To go along with several of his existing Morton buildings, he wanted to build a large heated shop that would serve as the hub of his farming operation.
And when he said large, he meant it.
He wanted a building that was at least 100 feet wide.
Vaughn turned to Morton Buildings, who was able to place steel trusses on its traditional wood-frame structure to create a building that was 125 feet wide.
“Going this size, you never over-build,” Vaughn said. “When I talk to my lenders, when I talk to other building representatives, they say they never talk to a farmer that one, two three years down the road said they built too big of a shop.”
Meet Morton’s hybrid building. The technology allows for clear span buildings up to 125 feet. Compared to traditional wood-frame construction, that’s 33% more space and the hybrid provides additional interior clearance.
It also provides greater door clearance, giving you the ability to use bigger doors with shorter walls, allowing for a lower profile building.
This new building offering is in response to the ever-changing business of agriculture. Machinery and farming operations are both getting bigger.
“They had thought about this I’m sure for five to 10 years that 81-100 feet wouldn’t be the future and this will give you an expandable future where there are no bounds how high or wide we can go,” Vaughn said.
So what’s the advantage of going with a Morton Buildings hybrid over steel framed builders?
Morton’s wood framing and steel truss provides superior insulating properties when compared to all-metal buildings. Wood framing can also outperform many all-steel structures because wood framing provides a wind-resistant box, even before the siding is attached.
With post-frame construction, you get flexibility and affordability. With Morton hybrid buildings, you get that plus the spanning capabilities of steel.
“You just don’t see many wood frame buildings that are 100 feet wide,” says Scott, who recently constructed a 100x150 hybrid building. “Usually, they are steel framed buildings and I really like the workmanship and the quality of the Morton buildings. So when they said they could do a (hybrid) and I would be able to fold out my big planter inside, drive the combine in with the head on and have both those machines inside with other equipment, that was a good thing.”
The wider span of a hybrid building also provides greater convenience. Rob, who had Morton construct a 110 foot wide hybrid machine storage building, appreciates the flexibility that comes with taking equipment in and out of his building.
“We still have room to drive down the center to get the equipment in and right out the doors,” Rob says. “If we want to pull one piece of equipment out it’s right there, just back it out and go rather than having to move several pieces to get one item out. The larger building with the wider sides did make a lot more sense for us.”
The flexibility, efficiency and strength of a Morton hybrid makes it the perfect building for farming operations, commercial warehouses and riding arenas. And as with traditional Morton buildings, Morton hybrids offer countless features and options to meet your building needs including porches, overhangs and Morton’s exclusive Energy Performer® insulation package.
To learn more about Morton’s hybrid building, check out our digital brochure.
Morton Buildings offers exceptional flexibility when it comes to commercial facilities. Because Morton buildings use a truss system, eliminating the need for interior support walls, our buildings offer a wide open floor plan that can be developed to best fit the needs of the business and its owner.
We use it for banquets, you know any function the church needs as long as we have people that are willing to move stuff around. The facility is large enough to do that and is very versatile.
Jason Hanceville, Alabama Pastor Crosshaven Church
The interior of post-frame buildings also allow for future alterations to the layout whether for expansion or renovations down the road.
The building was built so that it could be expandable and Morton would be the one I would go to because they still have the plans and also have the technology to go ahead and remove the face off of this one and expand it back out to make it larger or smaller.
Dr. Rollett Missoula, Montana Blue Mountain Veterinary Hospital and Surgery
Regardless of what their commercial building is used for, Morton owners have found the flexibility and versatility of a Morton building to be invaluable before, during and after construction.
They were able to help plan the building, make sure things were laid out in the way that would be practical for us.
George Sylva, NC Jackson County Rescue Squad
With the Morton, they were able to adapt to our specific site. Able to do whatever size building would fit on the lot. Adaptability was what was great with Morton.
Tom Seymour, IN T & D Mini-storage
Watch this video to learn more about Morton Buildings’ commercial facilities.
He had Morton Buildings construct his dream home five years ago on his sprawling property.
With beautiful finishes on the inside and a log-cabin style look on the outside, the residence fits neatly in the Oklahoma countryside.
However, he was skeptical about including one thing in his home: Morton’s Energy Performer® insulation package.
The Energy Performer package combines wide blankets of insulation, a vapor barrier and proper ventilation, to create a superior insulation system that outperforms others on the market. The Energy Performer package is able to keep the interior of the building at a consistent temperature with minimal heating and cooling needs.
“They told me when they built this house I could probably heat and cool it for an average of $100 or $120 per month,” said Charles, who has a 42 x 60 home with a 22-foot ceiling. “I thought that probably makes a good selling point but they’re probably going to be wrong.
“I didn’t believe how good it was going to be.”
The energy bills started coming and Charles quickly realized that his Morton Buildings sales consultant was right about the home’s monthly utility costs.
Then, two winters ago the insulation system got put to the test when his home lost power for seven days.
He was able to comfortably heat his home with a six-burner stove.
“Since then we’ve done away with a lot of the electrical products,” Charles said. “We have a wood burning stove with a blower and a pellet stove and it’s unbelievable how cheaply you can heat a house with high ceilings if it’s constructed well.
“You can shut everything off and leave it and it doesn’t get within 25 degrees of the outside.”
Nelson, another Morton owner, quickly realized those advantages after having the Energy Performer package installed.
He has a 7,000 square foot hangar with attached shop and spends less than $100 per month on his energy bill.
“I can have meetings in there in the summertime,” Nelson said. “My granddaughters love to play in here. At 95 outside it’s only 70 inside. So we use it all year round and the granddaughters consider it their building when they’re here.”
From a business perspective, Energy Performer is a good investment. Larry owns a commercial facility with an office and shop in central Illinois.
He installed the Energy Performer package as a money-saving measure since he has to heat and cool such a large area.
“I think the highest utility, gas bill I’ve ever had was $300 and my house is a lot more than that and I don’t have 12 x 12 doors going up and down all day,” Larry said. “Its way exceeded what I expected. I figured it would be twice that but it’s way less.”
Whether it’s your home or business, you’re always looking at the bottom line. And the bottom line is that the Energy Performer package helps Morton owners save money on their monthly utility bills.
“It’s just incredible,” Larry said. “The other buildings, I don’t think anybody could have even come close to matching this.”
Steve’s building had the amenities he always dreamed about: an expansive shop to work on his equipment, an office to meet with vendors and a cold storage area to house his tractors and combines.
It was also a good place to have a party. The building was just two months old when they held a fourth of July celebration in their Morton farm building.
The next day, his building was nearly destroyed. Steve and his wife were driving back to their Sumner, Nebraska home from a nearby town when they ran into a storm with hail, high winds and pouring rain.
The worst part of the storm was a tornado that hit his family farm.
“When we did finally make it home here, there was enough lightning flashing and we didn’t have electricity or anything,” Steve said. “We looked over toward this building and saw that the grain bin was gone, the pivots were flipped over and the roof was tore off the work area and water was just pouring in. Looked pretty sickening.”
Steve felt somewhat relieved when he remembered that his Morton Buildings sales consultant told him that his building had a five-year wind load warranty.
Even though a tornado came through and destroyed most of the building, it was going to be repaired for free.
“It was pretty devastating, but we called up the sales rep and he came right out with some technicians and got it scoped it out,” Steve said. “They ordered supplies, got things rolling rebuilt the structure for us, which I thought was pretty impressive.
“If this would’ve been a brand x, we would’ve been totally reliant on our insurance to take care of it.”
Since his building has been repaired, Steve now enjoys having the extra space he didn’t always have.
“Years ago we had a little shop. It was alright 30 years ago when equipment was four row to six row. Agriculture is expanding and farms are getting bigger, so now we run 12 and 24 row equipment,” Steve said. “Bigger combines, everything is taller and wider and it’s really nice to get the equipment in the building to be able to work on it all year round.
“It’s just made us more efficient as a farming operation. It starts with your shop and your office.”
And a written warranty that’s unmatched in the building industry.
Steve has four structures constructed by Morton Buildings on his northeast Indiana farm, but his first encounter with the company came long before he put up any of those buildings.
It all started in 1974 when his father had Morton build a shop for his family farm.
“I’ve always felt the quality that Morton has is top notch,” Steve said. “We like things that are built with good quality in mind.”
Steve continued the family tradition in 1998 when he had Morton construct a building with living quarters, cold storage and a shop with Morton’s Energy Performer® package.
Since then he’s added two more Morton buildings on his property. Steve used the same color scheme from the 1998 building for ones constructed in 2009 and 2010.
“The paint process Morton uses on the steel is second-to-none and keeps it from fading and it still looks fresh as it did 14 years ago,” Steve said. “You can’t tell the wear from the building that was built in ’98 from the one in 2009.”
The structures all have different uses on his family’s farm. One building houses a barber shop, a place to work on his cars, an upstairs living quarters as well as cold storage.
The building adjacent to it also has Morton’s Energy Performer package, it houses his semi-truck and additional farm equipment. Steve’s newest building is a machine storage shed that protects all of his farm equipment.
His family’s property is tied together with a Morton pavilion that overlooks their pond and sits perfectly between two of Steve’s buildings.
Fittingly, a John Deere tractor that Steve restored is under the pavilion.
“It kind of gives a nice backdrop to the other buildings,” Steve said. “Something for more of decoration or you can fish off the pier. I have a lot of comments on the pavilion. People think it’s pretty neat with the tractor under it.
“If I were to sell my place and people come to look to buy and they see the Morton name on it, I feel that it adds value to my property,” Steve said. “I’ve always felt that and people know that when they see a Morton building that they feel the quality is there.”
The earliest that Keith Lee has ever planted crops fell on April 15th some years ago.
The recent streak of mild temperatures throughout the Midwest means that Lee will likely get a rare jumpstart in the field.
“It looks like I might be there again this year, maybe a little before April 15th,” Lee said. “After the 10th of April, I’ll really be looking at it.
“You beat the heat when the corn comes up. If you can beat the heat before the first of July and the end of August that’s great because heat will hurt your yield.”
Some farmers have already been in the fields planting, but with crop insurance not kicking in until early April and the unpredictability of the weather, you run a risk.
“If the corn comes up and you have a frost, you’ll be out there doing it again,” Lee said.
While the rain poured down on his Mackinaw, Illinois,farm last week, Lee was busy working in his Morton machine storage shed getting his equipment ready.
“You have to make sure everything is in tip top shape,” said Lee, who farms 1,000 acres. “Also, lubricate everything and that is – check everything – on your planter, the chains, wheels, no till coalers, any bearings you might have to replace.”
When it comes to protecting and preserving your farm equipment, a solid structure is critical.
Lee has owned a Morton Buildings machine storage shed for 16 years and knows the benefits his building has brought to the farm. He says he has seen an increase in the trade value of his equipment and has also been able to spend less time maintaining his building and more time working on the farm. One big benefit of a Morton building, according to Lee, may be something people don’t often think about.
“Number one would be birds,” said Lee laughing, “I don’t have any birds in this building. I have another farm building and it’s just terrible. I have to cover my tractors because the birds are so bad over there.”
Morton Buildings goes to great extremes to prevent birds from nesting. In each machine storage shed, the tops of the columns are factory pitch-cut and 2x2s block nesting areas between nailers, behind the upper columns.
Also, 2x4 blocks fill the area between the edge of the building and the first rows of purlins.
High tensile steel X-banding is used instead of 2x6s for sidewall bracing and flashings are installed in the gables.
Wire mesh and bird blocking are strategically used throughout the building,eliminating potential nesting areas.
Learn more about the quality of a Morton Buildings machine storage shed by watching the video below.
The aftermath of a severe storm can be devastating. It can leave you feeling alone and unsettled as you begin to rebuild your home and community.
Unfortunately, that’s what many in the Midwest and South are dealing with this week after deadly tornados ripped through their area.
This type of disaster can leave people looking for help and a dependable company they can trust to help them throughout the rebuilding process. Whether it’s a home, hobby shop, horse barn or machine storage building, protecting your investment is important.
That’s why Morton Buildings offers some peace-of-mind when it comes to ensuring your structure stays intact.
Morton offers a five-year wind load warranty with no wind velocity limit; which means if your building is damaged by wind we will fix it free of charge.
“We had about 11 outbuildings and then we added a Morton machine shed,” said Randy, who is from Rapid City, South Dakota. “We had a tornado that came through and all the other buildings at the place were skew out of plumb and level and the Morton remained exactly as square as the day they built it.”
But sometimes Mother Nature is just too much for a building.
During the spring of 2010, 100 mile per hour winds came through Knox City, Missouri. Trees and buildings were damaged or destroyed.
Luckily, Mark and his family were safe in their basement. Their house survived but their Morton machine storage shed didn’t.
A Morton construction crew got right to work, clearing debris the same day the storm occurred.
“I felt like I made a wise investment going with Morton due to the wind load warranty they had,” Mark said. “It’s unfortunate that it happened but the whole company personnel from top to bottom was real good and the crews that they had here, even on the weekend, were top notch.”
Less than three weeks later, Mark’s 60x120 farm building was rebuilt. Morton Buildings knows it is important to get back to normal after a storm. Customers can be confident that their warranty-covered building will be repaired or replaced as soon as possible.
“I would highly recommend them to anybody, due to some of the features they have,” Mark said. “You know it’s not just the warranty, but that is a big part of it.”
With the launch of our Facebook timeline last week, we thought it would be fun to open the vault and show you some of the ads that Morton Buildings has run throughout the years.
Here is a great example of how important energy efficiency is in any structure.
Brian constructed a Morton commercial building that was two and a half times bigger than his existing structure.
Even though the size of his building increased 16,000 square feet, his energy bills decreased by 32%.
“It’s a nice, tight facility,” said Brian, who is an owner at G.A. Rich & Sons Plumbing in Deer Creek, IL. “Morton Buildings had everything all the way from the insulation, the foundation through the garage doors.”
Brian used Morton’s exclusive Energy Performer® insulation system, which exceeds many state building codes for efficiency.
Another key component was the installation of in-floor heating in his 14,000 square foot shop.
“Especially early in the morning, between 5:00 and 6:00 a.m., the guys are in here loading trucks, the doors are up and down,” Brian said. “With the energy package, the doors that we chose and all of the insulation we put in here, it is able to maintain a great temperature.”
“The energy savings allowed us to spend a little more on our interior, on our furnishings – our desks, light fixtures.”
Havana National Bank in Lewistown, IL received the Energy Star Label in 2009 and 2010. The building was constructed with the same energy standards Morton sets for all of its Energy Performer buildings.
Morton provides its customers with environmentally friendly building options. In fact, Morton has also been going green for a long time, ever since we constructed our first building in 1949. The siding and roof steel used in our buildings is typically recycled and recyclable and many of our other materials are manufactured within 500 miles of the jobsite.
The Rail Splitter Wind Farm Operations and Maintenance Facility in Hopedale, IL is another example of our green projects. It received LEED Silver Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
LEED recognizes buildings that have an approach to sustainability by recognizing conservation in several areas.
So what can you do to become more energy efficient in your home?This Old House suggests a DIY Energy Audit.
“Air leaks are likely culprits, but so are ‘phantom’ power suckers, such as flat-screen TVs, which draw energy even when they’re off.”
Forget the game, the commercials or even the party.
Really, it all depends on where you’re watching the game.
We’re talking about man caves.
A “man cave” has long resided in an extra living room or basement. Basically, it is an area to have a big television and showcase all the stuff that your significant other would never let you put in the living room.
It also has to be comfortable retreat – a comfy couch or chair is a must. Maybe it includes a pool table, foosball or a ping-pong table.
The question is, how do you incorporate all of those things while still staying on speaking terms with your spouse?
There is some class and elegance involved in making the perfect man cave. HGTV designer Lisa Laporta dishes out some good advice when it comes to these man palaces.
“I don’t like rooms that are all about the TV. And by the way, TVs aren’t that pretty when they aren’t on,” LaPorta said. “So make sure you think that through in your rooms and you have enough features and focal points to balance the room even when the TV isn’t on.”
That shouldn’t be a problem because most guys can easily build a collection of beer signs, posters and jerseys.
To help give you some ideas on constructing the perfect man cave, you’ll see some links below, including a photo album of what some Morton Buildings’ owners have done.
