A simple statement from Steve, a homeowner from the suburban Houston community of Cypress, Texas, captures the essence of Morton Buildings’ custom construction process.
“When we were looking around to build a barn, initially we had really just thought about putting in a standard metal barn building. But we wanted to have a little bit more leeway to add on.”
Enter Morton – taking a building that could be perceived as very ordinary and turning it into a personalized structure that fits a customer’s every specification. His final result was a customized hobby building with an attached pavilion that totaled more than 3,000 square feet.
Steve began the building process after an internet search led him to Morton.
“(The sales consultant) came out one Friday morning and we walked the lot and I told him what I had in mind,” he said of the early stages of the planning process. “We basically took a pretty standard barn and added a lot of features to break up that barn and make a lot more outdoor living space. (The sales consultant) was great in being able to meet our needs as far as some our out-of-the-box or non-standard items.”
Steve’s 42’W x 12’H x 60’L barn, built on wood columns in the ground, was completed in 2013. Hi-Rib steel and brick wainscot make up the exterior of the barn. Morton’s construction process – which included preparation from a manufacturing plant in Winfield, Kan. and assembly by a construction crew in Houston – proved to be a huge selling point.
“All of the wood was dropped off and those guys went to town pretty quick,” Steve recalled of the construction crew. “I was impressed with how timely they were from the time they broke ground to the time it was built was all within what (the sales consultant) had told us what we should expect. (I’m) impressed – impressed with the crew and would certainly work with Morton again.”
The barn is large enough to allow for several different uses.
“Inside, the barn’s broken up into both just some play space with a pool table and ping pong table, but then also a good little car workshop with a lift. I’ve got a little bar and another section for woodworking.”
The 20’W x 10’H x 28’L pavilion connects to the east wall of the barn. Six supportive columns are wrapped in cedar to match existing buildings on the property.
“In the pavilion we’ve got just a lot of outdoor living space. We’ve got outdoor TV. For the cooler months, we’ve got a fireplace that gives us an opportunity to use (the pavilion) a little bit more year-round. We’ve got some large barn doors that just give us good entry into the barn but also give us a nice little breeze through there.”
The space created by the pavilion gives Steve and his family a place to entertain friends and family. The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive.
“The first couple of parties we had … we described them as a ‘barn party’. When folks came out to the barn, I think they were really surprised because this is not a barn they envisioned. They see the barn allows not only an opportunity to do some outdoor working, but just a lot of additional outdoor living space and entertaining space. I think they were just really surprised on what a barn could be in regards to outdoor living.”
With the building complete and given a chance to reflect on what the structure has meant to him and his family, Steve made his feelings clear.
“Now that we’re completed, if anybody else decided to build a barn … I would highly recommend them to choose Morton. If I was to do it again all over, (Morton) would be the folks that would be building this barn again.”
