Bender Builders, Inc., has earned its reputation as the best barn straighteners in the Midwest. For nearly a half-century, Bender Builders has been straightening barns and repairing farm buildings, saving barns that others said would have to come down. It's no wonder that they are so known and well respected by all the major insurance companies who handle farm-building claims.
Kyle Bender, the son of the late Denny Bender, owns and operates Bender Builders. Denny, the founder of Bender Builders, grew up on a farm in central Wisconsin and over the decades has shared his vast knowledge, expertise, passion and devotion to this craft with his son Kyle.
Kyle understands the demands to get the first crop in so the second crop can start growing, and he schedules repairs around your crop season. He also is very conscientious about saving buildings that have been in the family for generations. Kyle is no stranger to the fact that pride and hard work make up the backbone of a farm family. He carries this pride and hard work from his childhood days working closely with his dad into the repair and straightening of your barns and buildings to keep them standing for years to come. Kyle did not grow up on a farm, but he grew up working on barns since he was 12 years old.
Specifically, Bender Builders raises structural framing, replaces sills, repairs wall posts, shifts roof systems back to their original position, and repairs or replaces all other structural members. They install ribbed metal roofing, repair and replace stone and concrete block walls, raise, hold and shift structures while masons replace poured walls.
Most projects are bid so you know exactly what your costs are, with no hidden fees at the end of the project. Approximate bids can be given if Bender Builders is provided with digital or print photos. For exact costs, an on-site inspection is required.
Bender Builders is familiar with all types of barns and farm buildings and will repair/restore all framing types, whether timber or plank frame, gable, gambrel or gothic roof styles. The main objectives of Bender Builders are to:
1. Restore structural integrity
2. Save timber frame structures (they outlive newer construction)
3. Get the job completed quickly, efficiently, and to everyone's satisfaction
There are many barns and farm buildings in the Midwest that are still standing because of the expertise and quality work of Bender Builders. If you have a barn or farm buildings in need of repair call Bender Builders. Many insurance companies, as well as area farmers, will tell you that Bender Builders is the best in the business, a reputation they have earned.
Feel free to take a look at some of our testimonials or contact us about your barn restoration needs.
Saving Your Heritage
In the last couple of decades, focus has shifted from razing barns and farm buildings to restoring them. Many of these buildings have been in families for generations. There are television shows and organizations, and now web sites, that focus entirely on saving barns and farm buildings.
Most of these buildings are timber frame and were built between the mid1880s to 1920," says the late Denny Bender, founder of Bender Builders. "Their lifespan is about 100 years, so when we go in and restore these buildings, we are giving them another 100 years of life. When I restore a timber-frame structure, I am putting my reputation in it for the life of the building which could span another four generations."
Not only do timber-frame structures outlive newer constructed buildings, they also hold years of memories--long hot summer days mowing hay and cold winter nights--years of hard work that can't be replaced. When Bender saves your barns and farms building, they are also saving your family heritage.
Undoing Mother Nature
If you live in the Midwest, you know that the months between April and October can be very unpredictable when it comes to weather. Storms can show a fury that wipe out everything in their path, leaving nothing standing. The fact that we live in an area referred to as Tornado Alley speaks for itself.
The Calm Before the Storm
Maybe you are fortunate in that you have never had to cope with storm damage. But anyone living in the Midwest experiences extreme changes in the weather, and these changes take their toll on buildings after a while, even without getting hit by a major storm or tornado.
Barn Restoration
Every year we have a higher percentage of our customers interested in complete barn restoration, or partially restoring and returning their barn back to its original condition. Restoration of barns involves many areas, including stone foundations, sills, barn straightening, frame repair, wood wall sheathing, and milled batten strips. We custom fabricate Dutch doors, slider doors, operable window units with barn sash, and fixed or operable barn louvers either in pine or cedar. Doors may also be covered in colored flat metal.
Most barns have milled batten strips, which are no longer available. By using special cutters, we custom produce our own to match the original profiles, both front and back in 2&1/4” widths. These batten strips cover the vertical joints of our 1x12 x 7/8” pine wall sheathing.
Generally, when a dairy barn is being converted to accommodate modern needs for horse usage, the basement posts and king-beams do not match horse stall sizes. We can relocate the posts with new masonry bases, change king-beams and reinforce the mow floor framing. We turn 100-year-old timber frame barns into usable modern horse barns, while maintaining the barns heritage.
Sad to say, many times a barn is going to be demolished. If the structure is in good shape, we have the ability to dismantle the structure, store on site, or relocate and erect the barn on another site. If interested, call or write to check our inventory.