Morton Buildings can't be serious

[carterbeauford]

I'm looking to build a 40x60x12 pole barn for farm equipment storage/shop/small office in one corner. I need a large (14ft?) sliding door and 10x10ft overhead door, 20x40 slab for the shop floor/office and the rest gravel for equipment storage. couple windows and a man door. I'd love something bigger but I'm trying to finish my house at the same time which already has about a 30x40 garage. I have too much stuff and nowhere to put it. reputable local contractor quoted me $30K. Morton quoted me $51K for the same building. give me some bargaining tips when I tell them they are out of their minds. I am well aware of Morton Buildings reputation for quality and higher prices, but I don't see anything that makes them worth 70% more.

 

[jonnysteals]

Look at diypolebarns.com I have two of them and found them to be great. My brother has a Morton and a DIY and I found some of the metal work done on the Morton was sloppy. We built all the barns our selves except the Morton.

 

[jd_1138]

I have too much stuff and nowhere to put it. reputable local contractor quoted me $30K. Morton quoted me $51K for the same building.

Wow, I know who I'd be giving the job to -- the local contractor.

 

[carterbeauford]

no time to build it myself, that's why I was looking for a reputable builder like Morton.

 

[carterbeauford]

Wow, I know who I'd be giving the job to -- the local contractor.

right I was leaning that way to begin with, but if Morton was competitive I wasn't going to rule them out either.

local contractor's work:

 

[dreamingmuscle]

Morton builds a nice building. Hate to say it but they are worth the money you pay for them. If you just use it for storage I'd say go with the local contractor. Any more then that I'd go with the Morton if money wasn't a issue.

Glen

 

[wrenchguy]

morton is always busy and don't need the work. more $$$ keeps the angry when u gonna start customers away.

 

[bullnerd]

Are you sure they are the same? I mean every detail ?

I've known and worked in my niebors morton for a bout 20 yrs and that thing is spotless, not a single issue ever. He has the energy saver insulation package ,$$$$, but easy to heat and cool.

Good luck.

 

[csp]

Morton builds a nice building. Hate to say it but they are worth the money you pay for them.

In what ways are they worth it? I was in the same boat several years ago and the Morton rep couldn't tell me why his price was almost double the competition (Cleary). He either didn't know his product well enough, didn't know the competition well enough, or just couldn't justify it.

 

[Shadowdog500]

... reputable local contractor quoted me $30K. Morton quoted me $51K for the same building.

Not sure a local contractor is going to build the same building that Morton is going to build! Is the local contractor going to give it the same 50 year warranty?

I had the same reaction when we got our quote from Morton 4 years ago, but after we went around and looked at buildings I noticed that they all looked good at first, but when I looked at buildings that were more than 5 to 10 years old, the Morton buildings still looked brand new while the other barns started to fade, rust, and have warped walls. Heck, every Morton building I looked at looked brand new even when it was 25 to 30 years old. I also figured I was going to own he building for the rest of my life so the added cost amortized ofer another 50+ years(I hope!) isn't a big deal.

We did get a deduction for paying cash instead of financing, and they were having special on 30' wide buildings.

Every single person who sees my building is wowed by it. It is extremely well made, the walls are straight and the metal trim work is beautiful.

Chris

 

[alan camby]

Don't know about price but FBI has a good name around here.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Looks like your local contractor does some nice work.

 

[dreamingmuscle]

In what ways are they worth it? I was in the same boat several years ago and the Morton rep couldn't tell me why his price was almost double the competition (Cleary). He either didn't know his product well enough, didn't know the competition well enough, or just couldn't justify it.

Better lumber for one. Better engineering for another. In the one I've been in they made the post with 2 x 6 treated lumber with a four foot tall, half inch steel plate sandwiched between them and T'd off at the bottom. then 1/2 inch plywood glued and bolted the rest of the length of each post. That makes for one strong and not likely to warp post. If they put that much attention into a post imagine what goes into the rest of the building.

Even the pole building contractor that bid my building said he would like to get on as one of their builders because of the quality of the work and materials they use.

I've been in a few pole buildings and as a handyman know enough to recognize the difference between a quality build and a OK build. And Morton is a quality building.

To sum it up. It's all in the details and Morton in my opinion. Pays attention to the details.

Glen

 

[Scott H in Wheaton]

Time to bust out the old catch phrases!

"You get what you pay for"

"There's never enough money to do it right, but there's always enough money to do it over"

"Somewhere, someone will find a way to something just a little bit cheaper, with a little less quality, and a little less workmanship. People who patronize them are their rightful prey"

"How much to spend on a helmet? If you got a $10 head, buy a $10 helmet"

"Fast, Good, Cheap. You can only Pick Two"

According to the Small Business Administration, 95% of small businesses don't last 5 years.
If your contractor gives you a 5 year or 10 year warranty, who is going to be around to honor it?

If you ever go to re-sell the property, I would venture a guess a Morton building will add more value than an also-ran.

Something goes wrong on the jobsite of a small contractor, he may not have the deep pockets needed to absorb the cost to correct the mistake.

He may not have enough insurance to cover his construction much less the damage he could cause to other parts of the property.

If a worker is injured and the contractor doesn't have the right workman's comp insurance, the injured worker can sue the property owner for his injury. And your homeowners insurance does NOT protect you when 'professionals for hire' injure themselves on your property, so you are sued personally with no insurance to cover you.

And read the thread about the concrete block wall that fell over...what a legal nightmare! http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=209748

 

[bookman51]

I had a 40 x 72 pole building built in 2006. I had Morton, Cleary, Wicks, Astro, and Lester all do pricing. I tried to make sure I was pricing apples to apples but Morton wanted to do a turnkey building. That is, they priced theirs with lighting and everything all done. Cleary might have been slightly cheaper but at the time I did not care for the salesman. They have a plant nearby. I ended up going with Wicks, in large part because some of the famil[y had done business with the salesman before. The pricing for Cleary, Wicks, Astro and Lester, as I recall were all pretty close. Seven years later I am almost done with everything inside as I wanted it, and I think the total will still be about $10,000 under the Morton price. So much depends on the salesman and the crew who puts it up, and I was happy with mine. I had a 40x32 slab put in the shop part, and no cracks yet. I just had T-5 lights put in and a couple of electric heaters. My next project is a curtain divider so I am not trying to heat the entire building. There were a few very minor things that have come up and Wicks has been very good about things. And, oh yes there some delays in getting the building up, but not the salesman's or company's fault.

By in large the people I know who have had Morton buildings built in this area (and there are quite a few) are happy with them. Morton uses their own crews. I tried to get back with the fellow who did the cement to do some more work elsewhere, and he is out of business. I have not tried to get back with the fellow who actually did the construction.

Just make sure when you make comparisons that they are apples to apples.

 

[jonnysteals]

no time to build it myself, that's why I was looking for a reputable builder like Morton.

diypolebarns has contractors that can build the building as well. If you go on to there site it will tell you how much for the building and how much to build it. I like mine so it is something to look at.

 

[Orange65]

I think I would be going with the local guy as long as the quotes are apples to apples. I doubt you will get Morton down that much. Unless the local guy just brings the material and lays it on the ground, the cost difference does not substantiate "better quality".

As for all the catch phrases listed above- it is easy to say that sort of thing when it is someone else's $$, but when it is you paying the bills its a different thing. I have noticed that this site is full of people that are overly conservative in their decisions and will throw money at something. Hey- if you have it, spend it- the economy can use it. But for those of us who don't have it, we make our decisions based on cost as well.

I would do a little research on the local guy and if all is fine, use him. Don't let the one in a thousand horror stories of some local guy in BFE scare you.

 

[chadman]

I laugh every time I hear people talk about how much "better" Morton buildings are. As if they are the only ones capable of building high quality structures. If you have seen the local contractors work and it is of high quality why even mess with Morton? They have always been overpriced and selling a name IMO.

 

[Scott H in Wheaton]

Hey- if you have it, spend it- the economy can use it. But for those of us who don't have it, we make our decisions based on cost as well.

I would do a little research on the local guy and if all is fine, use him. Don't let the one in a thousand horror stories of some local guy in BFE scare you.

I didn't use to have it and for the most part I still don't, but I've gotten wiser about spending what I do have. That tends to happen as you get older, although not for everyone.
PRICE is what you pay, COST is what you live with. Sometimes when you don't pay enough the cost over the lifetime is greater than expected.

For some, the value of a turnkey building versus taking another 7 years to finish it would justify the additional $10k expense.

Saying the 'one in a thousand' horror stories is like saying "I didn't get in an accident the last 3 years (1000 days) so I guess I don't need insurance after all". Would you really do without homeowners insurance or auto insurance? If nothing ever goes wrong, why pay for insurance?

 

[wedge40]

With a little bit of understanding in pole building design and construction you can make sure you're getting a quality building. What gauge metal are they using, how are the posts made? etc.
In my area there a two places that build the majority of pole buildings. Pretty sure both make their own posts buy laminating 2"x6" lumber together and both make their own metal sheeting.
Like you I went with one of the local guys, if you want to call it that, they had a 60 mile drive every day. I could have gotten it done for less money but I would have not got the same quality.

Wedge

 

[Ohmthis]

I had Morton bid my building and while they did have some things above and beyond others they were three times higher than the next closest bid.

 

[bookman51]

I didn't use to have it and for the most part I still don't, but I've gotten wiser about spending what I do have. That tends to happen as you get older, although not for everyone.
PRICE is what you pay, COST is what you live with. Sometimes when you don't pay enough the cost over the lifetime is greater than expected.

For some, the value of a turnkey building versus taking another 7 years to finish it would justify the additional $10k expense.

Saying the 'one in a thousand' horror stories is like saying "I didn't get in an accident the last 3 years (1000 days) so I guess I don't need insurance after all". Would you really do without homeowners insurance or auto insurance? If nothing ever goes wrong, why pay for insurance?

For me, since I waited the 7 years to get it where it is now, it was both economic and deciding and getting just what I wanted. If I had built the Morton, I probably would have waited a couple more years because of the extra cost. Plus, I did not like their lighting and wiring plan. I had use of the building for the past 7 years (had it wired right away) but waited until I could afford the lights and heat I eventually decided I wanted. I ended up with a 40 x 72 x 15 building with two overhead doors (one 15' high with an electric opener), eaves and gutters, cupola, 40x32 slab in the shop part; 9 t-5 6 bulb lights, two electric heaters, and plugins every 6 feet all the way around, plus plugs in for my welder and 220 compressor. I had transluscent panels put up high on the southside of the building so I had good lighting during the daytime, two walk in doors, and two sets of windows. In addition, I did the shop part with peg board all the way around with sheet rock or chipped board four feet up. I think the total price for everything is in the low $50,000 range....all paid for. As I wrote earlier, the people I know in the area who have put up Morton buildings are happy with them. There are always lots of considerations affecting a particular situation.

 

[NHBandit]

Look into National Barn Company as well. That's who I had build my 30x40x12 and they were very reasonable and I'm happy with the work they did.

 

[Rookie2]

I bought a Morton 15 yrs ago. I told them i would finish it inside , they made no attempt to alert me to the fact that it will rain inside if i didn't insulate the roof ! The good point would be that the wood that they use is top shelf. when i widened the garage door from 10' to 12' I purchased the wood headers from them they weighed double the weight of any lumber you will buy at Home Depot.

 

[RTcat]

Back in 2005 I priced Morton, Cleary and Wicks for my 50' x 72'. As expected Morton was quite a bit more. I went with Cleary. Shed is just as straight, shiney and same color today as it was the day it was built.

Check out you're local Amish builders. I had them frame my 32 x 50 shop two years back. They did outsanding work. Wish I'd known about them back when I'd built the shed.

Whoever you go with, just make sure you get high quality steel mandoor and door knob along with good overhead garage doors. Those are the only things that really get "used" in a shed.

 

[Moose97]

A couple of years ago, I built a barn (actual home for animals). It is 36X36. I priced it out to have a company in my area do it. 15K. I priced out what it would cost me to do it. 7K. I invited about 12 guys from my church over and we had a barn raising. You have to do what makes you happy. If your always going to wish you had the Morton and you can afford it, go for it. It only took me a week of vacation with the help of a few friends to finish the barn then one 3 day weekend to build a tack room (with my father-in-law) and another weekend to build stalls. Love my barn!

 

[HD FLHX]

I had a Morton built about 2 years ago. I would not hesitate to do it again. They offer some off season discounts and Farm Bureau members get a discount which helps. I joined FB for $40 that year just to get the $500 discount on my building.

As many others have said they not only use top quality material but, they also treat your property with a lot of respect. They cleaned up after themselves during the construction and after it was done. They brought in a roll off dumpster and porta-pot. They were ready to work at sunrise and stayed most days 12+ hours and even worked a full day on a Saturday. When the building material was delivered the driver wrapped everything with a heavy plastic to keep it protected from the weather.

Everybody that has been in my building has complimented how nice it looks, even my concrete guy mentioned he looked it over and was impressed with its construction. They may command a premium price, but they never seem to be out of work. I mean I signed the contract for my building in April and it was finally built in early November. Thats a hell of a backlog when you consider they were running 3 different crews 6 days a week and only cover a territory that's within an hours drive from their office.

 

[RPH]

I see a snapon versus harbor freight fight looming here.
I went with DIY and materials were top quality. Even the inspector commented on that.
Do what makes you happy, after all its your dollar.

 

[RPH]

Oh, IBTl!

 

[csp]

So there's no doubt that Morton use high end materials and do a good job.

That doesn't mean that the next competitive bidder doesn't, however. That was my point with the Morton guy who gave me a bid. I knew they built a quality building. I wanted to know what they did that the others didn't. Still don't have an answer on that one.

 

[Orange65]

I didn't use to have it and for the most part I still don't, but I've gotten wiser about spending what I do have. That tends to happen as you get older, although not for everyone.
PRICE is what you pay, COST is what you live with. Sometimes when you don't pay enough the cost over the lifetime is greater than expected.

For some, the value of a turnkey building versus taking another 7 years to finish it would justify the additional $10k expense.

Saying the 'one in a thousand' horror stories is like saying "I didn't get in an accident the last 3 years (1000 days) so I guess I don't need insurance after all". Would you really do without homeowners insurance or auto insurance? If nothing ever goes wrong, why pay for insurance?

The OP said he needed it now, so waiting to save is out. And $21K is a lot of insurance for a $30K building.... just sayin..

 

[fastjohnny]

So there's no doubt that Morton use high end materials and do a good job.

That doesn't mean that the next competitive bidder doesn't, however. That was my point with the Morton guy who gave me a bid. I knew they built a quality building. I wanted to know what they did that the others didn't. Still don't have an answer on that one.

Someone's gotta pay the salesman's salary. No knock on Morton quality. The local guy does not have to pay a salesman, corporate overhead ( fat profit margin), etc.

 

[thejudges69]

I priced a 40x96 last year with 2 14x14 door, 2 man doors standard roof steel sides and roof. I priced Morton, 64metals and a couple local people. Morton came in at 121,000 and 64 metals came in around 56k, concrete for the 64 metals was 24k for 8 inches thick and drains, and the electric I figured around 6-8k. The 64 metals building sits on concrete pillars instead of Morton posts sunk into the ground. My dad has a Morton that was built in the early 80's and is still going strong. but the only way I could get them jokers at morton on the phone was to basically bad mouth and yell at them on facebook.

 

[surpdlr]

You do know that Morton use's a heavier gauge (26 gauge by memory) of metal than most pole building builders (29 gauge), right?
I put my first Morton up in 1994, and my second in 2003. Both were at the upper end of cost compared to the other local companies, but the few times I had any problems (roof leaks caused by spider webs) Morton fixed them, no charge! They have since started to use sealing tape at the sheet edges, and the problem is gone.
Most of the local companies that quoted in 1994 are out of business now, and out out of 6 that quoted in 2003 4 are gone.
You get a lot of piece of mind with a company that has been around for over 100 years!
For what it's worth, in the spring of 1994 here in central PA we had some very heavy snow! Lots of building collapse's, including all steel buildings! I never saw a Morton go down, and insurance companies were using Morton to replace buildings that were paid for by insurance!

Your experience with Morton is only as good as the salesman!

Good luck,

Jeff

 

[BDT/NWMN]

Shortcuts will lessen the price with any builder.... Morton is not known to take the shortcuts commonly taken in many pole sheds built in our area... Check out the details, such as that lower four feet of wall on a Morton.. Warranty? Definitely worth the time to do some research and ask a ton of questions... Looks like you have a good start with the questions, and lots of valued answers.

 

[rodm1]

One hug plus for Morton is you can buy repair panels that will match your building in 20 years the other guy probably not. You should get a price to
reside the building and consider that.

 

[jomobco]

It took Morton over 6 months to call me back after I had a chat with them at a local event and explained I was looking to build. My building was 3/4 done by then. I understand brands, quality, and service but I never did get over that.

 

[Ray-CA]

Any Amish builders in your area? I've seen lots of structures here on GJ that they've built and they look great.

Ray

 

[bfarroo]

I priced Morton, Wick, Cleary, and Lester for my building. They were all very close in price. I'm getting final quotes as I have the floor poured and ready for the building to be installed. The big issue I ran into was the Excavating/concrete costs through the building companies. They must put a markup on the contractor work as I was able to get the excavation and concrete done for 8-10,000 cheaper than what it was through the builders. Insulating the floor and installing pex was over 14,000 for the building. I did it myself for a little over 6,000. I think if you go with a reputable builder you shouldn't have any issues. I'd get references and see if you can see any buildings in your area and let their work do the talking.

 

[lh4x4]

In this area I went with Lester instead of Morton. Lester roof trusses are southern yellow pine. Not so with Morton. Morton rep. didn't keep his appointemt with me. Neighbors is Morton mine is better in finishing details. Mine is 7 years old now and the paint still shines.

Lester is a division of Buttler.