Daniel Marsh — Marball Orchard, Bay of Plenty

Daniel and Natalie Marsh run a kiwifruit orchard alongside Marball Orchard Quarry, supplying sand, pumice and rhyolite across the Bay of Plenty. That means diggers, trucks, motorbikes and orchard gear, all needing somewhere secure and dry.

Daniel didn't want a scatter of small sheds around the property. He wanted one building that could do the lot, on a site that sits in a high-wind zone.

 "I just wanted to build one good one for everything, and sort of be done with it." 

Daniel met Brad at National Fieldays and walked through Alpine's display shed. He'd looked at steel sheds as well, but the difference was obvious.

"None of them (steel sheds) were as strong. If you back into one of those with a truck, you bend it. If you back into that pole with a truck, you bend the truck. That's the whole reason I went with [Alpine]."

Daniel wanted one shed to protect the machinery, trucks and equipment that keep their operation moving. He wanted to do it once. And do it right.

Strength in a high-wind zone. 5-10 mm-thick structural steel rafters, paired with timber poles and framing, are designed to endure high winds and tough environmental conditions. 

"I really liked the way it was built. It was solid, and we knew we were building in a high-wind zone."

Bird-proof Design.  "I hate birds in sheds. I hate nests in sheds. When Brad explained all the birdproofing, for us it was – why wouldn't you?"

Pre-dried and Graded Timber.  At Alpine, all timber is pre-dried and graded before leaving our yard. For Daniel, this provided peace of mind, knowing his shed was being built from the best quality materials, for a tidy long-term finish.

"It's built strong, and knowing every piece of timber has been checked is great peace of mind."

Daniel now has one shed, designed around the way they operate. Three fully enclosed bays lock away the machinery and gear. Three open bays house the curtainsiders. And a lean-to on the end for a wash bay.

A 2.0m overhang on the front also provides practical shelter from harsh weather conditions. "I've been in lots of sheds. When you get blowing wind and rain, it blows straight in your door. Your shed's wet halfway in."

Daniel was also super impressed with the Alpine team. "Big thumbs up to Scotty. He was super helpful. Whatever we wanted, he'd just get it, organise it, and it was here within a couple of days. None of the mucking around, waiting – 'Oh, should we do this? Should we do that?' It was just organised."

For Daniel, the verdict is simple: "It's built like a tank. The quality of the materials is second to none. I'm super happy with it."