A New-Age Morton Barn With an Old-World Look

April 15, 2015

Morton Buildings is undoubtedly known for its custom timber-frame construction. From building design to site planning, coordinating subcontractors, warranty claims, repairs and many other services in between, Morton provides for its customers from concept to completion.

No Morton project may better exemplify that commitment to excellence than Bill’s hobby barn in southern Vermont.

“There were certain aspects of the design that we wanted that normally weren't able to be done in conventional construction,” Bill said. “We wanted an open floor plan. We didn't want to have any support columns constricting our flow of the workspace. I didn't want to have to drive my tractor around a column because we couldn't accommodate a 36-foot span.”

Morton’s time-tested clear-span construction proved to be the solution to Bill’s dilemma.

“(The sales consultant) came down with some photographs and offered some suggestions and we realized that Morton was pretty much capable of doing anything,” Bill said when considering his choice to build Morton. “Whatever our thoughts or choices might be, they had a way to make that happen.”

Bill’s barn used as a workshop and for machine storage is a 36'W x 12'H x 42'L structure on a poured concrete foundation. It features wood siding with a roof made up of Morton’s Hi-Rib steel. Also included are a cupola, sliding doors, a loft door, a turkey tail overhang and Morton’s Energy Performer insulation package.

“We also wanted some aspects of the old-world barns of Vermont in the area. We did a lot of traveling around since we’ve moved here. We came up and it was two things actually that really caught our attention: sliding doors in the front and the transom window. Those two features really, to us, epitomized the old-world Vermont barn.”

The early construction stages were not without careful planning and a fair share of obstacles. Initial plans for the building site were scrapped.

“When we first talked to (the sales consultant) … we came up with some closer (building) locations that would have been easier. They were more of a flat area. But unfortunately with the town, we have certain setbacks and requirements so that we weren't able to construct it in the area that would have been easy.”

With no easy solution, Bill dug at a 10-foot grade into a hillside with the help of a local excavator, putting the backside of his building into the newly created space in the earth. It created a unique landscape for a unique Morton.

With the site created, a Morton construction crew from Castleton, Vt. went to work.

“The crew that was sent here, I can’t speak highly enough of (them). They were just so knowledgeable and so familiar with Morton’s building methods that in 10 days, from start to finish, a crew of six to seven guys finished this job, complete, 100 percent, no punch list, no go-backs, haven’t seen them since the day they pulled off the job because there has been no problems. There hasn't been anything wrong.”

Bill purchased the property for his new barn from a neighbor – the same neighbor that previously built a Morton storage facility and introduced Bill to Morton. The property also includes an outdated home built more than 150 years ago.

Knowing he would need to address the issues with the aging home, Bill already has a plan.

“We’ve made the decision that we’ll be building a new house here. We will be talking to Morton Buildings again about the design … they would be our first choice to go to as far as a building goes. We’re very confident that they could supply a design, install, construct, everything that we would want in a residence.”

“Morton, I believe, with their expertise and their resources, could do anything that you really ask of them. We’re very positive that we’ll be able to work with Morton again on our home.”

No matter the size, no matter the style, Morton continues to deliver strong, efficient buildings to its customers. From the largest farm storage building to the smallest suburban structure, Morton will do it all. The building quality hasn’t gone unnoticed in Bill’s Vermont town.

“Morton Buildings is always brought up. It’s always said that they were the ones that designed and built this building, and yes, I would recommend them to anyone. In fact, I’m more than eager to bring people in to actually show them the different construction techniques that they use.”

“Those are all of the things that make their buildings what they are and you can tell that they’ve been around 100 years or over – because you know what? You don’t learn all of these things in 10 years or 20 years. You learn them … by having people that work for the company truly care about what they do. That is the reason why Morton produces the product that they do, I think, because the people genuinely like working for the company. They value the company and the company values them.”

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.

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