Kitset Buildings Projects

Kitset Buildings Flying High

Jan and James White were looking for a kitset building to house their two Tiger Moth Vintage airplanes.

They had room available on their land next to Hastings Aerodrome and had a desire for a building in keeping with the older nature of the aircraft. They definitely did not want a stark metal shed.

Having heard about the kitset buildings from Ahead Kitsets from Wayne Edwards who already had an Ahead aircraft hangar on his land in Puni, they approached us with their requirements.

James and Jan needed a clear space at ground level of over fifteen metres width to house the Tiger Moths. They also wanted to utilise the space under the steep pitch roof with a loft floor.

Unique but Simple Kitset Buildings

Ahead Kitsets solved the engineering dilemma of putting a loft floor over a fifteen metre clear span by using the Tri-board walls to form a beam and then “suspending” the floor between the walls.

The hangar was clad with plywood and timber battens to give a rustic board and batten appearance with dormer windows in the loft area.

With the addition of a small wing to one side providing a sunny entertainment room the Whites had a building that fitted all their requirements.

If you have questions about kitset buildings or have ideas about your project you want to discuss, please talk to us.

Kitset Buildings & Wedding Plans

Mr & Mrs Crooks were developing an olive orchard in Karaka. They had an idea to provide facilities on the property to host weddings. They wanted people to have the ceremony and then have the reception at the Spanish Colonial style residence also on the property.

Could the achieved result be gained from a wooden kitset building?

The Crooks’ decided to build a small chapel in the Spanish Colonial style of the existing house and had an architect draw up plans. However, they had no idea how to turn that “picture in their minds” into reality.

They discussed the project with local builder Ian Dunning and after some investigation Ian came to the conclusion that to build the chapel in concrete or masonry would be prohibitively expensive.

Innovative Kitset Buildings & Ahead Kitsets

Ian approached Ahead Kitsets for some ideas. We provided pricing for a kitset including Tri-Board paneling clad with plywood and a metal roof that looked similar to the tiled roof of the house.

The kitset buildings structure allowed for windows to be cut into the walls at a later date. Plastering and the addition of a church bell were all that was required to complete the appearance that was desired.

Our proposal enabled the chapel to be constructed to the architects design but at an affordable price.

If you have questions about kitset buildings incuding kitset sheds, lofts or sleep-outs, go ahead and contact us.

Kitset Aircraft Hangar

More Than Just A Kitset Farm Shed

Terry McCathie had bought a 5 acre block in Karaka and was in the process of building a new home for his family and himself.

Terry also wanted a kitset shed to house his boat and Mrs McCathie needed space for the horse float and a covered area for hay, tack and feed. They also needed storage for the farm bikes and a small tractor.

Terry wasn’t keen on having a tin shed near his home and found the more rustic look of ply and batten easier on the eye. He saw some Ahead Kitsets designs and approached us with a list of requirements. He wasn’t sure we would be able to meet all of them with one building and at an affordable price.

Kitset Buildings All In One Solution

After getting some measurements of the boat, the horse float and the tractor it was found that the tractor would fit under a lean-to side on.

Our kitset buildings can be customised for any purpose. We proposed one 6 metre wide main kitset shed with one large roller door to house the boat. An open lean-to was added on one side just long enough to cover the horse float.

A full length lean-to was added to the other side with four bays. One was fully enclosed to store the tack and feed and the three open bays housed the tractor, farm bikes and hay.

Unlike a metal shed, our portal kitset sheds frame structural system allows for the building to be built on smaller concrete footings and Terry was pleased with this economy.

Terry was delighted that he was able to meet all of his families requirements with the Ahead design.

If you have questions about kitset sheds and buildings or are considering a kitset shed for a future project, let us help.

Kitset Buildings Wedding Chapel

Kitset Buildings – Te Tuhi’s Lofty Solution

Te Tuhi Robust had some land in Northland and an interest in horse riding. After seeing the Ahead Buildings kitset buildings website he contacted us regarding a building to enable the family to have access to the land and indulge their passion for horse riding.

Roz and Te Tuhi had some specific requirements for their kitset building. They wanted parking for a horse float, four large stalls for the horses, a tack and feed room and an area to have lunch. They also wanted storage for household goods and a room for bunks.

The Robusts’ liked the fact that our kitset buildings had designs that allowed a clear floor span across the main building to facilitate the parking of vehicles underneath the loft floor. They were also impressed by the head room provided in the loft area due to the portal frame structure.

Roz and Te Tuhi wanted extra height at one end of the main building for higher than normal vehicles and horse floats. This was provided for in the design by lifting the loft floor height half way along the building.

Multi-Use Kitset Buildings & Loft

Horse stalls were placed off the side of the main structure to allow access to the stalls from inside the building if required. A special tackroom separates the garage from the kitchen area.

The loft houses a bunkroom and storage in the area with reduced height over the horse floats. There is an area with a kitchen for rest and sustenance after a hard days riding. There is also a shower and toilet.

The Robusts now have a building that fits all the criteria they had decided on at the start of the project. They are looking forward to spending time there with family and friends.

If you are looking for kitset buildings for a certain purpose, let us help.  Contact Ahead Kitsets for a free quote or with any questions.

Kitset Building NZ Farm Shed

Kitset Sheds – Packing In Style

We can provide kitset sheds as well as perform the building and project management work ourselves.

An example of this is Joe & Selma Williamson.  They were developing a nursery for native plants and trees. They needed a shed for the propagation and potting of plants and also required a lunch-room and toilets for staff.

The potting and packing shed needed to have a higher than normal roller door to allow trucks to back into it. It also needed a smaller door for the day to day use of their work tractor and trolleys.

They originally thought they would require two kitset sheds. One higher building with the large door for deliveries and a normal height building for the lunchroom.

The Williamsons’ approached Ahead Kitsets, attracted by the natural look of the plywood cladding of our buildings. They felt that it would provide a warmer and quieter working environment than a tin garage with it’s inherent rattles and draughts.

Multi Purpose Kitset Sheds

Ahead Kitsets were able to offer them a single building satisfying both requirements. As our sheds and buildings are constructed using portal frames rather than trusses, we were able to provide them with a higher roller door in the end wall without increasing the height of the building.

The lunchroom and toilets were catered for by providing some windows and internal walls at one end of the building.

The Williamson’s were pleased that one kitset shed met all of their requirements and yet blended into the nursery without being obtrusive, they also liked the fact that the portal frames gave plenty of height.

Due to the fact that there was no truss bottom chord to get in the way there was plenty of height for racks and stacking pallets. They also appreciated that sparrows did not come in and visit as there were no handy perches provided.

Are you thinking about a kitset building project?  For a free quote or help with questions, please contact us at Ahead Kitsets.

Kitset Buildings – Lofts

Your Horses Will Love Our Kitset Buildings

The natural insulation properties and quietness of timber buildings have proven very popular for housing animals. Our kitset buildings and kitset stables provide a rustic, practical and elegant solution to the housing of horses, goats, alpacas or any other animals.

For example, Mr & Mrs Currall have a veterinary practice in Thames and they also take part in equestrian events. They wanted a kiset building stable that would blend in with their rustic homestead in the Kaueranga Valley.

Multi-Purpose Kitset Buildings & Kitset Stables

The Curralls required two large horse stalls for treatment and the occasional resting of horses. They also wanted a larger tack and feed room to double as a workshop for repair of tack and drying of covers.

The roof framing fits snugly to the portal frames and the roof denying perches or places for birds to make their nests.

The mesh between the stalls enables the horses to see each other for company but not have access to their neighbours with their teeth. And the timber and plywood construction makes for a warm and quiet environment.

We can design a kitset building or stable to suit any unique or custom requirement.

Another example is in Puni, south of Auckland where Brian Clotworthy has a practice providing acupressure therapy for racehorses and eventing horses.

Brian required some stables to house his patients for a couple of days while they were being treated. However he was not keeping a large amount of tack and only a moderate amount of feed.

We provided a four stall kitset buildings design with a small feed room at one end based on our ply-pack modular system. The stable was placed facing his open yard to enable each horse to be brought out individually without disturbing the others.

For kitset buildings (including kitset stables), why not contact us to discuss your ideas.

Kitset Buildings Packing Shed