Anybody ever dealt with National Barn Company?

[64dragnwagon]

I am wondering if anybody has dealt with this Co. I am within days of signing a contract with National Barn Company to build me 30 X 60 X 12 pole building with metal siding. I have spent the last 6 months researching my options from stick building, red iron, concrete block and post frame and have settled on a pole building.
I priced several companies and National Barn has the best price combined with a good quality building. Here are the specs...

30x60x12
6x6 solid post .60 treated 60 yr warranty, 10' oc
scissor trusses on 5' centers
29 gauge metal 40 yr warranty
3) 10 X 10 oh door frame outs (doors not included)
2) walk thru doors frame outs(doors not included)
2) window frame outs
plyfoil insulation on all walls and ceilings
Rat guard on all walls
4'x16' drop shed

The total price erected on my lot inc. freight, taxes etc. $15,578

Any feedback is appreciated

 

[tkiranch]

When I was looking at building a new one, they had the best price, except, I need to buy the doors, and pay for install, I need to buy concrete, I need to get permit. When I looked at the bids, they did not win. I looked at Morton, FBI, and Cleary which are the pole barn people around me and Morton had the best building, Cleary never returned calls, but had a decent price, and FBI was the best. THey treated me well, the crew was professional, they had the barn up in 2 1/2 days, clean site, I cannot say enough good things about them.

Good luck, get a few prices for the building and evaluate on how your treated.

 

[Pug}{maN]

diy pole barns...

 

[haugy]

Do a search on pirate4x4.com and National Barn.

If I remember right, there was a big thread about major headaches that a guy went through with them. Made me very glad I didn't use them.

 

[Eagle Point 115]

IN MY OPINION...They have to be the worst barn building contractors I have ever encountered. I have loads of pictures that I sent to them and am willing to share with you as well. THEY ARE TERRIBLE...AVOID ...Contact me for current pics of the work they performed on my site. THESE JACKALS SHOULD be OOB. Contact me for current 2012-2013 pics of the GARBAGE they installed on my property. [email protected]

As a point of clarification...I am referring to National Barn Company North East Division based out of Hanover, Pa.

 

[bop_pa]

My dad had a building done by them and said it was a good experience. They came in and knocked it out in just 3-4 days. It has held up very well with no problems. His has a lot of the options. I believe it is a 30 x 50' With man door, porch, windows and car door. I think he paid like $12,000 for the barn and about $4,000 for the concrete.


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[NHBandit]

Based on reccomendations from 64dragnwagn, reading threads on here and talking to them several times on the phone I went with them for my 30x40. I couldn't be more satisfied. Eagle Point 115 that's a pretty harsh statement from a FNG with ONE post, no history here, no details and no pics. What's your real deal ? Here's mine they did this past Feb. Built in a snowstorm, in a day & a half and they even stood up my lift posts and bolted them down for me at no charge. I subbed out the concrete and the overhead doors. The cost from National Barn for the building including insulation, man door, window, vents, etc. was 11.6k What's not to like.

 

[jhelrey]

IN MY OPINION...They have to be the worst barn building contractors I have ever encountered. I have loads of pictures that I sent to them and am willing to share with you as well. THEY ARE TERRIBLE...AVOID ...Contact me for current pics of the work they performed on my site. THESE JACKALS SHOULD be OOB. Contact me for current 2012-2013 pics of the GARBAGE they installed on my property. [email protected]

Post the pics here...

 

[Eagle Point 115]

IN MY OPINION...They have to be the worst barn building contractors I have ever encountered. I have loads of pictures that I sent to them and am willing to share with you as well. THEY ARE TERRIBLE...AVOID ... Their work on my barn speaks for itself (Lousy). Please see pics. Contact me for current pics of the work they performed on my site. THESE J*****S SHOULD be OOB. Contact me for current 2012-2013 pics of the GARBAGE they installed on my property. [email protected]

As a point of clarification...I am referring to National Barn Company North East Division based out of Hanover, Pa.

At this point I can't even get a call back from them. See link for pics...

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/92sb08bcv0lya53/nZu3RN5tod?n=142690223

 

[NHBandit]

At this point I can't even get a call back from them. See link for pics...

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/92sb08bcv0lya53/nZu3RN5tod?n=142690223

I'm finding it very hard to believe we are talking about the same company unless the guys in PA really do **** that bad. I also wasn't aware that they even offer an all wood building. Everything I've seen, my own included, is a metal building on a wood frame. Mine was built out of the Portland Tennessee division and the quality is great, the crew was great, and I have ZERO complaints. There was a small almost invisible crack in the plastic frame around the door window that I mentioned to the build crew. A few days later a whole new window showed up.

 

[Eagle Point 115]

Thanks for looking at the pics...I should have posted them with my first comment however they are there for everyone to see now. There are Plenty more. Anyway...I was originally going to contract with them for a metal building however Lowell Thomas sold me on the Board and Batten for approx. the same price. Check them out on the BBB web site as I just did...Very Interesting. I have Angies List in PA verifying if they are a member. Also,I would like to know of any other customers that have received the level of service(if that's what you call it) that I did if you happen to know of any...Thanks

 

[NHBandit]

ok so Eagle this does raise a question that came to mind since I did have National Barn do my garage. The SOP for the Portland TN office is half the money when the materials get delivered and the other half on completion of the job AFTER the customer is satisfied with the work. Is this not the case with the North East division ? If so why in the hell did you pay them ?

 

[bop_pa]

Referring to eagles comments-
So is your major complaint they quality of the wood? Also was this project stopped mid project or did some sort of damage occurred. Hard to tell without explanation, plus the pics of the gutters looks like they were ripped off?

 

[jhelrey]

At this point I can't even get a call back from them. See link for pics...

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/92sb08bcv0lya53/nZu3RN5tod?n=142690223

WOW!!!!! Regardless of who did the work because I truly don't know... That is some ****** work.

 

[Eagle Point 115]

There are many aspects to my informational concerns. No, there was no stoppage in the project other than the many ones that National Barn NED chose to occur. They had complete access to my property (pretty much) at all times. In my opinion, not only did they use sub par boards as evidenced by the splits, knot holes, weird gouges and boards missing a large portion of their symmetry, it appears they were installed without much concern for anything resembling pride in your work or a reasonable customer expectation of the quality in workmanship which they verbally proposed. I was told they were sending out their Amish "A" Team to Install the barn. The quality of the Carpenters work was unbelievably bad. Some of the issues are (one assumes based on the splits caused by their nails and failure of the Batten boards to cover the seams, **** ends of Batten boards butted up to one another vs. a 45 degree splice created by the boards), doors and windows installed without being properly framed or caulked that they just didn't care. I sent the same (pics I posted) to them and they verbally assured me they would take care of any and all issues I pointed out. Well it hasn't happened as of today. They started in February. In the last couple weeks I can't even get a call back. As far as the gutter...The facia boards (2X6's) and the gutters fell to the ground (approx 70' of the 82' length) as one piece after a normal moderate rain. The 2X6 Facia boards were simply nailed into the **** ends of the roof trusses (placed @ 5' OC) with no support blocking in between the trusses. The last 10-12 ft stayed attached thus the ripping in half of the gutter material.

 

[NHBandit]

Again... why did you make the final payment ? When I dealt with the TN office they didn't get paid until I signed off that I was happy with the finished product. As a side note ALL of the lumber they used on mine was first quality A grade stuff that was far superior to anything I see in the local big name stores. I simply can not find anything at all to complain about. They asked me if I wanted what was left over and it was quite a bit. I partially framed my office area with it and also used it to build my workbench. I always hear stories about how great the Amish builders are. Now I'm not so sure since mine was built by a bunch of Alabama rednecks... LoL If anyone cares to see the rest of the pics of mine here's the build thread. http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=188161 Added info.. Been poking around doing searches just to satify my own curiosity and it seems that ALL the complaints I can find are about the North Eastern Division out of PA. So it's entirely possible that the guy running the ship over there simply dosn't give a **** about quality work or good customer service. It's too bad his ****** attitude reflects poorly on the whole company.

 

[Eagle Point 115]

NHBandit,
I created a reply to your questions this eve however it apparently didn't post. I will respond in the am to answer your questions hoping that my original response will post prior to then. Thanks again for your interest.

 

[NHBandit]

Just curious really simply because your experience & mine are like night & day. Different regional supervisor though and different crews. For example you said the North East Division subs out the work. The Portland TN office has their own crews that work exclusively for National Barn.

 

[countryroad82]

I had National Barn Company build my 30X50 12 years ago, great to deal with, delivery was punctual, crew came and had it knocked out in 2 days...... Really!! I went to work one day and when I came home, most of the stringers and posts were set, the next day I came home early and they were finishing up and getting ready to call because they were wanting the check!! Lol It has held up well over the years, everything that has happened to it has been all me damage/ wear wise, has held up to some pretty good wind and snow storms that we have been getting the past few years. I'm very satisfied with mine.

 

[junkman104]

I had a 30 x 50 built 7 years ago by National Barn and had zero complaints.

 

[Lhart]

I had a 125x100 foot barn all metal ban built about 12 yrs ago. The crew came and had it up in 40 hours - AMAZING. fast forward 11 yrs adn I call Lowell again having been so happy with the first one and had a 40x60 all wood barn with loft installed. 4 months later, with THIRD construction crew and delays, no show - you name it. Lots of issues with the wood - splits etc. Missing soffitts material, leaky skylights. One door was actually installed below the finished floor height.I withheld $3000 to make sure they came back to finish the punch list. They had a number of jobs going and crews would leave on Friday promising to return Monday and be gone for 2 weeks. They hired new warranty/maintenance guy Jerry and he did come back once to address some of these issues. Well skylights still leak and Jerry number is disconnected and all other numbers go to a voicemail where no calls you back. I used to recommend them the everyone. Now I advise to stay away. Their prices are unbeatable but their performance is like night and day. Not worth the worry when your spending 10'sof thousands of dollars.

 

[Jedburg]

They are professional LIARS.BEWARE of LOWELL THE LIAR!Lowell has so many **** excuses for not doing the right thing.My barn is junk.If anyone wants to see pics email me at [email protected] away from their sorry asses.National Barn Northeast division gives the whole National Barn family a black eye.The others really ought to try and run him off.

 

[NHBandit]

They are professional LIARS.BEWARE of LOWELL THE LIAR!Lowell has so many **** excuses for not doing the right thing.My barn is junk.If anyone wants to see pics email me at [email protected] away from their sorry asses.National Barn Northeast division gives the whole National Barn family a black eye.The others really ought to try and run him off.

LoL... Nice first post from a guy who just joined a week ago. Anyway... My 30x40 garage was built by the guys at National Barn Company Eastern Division based out of Portland TN. Otherwise known as the Mountain Division. The same guys that the OP of this thread used and I couldn't be happier. In fact I chose them based on talking to 64dragnwagon on the phone for over an hour and he was super nice to talk to and gave me a no ******** assessment of the work they did on his shop. From what I have read here and from looking at reviews elsewhere it appears that all of the complaints revolve around the North East Division based out of PA. When I spoke to the guys in the TN office they even went so far as to tell me not to judge them by the bad reviews the North Eastern crews got and it looks like that was good advice. A good or a bad general manager can make or break a company so I guess my advice is to do your homework and your research well but don't judge one bunch of guys based on the shortcomings of a different group. From the initial negotiations with the sales guy to the professional crew that built my garage and the followup after the fact, I had nothing but great results from National Barn and wouldn't hesitate to recommend the TN guys to anyone. For guys who are just reading this for the first time.. Here my build thread.. http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=188161

 

[TruGrit]

I've received a quote from Paul Augustus at National Barn out of the Portland, TN office. I've read through these reviews with a grain of salt.

Anyone else in the Southeast use a company to do their Pole Barn? If so, what other companies are out there? Morton? Others?

Please share your experiences/thoughts

 

[TruGrit]

Bump...

 

[junkman104]

I've received a quote from Paul Augustus at National Barn out of the Portland, TN office. I've read through these reviews with a grain of salt.

Just wondering what that means? I had a good experience with them and no issues 7 years later.

 

[Jacquelinefaith]

How did it end up for you with National Barn? I am in the midst of trying to get my 1/3 downpayment back from Lowell....after waiting 15+ weeks filled with lies and more lies.

 

[Arbgardens17]

We are in Central NJ and have been dealing with National Barn's NorthEast Div since April 2014 and it's currently August. We gave the initial 33% deposit but had to go through our township to get the permits, which caused much of the initial delay. Our Twp. requested engineered plans from National and that took a few weeks to resolve as the office help had some turn around and didn't understand what i needed. She resent me the normal plans not realizing what engineered plans actually were. The salesman, Ron, finally got that issue resolved and said as soon as he got the $650 check for the plans, he'd get them done quickly and promised a quick install date after we get the permits.

The major problem with them is NO RESPONSE. They don't return phone calls and when you call the office, if you get someone to pick up, they don't have any information about your job. My Dad has called over 20 times to confirm an upcoming delivery date which was given to him in July. Office girl says she can't get an answer from anyone on confirmation of delivery date. We are very disappointed and have never dealt with a company like this who doesn't return calls, messages, or even answer phones. We don't know if they are going to swindle us or not and we are in the process of working with an attorney. We wanted to get our money back initially when we had problems with getting the engineered plans, but Ron had said they put too much time in it and they wished to work with us on this and get our barn installed. When I contacted him recently by email, he said to just keep calling the office and that they were backed up.

So here we are, no delivery date confirmation and MORE IMPORTANTLY, NO COMMUNICATION! We read some Facebook posts from people recently complaining of this same, as well as BBB (better business bureau) Complaints. This is the only division I read complaints on....

 

[Arbgardens17]

And yes, for the guy who keeps commenting that people post a complaint who just recently join the forum,,,,, YES, that's the only reason we joined this forum- to let everyone know of our issue in response to reading the thread about National Barn Northeast.

 

[Arbgardens17]

See my post after yours. We are having problems also.

 

[Gurk]

I am in Maryland (Northeast Division) and have had a very similar experience to Arbgardens17. After setting up a purchase order and getting a rough shipment timeframe, it has been nearly impossible to get a hold of them. I have been calling and emailing regularly with very little response. If I happen to call at the right time when the woman who answers the phone is there, she has not had anyone to transfer me to, and my messages drift off into the abyss.

I had ordered my very basic pavilion in early July to be completed prior to our client's early September deadline. I was told "no problem," but as it got closer, no one could confirm when it would be coming out or how long it would take to construct, and this work needs to be coordinated with some other trades. Then I was emailed last Friday to say that they would not be building it. In the time since, I still can't get any information on when my materials would ship in the event that I have someone else build it. This is just not how you run a business.

I believe it is well worth noting, though, that this may be specific to the Northeast division. Out of frustration, I called down to the Eastern division in TN. They provided me with some good information that may help me still be able to complete this project for my client, and they were very pleasant and helpful in general. If you live in a state served by the Northeast division, however, I would look elsewhere.

 

[hoho98925]

Hmmmmn? This post, has the most posts from members with the least posts, I have seen.

 

[CJCar]

LoL... Nice first post from a guy who just joined a week ago. Anyway... .... it appears that all of the complaints revolve around the North East Division based out of PA....

Hmmmmn? This post, has the most posts from members with the least posts, I have seen.

I just wanted to throw my 2 cents in here as I know of several people who have had barns done by the North East Division and all have had the same experience. And all of them know Lowell to be the heart of the problem. I know one of the Project Managers that Lowell hired (and fired) because he would not follow his shady business practices.

The reason there are so many new members posting to this thread is because it is ranking high on google for searches regarding issues with National Barn.

 

[Disney]

***** for you guys in the Northeast. I had National Barn Company here in Tennessee (Eastern Division) build my pole barn and I could not have asked for better service both before and after the fact. They were the best part of my entire process. They were 100% on time with everything. Cleaned up every day. Came in under budget and half a day early. Who could complain about that?

 

[Gurk]

I just wanted to throw my 2 cents in here as I know of several people who have had barns done by the North East Division and all have had the same experience. And all of them know Lowell to be the heart of the problem. I know one of the Project Managers that Lowell hired (and fired) because he would not follow his shady business practices.

The reason there are so many new members posting to this thread is because it is ranking high on google for searches regarding issues with National Barn.

That's pretty much it. If this thread serves as a cautionary tale to anyone looking to buy something from the Northeast division, then it will have accomplished something. At the very least, it gives those of us with a bad experience a place to vent.

 

[logandeb]

I have a contract with the National Barn Company, I sent my deposit of $4k in June still here it 9/11 and no plans and no barn. I need a good POC all the number I call no one answers the phone nor returns my calls. There has to be a main office for all these branches. I am heading to a lawyer to get my refund. I wish I knew about this forum before I signed a contract and send my deposit. Any feedback or suggestions are appreciate.

 

[snafoow]

Everybody has the same story

a Facebook group has been started to try to get everybody together that has money lost with this company.

If you can please join this group on facebook.com Just enter in the facebook search " National Barn stole my money " and it will bring you to the group page.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/340387989467936/


Thanx

 

[EricP]

I almost signed with the Eastern Division but they said they were 8-12 weeks behind and inclement weather would push it even further back. That was a deal breaker. It's been a wet summer so if I had signed with them I might still be waiting. Of course they were only running behind, unlike the other division that appears to run off.

I ended up going with Deep South Garages. They did a first class job. Nothing but good things to say about Corey and Deep South.

Eric

 

[logandeb]

Tenn might be fine but please don't use the PA branch. They take your money and you never get anything. I have report them to the Detective that is investigating them.

 

[logandeb]

I just asked to Join your facebook group.