with us before delivery day.

Our drivers are experienced and careful, but we're delivering a large structure on a trailer, so some ground contact is unavoidable. On firm ground, gravel, or concrete, you shouldn't see much impact at all. On soft or wet grass, there may be some tire tracks or minor rutting.

If the building arrives with damage from transport, that's on us to make right. Give us a call or text right away and we'll work with you and Homestead Barns to get it resolved. That's why we recommend being on-site at delivery so you can inspect everything before the driver leaves.

Your gate needs to be wider than the building itself, plus a little extra clearance on each side for the Mule to maneuver. If you're getting an 8-foot-wide building, your gate opening needs to be at least 10 feet. For a 10 or 12-foot-wide building, you'll need even more.

Plan for at least a foot or two of clearance on each side for the delivery equipment to set the building down accurately. You'll also want enough room to walk around the building for future maintenance, gutter drainage, or just getting to the back side.

The building rides on a trailer, so you need enough vertical clearance for the structure plus the trailer height to pass under anything in the path: tree branches, power lines, carport overhangs, basketball hoops, you name it. For most buildings, figure at least 14 feet of overhead clearance along the delivery route.

Tree branches, trim them or have them trimmed before delivery day. That's the easy one. Power lines are a different conversation. Our drivers will not deliver under low power lines. It's a safety issue, full stop.

It depends on the width. If the side yard or alley is wider than the building plus clearance for the equipment, we can usually make it work. Our drivers navigate tight spots regularly, and the Mule is designed to maneuver in spaces a regular truck can't.

The truck and trailer need enough width to get in, but once we're on your property, the Mule does the heavy lifting. If the driveway is tight but the building can reach its final spot through an alternate path, we've usually got options.

Yes, as long as there's an opening wide enough for the building to pass through. A lot of our customers have fenced backyards, and delivery works fine when the gate or an open section of fencing provides enough clearance.

Only if your gate isn't wide enough to fit the building through. If it is, you're good to go. If it's not, pulling a section of fence is usually straightforward and a lot of customers go this route. A few screws out, the building goes in, a few screws back, and you're done.

The Mule is built for exactly this kind of thing. It can maneuver buildings into positions that would be impossible with just a truck and trailer. Tight turns, angled placement, navigating between obstacles, that's what it's designed for.

Slopes are manageable depending on the grade. Mild to moderate slopes are usually fine, and the Mule can handle uneven terrain better than you'd expect. Steep grades may require some additional ground work or a build-on-site instead.

Keep it simple. Clear the delivery path of anything that could be in the way: vehicles, lawn furniture, kids' toys, low branches. Make sure the spot where the building goes is accessible and as level as you can get it. If you're using concrete blocks, have those on-site and the driver will place them.

At minimum, you want a level, clear spot with decent drainage. A gravel pad is the best option for most buildings. Concrete blocks from Lowe's, Home Depot, or Menards work great as a budget-friendly alternative, and our driver will place them for you.

Reasonably level, yes. Perfectly level, no. Minor variations in the ground are normal and can be handled with shimming or block placement during delivery. Our drivers deal with this regularly and know how to get a building sitting right.

About a foot wider on all sides is the standard recommendation. So for a 10x12 building, you'd want roughly a 12x14 pad. That extra space allows water to drain away from the base, gives airflow underneath, and provides a clean edge around the building.

Four to six inches of crushed stone is the sweet spot for most buildings. That's deep enough to provide solid drainage and a stable base without overdoing it. For heavier buildings like garages, six inches is the safer bet.

Three-quarter-inch crushed stone is the go-to for shed pads. It's the right balance of drainage and stability: small enough to pack down firm, large enough to let water move through.

It's a good idea. Landscape fabric keeps weeds from growing up through the gravel and prevents the stone from slowly sinking into the soil underneath. It's inexpensive, easy to lay down, and adds years of clean, low-maintenance performance to your pad.

You can, but we don't recommend it. Grass traps moisture against the bottom of the building, and bare dirt doesn't drain well. Over time, that moisture leads to issues: soft spots, uneven settling, and more wear on the floor than necessary.

For a standard storage shed, a gravel pad or concrete blocks will serve you well at a fraction of the cost. A slab is overkill in most cases.

A poured concrete slab. For a building that's handling vehicle traffic, heavy equipment, or serious workshop use, concrete gives you the most stable, permanent, and durable base. It won't shift, won't settle, and makes the floor inside the building feel rock solid.

You'll need to create a level area for the building to sit on. For mild slopes, that usually means cutting into the high side and filling the low side with compacted gravel until you've got a flat pad. For steeper grades, a retaining wall on the downhill side can hold everything in place.

You need water moving away from the building, not pooling around or under it. In most cases, a properly sized gravel pad handles this naturally because the stone lets water pass through and disperse.

Start with what the building sits on. A gravel pad drains naturally. Concrete blocks keep the structure elevated with airflow underneath. Both prevent moisture from sitting against the floor.

The Mule is a specialized piece of equipment designed to move portable buildings into place. It lifts the building and maneuvers it precisely where it needs to go, even in tight spaces, angled yards, or spots a regular truck and trailer can't easily reach. And yes, we use one.

That's exactly the kind of situation the Mule was built for. It can navigate buildings through spaces that would stop a regular truck and trailer. Tight gates, narrow side yards, angled approaches, our drivers handle these setups regularly.

If you're buying a shed that's already at one of our locations, delivery usually happens within 7 to 10 days, and often sooner once we schedule the logistics. A custom-built shed typically takes about 3 to 4 weeks, though during the summer peak season that can stretch to 5 to 6 weeks. Either way, our Mule delivery sets the building right where you want it.

You'll want a reasonably level spot ready before delivery, and many customers set a garage on a gravel pad or concrete slab. Our drivers can level minor grade changes, up to about 6 to 8 inches, with shims and blocks, but site prep is the customer's responsibility. If you're not sure what your spot needs, we can talk it through.

An in-stock garage from one of our locations usually arrives within 7 to 10 days, often sooner. A custom-built garage typically takes about 3 to 4 weeks, with summer peak season sometimes running 5 to 6 weeks.

An in-stock barn from one of our locations usually arrives within 7 to 10 days, often sooner. A custom-built barn typically takes about 3 to 4 weeks, with summer peak season sometimes running 5 to 6 weeks. Our Mule delivery places it right where you want it.

A reasonably level spot ready before delivery is the main thing, since our Gazebos come with composite flooring built in. Our drivers can handle minor grade changes, up to about 6 to 8 inches, but the site should be prepared and level beforehand. Many customers set a Gazebo on grass, gravel, or a patio.

An in-stock Gazebo from one of our locations usually arrives within 7 to 10 days, often sooner. A custom-built Gazebo typically takes about 3 to 4 weeks, with summer peak season sometimes running 5 to 6 weeks.

Most likely, yes. We deliver within about 150 miles of our Northern Indiana and Southern Michigan shops, which covers most of southern to lower-mid Michigan, Northwest Ohio, and Northeast Indiana. Beyond that we can still deliver with a quote at times. Feel free to check out the Where We Deliver page for details and more information.

Once your building is ready, we bring it to you and set it in place with our Mule, a compact machine that fits through tight or awkward spots with almost no impact to your yard. You just need a reasonably level spot ready beforehand, and our drivers can handle minor grade changes with shims and blocks.

If it's already at one of our locations, usually 7 to 10 days, and often sooner. A custom build typically takes about 3 to 4 weeks, with summer peak season sometimes running 5 to 6 weeks.