Building Type:
CommercialShoreline Equipment Company Solves Storage Dilemma with a High-Quality (and Huge) Pole Barn
Patriot Docks in Harris, Minnesota, manufactures shoreline equipment—important products in the land of 10,000 lakes. Due to growing demand for those products, the company had to figure out where to store their raw materials. The solution came in the form of a massive commercial warehouse pole barn.
Check out this video on the project, then scroll down to learn more about the details.
What the owners wanted
“[W]e were storing all of our raw aluminum and steel product outside,” explains Jeff Kapeller of Patriot Docks. The company wanted to change that with a reliable building large enough for warehousing a tremendous amount of material.
What was special about the project
The building area definitely presented elevation challenges. For example, the project required multiple meetings with hydrologists. Also, according to Kapeller, “Incorporating wetland delineation maps was vital.”
In addition, the sheer size of the building is worth noting. At a length of 224 feet, it’s one of the largest projects the builder has worked on.
In the end though, everyone stepped up to do the “quarterbacking” when needed, says Kapeller, who calls the finished building “absolutely incredible.”
Who helped build it
Looking for a builder with great qualifications, Patriot Docks chose Tundra Built, an authorized Wick Builder with experience constructing a wide range of pole barn facilities.
“This project was big,” says Kapeller. But he also says relying on Tundra Built owner Mike Muzzy’s expertise “really made the process a lot easier for us to handle.”
Why a pole barn from Wick Buildings was the right choice
Kapeller calls choosing Wick “a no-brainer.”
“We did … homework with all of the major builders in the marketplace, and we decided on Wick because we knew the quality was there,” he says.
More specifically, he points to Wick advantages like the following:
Superior lumber. “We loved the idea of machine evaluated lumber,” says Kapeller. Wick uses only machine graded or machine evaluated lumber for all structural components, from trusses and columns to girts and purlins. In addition to the visual benefits of this cleaner lumber, it’s at least 15% stronger than regular lumber.
Durable steel. Beyond lumber, Kapeller says “a higher strength steel was really important to us.” Good thing Wick commercial pole barns include full-hard exterior steel, with 80,000 PSI hardness or better, resulting in less dents. That steel is also G-90 galvanized for better corrosion protection.
The ability to expedite production. Wick helped move production ahead within a very strict timeline. “When we started this process, it was late August … and we knew that we were running to the finish line before winter.” Ultimately, the project was completed on schedule. “And we couldn’t be happier,” says Kapeller.
Interested in a project like this? Find a builder in your area!
