Will Stoltzfus, owner, who along with his brother, Mahlon, owns StoltzCo custom frame builders, knows a thing or two about construction. He grew up as one of nine children in a Lancaster, Pennsylvania Amish community. His family separated from the religion when he was young but a wholesome lifestyle, integrity and an appreciation for simple living are still part of his makeup. Some of his family members are traditional Amish and others aren’t, and there are so many cousins now that, “When we get together for a family reunion, it’s a big party," he says.
Will’s childhood home was an 1820 farmhouse without electricity and the family didn’t own a car. These days, Will, his wife Starlit, and their three young children live on seven acres near Pleasant View, Tennessee and enjoy the usual modern conveniences. Mahlon’s family lives down the road and their properties are surrounded by hundreds of acres of farmland. Will started playing guitar at age five and, as a youth, he played in his church’s worship band. When he wasn’t playing music, he was working in construction with his father and brothers. The Stoltzfuses started building sheds, then moved into building larger commercial buildings. Will explains that the tradition of “barn raising” is still alive in the Amish community. “When someone’s barn burns down, a group of 50 or 60 men can rebuild a solid barn in a matter of days,” he says. “We might not have 50 people on a job site, but high-quality Amish craftsmanship is part of our heritage.”
In his late teens and early 20s, Will visited Nashville regularly to record music under the name Will Stoltz. His songs are a mix of acoustic country and Christian themes. He developed a following and toured with his band while working for a pole barn builder. His album When I Get Home features songs like “Love I Grew Up On” and “Country Road” that depict his love for nature and the small moments in life. Lyrics from his song “Above Dirt” include the chorus, “I treasure every moment that I’m living on this earth, because the good Lord has given me another day above dirt.”
In 2013, Will participated in an annual Alabama prison outreach event called ReNew Hope, sponsored by We Care Prison Ministry. The event draws hundreds of volunteers, musicians and others who perform for and minister to prison inmates. Starlit was also performing with her pastor father. She was raised in North Dakota and Indiana, is an accomplished fiddler and vocalist, and has a degree from the Kentucky School of Bluegrass and Traditional Music. When she was 16, Starlit read Beverly Lewis novels
that portrayed life among the old-world Amish. “After reading the books, she told her mother she was going to marry an Amish boy,” Will says.
The chances of that happening were highly unlikely, given that Starlit didn’t know any Amish, but the stars aligned when she played fiddle at the prison and met Will. They married in 2014 and moved to Tennessee the following year. They continued touring and playing music, including with the prison ministry. Will and Mahlon never stopped working in construction and their work eventually became StoltzCo. “We’ve been in construction our whole lives, so it comes naturally to us,” Will says.
The company took off immediately. Will’s musician friends wanted barns on their properties for horses or for gathering, and the brothers became known for building custom, high-end pole barns, event spaces, equestrian barns and barndominiums. Artist Becky Strahle, who runs the popular Instagram blog Farmgirl Paints, has a beautiful StoltzCo studio barn that her followers love to see in photos. Nashville’s Men of Valor ministry has an inspiring StoltzCo building to support community events. “The barns are so comfortable, people want to live in them, so we’re creating homes in the barn style now, too,” says Will.
Clients can work with the builders to develop preliminary drawings and 3-D renderings, creating a barndominium home or gathering space with the materials they prefer. Materials can include rough-cut timber, glass garage-door entrances with protective sliding barn doors, sealed concrete floors, standing-seam roofs, wraparound porches, lofts, and encapsulated concrete bathrooms that double as storm shelters. “Square footage can vary, anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000-plus,” explains Will. “If a client wants more bedroom spaces or a garage, we can add on however they’d like.”
The builders lay the foundation then complete the shell of the building, including interior framing. Afterwards, clients can bring in crews to complete the drywall, electricity, plumbing and other finishes. StoltzCo builds in Tennessee, parts of Kentucky and in Alabama. “Basically, anywhere within a two-hour radius of Nashville,” Will says.
And as always, he expresses gratitude for the way his life has worked out. He and Starlit still play music at Gateway Community Church and at special events. “We’re fortunate we get to live in such a beautiful area and do what we love for work.”
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