Kathy Ballard used to live in a metropolitan area, but increasing property taxes and a desire to retire in the country made her start looking for other options. She found a one-acre lot for sale and quickly decided it was the place she was meant to be. The plot was completely undeveloped, so Kathy needed to bring water, septic, and electric service onto her property. Kathy had been thumbing through the Ulrich Cabins catalog for several years, dreaming of buying the perfect cabin. With the help of a sales consultant, she settled on a 16×40 one-bedroom design with a loft. While Kathy lives by herself most of the time, being able to host her children and grandchildren was very important to her. The loft serves as the guest quarters, which her grandkids love. Although the cabin is compact, Kathy doesn’t really feel like its a tiny home. After all, she has a full bathroom, kitchen, and guest bedroom. A small breakfast bar is tucked in at the end of her kitchen, and the space under the stairs has a storage nook. Windows high on the side of the cabin allow natural light to illuminate the living area. For her garage, Kathy purchased a 12×24 Premier Garage from the Ulrich sheds division. Not only does it protect her car but it provides additional storage space too. Kathy loves the feeling of peace and serenity she experiences in her cabin. “At my age, I’ve lived in more than a few homes,” she says. “I’ve never had a home that I have that same feeling every day when I walk in, of complete gratitude.” “Ulrich has been fabulous from start to finish,” says Kathy. #KathyBallard #Tinyhome

Pat and Jerry Bivens live on a pretty property in rural Grandview, Texas. While they needed some storage space, they wanted much more than a storage shed. They wanted a fun building to host family and friends. Pat worked with Ulrich Garages design consultant Dustin Young to select a 30 x 20 Raised Center Aisle Barn. The Bivens’ home has a cedar exterior, so they selected a wood-look siding for the exterior of the barn. The building features a large porch, overhead door, and a red metal roof. The thick 2×6 walls are insulated with polyurethane spray foam, and lined with pine boards and cedar wainscot. The temperature is controlled with a mini-split ductless HVAC system. Pat really enjoyed working with Brian Seaman, the Ulrich director of on-site construction. She says he did a great job communicating and guiding them through the construction process. The ground floor is a combination storage area and game room. The lawn mowers are parked off to one side, and the other side has space for a “cask” table, TV, and real pool table. Jerry has already had the guys over to play pool and hang out. The upstairs is a cozy loft with a sofa that converts to a bed, a TV, and a half bath for when family stays overnight or the great-grandkids have slumber parties. All in all, the barn looks really great on their country-themed property and provides a fun space to enjoy with family and friends. So far Ulrich has constructed two buildings for the Bivens, and they are considering the purchase of a third building. Jerry was impressed with the heavy-duty framing of the barn, and Pat really liked the Ulrich service. “I think the value was wonderful,” says Pat. “They told us what we were going to spend, and that’s what we spent. I think we got a great building for the price, and I wouldn’t be afraid to have them build a home!” #PatandJerryBivens #RaisedCenterAisleBarn #Barnforfamilyfun #UlrichBarn

John and his wife moved from a 100 acre ranch to a 1 acre semi-rural property. John wanted to keep his four wheeler, wood splitter, and a few other tools — so he started looking for a backyard barn. In John’s case, his backyard is a heavily wooded lot that slopes down from his home. He wanted to tuck his backyard barn away in the woods, keeping it out of view from the house. There definitely wasn’t enough room to deliver a 14×24 ft Ulrich Texan Barn between the many trees. Sales consultant Weston Ulrich assured John that we could carry the needed materials down the slope and build it in place. The day the construction crew arrived with a trailer full of building supplies, they began hand carrying the supplies from the driveway to the building site. A building of that size requires a lot of lumber. The crew worked for 3 ½ hours to hand-transport the supplies to the build site. John was impressed by the quality of the crew’s work. He’s a pretty meticulous gentleman, and counts his Ulrich backyard barn one of the few major purchases he’s ever made where there wasn’t an issue of some kind. “It’s just solid as a tank,” he says. One of the features he really likes is the loft. He has a lot of storage items up in the loft.  This helps keep the floor clear for his large, heavy equipment. The heavy duty ramp makes it easy to move his ATV in and out of the shed. John enjoyed working with sales consultant Weston Ulrich. “Weston was great. He was just very upfront and matter of fact. No B.S. kind of stuff, no hard sales. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience — really liked him.” John is very happy with his Ulrich experience and his new backyard barn. “It was actually way better than my high expectations,” he says. #backyardshed #TexanLoftedShed

Tom and Emilia Mason wanted a weekend home near relatives. After eight years in China for Tom’s job, Emilia wanted to reconnect with her grandchildren. She had a piece of family land cleared for a home near her relatives.  It was the beginning of a home building experience. While visiting Tom’s granddaughter who had an Ulrich cabin, Tom was impressed by the craftsmanship. The Masons made an appointment to tour model homes at the Ulrich Cabin Builders sales lot. Within five minutes of walking into the first model cabin, the Masons felt comfortably at home, convinced they also wanted an Ulrich cabin. Sales associate Chris Fenn patiently guided the Masons as they worked through customizing their 32×44 Moose Creek Cabin, explaining possible options. Emilia has a large family, so she wanted a large living room and space for a big dining table. “Porches are one of my favorite things. I love my porches,” she says. Tom does the cooking and wanted a big, custom kitchen. “Chris was great to work with all the way through,” Tom says. “The customer care that Ulrich provides is beyond anything that a normal contractor would even think about. Ulrich has done everything we’ve asked.”  Ulrich strives to provide a better home building experience. While the Ulrich team was building the porch, Emilia realized she wanted certain details changed. The crew immediately figured out how to accommodate her wishes. “Not only does Ulrich build the product correctly, their sense of pride and the way they handle themselves with their customers is pretty unique,” Tom says. “If something is not exactly right, we’ll discuss it,” finding the best approach to fix it. The Masons say their Ulrich Moose Creek Cabin fits them perfectly. Laughing, they explain, “This is our last home. This is where we’re going to stay.” #MooseCreekCabin #TomandEmiliaMason #WeekendHome

Jim Rolewicz co-owns Scenic Hill Vacations in Brenham, Texas. Jim is no stranger to cabin construction. His company has built twelve cabins on location for their vacation rentals which makes him a cabin expert. When it came time to build a cabin for his personal use, Jim didn’t want to go through the hassle of building a cabin from scratch on his property. He started looking around for cabin builders who offered a prebuilt solution — something he could simply move onto the property, already finished out. He liked what he saw online, and visited our headquarters in Cleburne for a factory tour. He was impressed with the construction quality and attention to detail. Brian Pokrifcsak, our Vice President of Cabin Sales, worked with Jim to customize the windows and interior layout. Rather than selecting a two bedroom cabin, Jim purchased a separate Ulrich cedar cottage to serve as his office and laundry room next door. About three months later, Jim’s new cabin rolled up to his property. Given the recent rain and narrow driveway, getting the cabin into position was a challenge. Our crew persevered, and soon Jim’s cabin was set up and ready to use. Jim wishes they had known about us years ago. It would’ve saved this cabin expert a lot of hassle and headache if they could’ve skipped the on-site construction, and instead had their rental cabins pre-built and delivered. #JimRolewicz #portablelogcabins #finishedoutcabin #logcabinsforsaleintexas #UlrichCabinsforVacationRentals

For Bill and Sheree Williams, Christmas 2019 was special. It was the first Christmas in their Ulrich log cabin. Christmas decor is a big deal for the Williamses. Bill pointed out that the placement of the windows along the front of the cabin was designed specifically to showcase their Christmas tree. Sheree has a flair for interior design, and she transformed the interior of the cabin into a “Hallmark” cabin, replete with lights, her collection of Santa figurines, and a tree that brushes the ceiling. On the outside, Santa waves beside the front door, and lights wrap the rustic cedar porch railings. Bill also outlined the roof in multi-colored lights. Situated on 20 acres, the cabin looks across a scenic valley. The front and back porches offer a great view of beautiful sunsets. The Williamses are very pleased with the energy efficiency of their cabin. Their cabin is the Ulrich Moosecreek 101, a 32×44 cabin. At 1,400 square feet, the cabin is the perfect size for Bill, Sheree, and their dogs. The Williams’s love their cabin. While they did need warranty work on their cabin, they are pleased that we took our warranty commitment seriously. They continue to recommend Ulrich Cabins to their friends. #BillandShereeWilliams #ChristmasCabin

Bill and Brenda Piganelli spend their workdays serving people as a firefighter and as a Family Nurse Practitioner. During time off, they enjoy spending time in the country caring for their livestock and pets on their 12-acre mini ranch. Some years ago they purchased a small Ulrich Barn Builders cabin so they could stay on the land over weekends. Eventually, they decided to move to the ranch permanently in order to better care for their animals and enjoy more time outdoors. The Piganellis wanted the cabin built more quickly than regular contractors could. They toured the Ulrich Barn Builders lot, then spent several years dreaming over house plans for their mini ranch. “When we met with the salesperson, it was a breeze. We got all our options, the way we wanted all our rooms to be,” Brenda said. Bill and Brenda were happily surprised by how individualized the Ulrich cabin could be. They chose a 28×42 Moose Creek Cabin, eliminating the hallway and one closet, swapping out a desk in the kitchen for more cabinets, and modifying the bathroom. “We always wanted a log cabin, but not necessarily the log look,” Bill said. Because Ulrich Barn Builders can customize any building, the Piganellis were able to get the cabin feel with cedar wainscot on the bottom half of the walls, with pine for the upper half and the ceiling. The couple was surprised at how fast Ulrich was able to build and deliver their new cabin. They were also impressed with Ulrich’s service. After the cabin was delivered, they found a few glitches with the electricity. These were quickly resolved when one of the Ulrich electricians stopped by on his way home from work the same day to fix the issues. The cabin is angled on a rise so the Piganellis can enjoy the view for miles out over the valley. “We’re just real excited about living here,” Brenda says. #BillandBrendaPiganelli #countrycabin #miniranch

Les Guyse and his wife Cathy built a house in the quiet, peaceful community of The Orchards on the Brazos River near Cleburne, Texas. They planted a salsa garden with several varieties of tomatoes and peppers, which Les spends a lot of time tending. He needed a shed for his garden tools and equipment. They chose to visit the Ulrich Barn Builders lot because of their good reviews. He and his wife were impressed with the quality and precision of the storage sheds. The Guises’ worked with sales associate Westin Ulrich to customize a shed for their needs. Les says Westin was knowledgeable, never pushed to make a deal, and was clear about expectations. The Guises’ chose a 12×20 Premier Portable Garage, the perfect size to house their three mowers and a small garden tractor. The garage was custom painted to match the siding and trim of their house. Due to the size of the shed, it was built onsite. About the building crew, Les says, “There’s nothing about the shed that I was unhappy about. They were quick, efficient and kind.” The building crew did exactly what they said they would do. Because the area is sandy, the garage later shifted. Ulrich quickly came back out and releveled the building. The Guises’ added a Texas star to the gable end of the garage. They plan to add racks and storage for garden tools that they use in their salsa garden. About his experience with Ulrich, Les says, “If you want a good shed, quality materials, you know where to go.” #LesGuyse #SalsaGarden #PremierPortableGarage

Why would a retired English professor want a she shed? If you think it has something to do with a writer’s place, you’re correct. Many women are finding it’s much easier to relax and enjoy their hobbies when they’re not inside their home. Toni Howell is no exception. She loves having a place that’s uncluttered, and away from all the things that “should” be done in her home. Toni enjoys writing and aspires to build a body of published work. She’s already written a novel that she hopes to publish. While she already spends 1-2 hours most days in her Ulrich writer’s cabin, she hopes to bump that up to 4-5 hours, allowing her to make some serious progress on her writing projects. When Toni and her husband Lee saw this cabin shell at our retail store in Cleburne, TX, they knew right away that this was the one. The interior is roughly 12×12 ft, and the porch adds another 4 ft for a total size of 12×16 ft. It’s our Retreat, with heavy duty framing and a loft area above the porch. The Howell’s added insulation, sheetrock, and lighting to convert it from a shell into a finished studio for Toni’s artistic pursuits. A porch light and potted plants give it that extra pop on the exterior. Inside, Toni has a wicker chair for relaxing with a book, and a writing desk for her laptop. The three windows allow generous natural light, and the air conditioner keeps it pleasant during the summer. Thanks for your business, Toni! We wish you many happy hours of writing and great success with your projects! #ToniHowell #Writerssheshed #RetreatCabinShell

Pavan Mula grew up on a farm in India and prefers country life to the city. He found a property, away from his job and where his family could enjoy nature and he can make sure all the stress is gone. Although he looked online at several cabin companies closer to home, they would not show him the building process. The first time Pavan visited Ulrich Cabin Builders and toured the factory, he fell in love with the Ulrich cabins. He toured a model cabin which had the floor plan he wanted and a loft area which his children love. He says, “It didn’t take me long to make a decision to buy an Ulrich cabin.” The factory tour sealed the deal for him. At Ulrich, Pavan observed, “They have the confidence to show what they’re doing—not just the end product, but the process. That shows the confidence they have about their own work.” Pavan loves the woods on his property and wanted to leave as many of the trees as possible. He was impressed that an Ulrich salesperson made the three-and-a-half-hour drive to look at his property and determine how the 16×52 Homestead Cabin would be delivered and which trees to fell. Once the rain finally stopped, cabin delivery went well. Pavan says, “Those two delivery guys, they are awesome. They know what they are doing.” His daughter Mihika says, “I feel happy and excited to come here!” One weekend the Mulas set up a movie outside for the kids while Pavan was grilling. With friends and family working on projects, making s’mores by the campfire, enjoying a zipline, archery and other sports, he says it is very festive. When he and Sai enjoy hot drinks on the deck in the quiet mornings, he says, “All the stress is gone.” #PavanMula #HomesteadCabin

Barbara Lyons sold her house in New Jersey when she retired. Her son offered her a piece of his property in Leonard, Texas, and took her to Ulrich Cabins to find a safe haven and a cozy home. She chose a 16×38 Bear Lake Cabin with an open living room and kitchen, one bedroom and a bathroom. “I wanted to have a nice little cabin that I could take care of, that I’d be comfortable in, and this fit the bill,” she says. She enlarged the cabin as much as possible. The size is easy to care for, but it’s also big enough for one or two people. They chose a site close enough for the grandchildren to run over, but far enough away for both homes to have privacy. As a retiree, “Instead of actually living with your children, this works out much better,” Barbara says. In the loft, “The grandchildren keep all their toys up there instead of downstairs under my feet,” Barbara smiles. The grandchildren romping through her Ulrich cabin show how solid and well constructed it is. Her days are filled with cross stitch, knitting, playing games with her grandchildren, and practicing piano. Barbara loved that as soon as the cabin was delivered and the utilities were hooked up, she could move right into her Ulrich cabin. The whole process was smooth, with the team at Ulrich taking “care of any problems that did come up.” “I like the all wood look, because wood gives you that warm feeling. The smell of the cedar is very comforting,” Barbara says. “It’s a safe haven for me.” #BearLakeCabin #BarbaraLyons #RetireeCabin

The number of homeowners embarking on renovation projects has increased during the pandemic. In a Houzz report summed up on CNBC, it was revealed that there was a 58% annual increase in project leads for home professionals last year. Indeed, it is now apparent that being stuck at home for prolonged periods of time pushed many homeowners to re-evaluate their living spaces and take on improvement projects to improve their lives at home. But aside from making your home more functional or better suited to your lifestyle, home renovation projects can also increase the overall value of your home. That’s the point we want to focus on here, specifically with regard to adding detached structures. How much will a detached structure add to your home’s overall value? There are a lot of different detached structures that you can add to your home. Essentially, a detached structure is just any permanently installed structure that is separated from your home, but not from your property. Garages, gazebos, and sheds, for instance, are common examples. Naturally, value added depends largely on what sort of structure you wind up building, as well as how large, practical, or well made that structure is. To give a general idea though, numbers show that adding a detached garage adds about 65% of its original value to that of the home during resale. You can expect the added value of other detached structures to fall around the same number, in relative terms. Furthermore, you also have the option of researching what features or functions might be most “in demand” for a given structure, and focus on those to enhance ROI marginally. How to maximize your investment? Building a detached structure is also an investment that comes with risks. If you don’t plan thoroughly, you might ultimately be left with a structure that’s more of a liability than an asset. To make the most out of your home renovation project then, and maximize that ROI down the road, start by thinking about how you can fund your detached structure. There are a lot of ways to finance a home renovation project, but the two options that are usually chosen by homeowners are home equity loans and personal loans. An article on Marcus explains the distinction between the two, with home equity loans typically involving lower interest rates and better terms than personal loans. That said, a home equity loan also demands that you list your home itself as collateral –– meaning that failure to make repayments can result in foreclosure. On the other hand, personal loans have no collateral requirement and can be obtained simply and quickly. Choosing between the two is a matter of personal preference based on financial circumstances and tendencies. But it’s important to decide how you want to finance your renovation project early on, one way or another. Aside from funding, there are also some additional considerations to keep in mind with regard to maximizing your investment. How your location will affect the detached structure, for instance, is definitely worth thinking about. Consider as an example that external garages in areas with harsh winters will need more robust heating systems –– adding to initial cost, but also resale appeal. You should also think carefully about the aesthetic of your detached structure. While it might seem tempting to keep up with the latest design trends, it’s best to choose one that can stand the test of time. A post on Architectural Digest lists some foolproof design trends that can help get you thinking along the right lines, with ideas like subway tiles, exposed brick, and wide-plank oak floors all being potentially applicable to a detached structure. Conclusion All in all, a detached structure can be a great addition to your property if you want to increase its value and gain extra living space at once. It’s an involved project, but a manageable one if you give it proper consideration. For more informative and inspirational posts on detached structures, please feel free to continue exploring our blog here on Ulrich Lifestyle. Article specially written for www.ulrichlifestyle.com By Ashley Royce #HowMuchValueDoesaDetachedStructureAddtoYourHome