Turning a Tired Barn into a Showpiece Shop with Trusscore

The Goal: Bringing a Failing Structure Back to Life

When Sam Cook, owner of Network Construction, first stepped into the barn, the space was barely hanging on. The foundation was failing. Water had gotten in. The structure was sagging. And aside from a gravel floor, there wasn’t much else to work with.

“This project before it looked like this was something where I think a normal person would walk into it and look at it and just say, ‘Hey, I think this barn has had its life here and we're going to knock it down.’”

But Network Construction specializes in just this kind of challenge — taking forgotten or failing structures and transforming them into something remarkable.

“This project as we started on it was pretty much a gravel floor. Overall, it had zero look to it whatsoever. It was leaning one way. There was water in it. The foundation was falling out. So there was a lot of things that it needed to bring it back to life.”

Once structurally sound, the team turned their attention to the interior. The goal was to create a durable, clean, and impressive space the owner could actually enjoy and use day to day.

“A big thing that we've seen is like fun barns, workout rooms, garages where maybe the husband wants to spend a little bit of money and get a product that's looking neat and cool for him to be able to show off to his buddies or whatever when they're coming over. That's been a big thing for us — to come into just a two-car garage honestly and be able to put Trusscore up.”

The Challenge: Finding a Finish That Can Handle Daily Use

Cook had seen firsthand what happens when you use traditional drywall in a high-traffic garage or shop environment — it just doesn’t hold up.

“I personally have drywall in my shop at my house, and when I look at it on a daily basis, I'm saying, ‘Hey, I see bike marks, tire marks, scratches, dings, dents all over the place.’”

That kind of wear-and-tear wasn’t acceptable for this build — especially when the goal was to create a space the owner would use every day and take pride in.

The Solution: Durable, Lightweight Panels That Install Fast

To finish the walls, Network Construction chose Trusscore Wall&CeilingBoard — partly for the aesthetics, but mostly for the performance.

“Trusscore was chosen for this project ultimately because of its durability. Everybody knows what a child can do to a space like this, what a lawn mower [can do], all the different things.”

Installation was fast and easy. The lightweight PVC panels covered large surface areas quickly, didn’t require specialized labor, and came in lengths up to 20 feet.

“The one thing I do love about Trusscore is it, you know, with 16-inch panels, it brings a lot faster of a coverage rate on the walls. It’s lightweight. It's easy to move around. Our suppliers just bring it on a pallet and we get to have all our integrated products sitting there ready to go.”

“Some of the lengths even up to 20 feet on some of our big Trusscore Wall&CeilingBoard. So integrating the spaces and making it easy to install over long lengths.”

“We’ve just been bringing our exterior siding crew in to fulfill the siding on the exterior and the Trusscore on the inside. They find it very easy to work with. A couple of the guys have honestly even made a comment that it's easier to work with than vinyl siding just because of the size of it.”

Adding Trusscore SlatWall gave the space additional storage capabilities and helped free up valuable floor space.

“The integration of Trusscore SlatWall, I think, has been a big part of it. Being able to go to a big box store and get little hanger brackets that are easily accessible to hang your leaf blowers, your rakes, your brooms… you're creating more square footage.”

And day-to-day maintenance is simple.

“The cleanliness of it, ease of being able to just overall clean the wall off. If something gets rubbed against it or if you're dusty in the space, you can take a nice little broom to it or something and just wipe it off.”

The Outcome: A Clean, Durable Space the Owner Can Be Proud Of

In the end, the transformation was dramatic — and the owner was thrilled with the results.

“As a contractor, one of the biggest things for us is customer satisfaction. So us trusting in Trusscore to bring a product to our client that is allowing them to see something that maybe they've never even seen before is an awesome thing.”

“Their reaction to Trusscore has ultimately been like 100% satisfaction with it. The functionality, the durability, everything that they have seen so far with the product has brought ultimate satisfaction.”