The internet is full of results for “cabins’ and “Texas,’ so our main page for Trees of Central Texas gets buried in the clutter. The whole point of this blog is to add content without cluttering the main website.
Having said that, as a Platinum Level dealer for General Shelters, we have found that their portable cabins are exactly what people are looking for. From tiny homes to 3 bed/2 bath cabins, the cost and build time are ideal .
We have numerous posts to address questions we have received and to promote our custom buildings. If you want to stop by and see what we have on site and view them, plan on making a trip.
We have placed cabins in Bellville, Cat Springs, Sealy, Nelsonville and Industry. Since ya’ll are just down the road, standard delivery will come included in the price of the cabin
Flexibility and costs have made ‘barndominiums’ an increasingly attractive option. The chief difference between our portable cabins and the ‘barndo’ option is that a metal building is obviously more permanent, and with a much faster install timeframe. While our cabins are delivered turn-key-ready, our metal buildings are ready-to-finish only.
As we have talked about elsewhere, General Shelters “rolls” their own steel. This means they receive the steel in gargantuan coils, and press it through an enormous machine to make their panels.
A subsidiary of General Shelters is Bedrock Structures, which manufactures and installs custom metal buildings. Unlike their portable buildings, Bedrock Structures simply cuts the posts and panels, and have skilled contractors erect the structure on-site.
There are numerous metal building manufacturers, and we proudly represent three (Bedrock Structures, Eagle Carports, and Star Carports). Each having their own benefits.
But we tend to lean into Bedrock Structures, primarily because of the size of the posts they use. While most metal buildings use 2.25 inch galvanized steel posts, spaced at five foot intervals, Bedrock Structures use 4 inch galvanized steel posts spaced twenty feet apart.
This means that when framing the inside walls, you will have more flexibility for the placement of windows, doors, and interior walls. Bedrock Structures also provides red steel (aka red iron), so they can spec out wider buildings than those using galvanized frames.
Important to note that Bedrock Structure will install the frame of your project only. While they can add insulation during construction, they do not wire for electricity or provide any finishing services. Standard windows, doors, and rollups can be installed, while customer-supplied items would be installed by the customer’s contractor in frame-outs.
As with the cabins, the standard steel is 29 gauge, for both sides and roofs. 26 gauge roofs are available for slightly more cost.
To receive a quote for your project, use the configurator on our website. Easy to use, simply put in your zip code and go from there. You will receive a quote for the entire project, and how much the deposit is. Fill in your contact information and we will reach out to review the project with you. Next, we perform a site inspection to assure suitability of the location, and make recommendations for any land work that may be in order. Once we finalize your order, the deposit is placed, we hit ‘go’ and submit the order. Turn around times vary, but in general with six weeks your building will be ready.
Lean-tos, porticos etc will not be reflected on the configurator, and we will quote those costs when reviewing your needs.
General Shelters has a lot to talk about, but sometimes pictures are worth thousands and thousands of words.
Take this promotional video, for example. Chock full of pictures submitted by customers, and featuring pictures of staged buildings, nothing tells the story of the coziness and quaintness of Genera Shelters’ cabins like seeing them in full color. Rustic and individualized, General Shelters offers flexibility and durability to your building.
We look forward to the annual General Shelters dealer seminar, and every year we are astonished to see their current projects when we visit. 2025 did not disappoint!
Located in the piney woods of far East Texas, General Shelters hand crafts all of their buildings in several sprawling manufacturing facilities in Center, TX. It is a beautiful part of the state, and so far East Texas that one could hit Louisiana with a rock. There is always a lot of work going on, but the workspace is incredibly organized and picked up.
Because they are built in a dried-in environment, there are no rain delays or materials left out in the weather. Above, a standard Cedar View is midway through its all-wood construction, the colony-green offset nicely by the steel cedar accent wall. Below, the truss for the dormer; the insulation has yet to be installed, which can be blown fiberglass, or foam cell.
The buildings are all clad in 29 gauge steel, which is “rolled” in another facility on the property. The siding passes easily as board and batten siding. Never paint again: the siding and roof colors are backed by a 40 year waranty. The building below is our custom “Texas Two-Step (2be/2ba),” with a custom painted cedar gable.
The executive staff have worked alongside each other for decades, bringing valuable years worth of experience and love of craft to their builds. It really is a family business at heart, and it feels like visiting with a family of incredibly skilled individuals. Because they have worked closely with each other, they have seen and done everything; if you have an idea for your cabin, they can expertly advise based on over fifty years of experience
We were excited to see examples of their mobile product, as well. Unlike the custom cabins, which are delivered on a trailer and carefully slid off then blocked/leveled, their mobile buildings are permanently fixed to a trailers. And what a trailer: five axles! This means all one needs is a powerful truck and a hitch to relocate. This is one of twenty that they were building at the time of our visit; two others are seen on the far side of the lot.
Very straightforward design, with an office on each end and a large room in the middle. It was surprising to see only space for a half fridge: whoever ordered this was all business. Built for functionality, it featured steel doors and window bars, vinyl paneling for walls and flooring, with a gypsum ceiling.
These units were custom-made for deployment in the oil field, and perfectly illustrate the versatility and deep bench that General Shelters brings for anyone who needs a large, secure place of business. To say it again: if you submit a design idea, the engineering team at General Shelters will expertly advise what it will take to make your vision a reality.
The seminar itself was very informative, with an emphasis on properly advising customers on the delivery and installation of the buildings. It is a significant engineering feat to get buildings to their final destination, and a lot of things need to be properly done for this to be done seamlessly. Oftentimes the buildings are delivered in relatively remote locations with unimproved access, and it sounded like some team members did a better job of observing the delivery route before the building arrives on-site than others.
Thankfully, the team at Trees of Central Texas performs pre-delivery assessments to follow up on the initial site-inspection to determine that action items have been completed. The biggest snafu was, apparently, the presence of branches and tree limbs along county roads. Even then, it sounded like General Shelters went the extra mile and remediated any damage that occurred.
It was good to hear from other team members about what they have been designing, and look forward to next year’s meeting. If you are seriously considering purchasing a building, they will entertain visitors for brief tours of the facility,
A division of Trees of Central Texas, Texas Big Little Cabins designs custom portable pier-and-beam buildings manufactured by General Shelters of Texas. Recognized as a nationwide leader for portable buildings, General Shelters has been manufacturing portable metal buildings for fifty years.
General Shelters cabins can be as large as 1188 square feet, and are delivered to your Texas property done and done (insulation, plumbing, electric, floors, walls, ceilingincluding appliances and central heat and air), or ready for you and your crew to finish out . As a Platinum Level dealer for General Shelters, we have helped hundreds of people with their portable buildings.
Texas Big Little Cabins is a one-stop shop for your properties needs, also representing Bedrock Structures, Eagle Carports, and Star Carports for storage, barns, barndominium shells, garages, workshops and more!
The goal of this blog is to spotlight the full range of buildings we offer at our property, what we are working on, and to explore what happy customers have done with their buildings. Please visit us at http://www.treesofcentraltexas.com, and check back for updates. Smash that follow button!
Very straightforward design, with an office on each end and a large room in the middle. It was surprising to see only space for a half fridge: whoever ordered this was all business. Built for functionality, it featured steel doors and window bars, vinyl paneling for walls and flooring, with a gypsum ceiling.
Texas Big Little Cabins 