Around here, pole barns, machine sheds, and Morton buildings are all terms used interchangeably. Morton is sort of a proprietary eponym, like calling a cotton swab a Q-tip or a facial tissue a Kleenex. It’s a popular brand, and the one we chose.

After the first day of breaking ground and tree removal, it took two days of dirt work to level the building site. No additional dirt had to be brought in; it was just pushed from the high side of the grade to the low side.

We then went out with our builder, three 100+ foot tape measures, and four stakes and marked the corners of the building. It sounds simple, but we positioned and repositioned, measured and remeasured a dozen times at least.

The driveway to the site was completed next. While we awaited the delivery of our coveted building, we had a few more decisions to make, like the exact location and orientation, depth of the footings, and how best to get the materials to the site.

Traditionally, these types of buildings are used on farms to store massive equipment like combines. Farms are usually flat and wide open, easily accessed by machinery and vehicles that can aid in the erection of such a building.

Our site presented a few unique challenges. Our site was not wide open, nor was it easily accessed by machinery and vehicles. We had to tinker with the location a bit so at the very least a ladder could be used to aid the assembly on the back side.

Regarding delivery, it was decided a semi wasn’t going to back up to the site or pull up and try to turn around. So, an extra crew and different equipment would unload the truck at the bottom of the driveway and transport the building materials to the site.

As an aside, I have a confession to make. We’re learning a lot during this process. Construction is not an area in which we have any experience, but we find it fascinating. Healthcare providers are lifelong learners; we have to be. We can’t be practicing medicine from 1950; it constantly changes, and we have to change with it. We also have to communicate—sometimes over-communicate—with the entire interdisciplinary team in order to properly care for a patient.

We’re learning that not everyone in construction is big on communication; people in sales are, but not necessarily in construction. So, we ask a lot of questions. A lot. We kept asking what the new delivery method for the building would be, and we kept getting frustrated by the answer. Here’s the confession: I thought “a lull and some guys” was a typo or an annoying autocorrection. To me, a lull is a lack of activity, more or less, (e.g., there was a lull in the conversation). I had no idea what on Earth he was attempting to say. None.

Then, the Morton salesman told us they were planning to use telehandler equipment and an unload crew. Ok, so I didn’t know what telehandler equipment was either, but Google did. Here’s what popped up: “A telescopic handler, also called a lull, telehandler, teleporter, reach forklift, or zoom boom…” A lull. LULL! Completely humbled.

Anyway, delivery day eventually arrived, and so did the lull.

Several more trips were made successfully, and within a couple hours, most of the materials had made it to their destination. The unload went about as smooth as it could have, and we then awaited the build.

On the first day of construction, all 26 footings were placed around the perimeter of the building site. The footings contain concrete lower columns, so no wood touches the ground.

On day 2, the vertical, laminated wood columns were installed on the footings.

After the 3rd day, the building had really taken shape and was ready for trusses.

Day 4 was truss day.

Framing was completed on Day 5, and work began on one of the soffits, but high winds rendered it too dangerous to continue working on the roof. The crew anchored the trusses down to the footings, and work resumed the following day.

Days 6, 7, and 8 were quite windy as well, but the crew still made good progress nonetheless.

Day 9 was another windy one. The crew stayed low and installed the wainscoting along one side and wrapping around the others.

Days 10 and 11 were brutally cold and windy yet again, but Day 12 was nice. Lots and lots of siding and trim went up.

Many of the finishing touches were completed on Day 13, like the gutters, the ridge cap, wire mesh for bird blocking, delivery of the walk door, and the installation of the weather vane.

A couple more days was all it took to complete the siding, doors, downspouts, and finishing touches.

Over the course of the following week, the ground in and around the Morton was prepped for concrete. Extra framing was installed around the footings of the building, and a base layer was brought in, packed down, and leveled.

Additionally, a floor drain was installed.

Finally, the five inch thick concrete pad was poured. Roughly two-thirds of the area was poured the first day.

The remaining area was poured the following day.

We patiently waited a few days before going inside to check it out.

The gravel driveway will extend up the hill and around the building, connecting the two overhead garage doors. We plan to seed the remaining ground with our prairie mixes this winter. In the spring, concrete aprons will be poured outside all 3 doors, and I’ll do a little selective landscaping with native perennials that naturally repel ticks and mosquitos.

For now, the Morton will house our doors for the house, our work truck, the contents of our storage locker, overflow from our garage and basement, and building materials for the house build, come spring. A major addition to our homestead indeed!