The dog did it.
Well, the dog didn't intentionally do it. The fact that he inadvertently set fire to Michael and Robin Novotny's two-story garage on Easter Sunday of 2007 was all because he mistook the riding lawn mower for a chew toy, causing the electrical wires to become mangled.
It was the day before Easter when Michael positioned the lawn mower in front of his garage, with the expectation that he would tackle the mess the dog made to the wiring in the next couple of days. What he didn't expect was the smell of burning wood and the noise of a crackling fire that greeted him when he headed outside the next day around noon.
"I looked up and saw my garage roof on fire," says Michael, who, along with his wife, lives in Ironton, MN. "I ran into the house and told my wife to call the fire department. I managed to get her new car out, but I felt so bad that she lost everything she had upstairs in the old garage—things like her china, the first rocking chair I got her when we had our first baby, and most of the things our kids made when they were in school. The fire chief figured that the lawn mower may have started the fire as there was no electricity in the garage, and I never did anything with flammable items in there."
When the insurance company told Michael that he could only build a one story garage to replace the one that burned down, he decided to get a metal building this time around. Drawn to the shape of a Quonset hut, he contacted a few businesses that advertised that style of building, but none of them were able to sell him one that fit the dimensions of his existing foundation and floor—that is until he contacted SteelMaster Buildings, which is located in Virginia Beach, VA.
"I live on a small piece of property in the country, and I am next to an environmental lake," says Michael. "There are many rules for building in this area, and I got permission from the county that I live in to build on the exact floor and footing—but not an inch bigger either way. When I called SteelMaster the person I dealt with asked the engineers if they could build a garage to fit those strict measurements, and then he called back in an hour and said that they could. I ordered a garage right away, and in about four weeks, the semi met me on the main road not far from my home. I invited the driver for lunch, and my wife made us something to eat as the driver was hoping to make it to Montana by night. He was a neat fellow from Canada, and we had a nice visit. Since I had time to spare while waiting for my garage to come, I watched the SteelMaster videos on construction and read the paper work, so I was good to go!"
For more than 29 years, SteelMaster Buildings has manufactured, designed, and supplied pre-fabricated arched steel structures to 40,000 customers located in every state of the United States, in 40 countries, and on seven continents around the world.
Michelle Wickum is the director of marketing for SteelMaster and says that Michael made a wise decision when he chose to build his second garage with steel.
"Steel does not rot, warp, shrink, or split, and it is non-combustible," says Wickum. "SteelMaster buildings are easier to handle, stronger, and less expensive than any other common garage building materials. Steel's inherent strength resists fire, earthquake, and hurricane damage. Steel components weigh up to 60 percent less than wood members, and all steel products are repeatedly recyclable."
In addition, Wickum says that the arch design of the building as well as the clear-span, truss-less interior provides people with the option to customize the building however they like.
So even though Michael was not able to have a second story, he was able to have the space.
"My old garage was huge upstairs—it could have been a dance floor," says Michael. "But, as big as it was, I didn't have it filled. I don't think I ever would have. With my SteelMaster, I built a small work space in the new garage and some overhead storage—and I have plenty of room to spare."
While Michael says that he is proud of his building, he is especially proud of the wooden end walls—a product of his craftsmanship.
"I ordered the garage without end walls as I was pretty sure that I could make them, and I wanted them to match the house as best as I could. I like a little challenge so I came up with bending the 2×4's by cutting into them half way and it worked great! The garage is 24'x32', and I put both car doors in the small end and an entrance door too! I had to use 8' car doors, but I had just enough room.
While Minnesota is known for its intense winters, Michael says that the building hasn't had so much as a leak after the four years since it was constructed. In fact, he is so thrilled with his SteelMaster building all around, that he has applied for a permit to build an additional garage.
"I want to do this before there are any more restrictions in my area, and I have been pre-approved and am doing a little planning," says Michael. "I would like to put up an 18'x50' or a 20' x 50' storage and greenhouse, and I have a new idea on finishing one end of this building to make it unique!"
In addition to garages, SteelMaster's steel and metal pre-engineered buildings are designed for a broad range of residential and commercial applications including homes, farm buildings, workshops, agricultural storage, Quonsets, airplane hangars, RV storage, roofing systems, carports, military buildings, commercial warehousing, and industrial storage as well as a wide variety of custom building applications including athletic facilities, retail stores, churches, bus stops, smoke shacks, doggie dorms, and correctional facilities.
By Brenda H. Welch
Well, the dog didn't intentionally do it. The fact that he inadvertently set fire to Michael and Robin Novotny's two-story garage on Easter Sunday of 2007 was all because he mistook the riding lawn mower for a chew toy, causing the electrical wires to become mangled.
It was the day before Easter when Michael positioned the lawn mower in front of his garage, with the expectation that he would tackle the mess the dog made to the wiring in the next couple of days. What he didn't expect was the smell of burning wood and the noise of a crackling fire that greeted him when he headed outside the next day around noon.
"I looked up and saw my garage roof on fire," says Michael, who, along with his wife, lives in Ironton, MN. "I ran into the house and told my wife to call the fire department. I managed to get her new car out, but I felt so bad that she lost everything she had upstairs in the old garage—things like her china, the first rocking chair I got her when we had our first baby, and most of the things our kids made when they were in school. The fire chief figured that the lawn mower may have started the fire as there was no electricity in the garage, and I never did anything with flammable items in there."
When the insurance company told Michael that he could only build a one story garage to replace the one that burned down, he decided to get a metal building this time around. Drawn to the shape of a Quonset hut, he contacted a few businesses that advertised that style of building, but none of them were able to sell him one that fit the dimensions of his existing foundation and floor—that is until he contacted SteelMaster Buildings, which is located in Virginia Beach, VA.
"I live on a small piece of property in the country, and I am next to an environmental lake," says Michael. "There are many rules for building in this area, and I got permission from the county that I live in to build on the exact floor and footing—but not an inch bigger either way. When I called SteelMaster the person I dealt with asked the engineers if they could build a garage to fit those strict measurements, and then he called back in an hour and said that they could. I ordered a garage right away, and in about four weeks, the semi met me on the main road not far from my home. I invited the driver for lunch, and my wife made us something to eat as the driver was hoping to make it to Montana by night. He was a neat fellow from Canada, and we had a nice visit. Since I had time to spare while waiting for my garage to come, I watched the SteelMaster videos on construction and read the paper work, so I was good to go!"
For more than 29 years, SteelMaster Buildings has manufactured, designed, and supplied pre-fabricated arched steel structures to 40,000 customers located in every state of the United States, in 40 countries, and on seven continents around the world.
Michelle Wickum is the director of marketing for SteelMaster and says that Michael made a wise decision when he chose to build his second garage with steel.
"Steel does not rot, warp, shrink, or split, and it is non-combustible," says Wickum. "SteelMaster buildings are easier to handle, stronger, and less expensive than any other common garage building materials. Steel's inherent strength resists fire, earthquake, and hurricane damage. Steel components weigh up to 60 percent less than wood members, and all steel products are repeatedly recyclable."
In addition, Wickum says that the arch design of the building as well as the clear-span, truss-less interior provides people with the option to customize the building however they like.
So even though Michael was not able to have a second story, he was able to have the space.
"My old garage was huge upstairs—it could have been a dance floor," says Michael. "But, as big as it was, I didn't have it filled. I don't think I ever would have. With my SteelMaster, I built a small work space in the new garage and some overhead storage—and I have plenty of room to spare."
While Michael says that he is proud of his building, he is especially proud of the wooden end walls—a product of his craftsmanship.
"I ordered the garage without end walls as I was pretty sure that I could make them, and I wanted them to match the house as best as I could. I like a little challenge so I came up with bending the 2×4's by cutting into them half way and it worked great! The garage is 24'x32', and I put both car doors in the small end and an entrance door too! I had to use 8' car doors, but I had just enough room.
While Minnesota is known for its intense winters, Michael says that the building hasn't had so much as a leak after the four years since it was constructed. In fact, he is so thrilled with his SteelMaster building all around, that he has applied for a permit to build an additional garage.
"I want to do this before there are any more restrictions in my area, and I have been pre-approved and am doing a little planning," says Michael. "I would like to put up an 18'x50' or a 20' x 50' storage and greenhouse, and I have a new idea on finishing one end of this building to make it unique!"
In addition to garages, SteelMaster's steel and metal pre-engineered buildings are designed for a broad range of residential and commercial applications including homes, farm buildings, workshops, agricultural storage, Quonsets, airplane hangars, RV storage, roofing systems, carports, military buildings, commercial warehousing, and industrial storage as well as a wide variety of custom building applications including athletic facilities, retail stores, churches, bus stops, smoke shacks, doggie dorms, and correctional facilities.
By Brenda H. Welch
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