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Man Builds Steel Garage After Massive Fire Destroys Wooden Barn

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fire destroying old garage in Michigan

 

It only took a few moments to tear down 100 years of history and over $100,000 of hard work for one Michigan mechanic. To prevent a disaster of this magnitude from happening again, Jeff Sullivan decided to rebuild. This time, he was going to construct a custom steel garage.

On the day of the fire, Sullivan says he was working in the barn grinding materials for a project. The whole incident was an awful mistake. He says he left the top off of a can of paint thinner and sparks from the grinder came into contact with the substance. That’s what started the fire.

“I feel bad about it because it’s a piece of history,” commented Sullivan. That building held many memories for the town of Coleman inside.

All Sullivan could do was helplessly watch as massive flames completely destroyed the barn where he’d worked on special projects for years. The fire burned down every piece of the aged, wooden structure along with Sullivan’s hope that things would get better. His decision to rebuild using SteelMaster’s fireproof steel arches would set him on the right track for the future.

“I know 100 years from now my SteelMaster will still be standing,” says Sullivan.

He already knew all about the strength of steel buildings because he has worked with the material for many years as a mechanic and welder. He was also encouraged by a neighbor who currently owns a quonset hut and recently experienced his own disaster.

“He had a fire inside of his building and was able to continue conducting business shortly afterward” says Sullivan.

replacement steel garage in Michigan

Sullivan wanted to make sure a devastating fire could not set him back economically ever again. That’s when he made the final decision to go with a steel garage. SteelMaster’s custom arches are built strong enough to withstand almost any disaster. Our buildings can endure the strongest hurricanes, tornadoes and fires.

Sullivan actually considered getting a pole barn building kit initially, but SteelMaster offered him the most amount of space for the money he was spending.

He and just four other friends were able to put the SteelMaster garage up in just three days. They are now working to construct the end walls for the steel garage.

He plans to install two, 10-foot doors on the back of the building and a commercial roll up door on the front end. A portion of the building will be used as storage, and the other half will be the area where Sullivan will be able to build amazing race cars and other cool projects again.