Bob Vernon — Bob Vernon Earthworks, Bombay

Bob Vernon runs a busy operation out of the Bombay Hills, combining rural earthworks and silt control contracting with beef farming across two blocks at Paparimu and Ramarama.

With work concentrated around the Bombay area, he needed a conveniently located base for his tractors and trucks, and somewhere dry to store the hay he relies on for silt control. Up until that point, his machinery and hay had nowhere to go.

Bob first came across Alpine Buildings at the Mystery Creek Fieldays in Waikato. What caught his eye was the quality, design, and the fact that the shed could be designed around his requirements.

"The first thing I noticed was the rafter design, which I liked. I got talking to Alpine, and I realised quickly that I didn't have to take something off the peg. They'd be able to work with me to build a shed that'd work for me and my budget, and I could control the design of it."

Bob knew exactly what the shed needed to do for his contracting business and worked closely with Alpine to get the layout right.

 Clearspan Design.  Six open-front bays, each six metres wide, give Bob the flexibility to store hay, machinery and implements without posts getting in the way. He landed on the six-metre width after weighing it up against Alpine's eight-metre option.

"We decided that six-metre bays with timber poles was the most cost-effective way to go."

 A 2.5m Overhang.  The 2.5-metre overhang adds extra weather protection for gear and hay without closing the space in - useful protection that doesn't restrict access.

 Bird-proof Purlins. To keep machinery clean and tidy, keeping birds out was a real priority from day one. "Key features I was looking for were clearspan and a bird-proof purlin."

 Flexibility to Change the Design.  Bob's original plan had two enclosed lockups, one at each end. Partway through, he decided to do two fully enclosed bays at the same end.

"Changing the plan was never an issue for the Alpine guys; they were really good to work with like that."

 Meeting the Deadline. A Council hold-up threatened to derail Bob's timeline, but once consent came through, Alpine made up the time.

"I initially talked to Alpine and got the ball rolling in November, with the idea that it'd be all up and ready by May. Then we had a bit of a delay while Council dragged their feet on a couple of aspects. But once everything was signed off, Alpine leapt into action. They moved heaven and earth to make that original deadline." 

The shed took just one month to build once consent was sorted, with Travis Conway of TC Shed Builders handling construction.

"Two B-trains brought everything onsite - the iron, the posts, downpipes, the lot. We had Travis recommended to us by Alpine, as he's done a few of their sheds before. That was good to have on tap, too: they know the builders around the country who they trust to do a good job, so that took the guesswork out of it for me."

The open-front bays now keep Bob's contracting gear and hay under cover and out of the weather, while the two enclosed bays provide a secure, lockable space for equipment and general storage.

From the kitset arriving well-packaged and clearly labelled through to completion, nothing was left to chance. With an experienced building crew already familiar with Alpine's system, there was nothing for Bob to manage or second-guess.

"Everything has a process, and everything is where you expect it to be. You have two teams (Alpine and TC Shed Builders) who have done this multiple times before, so they know what they're doing."