Stan and Pam Hegener have lived here for only five years, but their business is one that will make the Hill Country more picturesque for many years to come. The post-and-beam barns that they build near the town of Boerne will be anchoring rural businesses, housing livestock and lending their rustic charm to the landscape for a good long time.

Stan had been in the construction business in Louisiana for almost thirty years when an old high school friend living in Nebraska first tried to interest him in the Sand Creek Post and Beam company. While he considered the idea at the time, he decided instead to start a cedar-clearing business in the Hill Country. After sub-contracting from a company called Cedar Eater for about a year, he bought the name and built the service up to four crews.

Two years ago, his friend called again, eager to establish a dealership in Texas, where the weather is more accommodating for a year-round business. There were plenty of eager customers in the Nebraska market for the sturdy, practical, good-looking barns, but long winters kept builders indoors for months at a time. A “southern” dealer would allow the Nebraska plant to stay busy year-round. This time, the Hegeners said yes.

Sand Creek Post and Beam produces kits from Ponderosa pine trees cut in South Dakota. The logs are laid out in a jig at the Nebraska plant, and bolted together into trusses “all plumb and square” before being disassembled for shipping. Posts are 6” x 6”, and rafters are 6” x 8”. Walls and roof are 1” thick wood. Apart from the good looks and insulation which set these barns apart from generic steel buildings, the post-and-beam design allows for a much steeper roof line, making room for additional floor space in an upstairs loft.

The Hegeners had built five barns in the local area as of June 2007, and had five more on order. They are also constructing a 48’ x 48’ barn of their own on a beautiful site just nor ...

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