The Shed – September-October 2019

The Shed 86 September/October 2019 41

By Ian Parkes

Photographs: The Shed

I

f you are going to build a shed you

will want to do it right. The owners

of this stylish American-style barn are

happy to recommend the team that put

this together.

Shannon Jordan and Louise Simmons

sold up in suburbia and bought a block

of land in Ruakaka three years ago.

They planned to live in a caravan while

planning and saving for their house.

From this magazine’s point of view, they

had their priorities right and decided to

EXLOGDVKHGÀUVW,WZRXOGJLYHWKHP

space to expand into and meet both

current and future needs. They parked

the caravan alongside and put a bench,

IULGJHDQGVPDOORYHQLQWKHVKHG,W

also gave them space to store all their

furniture from their previous home and

building materials for the next one.

The shed was designed to take their

boat and the caravan which meant they

needed oversized doors, even though

both vehicles had to live outside in

the meantime.

Finding the perfect shed

Shannon and Louise shopped around

for the right steel-frame building. “My

background is in sales but frankly the

attitude of some of the other companies

put me off,” says Shannon. “One said

FRPHEDFNZKHQ,NQHZZKDW,ZDQWHG

«,NQHZWKHQZKDW,ZDQWHGZDVWR

go somewhere else.”

They had already decided that an

American-style barn would look much

better in their spectacular setting than

a plain steel box, and it would give them

the height they needed in the middle

for the boat. They also had colours and

materials in mind that would complement

the house. Shannon went to Kiwispan, and

builder and Northland franchise operator

Stephen Cross struck the right note

straight away.

“He showed us a couple of options for

door and window placements, and he

pointed out that the higher door meant he

could line up the angle of the roofs, which

would look better,” Shannon says. f

Shed specs

Width: 12m plus 3.5m open lean-to

Length: 12m

Height and knee height: 3.3m

plus 4.5m

Cladding: Walls — Slimclad in Grey

Friars colour; roof — corrugated

Zincalume

The Shed 86 September/October 2019 41