I’m always on the lookout for pre-fabricated structures that can potentially become tiny houses, and the Amish Meadow Lark company in Pennsylvania caught my eye for their simple, but beautiful construction of various sheds, two of which could be the start of a tiny house.
Currently, Meadow Lark has five different models of portable buildings to choose from: Mini Barns, Cottages, Quaker Sheds, Hi-Wall Barns and Garages. The Cottages and Quaker Sheds can be ordered in over 15 different sizes. The Cottages cost from $1,120 to $1,480 for an 8×8 foot structure to $4,195 to $5,120 for a 12×32 foot structure. The Quaker Sheds range in cost from $1,285 to $1,610 for an 8×8 foot structure to $4,760 to $5,770 for a 12×32 foot structure.
Both the Cottages and the Quaker Sheds come in three styles: Economy, Deluxe and Vinyl. Each structure comes with double doors, and the Deluxe and Vinyl structures include two windows and gable or ridge vents. Each of the structures comes in a variety of exterior and shingle colors.
Delivery is free in all Erie and Crawford counties for most buildings up to 14 feet wide. There is a $3.00 fee per loaded mile for delivery beyond those counties. Buildings over 8’ wide delivered outside of PA require an extra permit fee. All 14’ wide buildings require a $350 permit and escort fee.
Photos by Amish Meadow Lark
By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]
If you like these, also in PA, Amish made, is Horizon Structures. I’ve seen a few buildings that would work perfectly. They also do live-in structures such as the upstairs on a horse barn and can modify plans to work. Nope I dont work for them or anything but have admired their work for a long time and considered the possibilities.
Another neat place that has Amish built sheds, barns, and even small cabins is outside of Wilmington, Ohio (a small city off of I-71, between Cincinnati and Columbus). There website is http://amishbarnsuperstore.com/home.htm. The company is called The Wooden Branch.
http://amishbarnsuperstore.com/shed.htm
Thanks for the link. They have some nice sheds. I agree, they would make for nice small houses. I like the ones with a small porch.
Another PA outfit that does *awesome* cabin, prefab, mini-barn, shed stuff is Stoltzfus Structures. My wife and I had a garage dropped off over the summer, and I hung the windows and sided it myself.
http://www.mysheds.net
A similar Amish/Mennonite company in upstate NY is WoodTex, based in Himrod (half way down Seneca Lake between Geneva and Watkins Glen). We had a garage built by them last year and the cost (including free delivery within 100 mile radius) was about half that of having one built on-site. They had some small houses, hunting cabins etc. on their demo’ lot when we went to visit.
Honestly, I’m sure there are a lot of sheds/outbuilding companies that aren’t built by the Amish. While there are some good Amish people, as with any group, there are also a hugely disproportional amount of child and animal abusers within the Amish. I refuse to buy any Amish products because they don’t have to abide by child labor laws and they deny their children education. They are, generally, not the wholesome stereotype people seem to think.
Yes, but you’re forgetting the key driver – price. Sure, I can go to the furniture store and get a dining table and chairs made in Vietnam using child labor and tropically sourced woods for $3000, or I can drive down the street and get the same thing but better quality and local materials built by the Amish for less than $1000.
As for sheds/garages, yes there are non-Amish options out there, but having spent the better part of a year researching this stuff before buying, I can tell you they’re all more expensive, sometimes by a factor of 2-fold.
So, while the Amish may indeed have “unconventional” approaches to treatment of children, by and large they keep to themselves and don’t use much in the way of federal resources, so I don’t have a problem giving them my business. This is economics 101 – people will look beyond human rights to buy what they want. Just ask anyone who buys an iPhone (or a Prius, or a gold wedding band, or non-pasture raised meat).
There is one in Whiteville Tn also Joe Miller He built the shell of my tiny house
All the post have a point, but with this small of a structure I would assume it would be easier and much less cost to build your own….on-site.
You probably could find a lot of usable material along the side of the road and thrift stores. Also Habitat has a nice resale shop in many areas and they can have some unique pieces at just the right price. I think when you design and built your own home you will get maximum enjoyment and value. Good Luck…JC
Another reputable Amish-Mennonite storage sheds company is Sheds Unlimited INC of Lancaster County, PA. They offer both finished and unfinished buildings both one and two story. Many of these could be finished out as a mini house or a backyard retreat area. http://www.shedsunlimited.net/ Check out their options for backyard spaces. http://www.shedsunlimited.net/backyard-spaces-portable-studios-backyard-offices-cabins.html