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Bob Douglass, now in his 70s, has been a lifelong carpenter. Now officially retired, he still has a lot of tools and continues to do renovations on his own properties. When the couple downsized to their current home, Bob needed a place to keep his tools and supplies organized. Having injured his back some years ago, Bob didn’t want to build the entire shed himself. The couple visited our store and settled on a 10×14 Cape Cottage. Bob had several windows from an earlier construction project that he wanted to use in the shed, so our on-site crew framed out the openings to the correct size for his windows. Inside, Bob added electric, insulation, and plywood to the walls. Overhead, his ceiling simply consists of rigid insulation board with a reflective surface. Not only does it help keep the building cooler during the summer, the reflective surface helps increase the light inside the shed. Having been a lifelong carpenter himself, Bob says, “This is the first time I had anybody build something for me.” He was impressed with the skill, attitude, and preparedness of the Ulrich construction crew. “They knew exactly what they were supposed to do,” he says. “As far as working with Ulrich, I would recommend them to anybody.” #BobDouglass #CapeCottage

Lyndon and Meridell Armour are both artists.  They used several old sheds to store their supplies and tools. Meridell worked on her crafts at a picnic table outside, but it was too hot and dusty most of the year. The pair wanted to have a happy place to work on their hobbies and house projects together. Working with Ulrich Barn Builders, they designed a 14×32 Retreat cabin with a porch. The charming green cabin was built onsite. Lyndon was pleased that Ulrich offered installation for the foundation and floor. He says the cabin is built solidly and beautifully. The cabin has a porch and a break room with art supplies for their granddaughters. A barn door closes off the work area from the break room to contain paint and sawdust. Meridell and Lyndon each have their own side of the cabin with shelves, workbenches, and cabinets. With the heater and air conditioner in their happy place, the artists are not restricted by the weather. They love having enough space to work on their own projects while still being together. Lyndon designs birdhouses and works on projects for their rental houses. Meridell makes mosaics and lights, and enjoys doing art with their granddaughters. They just call it the shed, but their Ulrich cabin is important to their family. “Our granddaughters love being out here. It’s a family place. It’s our happy place. Our place to slow down and enjoy life.” Lyndon says that Ulrich Barn Builders is “one of the few companies where I experienced them taking care of the customer completely. They’ve got it right. I wouldn’t recommend anybody else but Ulrich.” #LyndonandMeridellArmour

Janice Kendrik recently remarried and moved. An artist whose medium is fabric, she has been quilting for more than twenty years. Janice dreamed of a quilting studio. She wanted to have her own space and more room for quilting as she was moving into retirement and having more time to quilt. A storage shed was the best way to get the space she needed. As Janice began her search for a shed, she saw buildings at the Ulrich Barn Builders sales lot.  Knowing something about construction, she was quite impressed with how well-built Ulrich sheds are. She chose a 12×24 Retreat Cabin Shell. She liked the door on the side instead of the front. This door faces her house so she can keep an eye on her quilting studio. The windows on the south bring lots of sunlight into her work space. While ordering the storage shed online, Janice appreciated working with her sales consultant. He was easily reached by email or phone and explained her options well. He made sure Ulrich Barn Builders modified the shed to her specifications. Her quilting studio was delivered as a shell and local contractors finished it out. “This is definitely not a shed. I call it a studio, a place where I go and create,” Janice says of her favorite place. She’s furnished it with a cutting table, sewing area, storage units for books and fabrics.  A quilt on the wall for a focal point, and an easy chair for her husband.  When she’s not in the house, he knows he will find Janice in her quilting studio. This Retreat Cabin Shell from Ulrich Barn Builders is a dream come true. “I’ve been really happy with how everything’s turned out,” Janice says. #JaniceKendrik #quilting

Bob Benda, is the CEO of a national commercial construction company. He first heard about us through a press release.  Ulrich was moving their corporate headquarters to the Pier 1 Building, near Bob’s office. Bob decided to check out our website for a drive-thru shed for his tractor.  He found it really intuitive and easy to navigate. Working with an Ulrich sales consultant, Bob chose our 12×16 Elite Gardener for his garden tractor and garden tools. His drive-thru shed has a set of double doors at each end, allowing him to drive his tractor in and out without needing to back up. The loft up above provides additional space for storage. Bob has purchased sheds from big box stores in the past, but has found that they aren’t durable enough to fit in with the permanent structures on his property. For someone beginning their search for the perfect shed, Bob recommends ulrichbarns.com. You can see our range of models and try different color combinations till you find the one that’s right for you. Overall, Bob is very pleased with his new drive-thru shed. “We’re very impressed with the quality of the finished product,” he says. “And we’re looking forward to enjoying it for many years.” #BobBenda #drivethrushed

Lee and Joan Slaughter’s garage was too cluttered. Their large lawn tractor took up a lot of space. They needed a backyard shed in which to store their mower and gardening equipment. For a year and a half, they observed storage sheds in their area, noting what they did and did not like about the designs and how the buildings lasted over time. Joan says, “Comparing price to the durability and the quality of the materials, it led us to Ulrich.” She and Lee wanted a building consistent with the design of their house, and they liked the appearance of the Elite Gardener series. As Joan says, “It’s classy; we like that.” Working with their Sales Consultant, the ordering process was conveniently done by phone and email. “It went pretty quick from the time we ordered it and it got done,” Lee says. The Slaughters wanted their 10×16 Elite Gardener built on a concrete foundation and floor for durability, which meant the storage shed needed to be built on-site. Joan says the crew from Ulrich Barn Builders was “very diligent and hardworking.” Lee and Joan added electricity, lighting, and insulation. A concrete ramp leads to the double door, and a concrete pad in front of the single door keeps dirt and water out. They use the shed to store their garden tractor, gardening supplies, and for temporary storage during events they host. In the first rain after the storage shed was built, water leaked in at the base of the building. Ulrich “was very responsive,” adding flashing around the base which completely fixed the water problem. Joan says, “It’s a great product. It’s useful. It’s making a difference to us, and we’re very proud of it.” #LeeandJoanSlaughter

Lee and his family live in Mosely, Virginia, near the Swift Creek Reservoir. That location has connected his family more with the outdoors. Lee wanted to add a portable building as a backyard retreat beside their fire pit, making another way to connect with the outdoors and to bring their family and friends together. Lee liked the customizable options of the sheds at Ulrich. When he ordered the shed, he modified the location of windows and doors to fit their yard better. He designed the building so they could watch TV from outside the shed. The location Lee wanted for his backyard retreat among the trees was a tight one, but the experienced Ulrich delivery team set it down in just the right spot. While the building has added value to their lives as they make memories, Lee also knows the investment in their family cave has added to the value of their property. The backyard shed was delivered as an unfinished shell. Lee wanted it to feel like an extension of their home, so he added electricity and finished the walls with wide shiplap in varied stains. He installed a small fridge and a TV. He connected the building to the internet so the family can snuggle on the couch and enjoy movies and sports together. As they enjoy s’mores around the campfire at their backyard retreat, neighbors join the family. With outings and travel restricted by COVID-19, Lee’s backyard retreat has become a special place for the family to go without actually leaving home. Watch the video #customerstories #Lee

Barry and Carla Green are serious gardeners. Over the years, they’ve transformed their backyard from a boring suburban backyard into a colorful paradise with an impressive array of flowers, outdoor living areas, and a pool. The Green’s had a generic old storage shed in their backyard, but they wanted a better shed — one that would be rodent proof and genuinely add to the beauty of their landscape. The Green’s had driven past our Ulrich stores in the past, but never actually stopped in. They do much of their shopping online, and their backyard shed would be no exception. They settled on a 12×12 ft Heritage. It features a single window, an extra wide door with a ramp, and a standard size single door on the side. Inside, the loft wraps around three sides for additional storage. Painted green, gray, and white, the shed strikes a balance between blending in with the landscape and being a statement piece in its own right. “It fits in really well,” says Barry. “I mean, it’s part of the landscape.” Barry added landscaping around two sides of the shed and set some large rocks as steps in front of the side door. Barry and Carla store outdoor furniture cushions, pool items, and lawn equipment in their shed. The Greens report a great experience with Ulrich. “Ulrich did us an awesome job,” says Barry. Carla agrees, “We had no issues at all. None.” #BarryandCarlaGreen

Fred Gilbert has adopted woodworking as his retirement hobby. As any serious hobbyist knows, having a dedicated space for the hobby is always a wonderful thing. Fred needed a woodworking shop. His pool takes up most of his backyard, but he had a small space between his home and the neighbors that was just big enough for a small shed. He initially thought our sales consultant would need to come look at his property in person in order to determine the right size for his workshop. Instead his rep was able to look at his property through Google Maps, helping him choose an 8×16 Heritage shed. The entire order process was completed over the phone and the internet. After we built his new shed, Fred had the interior of the walls and ceilings insulated with spray foam. He lined it with plywood before adding his final wall coverings. His goal was to create a log cabin themed woodworking shop. The result is rustic and cozy. To increase his workspace, Fred added a deck to the front of his shed where he can use his saws. He makes beautiful wood flags, as well as larger pieces like coffee tables. Fred recommends Ulrich because of the quality of our buildings. He’s quite a stickler for quality, which made Ulrich a great choice for his new cabin themed woodworking shop. Fred hopes to purchase a much larger building from us in the future. #FredGilbert

This year, we kicked off Black Friday early with an event featuring the Dirt Doctor (Dr. Howard Garrett). Dr. Garrett is a long-time radio personality. His expertise covers a wide variety of topics related to natural organic gardening, landscaping, and pest control. For our Black Friday event, the Dirt Doctor gave a special presentation.  How to have healthier gardens and trees, the natural way. His presentation included a fascinating look at some of the world’s most impressive trees.  How are they still alive and well today. Besides featuring the Dirt Doctor, we also had a live, shed-building demonstration. Two of our shed builders constructed an 8×8 Heritage shed. This allowed visitors to get a “behind the scenes” look at the construction of an Ulrich shed. This shed had a specific purpose. Rather than serving as a display at our lot or to fulfill a customer order, this shed was the grand prize of the day’s giveaways. Additional prizes included a free personal consultation with the Dirt Doctor, as well as $500 worth of gardening supplies! The weather was mild.  Attendees enjoyed the opportunity to visit personally with the Dirt Doctor.  Also, our designers answered questions about our sheds and cabin shells. #DirtDoctor #DrHowardGarrett

There’s nothing ordinary about Jeff Bachelor’s Christmas light display. Lots of people put up Christmas lights, but very few people spend 4000 hours and 4 ½ months installing their Christmas lights. The Bachelor family’s display was the 2017 winner of ABC’s The Great Christmas Light Fight. The Bachelor home attracts as many as several thousand visitors per night with its magnificent display of lights and Christmas scenes. As you might imagine, it takes some serious storage space to house the props for the many Christmas scenes. Working with an Ulrich sales consultant, Jeff purchased a 16×24 ft Ulrich shed with a custom dormer. Having a great looking building was a must. Besides giving Jeff lots of storage space, the shed also serves as the North Pole Inn in his Christmas set. The Ulrich Christmas shed, otherwise known as the “North Pole Inn” sports dual lofts inside, as well as our full eave and ridge vent system. Outside, Jeff added rock skirting and a flagstone ramp to complete the handsome and practical shed. #JeffBachelor

Jeff Mega has an interesting hobby. He uses his lathe to transform blocks of wood into beautiful, real wood pens inside his Ulrich workshop shed. The wood starts out as a rectangular block. Jeff uses his tools to cut, bore, sand, and shape the wood into nice smooth barrels. The internal components of the pen are glued and pressed into the wood. The end result looks nice and feels good in your hand. But there’s more to the story. Jeff is a spiritual person, and likes producing pens with spiritual meaning. Jeff buys olive wood from Bethlehem, Israel. That’s right, wood from the area where Jesus was born, gets made into a pen in Jeff’s backyard. It’s kind of crazy to hold the pen in your hand and think about the history it represents. Jeff makes his pens in an Ulrich 8×8 ft Heritage Shed. He bought the building, thinking it would be large enough to house his tools — and it is. But now that he keeps some storage in the building as well, he wishes he would have purchased the next larger size for his workshop shed. He likes that the venting along the eaves helps keep the building cooler during warm weather. When he’s working in his shed, he can open up both the back window and double doors, allowing for excellent cross ventilation. Jeff enjoys working with different woods for his pens, as well as baked clay. If you’d like to see more examples of Jeff’s work, visit his website at spiritualpens.com. #JeffMega

HOA rules are all over the map when it comes to backyard sheds. Some associations don’t mind at all if you get a nice backyard shed, and others nearly ban sheds altogether. One of the most common HOA restrictions for backyard sheds is a limit on how tall the building can be. In Yung Lee’s case, that restriction was 7 feet overall height. He did his best to get an exception, but with no luck. If Yung wanted a backyard shed, it would have to be less than 7 ft tall. Yung Lee lives in a new home with his family, and he wanted to be able use his garage as a fitness room. His backyard shed would allow him to move tools and storage items from the garage into his shed. Since a regular height shed was out of the question, Yung worked with an Ulrich Sales Consultant to design a shed that would fit within his HOA’s guidelines. Yung is very pleased with his custom “lowboy” shed. He especially liked the ability to visualize his shed’s colors on our website at ulrichbarns.com. He successfully matched his home’s trim color without ever seeing an Ulrich shed in person. “We were very happy with the entire process,” says Yung. #YungLee