Eagle Ridge Barn Builders in Itasca, Texas, has fully embraced the online shed sales model.
Most of the company’s sales originate on the web.
“We have one location, no dealers, and while we do have some lot stock and walk-on customers, 99 percent of our sales are online,” says Anthony Miller, who co-owns the business with brothers Caleb and Nathan.
The strategy is working. He says Eagle Ridge built 745 sheds in 2020, and they are on track to more than double that number in 2021.
Not bad for a company that started four years ago in a backyard with no shop facilities and a small office.
NEW BEGINNINGS
Originally from Costa Rica, the Millers moved to the United States when co-founders Anthony and Caleb were 16 and 18 years old, respectively.
The day after the family got to America, the brothers landed their first job: working in a shed company.
“Three and a half years later, we decided to start our own business because we wanted to build our own dream instead of working for someone else’s,” the two brothers share.
“Building sheds was the only thing we knew how to do, and even though we were told that we were too young, too new to America, and we didn’t know enough, we chose to bet on ourselves.”
So at 18 and 21 years old, Anthony and Caleb started the shed company in their dad’s backyard with no shop and just a tiny office.
“We sold exactly one shed in our first four months, but quitting was not an option for us,” they say. “By April of 2018, we had generated enough sales, mostly using Facebook Marketplace, to keep us working in Eagle Ridge Barn Builders full time.”
The first year, the two brothers built sheds almost entirely on-site, but in 2019 brother Nathan bought into the company.
“We started a shed-hauling company with him as our driver so that we could also offer pre-built and delivered sheds,” they share.
YOUNG ENERGY
Eagle Ridge Barn Builders is young, all the way around. The company has 20 employees, and Anthony says the majority of them are in their 20s.
The company builds most of its sheds for delivery in its 4,800-square-foot shop. They use a separate 2,800-square-foot shop to build trusses and assemble on-site kits.
“We started out building almost all of our sheds on-site, but we’re moving toward building more in our shops and delivering,” says Anthony. “We’ve found that shop builds are more efficient and the quality control is better.”
The shops run on an assembly-line process from framing to painting to roofing using the tools the team has found to work best on shed construction.
“We’ve tried lots of different brands of tools and found DeWalt tools and MAX nailers to have the best durability,” Anthony shares.
Outside the shop, for transportation and delivery, Eagle Ridge uses two Ford F250 trucks for on-site crews, an F150 for service and escorting, and an F350 for hauling lumber and as a backup for shed deliveries. The hauling company side of the business has a Peterbilt 379 truck and a Cardinal Mule.
Anthony adds that all of Eagle Ridge’s sheds are built with LP siding and Sherwin-Williams paint on their exteriors.
Carson Hostetler, president of the company, shares that the company’s most popular buildings are its gable storage sheds.
“We build a lot of lofted barns and cabin shells,” he adds. “We also offer ‘cabinettes,’ animal shelters, and single-slope sheds—any size between 8 by 8 to 20 by 60.”
The average turnaround from a customer signing a contract to purchase a shed from Eagle Ridge to delivery date is four weeks.
“On-site builds are usually completed in one day, and our shop turns out multiple buildings per day, with one shed taking about a week to go from start to finish,” Hostetler adds.
When Eagle Ridge started, Anthony says they offered almost anything customers wanted and were willing to pay for.
“But as we grow, we’re cutting back on customization and focusing on specialization,” he shares. “Apart from additional doors and windows, our most popular features are our 12-foot dormers and our cabin shell packages.”
CHALLENGES AND SUCCESS
Every start-up business has its challenges, and, as shared previously, Eagle Ridge’s initial challenge was generating sales.
“We’ll always be looking to improve in this area,” Hostetler says. “We’ve made a lot of progress through hiring a sales manager, investing in a sales training system, and setting clear expectations for our salesmen.”
Like most shed builders, over the past year, the company’s greatest challenge has been dealing with soaring lumber prices and material shortages.
“We’ve dealt with that by shopping around even if it meant driving nine hours to get materials, collaborating with another local shed company, and building stronger relationships with our vendors,” shares Hostetler.
Of course, to still be in operation after four years, Eagle Ridge has had its share of successes, as well.
“In the evenings, when everyone has gone home and everything is quiet and we walk around our shops, that’s the moment when we remember that two years ago this land was a cornfield and we were working out of a shop with a dirt floor and no electricity,” Anthony relates.
“Four years ago Eagle Ridge didn’t exist. We’ve actually built something here, something bigger than us. We’ve been able to change the lives of some of our workers. And we’re not done yet.”
Hostetler agrees, “We’ve been growing for the past four years and we have no interest in stopping.”
“We’ve got lots of grit and energy and we make a lot of mistakes,” concludes Anthony. “We’re young and hungry and just getting started.”
