Highlighting a handful of our Michigan builds! Pole barns, barndominiums, garages, and even a few of our commercial builds!
Because every build deserves a highlight! But with as many projects as we usually have going up, it's difficult to find the time to highlight every project as it's going on. We hope you get inspired, start planning your own, and take some ideas for your own build!
Things to look for in a post frame builder in Michigan:
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Relevant post frame building experience (if you need an ag barn built, have they built ag barns before? If you need a barndominium built, have they a proven track record of barndo builds? if you need a commercial build, have they helped other companies and businesses through the whole commercial build process and all the extra paperwork that comes with commercial builds?)
- A builder who is licensed and insured! Avoid fly-by-night type builders. You don't want to get caught in the middle of a project and have your builder walk away with your money.
- Has past clients who you can speak with, if you ask them for references. And a company that has a decent online reputation. Every builder usually has some negative feedback, but if 50% of their feedback is negative we'd advise you to steer clear.
- A great question to ask past clients is "would you hire them for your project again."
- And it's even better if there are a few builds that you can get permission to go check out! Especially if you are planning a more detailed build, like a barndominium)
- Look for clear scope of work on the contract. And when comparing quotes from good builders, this can help you get a clear idea of cost comparison. For example, we know some builders that won't include concrete on their quotes and they don't offer concrete services. This will significantly impact the cost of your build, if you need concrete, so make sure that the quotes you are comparing include similar details and scope of work.
- Cheap does not always mean best... and neither does most expensive, which is why it's so important to look at the details of the scope included in the estimates you get from different builders.
- Look for a builder who can provide engineered prints as a part of their services for your build. Code-compliant, custom to your specific area (snow loads, wind loads, etc.), engineer stamped plans, if needed.
- A company that communicates. If you can never get an answer, have to wait weeks to hear back, or similar, then this could be a red flag. Now we know, sometimes emails end up in spam folders, communications get dropped or everyone plays phone tag for a minute. But if this is the norm throughout the whole front-end of the process, it could potentially be a red flag.
This is a recently completed 30x48x12 pole barn garage with steel colors Burnished Slate for the walls and Charcoal for the roof and trim. Located in Otsego County, Michigan. It featured 3 OHDs, one man door, a full-length open lean-to porch, windows, and concrete.
This is a recently completed 40x60x16 Barndominium (pole barn home) in Cass County, Michigan. Featuring Red and Charcoal steel colors. It has a two story living area, attached garage, wrap-around porch, concrete, overhead doors (including an RV garage door) and man doors, plenty of windows, and more!
This is an original client of ours, who came back and asked us to add an addition to the garage we initially built for them. Returning clients mean the world to us! This build was in Kalamazoo, Michigan, area. Featuring premium steel colors. It has a several overhead doors, a couple man doors, a lean-to porch, windows, and concrete.
This is a 30x40x10 residential pole barn garage in Cass County, Michigan. Featuring Dark Red and Tan steel colors. Overhead doors, a man door, sliding windows, and a fun over-the-door eyebrow/corbel detail. Below is another angle of this one! And full details on this build can be found here.
This is a beautiful little stable barn. 30x36x10 in Blue and Shiny Black metals, with shingle roof. We built this barn for a client in Van Buren County, Michigan. Featuring a porch, as we mentioned before a shingle roof, man doors, two sets of custom sliding Dutch doors on opposing sides of the barn, and slider windows. The full building details can be seen here.
This absolutely gorgeous barn and barndominium were done for some lovely clients in Michigan! Their interior is being worked on now, but these are the two shells of the builds. A coordinating ag/storage barn and barndominium?! What's not to love?? The barndo is a 112x48x18 pole barn home with large attached garage. Both builds are in Clay and Burnished Slate metal colors.
This barndo was designed in collaboration with the amazing team at Back Forty Buildings Co. You can see more of the pre-designed plans with Back Forty Buildings and Milmar here!
This green boat and equipment storage barn was completed in Mason County, Michigan, for a scouts troop. It's a 50x48x10, with a loft/attic truss storage area and large porch area for additional storage. Done up in Evergreen walls and Charcoal roof and trim, this was a great, simple post frame building. And you can see more details for this project here.
An awesome Clay and Black frost-finished metal building/large detached garage in Oakland County, Michigan. At 60x100x18.5, this build was nothing to sneeze at. Meticulously built with cupolas and wrap-around porch features, wainscot, and upgraded windows and doors package, this one was a fun one to design and build.
An agricultural-use multi-purpose build we're wrapping up right now in Cass County, Michigan. Bright White (walls and roof) and Clay (wainscot and trim) metals. It's a 80x160x18 ag barn.
This beautiful blacked out build was a re-skin, plus new windows and doors, from a dilapidated building recently purchased by some returning clients of ours. They brought new life to this build with a complete re-skin of all the siding, and they are handling some further renovations on this one themselves! This building project is in New Buffalo, Michigan, area.
And we are in love with this design and look of a barndominium we're nearly done with in South Haven, Michigan. Stone and Gallery Blue metals, and now we're getting ready to install a stone veneer wainscot on the home portion of the build. It's going to look so sharp! Build features a "T-shape" barndo design (another one designed in collaboration with Back Forty Buildings Co.), and features some pretty awesome custom cupolas and weathervanes.
This lovely barn is in Allegan County, Michigan. It's a 32x40x12, and was constructed with Dark Red walls, Burnished Slate roof and wainscot, and Black metal trim. It has a nice little entry-way/porch, and two overhead garage doors (10x10 and 9x8).
Berrien County, Michigan was where this Crimson Red and Bright White 30x40x12 pole barn with loft was built. It's main features were attic trusses for the loft area, a staircase for easy loft access, and a full-length lean-to porch.
We loved building this one several years ago now, in Kalamazoo County, Michigan. Red walls, Shiny Black roof, Bright White trim. A beautiful, large barndominium, in a classic monitor barn style.
That's the end of this buidling project highlight for now, but we have more coming! As well as some more helpful tips for planning and building your own pole barn, garage, or barndominium.
Have any questions about post frame construction? Our team is always happy to help. You can reach Joe (he's awesome), at our main office, by calling 260-440-3190.
