A ‘typical' woman may dream about receiving jewelry, a gift certificate to a spa, or a weekend getaway as a birthday gift from her husband.
Cheri Scanlon is anything but typical.
Two years ago on her birthday, Scanlon was overjoyed with the present she received from her husband—one that was custom-made to go with another present he gave to her in 1996.
"I got my mini horse, Raven, from [my husband] Eric as a wedding present in 1996," says Scanlon, who lives in Carver, MA. "In 2009, he gave me a SteelMaster building as a birthday present, and we built it together and use it as a barn."
Raven shares the barn with Scanlon's other mini horse named Giddy Up and her mini cow named Jenna. But wait, there's more.
"I have 10 chickens, one rooster, a giant rabbit, a wallaby, a fat cat, and a dog whose older sister belongs to Eric," says Scanlon, who found a new home for her goat, seven sheep, and two alpacas a few years ago after she opened a home daycare. "They are all pets, except for the chickens—I have them for fresh eggs. As long as I can remember, I wanted a farm." In fact, Scanlon used to have a full-sized milking cow. "I would make butter, ice cream, pudding, and cheese. It was so good. I use to shave the sheep and alpacas and spin the wool into yarn. I would knit, crochet, and weave hats, scarves, and things like that. It's pretty cool, and I enjoy crafty stuff like that."
But why did she decide upon a steel building instead of a typical wooden one?
In 1996, the couple built a 12×16 barn out of plywood (CDX) and used rolled roofing for the top. A few years after that, they doubled the size to a 24×16. According to Scanlon, about five years ago, the roof started leaking, the walls were rotting, the cheap screw-on windows blew out, and it was literally falling apart.
"My husband wanted a metal buildings, but I didn't," says Scanlon. "I started drawing up plans for a wooden barn. This time I was going to do it right and make it out of Tx1-11, and I was going to get the metal roofing that you see on houses in New Hampshire. I started pricing up everything and did some research. In the end, I figured that the steel building would be cheaper and probably quicker to put together and last forever, and that's how I ended up getting a SteelMaster building for my birthday."
For more than 29 years, SteelMaster Buildings, which is located in Virginia Beach, VA, 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.
"Farm buildings are one of the most common and popular uses for our structures, as well as the top substitute for traditional pole barn applications," says Michelle Wickum, the director of marketing for SteelMaster. "Our build-it-yourself buildings are affordable and offer 100 percent usable space with a clear span design that eliminates beams and trusses. They are easy to construct and provide maintenance-free use for a lifetime."
Along with quality, these factors contributed greatly to Scanlon's decision to buy from SteelMaster.
"I started looking online for some barn kits and SteelMaster Buildings came up," says Scanlon. "I looked at several different kinds from other companies, but mostly they were too big and too expensive. They were also made from a cheaper and thinner metal than SteelMaster uses. I also liked the shape. I liked how high the walls were before the roof curved. After we finished building it, my first thought was that it's HUGE. I couldn't believe how tall it was. It didn't feel like a barn at first, but once everything was up and painted, it really came together, and I love it."
As for the animals, they seem to agree.
"I wanted something really nice for the new barn so I made miniature stalls that looked just like the stalls you would see in a stable," says Scanlon. "They have hay racks and stall mats now. Eric put a pellet stove in there. It is way more comfortable for them, and they love it, too!"
Cheri Scanlon is anything but typical.
Two years ago on her birthday, Scanlon was overjoyed with the present she received from her husband—one that was custom-made to go with another present he gave to her in 1996.
"I got my mini horse, Raven, from [my husband] Eric as a wedding present in 1996," says Scanlon, who lives in Carver, MA. "In 2009, he gave me a SteelMaster building as a birthday present, and we built it together and use it as a barn."
Raven shares the barn with Scanlon's other mini horse named Giddy Up and her mini cow named Jenna. But wait, there's more.
"I have 10 chickens, one rooster, a giant rabbit, a wallaby, a fat cat, and a dog whose older sister belongs to Eric," says Scanlon, who found a new home for her goat, seven sheep, and two alpacas a few years ago after she opened a home daycare. "They are all pets, except for the chickens—I have them for fresh eggs. As long as I can remember, I wanted a farm." In fact, Scanlon used to have a full-sized milking cow. "I would make butter, ice cream, pudding, and cheese. It was so good. I use to shave the sheep and alpacas and spin the wool into yarn. I would knit, crochet, and weave hats, scarves, and things like that. It's pretty cool, and I enjoy crafty stuff like that."
But why did she decide upon a steel building instead of a typical wooden one?
In 1996, the couple built a 12×16 barn out of plywood (CDX) and used rolled roofing for the top. A few years after that, they doubled the size to a 24×16. According to Scanlon, about five years ago, the roof started leaking, the walls were rotting, the cheap screw-on windows blew out, and it was literally falling apart.
"My husband wanted a metal buildings, but I didn't," says Scanlon. "I started drawing up plans for a wooden barn. This time I was going to do it right and make it out of Tx1-11, and I was going to get the metal roofing that you see on houses in New Hampshire. I started pricing up everything and did some research. In the end, I figured that the steel building would be cheaper and probably quicker to put together and last forever, and that's how I ended up getting a SteelMaster building for my birthday."
For more than 29 years, SteelMaster Buildings, which is located in Virginia Beach, VA, 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.
"Farm buildings are one of the most common and popular uses for our structures, as well as the top substitute for traditional pole barn applications," says Michelle Wickum, the director of marketing for SteelMaster. "Our build-it-yourself buildings are affordable and offer 100 percent usable space with a clear span design that eliminates beams and trusses. They are easy to construct and provide maintenance-free use for a lifetime."
Along with quality, these factors contributed greatly to Scanlon's decision to buy from SteelMaster.
"I started looking online for some barn kits and SteelMaster Buildings came up," says Scanlon. "I looked at several different kinds from other companies, but mostly they were too big and too expensive. They were also made from a cheaper and thinner metal than SteelMaster uses. I also liked the shape. I liked how high the walls were before the roof curved. After we finished building it, my first thought was that it's HUGE. I couldn't believe how tall it was. It didn't feel like a barn at first, but once everything was up and painted, it really came together, and I love it."
As for the animals, they seem to agree.
"I wanted something really nice for the new barn so I made miniature stalls that looked just like the stalls you would see in a stable," says Scanlon. "They have hay racks and stall mats now. Eric put a pellet stove in there. It is way more comfortable for them, and they love it, too!"
