Continuing our conversation about Bedrock Structures, we are excited to announce their newest product: steel-framed greenhouses! Whether you are a hobbyist or Master Gardener, you know the importance of keeping some plants at temperature and to get your summer garden going early.
To date, our only source for greenhouses were from Bedrock Structure’s parent company, General Shelters (scroll to bottom). Like all their buildings, the General Shelters greenhouses were designed to portable, but constructed with pressure-treated lumber and fixed on skids for easy relocation.
The Bedrock Structure greenhouses are made with their customary 4 inch galvanized steel posts, clad with steel wainscoting and smokey polycarbonate panels, and roofed with polycarbonate panels.
As you can see, they can install fans, and can add windows and doors, or provide cut-outs for you to install after construction. A purlin runs along the ground level to tie the wainscoting down.
We will have one installed by this fall at our showroom for viewing!
They have not added the greenhouse option to their configurator, so please reach out to 979-836-7225 or email and we can give a quote for installation and estimate how soon we can have it installed!
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’ Maverick’s simple design and small footprint provide an excellent template for customizations. For our custom 2 bed Maverick, we balanced the need for open space and functionality by adding two feet to the width, nine feet to the length, a dormer, expanded living space, and a Jack-and-Jill bathroom. At 832sf (16×52) it is a cozy, bright space perfect for full-time or part-time living.
The popular Colony Green color for the exterior steel walls is complimented with faux cedar accent wall and gables. Inside, the new ‘Barnwash’ paneling lends a rustic touch that compliments both dark and light furniture and decorations. To emphasize the rustic atmosphere, we upgraded the ceiling to the metal galvalume from the stock gypsum ceiling tile.
Other upgrades for this model include White Dallas granite counters throughout, 36 inch interior doors, and central heat/air. This model comes with a full-size GE refrigerator, microwave, and stackable washer/dryer.
An island in the kitchen area doubles nicely as a serving area, while providing plenty of space for food preparation. We opted out of the dishwasher for this model, but included a stainless steel double sink.
The Jack-and-Jill bathroom is a space-saving feature that conveniently allows one person to use the bathroom facilities and another to use the shower/bath.
Here is the floor plan of our custom Maverick. We added two feet to the width, and nine and a half feet to the length.
This model sold for $129,900, but we have a slightly redesigned model for sale at $126,900 and available for viewing at our Brenham location.
When we drive by mobile home or trailer home dealers, it is a strong tell that what they are selling is the financing of their buildings and not necessarily the quality of the buildings. When the main message from their signs is 0% down and low payments, we suspect they are selling cost and not value.
Having said that, few want to or are able to pay outright for their building. So what are the options?
Bank Financing
Depending on the bank, they may need to be educated on what they are financing. Their immediate reaction will probably assume the General Shelters building is a trailer or mobile home. We have collaborated with local banks to ensure they understand when our customers approach them for loan service, they are talking about pier-and-beam structures, rather than trailers or mobile homes.
Even though they are designed to be successfully moved numerous times over the years, once installed on your property they are considered permanent structures.
The amount of the loan may vary based on whether one is moving the building to an unimproved location without services or not. Electricity, septic, and well/water service are all costs that can rolled into one convenient payment mortgage payment.
Standard credit requirements will then determine down payment and interest rates, as with any other mortgage. Obviously, we are able to provide any information a loan officer would need to evaluate.
General Shelters Financing
We do not receive any compensation or incentive if a customer finances directly with General Shelters. The chief difference between General Shelters financing and bank financing is that General Shelters will finance the cost of the building and delivery only, so this would work if one is able to pay separately for utility costs,
General Shelters financing typically asks for 15% down payment, and shortens the loan to ten years. There is a $150 credit application fee. At the annual dealer seminar, this was another topic of discussion. If a customer is having problems having the bank understand the product or hesitant to loan, the customer can pursue the loan with General Shelters and then refinance for a longer period with the bank; once the building is set on the land, some banks find it easier to understand what they are being asked to loan for. This approach has been successful for several buyers.
The main point of this post is to offer a general review regarding financing. Key to this process is thoroughly educating the loan company on the differences between a General Shelters building and trailer and mobile homes. For more information call us at Trees of Central Texas.email. or visit our contact page.
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 