Lester Buildings

Am considering a pole shed/workshop, looking at "Lester" brand. Are they good buildings?

We built one several ( 20 + ? ) years ago. It was a kit and seemed designed pretty good.

YES, my Dad built three different Lester buildings on the farm while I was growing up. The first was in 1962, a quonset machine shed, next a dairy barn(hay mow style)in 1964. Then in 1972 a pole shed for youngstock open partly on the south. 10 foot pole spaceing, 20 feet on south. Very good buildings.

Lester buildings seem to use a better grade of steel paneling then other companies

Very good in my opinion.Dad had our machine shed put up in the mid 70's and is standing as strong as the day built.

We built a 60 by 90 by 16 in 1983 and the corner post are rotted off the bottem boards that are treated around the bottem are rotten . The building is white with red trim the white on the roof is almost all off with galvenizing showing threw. Lester will not do anything They did tell us what kind of paint to use to paint the roof but we haven't done that yet.also they told us where to cut the poles off so they could be dug out then spliced. Ours is not the only one that has bad paint and poles there are at least 4 more within 3 miles of here that are in the same shape as ours . they were built within about a 5 year period. When you talk to the dealer you could tell him what I said and ask for 50 year warrenty in writing. We bilt another new morton in 2006 cause we have one bilt in 1973 that looks good yet

Pretty good building, I sold them for a few years. They are not a fly by night company, but stick built is just as good if you are talking of a pole building.

For all of the buildings built years ago if your poles are not rotten, consider yourself lucky, or probably you are unaware.

I never liked their sales lessons, they never taught you how to make a better building, just how to sell them better. There are so many games to play in sales / marketing.

If I'm not mistaken they used to have strong panel metal (has been a long time). The company went out of business.

A downfall of Lesters in my opinion is the longest steel on the roof is 20 ft. They say because of expansion and contraction---no that is as long as they can unload with their fork lift mounted on their-semi trucks.

They are a very well braced building, but that can be done with a stick built, and probably alot cheaper overall.

I am probably one of a handful of people that grew up in Lester Prairie MN, that have not at one time or another worked for Lesters!

One thing they've got going for them is the sheer number of buildings they've built over the years - I think it's well over 100K now. I know if I look around my neighborhood, nearly every farmstead has at least one. My folks never had a pole builing built by them, but our dairy barn was built by them in about 1950-51. Still standing strong like it was built yesterday.

I believe they went through a period in time where they ran into some bad steel. Probably early to mid 80's. That's about the era of the buildings in my neighborhood that are starting to not look so hot.

Like most companies, they've gone through some ownership changes. I believe now (again) they are owned by some members of management, bought themselves back from Butler.

I went to church with Art (the founder) for many years. Nicest, most down to earth guy you'd ever want to know. In his mid 80's, he'd be disappointed if you didn't ask him to work for the church dinner!

Drop me an email if you'd like to trade a few names of some of the old-timers - there are still a few around.

Matt.

7 years ago may I had a Cleary building built. 43" x 63" Still looks brand new. When I was looking I called Morton, Lester, Cleary and Astro. None of the others ever responded except Cleary so they got it. When they built I had the choice of filling the posts holes with the dirt or they recommended hauling in "chit" i believe it was called, whick looked to me like cement, small gravel etc. They put that around each post. So far so good but hasnt been through the years yet.

The "chit" is porous enough that water will drain away. Basically a fine gravel. Dirt will hold the water a little longer before it finally drains away. Less water contact, less chance of water rot and the longer the wood will last. Not to say that a rainy/wet season over time can't still get to the wood. Dirt may also contain some microbes that attack wood a little and eventually dissolve just like wood coffins. And hungry termites will attack treated wood and seek out channels where the treatment didn't permeate the wood as well. Ground contact wood still has a certain life span.

Even creosoted railroad ties only last so long. They rot and termites get to them. Go to a store selling used ties and look at all the junk you have to pick through to get some decent ones. Use them for a raised bed garden or a retaining wall and they eventually rot/dissolve away just like landscape timbers used for edging.

Guess I'm getting old enough to see all this stuff.

Why couldn't a person put some 12 inch diaeter in the ground and splice onto them above ground? A 12 inch hedge or larger would last a hundred years or longer.

Matt is right- the management bought the co. back from Butler a couple years ago.
Good enough co. that I've had them build my milking parlor and then 3 years later a 50x80 machine shed... and 6 years after that, my parents had them build a beef barn/hay shed.
Had some trouble with rusting screws in the siding/roofing ... they brought out new screws (different supplier) and replaced ALL of them.

(quoted from post at 12:30:59 03/30/09) Am considering a pole shed/workshop, looking at "Lester" brand. Are they good buildings?

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I don't recommend buying a Lester Bldg. at all. I bought one and just weeks ago I paid an Amish Crew from Graber Bldgs. to come in and fix the mistakes and poor workmanship on it.
When my Lester Building was first built and the Lester Dealer/Builder left town, weeks later we had our first rain at time I noticed I had 25 leaks in my roof, I had puddles all over inside my building. Well I didn't want to call the Lester Dealer/Builder back for this because before he left town he told me if he had to come back for any repairs it would be a $500 minimum, I found out later that he should have told me I have a 1 year warranty on it and it would be free if he had to come back for repairs. So I got up on the roof and checked it out myself. What I found was that this Lester Dealer/Builder when installing the roof screws he missed the roof purlins, so I took the time to remove and properly install all these roof screws, it took me 2 days, but I did it myself. It took me 2 years to finish and move into my Lester Bldg. at which time I started noticing more serious problems, it got so bad that I had to address them and I wanted them checked by quality people, so I called in an Amish crew from Graber Bldgs. Before I did that though I had the Lester Bldgs. Regional Manager come out regarding my Lester Building problems and when he did he was shocked, but after discussing it with Lester Buildings Upper Management, he said Lester Bldgs. feels no responsibility for your bldg. problems and would not make any repairs on it. So I paid the Amish to fix my Lester Building and this is what was found:
Eight roof purlins not secured, not one nail in them, the Amish actually pulled one up and out to show me, this would explain why on windy nights it sounded like my roof was going to blow off. I paid Lester Bldgs. extra to apply dripstop on the house roof portion of my bldg. but they shorted me, they later tried to confuse the issue by saying I didn't pay for it on my garage areas, but I wasn't talking about my garage areas, it was the house portion that goes from the porch gable back into the house peak, I had to have another company fix that due to condensation. Lester also shorted me on exterior plywood. I specifically told them I wanted 3/4" plywood on all the exterior walls, but they engineered it only up to the bottom of the soffit track, even though my interior ceilings are taller than the soffit which allowed cold wind to blow down my exterior walls. A lot of the soffit only had 1 staple holding it on and when the staples tried to go thru the steel they bent only allowing 3/8" to go into the facia board, this would explain all the rattling I was hearing on windy nights. They also used vented soffit all the way around my bldg., they should have used solid soffit on the gables. Openings/Gaps in the roof valleys which had blown my attic insulation away in those areas and the wind was finding its way into my furnace plentum/duct work, rain had to be coming in too. Bird blocks not installed, the ones that were installed were not nailed in place, again not one nail in them, I personally screwed everyone of them off. Facia boards barely on the truss and the nails missed the truss. Facia cover not cut to fit causing the ends to drop down an inch. I dealt mainly with the Lester Bldgs. Regional Manager when buying my Lester bldg. because the dealer in my area wanted to leave Lester Bldgs, and the Lester Regional Manager provided me with the Lester Buildings Dealer/Builder that put up my building, their name is C&C Construction, Willis Childress is the owner. The Lester Manager provided me with this Lester Dealer/Builder telling me that they can put my building up in the time frame that I wanted and that they did "Good Work", but that was a lie. After I turned Lester Bldgs. into the Better Business Bureau, they put most of the blame on their Lester Dealer/Builder, but he should not take all the blame. Yes, this Lester Dealer/Builder did poor workmanship and made mistakes on my bldg., but the Lester Bldgs. Regional Manager provided him to me and told me he did "Good Work". And it was Lester Bldgs. that engineered my building and shorted me the dripstop that I paid extra for on the house portion of my building, and it was Lester Buildings that shorted me on the exterior plywood that I paid extra for, they admitted to the BBB that they only engineered it up to the bottom of the soffit track, it should have went all the way up to the bottom of the trusses. And it was Lester Bldgs. that used vented soffit all the way around my bldg. With all that I've gone thru with my Lester Building, I would not recommend buying a Lester Building.

Lester, Morton, Cleary, etc., etc. Are ALL good buildings. It is the construction CREWS that can make or break the deal.