Morton Buildings owner Trever has built more than a dozen airplane hangars in his life, but his most recent project possessed a particular trait never before seen in his small town of approximately 3,000 residents in the “thumb” of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.
“We’ve built a lot of hangars. This is our first Morton building.”
His familiarity with airplanes gave Trever a leg up in the design process. He knew what he wanted and what he needed. He was also long familiar with Morton Buildings and its construction center in nearby Brown City. The pairing proved to be the perfect fit for an excellent building.
“We did have everything laid out. We knew what we wanted. We knew the sizes, we knew the size of the door we needed. We knew the depth that we needed as well as the height. Everything just kind of fell together.”
The final product is a sight to behold. At 60'W x 16'H x 80'L, the 4,800-square-foot hangar features Morton’s Hi-Rib steel, cupolas, wainscot, a wrap-around porch, windows with shutters and Morton’s very own Energy Performer insulation package.
The insulation package proves valuable in protecting the airplanes from the elements. Coupled with acoustical steel to cut down on noise from the airplane and other machinery, Trever is able to use the building 12 months out of the year despite average winter temperatures plummeting to as low as 15 degrees.
“Everybody asks about (the acoustical steel),” he explained. “We use impact tools and it seems to help out with (the noise), especially in the winter time when the doors are all closed. It seems to do the trick.”
And while the features make it the type of state-of-the-art facility Morton has provided for decades, it’s the copper and brown color scheme that tipped the scales in Morton’s favor to make it one of a kind.
“We really wanted a copper-colored building just to match our home,” Trever said of his residence in the uniquely named town of Bad Axe, Mich. “The copper helps with the look that we’re after. Morton was a big help with the colors. We had some different color needs that most manufacturers couldn’t take care of.”
“We kind of went out on a limb and we’re extremely thrilled with the outcome of it.”
Traveling across the country to speak with Morton Buildings owners that are proud to show off their new buildings, Morton repeatedly senses a common refrain from its customers. They’re eager to share their experience.
“I did recommend a Morton building to one of my friends, the first guy that I knew was going to be building a pole building.”
This customer satisfaction that has thrived for generations allows the Morton legacy to grow.
And what about Trever’s friend?
“Of course, he bought a Morton building.”
