I am planning to build an indoor riding arena on my farm and have found a style I like a lot on the Morton buildings website.
Wondering if anyone has experience working with Morton buildings to build an indoor arena?
Thanks
Everything I’ve heard has been great, I had them price out a barn and attached indoor and the sales rep we worked with was fantastic and very knowledgeable. He had some great suggestions that we wouldn’t have thought of ourselves. We ended up using someone different for our current property, which is currently for sale, but when we buy the new place I plan on using Morton for everything.
I think it depends on who you get to talk and do the work where you are.
I would get bids from several different companies, on the same basic specs, so you can compare apples to apples.
Then weed thru them who has the better local reputation to get things done and well and what people liked and didn’t.
You may end up with Morton after all.
I remember a thread on COTH about someone that used Morton and was not happy, they used a local subcontractor and the Morton overseer had problems.
Not sure that is common with them, many others like them.
When we were getting bids, Morton would not even consider building for us if we didn’t use what they were selling, some wood framing, which we definitely didn’t want.
That was long ago, they may do more what people are asking for, don’t know how they do things today.
The pictures I have seen of their barns were sure pretty, but they were all of newer barns.
I have seen old MD-Barnmaster barns that still look very good to like new after years of use, but they also still look like modular barns, not everyone likes that.
Morton, as with such barns, can be made look as fancy as you want.
If you go look at some, look good inside, see what you see there, how things are holding up to everyday use.
Once you decide what you want and who to build it, you will be happy with most any barn, is wonderful to have one.
Now, I thought you were looking to build an indoor arena, not a barn?
They do riding arenas, too.
I’ve seen some very nice buildings that were built by Morton. When I was getting prices for my barn/indoor, Morton was one of the companies I dealt with as well as 2 other companies. My original intention was to use Morton till I dealt with their rep. 
Unfortunately I honestly didn’t care for the Morton rep. He was a fairly young guy, probably in his mid 30’s and I remember him saying if someone came in with a better price than his, he’d come look at their barn and tear it to pieces.
He was just a bit too impressed with himself so I was glad a local builder could come and do the job for me. Considering the guy I used also did some structures for Cornell University I guess he couldn’t have been too bad. 
They look beautiful, and I called out the local rep before I built my (admittedly small) barn. Quote was about double what the local pole building guys came in at (with an “off-season” discount) and they couldn’t do what I wanted. So I went with the pole barn.
[QUOTE=bdj;8932741]
They look beautiful, and I called out the local rep before I built my (admittedly small) barn. Quote was about double what the local pole building guys came in at (with an “off-season” discount) and they couldn’t do what I wanted. So I went with the pole barn.[/QUOTE]
That was our story, their ballpark, not definitive quote, was double of anyone else and they would not use metal, were trying to sell some new kind of wood poles treated with their magic potion “to make them as good as metal”, yeah.
We had just finished tearing down the last of our wooden structures the termites ate into the ground, we did NOT want wood, we wanted metal framing, how hard is that to understand?
Termites here even eat railroad ties, that are treated with creosote, as soon as they start aging.
You want to build in terrorist termite country, you don’t build with wood, period.
I have a local contractor who is supposed to be getting back to me with an estimate as well. One of my issues is that it seems like nobody really gives a flying fig about our job. It is either too big for the guys I use for “everyday” stuff or I guess it’s too small for the contractors. And we are very far out.
I will persist, however. This IS going to happen!
[QUOTE=King’s Ransom;8932832]
I have a local contractor who is supposed to be getting back to me with an estimate as well. One of my issues is that it seems like nobody really gives a flying fig about our job. It is either too big for the guys I use for “everyday” stuff or I guess it’s too small for the contractors. And we are very far out.
I will persist, however. This IS going to happen![/QUOTE]
Do you have any builders now putting up malls, fast food places, gas stations?
Those would be fine to build an indoor, is the same building, without the concrete floor and all the other stuff inside.
One we asked here had put up the local cattle auction barn when fire destroyed it.
They were building a large warehouse for a company and a indoor boys club soccer center at that time, so didn’t really had time, but would have, if we waited.
Someone around there, some commercial builders, may be happy to look at what you need, then check references good, with the BBB and old customers.
I know that, when we ordered our metal building, the company also provided us with the names of two builders that, if we didn’t want to put it up ourselves, could do so for us, had done so for other customers of theirs.
The more you check out, the more you will learn, the better your building will be all around.
Same experience here. Good quality but not so much so I was willing to pay a 100% premium over 2 other reputable pole barn builders. I’m in PA.
KR, I don’t know if this company has been on your radar but they built our 40’ by 60’ barn. http://www.qualitystructures.com/buildings/equestrian-horse-barns-arenas We had them build the shell and we did the interior ourselves. Look in their AG building section for ideas on large buildings.
The one “failure to communicate” thing was this: we went with eaves on the barn for esthetic reasons because it’s 100’ behind the house. Our thinking was that the AG building look of the side walls going straight up to the roof edge would not look as nice. The eaves added $2,000 to the expense of the barn. The look is GREAT but QSI never mentioned screening off the eaves to keep birds from nesting in there. The result is bird droppings and nesting in the eaves and ridges each year until a couple black snakes come along and eat everything.
However, Morton buildings are top tier and I don’t think you would regret working with them. I bet they screen off eaves too or at least make you aware of the bird issue if you choose to not have them install screens.
My Morton barn was built 18 years ago. It went up in 9 days including foundation prep/grading. Excellent workmanship and I haven’t had a problem with ANYTHING since it was built. I would definitely use them again.
My Morton barn went up fast, too. I was boarding 2 horses while the barn was being built, so that was a big plus for me. They have a good warranty-25 years on the roof, and 60 years for wind damage and structural failure, so keep that in mind when you price stuff out. Seeing Morton crews repairing barns after Hurricane Hugo sold lots of Morton barns in the Carolinas.
SLW – Thank you for the link. I definitely will contact them.
If you are anywhere near the Amish they seem to have the market on building around here lately. My friend is about to have them build an indoor for her, there are several already in the area (MA) that she likes. She got the a much lower price from them than anyone else, I do think she talked to Morton.
Just a quick update – I got a proposal / quote from two builders today, including Morton. They are within 10 percent of each other. I will need to scour them more thoroughly to make sure they are comparable in terms of options, etc.
In all, I have gotten a quote from the Clearspan (fabric) people, Morton and QSI. Clearspan was the highest, for the least options. Morton was slightly less, but for an absolutely stunning building. QSI was the cheapest so far, but not by much.
Very interesting.
I don’t know if it’s still true but around here if you were willing to hold off building, quite often the price on the Morton building came down considerably. That happened to 2 people I know of but it was years ago also.
[QUOTE=King’s Ransom;8935459]
Just a quick update – I got a proposal / quote from two builders today, including Morton. They are within 10 percent of each other. I will need to scour them more thoroughly to make sure they are comparable in terms of options, etc.
In all, I have gotten a quote from the Clearspan (fabric) people, Morton and QSI. Clearspan was the highest, for the least options. Morton was slightly less, but for an absolutely stunning building. QSI was the cheapest so far, but not by much.
Very interesting.[/QUOTE]
Now go look at a building they have constructed. Pay attention to the doors- are they heavy, do they have good tie backs? The eaves thing I mentioned, do they deal with that and keeping birds out? Does the building exterior have wainscoting for ease of repair?
How exciting for you!!!
I will offer that a 20 acre farm was auctioned off on Saturday just south of 223rd and Quivera. It was sold in 2 parcels of 10 acres each. One parcel had the nice home, 8 stall barn with nice details and welded pipe fence. The second 10 acre parcel had the $200,000 indoor arena, a state of the art building, 70’ by 100 something with $30,000 worth of dressage diva footing in it. That parcel sold for $110,000 and the new owner is going to use it for a machine shed for his farming equipment. So build what you want and need but keep in mind for resale you don’t always get the cash back.
Oh I know. We have gone around and around thinking on this, realizing it is not an investment, not a need. It is a want, a luxury. We are ok with that. So is the RV!
Apparently this is happening! Got approval for the financing I need, got a proposal I love, got a contractor … Hopefully we will be doing this by springtime!
