After hiring a group of Amish to build her barn, farm owner Alexandra Fasulo was pleasantly surprised with the process and results.
Alexandra Fasulo—who goes by Alex—bought her vertical farm called House of Green, Saratoga, in upstate New York, in September 2023. The 31-year-old grew up in Albany, so she knew there was a strong Amish community in the area. However, she had never interacted with them before.
After purchasing her property, Alex asked a local for recommendations for companies that install gravel driveways and was referred to BluRail Excavating. She called the company, unaware that they were Amish until she heard a European accent on the phone.
Soon, the crew arrived and began working on her driveway. Impressed by their craftsmanship, Alex inquired if they also built barns. Although BluRail is primarily an excavation company, they agreed to consider her request.
Building the Barn
As a new farmer, Alex didn’t have a concrete plan in mind for the barn’s design. The Amish said they were flexible.“They very kindly said to me, ‘Why don’t you come to our community, and we’ll show you around our homes and our barns to help you pick out what you want?’” Alex said.
The barn she has today has been heavily inspired by traditional Amish design, and she remains grateful that they let her visit. “I would never have known [what] to choose if I hadn’t visited their barns,” she told The Epoch Times.
On the day of the barn raising, Alex watched as about 20 Amish workmen arrived. Different members of the team would handle various tasks like electrical and plumbing.
Every Amish community is different, but the one that Alex worked with used hired help to manage certain tasks that are “forbidden” by their beliefs. Most involved the use of modern technology. For example, they hired a driver to get them to the work site. They also hire someone to manage their website and internet presence.
The Amish workers took calls on mobile phones that do not connect to the internet and they use them solely for business. Alex explained that, for this community, the objective is to “not be a prisoner to the technology” and “not to be addicted to it.”
The Amish began constructing the barn in March and continued working on it for five months. Each day, Alex was greeted by the two brothers who owned the company. “Hello Alex, how are we doing today?” they would ask, big smiles on their faces.
Their happiness was infectious—after each interaction with them, Alex felt renewed. “No matter what was going on in my life, I couldn’t help but just suddenly feel happy again,” she said.
The men’s friendliness countered her initial reservations. She had feared they would treat her differently because she was a woman. She knew that Amish tend to be ultra-conservative and wondered if they would refuse to make eye contact or if interacting with them would be awkward.
“That was so wrong,” she said.
As the days passed, the Amish continued to work in harmony. Alex could tell they’d been doing this for a long time. “There was no shouting, there was no anger, there was no confusion,” Alex said. “Everybody knew exactly what to do.”
The team also prioritized cleanliness to a very high degree. “Every day when they were done, they would spend however long it took to leave the work site immaculate,” Alex said.
Seeing their meticulous tidiness has motivated her to spend some time every evening cleaning her barn when she puts her chickens and rabbits to bed. “There really is something to be said for it. I swear, I go to bed happier knowing that I put in the time to clean. They really taught me something with that,” she said.
Each day, the crew would break for lunch—and even the way they ate amazed Alex. “They would talk with each other while they ate their meals, and then they would just get back to work. And since they’re not watching YouTube on their iPhone, there would be nothing else to do but get back to work,” she said.
Alex noted their particular skill with wood. “These people were so trained in the art that, at times, they could cut things without even needing to measure. Just from eyesight. They assembled my barn doors by hand, right on my floor,” she said.
She noted that they even worked on her barn’s archway and made it look perfect. “I didn’t even give them any direction for that!” she said.
Reflecting On the Journey
In July, the barn was finished. The team had completed the entire project—the foundation, heating, propane tank burial, barn-building, electric system inside the barn, plumbing, septic tank, running the electric lines to the road, etc.—in a mere five months.The barn now stands at 74 by 36 feet, boasting an impressive 2,600 square feet (not including the loft). “Everything is made by hand, and it’s all made from wood, and it makes my barn smell beautiful,” Alex said.
Alex has had roofs replaced and back doors re-done, but she has never found workers as lovely as the Amish. She has learned so much from them.
“They would show up [with the] biggest smiles on their faces, like they were honored to be working,” she said, adding that they’ve inspired her to cultivate the same gratitude for her own career.
The Amish also taught Alex about the importance of slow living.
“I definitely learned from them to slow down, because up until that point, I’ve always lived my life a little bit in a rush. I’m from New York, it’s just in my blood,” Alex said. “But being around them taught me that you can be quick and productive and efficient without being in a rush.”
With her barn built, Alex has been able to watch her farming dreams come to life. The young farmer wants to inspire others to take the leap into agriculture, even if it’s new territory.
“I just did this with zero experience, and it works out in the end if you stick with it. And if you use the Amish, you’ll be in good hands,” she added.
