Alastair Studholme — Coldstream Estate, Rangitata

Alastair Studholme farms around 800 hectares near Rangitata,  growing grass seed, carrots, hybrid brassica, wheat and barley across the family's farm. For years the farm relied on silos and commercial drying in town, but as seed volumes grew, that system simply wasn’t efficient.

"I always knew the amount of crop, and particularly the amount of seeds and especially grass seed that we were growing, that one year our silo drying system just wouldn't keep up and it would cost us very dearly. I knew that year would come sometime.”

Alastair had seen Alpine Buildings at the Kirwee field days, where they erected and dismantled a display shed within a week. He'd also seen a neighbour's completed Alpine build before committing.

"It had nice poles holding it up and nice steel beams that birds couldn't sit on going across for the roof, and that impressed me."

By the time he visited Alpine's Timaru branch, his son had already used Alpine’s online shed design software to draw up what they wanted.

"Alpine made it a very simple process of doing all the detail of the design and how that would work. A couple of meetings and we were in business."

Being a multi-generational farm meant this shed was going to be built once. Built right. And built to last for the generations to come.

Overall Design. Alastair wanted the shed to work for machinery and grain handling without obstruction, and the design needed to suit the way the building sat on the land.

"Placement, a bit of design and overhang on the roof, a nice clearspan, the right colour, how it sits on the landscape. Really important to me."

Getting the Aesthetic Right. Alastair wanted the shed to be functional but also look considered on a farm his family has worked for generations.

"Alpine kind of helped us with that detail, like getting the detail to look aesthetically right as well."

Quality. Before committing, Alastair had been through a neighbour's Alpine shed and was impressed by the straight poles and the structural steel rafters designed so birds couldn't perch on them. It was the build quality, seen firsthand, that gave him confidence in the finished result.

“It had nice poles holding it up and nice steel beams that birds couldn't sit on going across for the roof, and that impressed me.”

The Team Behind It. Beyond the build itself, Alastair valued the people who delivered the project.

"Alpine team are amazing. They have a lot of people, very professional. They think of every little detail, and they do everything they say they're going to do - and more. Really couldn't have gone better."

Built to last, like everything else on the farm. Coldstream Estate has been in Alastair's family for 160 years, and some of the farm's buildings are 150 years old. That history shaped what he expected from a new shed.

"We build for a long period. We've got buildings here that are 150 years old. So, we like our buildings to last and look good for their whole life."

The drying floor was finished four days before the first crop went on, and it was put straight to work. "We used it solidly for a month, and it saved a lot of grass seed that we simply couldn't have harvested and put in silos."

Using Alpine's recommended builder rather than coordinating separate trades kept a complicated job manageable, and the result matched what he expected. The builders turned up on time, had the building completed in the time and on budget."

For Alastair, the shed didn't just solve a capacity problem; it changed how the whole operation runs. "It was a game changer for us. I probably should have done it five years earlier. I couldn't turn the clock back and live without one now."

Coldstream Estate has buildings still standing after 150 years. This shed was built to be one of them, and to carry on the family's legacy for generations to come.