Benefits of Solar Installation on Your Shed Roof

Thinking about building a new shed? Among other design considerations and decisions to be made, it might be good to consider adding solar panels to your shed roof. 

We’ll go through some of the reasons and benefits of incorporating solar panels, some design considerations you should think about to make the most of your shed’s roof area, and how you should position your shed on your site to ensure you’ll get enough light to make the solar panels as efficient as possible.

Why Add Solar Panels To Your Shed?

With fluctuating electricity prices and climate uncertainty, adding solar panels to your shed roof may prove to be a wise investment. You could choose to use the electricity generated to power your shed, and feed the excess back into the grid to reduce your electricity bills. If your shed is a farm shed, close to your home, you might also choose to use the solar energy generated on the shed’s roof to power your home. This will help to buffer you against fluctuating electricity prices and give you some energy independence. Energy storage via battery systems, and running your shed completely off-grid are also options to consider.

But why on a shed? Sheds often provide a lot of unused roof space, clear of obstructions, which allow for larger solar panel arrays than the roof of your home. With some pre-planning of your shed design, you can maximise this even further.

Design Considerations

If you’re planning on adding a large solar array to your shed roof, there are a few things you can do to maximise its electricity output.

Firstly, consider the pitch of the roof. We can help you to design a shed with a suitable pitch for the best solar efficiency in your area. You could also consider a skillion (single pitch) roof, which will allow for the maximum amount of solar panels to be facing the optimal direction.

That brings us to the next consideration: direction. To make the most of the sun in Australia, It’s best to angle your roof towards to north or the west. While this isn’t always possible on every site, it is the optimal position for solar electricity generation.

It’s also worth considering any possible obstructions that may block the sun from the roof for part or all of the day. Large trees close to the shed or other structures may reduce the efficiency of your solar panels. Obstructions that partially shade your roof will also increase the cost of solar installation, as you may require micro-inverters so each solar panel can generate electricity individually. Without micro-inverters, if one panel is shaded and not generating electricity, the whole system stops.

Diagram showing seasonal sun paths over roof in Australia for planning solar panel positions
The Diagram shows the path of the sun in winter and summer, and why a roof with a north-facing pitch is most efficient in generating solar electricity.

Other Considerations

If you do decide to incorporate a solar panel array into your new shed design, there are a few other things to consider, and include in the design process. Firstly, is the extra weight of the solar panels on the shed roof. It’s a good idea to factor in the weight of the panels while engineering your shed to ensure they won’t put any unnecessary strain on the structure. This is especially important if you’re planning a very large group of solar panels.

It’s also worthwhile making sure you choose a reputable installer for your solar panels, so that rain and debris can continue to run off your shed roof without any obstruction from the panels, and that the panel racking doesn’t compromise the integrity of your shed roof.

Choosing the Right Walls For Your Grain Shed

When building a new grain storage shed, there are a few wall options to consider. Each option has some pros and cons, that we’ll cover here. If you’re still not sure which option will best suit your needs, feel free to contact our expert design consultants for personalised advice.

What Are The Grain Shed Wall Options?

There are four main options or you to consider when designing your grain shed: full concrete walls, concrete bump rails, full steel walls, and self-supporting removable panels.

Full Concrete Walls Diagram

Full Concrete Walls

A full concrete wall will be created from pre-cast concrete panels, and installed in place of standard wall cladding in your grain shed. This option is the strongest and most robust wall option. The strength of the concrete panels will allow for easy unloading with a grain bucket, and stand up to an occasional bump. A full concrete wall also allows for good vermin-proof sealing between the slab and wall, protecting your grain. This option does come at a higher cost, though.

Concrete Bump Rails

This is a more cost-effective option, compared to full concrete walls, while keeping many of the same benefits. Rather than the wall being full height precast concrete panels, we install a shorter concrete panel around the perimeter of the shed. This gives enough strength to easily and quickly unload with a grain bucket, but is not quite as robust as a full concrete wall. Like a full concrete wall though, the concrete bump rail allows for excellent vermin-proof sealing with the slab.

Concrete Bump Rails Diagram
Full Steel Wall Diagram

Full Steel Wall

This is the most cost-effective option when building a new grain shed. The steel wall can be placed inside supports to ensure they can support the weight of the grain, without losing any internal space. This is the fastest and most flexible way to build your new grain shed. But the trade-off is less effective vermin sealing, and less robust walls that won’t take as much of a beating as concrete.

Self-supporting Removable Panels

Removable panels are a modular and versatile solution, that might be a great option if you plan on using your shed for purposes other than storing grain. These can also be made to fit inside your existing shed. When you’re not storing grain, they can be removed, and stacked, freeing up extra space inside your shed. The self-supporting wall panels can also be used as a freestanding bunker, outside of a shed, and with ground and cover tarps for fumigation. This is a cost effective option for a multi-purpose shed, but you do lose some interior shed space to allow for the self-supporting frame.

Self supporting removable panels diagram

Which Option Will Be Best For My Grain Shed?

The option that will work best for you will depend on your grain storage needs, your other plans for your shed, and of course your budget. If you have questions or need more advice on the option that’ll work best for you, get in touch with our design consultants for personalised advice.

Other Grain Shed Options To Consider

Slab Or Ground Tarp

A ground tarp is a cost-effective way to protect your grain stored in your grain shed, but it does make loading and unloading more difficult. A concrete slab is much more robust, and allows for fast and easy unloading. Both options offer similar vermin sealing capabilities.

Auger Inlets & Outlets

Unloading and loading should be simple to operate and permit ample auger access. Our in built inlets and outlets can make it easy to use your grain auger to manage your feed.

Natural Ventilation

Natural ventilation is important to help prevent mildew and contamination while your produce is being stored. We have ventilation solutions to provide the right atmosphere.

Increased Storage

We can increase storage capacity by using retaining walls, reinforced steel external walls, or internal dividing walls.

Vermin Proofing

Don’t risk contamination. Keep out rodents and birds with our unique PEST-GUARD rodent proofing system.

Off Season Storage

Don’t forget that these sheds are a great place to store your machinery during the off season.

Connect: Smart Build System Installation & Construction Process

See How the Smart Build System Enables You To Self-Manage Your Project And Get A Building That Is Structured To Work For Your Needs.

While our in-house team is taking care of manufacturing your building, you’ll probably be focusing on getting your site ready for installation. The TechSpan Smart Build Systems connects you with our network of approved contractors to assist in every step of the process.

The Installation & Construction Process

The connect phase of your project is where self-managing saves you real money.

Where traditional building sites would have a fulltime site manager supervising a few self-directed trades, you’ll have access to all of the required documentation to enable you to engage directly with your local tradespeople who’ll do the work. Whist this phase can consume time on site, the cost savings that you can enjoy, and satisfaction being able to play an integral part in the building project make it a rewarding experience.

Not only do you save money, but with our assistance, and our network of SmartPoint verified tradespeople, it’s not as complicated as you might have thought. We’re happy to help you assess and evaluate quotes to ensure you’re getting value for money, and we can recommend tradespeople in your area who have had their workmanship tried and proven. In particular, we have Techspan approved shed erectors who can travel to the site and can manage most of the installation work virtually unassisted.

The main steps you’ll need to take in this stage are:

  1. Earthworks & civil: You’ll need to have the site levelled, compacted, and ready to build on.
  2. Stormwater & drainage: Appropriate stormwater and drainage systems were included in your council approvals, and will need to be installed to these specifications.
  3. Concreting for your slab and foundations: Depending on the design of your building, the soil conditions, and the local council requirements, you’ll need to have a concreter pour your piers, footings and slab ready for installation.
  4. Erection & installation of your building: Your building kit will be delivered to site, and an accredited installer erects the structure.
  5. Internal fit-out: Once the structure is erected, it’s time to complete any internal fit-out and connect any required services.
  6. Landscaping & carpark: Once all the other work on site is complete, it’s time to tidy up any landscaping, install the required parking spaces, and tidy up everything around the site.

Earthworks & Civil

Depending on the site and the design of your building, you may need an earthmoving company to level and compact your site ready for concreting and installation. Unless an uneven site was included in your initial design, it’s essential to ensure the site is level and correctly compacted to avoid any later subsidence. We’ll provide specifications for your soil compaction to suit the design of your building and the site’s soil conditions.

Levelling & compacting the site won’t be necessary for all buildings. For example, if you are building a cattle yard cover over existing cattle yards on a slightly sloping block, we can account for this when designing the structure, making some columns longer than the others to ensure that the roof remains level on the sloping ground.

Now is also the time to think about access to the site for the installer and other tradespeople. We recommend you have a minimum of five metres of flat ground around the shed site, clear of debris and trees.

While the earthmovers are working on the site, you should also ensure that the approach to the shed has easy access, and have them level or clear an approach route if necessary.

Stormwater & Drainage

Next, you’ll need to install any stormwater and drainage systems required on your site. Council requirements vary depending on your location and building use, but the details for these requirements would have been included in the council approvals process.

Concreting of Your Foundations & Slab

Foundations are essential for a strong and long-lasting building. The design for your foundations, customised to suit your site and structure, is included in your final design drawings.

Depending on the site soil conditions and your building, you may have bored pier or square pad foot foundations. Our installer can mark out the correct locations for the foundations, and your earthmoving company will be able to dig the required pier holes. You’ll also need the installer to set the required hold-down bolts into the foundations.

It usually works out more economical if you contract the earthmover directly to dig the piers or use your own machine and auger. 

You might also choose to have the slab poured at the same time, though it is possible to lay the slab after installation. Your required slab thickness depends on the building use and the weight of contents that sit on the slab. We take your requirements into consideration and can specify slab engineering as part of the design process. Again, you can make substantial savings by finding and working with a local concreting contractor to have the slab poured.

Erection & Installation

So now your site is ready, there is easy access for the installer, the foundations and slab are finished, and you’re ready to get your building installed.

Installation is conducted by a third-party, SmartPoint verified installer. These installation companies erect sheds full-time all over Australia and are all accredited and highly-experienced. They are familiar with the TechSpan system and how the installation of our innovative designs works. You can work directly with these installers, or get assistance from us if needed.

The installer assists with marking out the site for the foundations, and ensuring the hold-down bolts are cast into the piers correctly. They then assemble and stand the structure, clad the shed, and install any mezzanine floors, roller doors, crane rails, insulation and windows. Once they finish, the only thing left to do is connect services and complete any internal fit-out, external car park, and landscaping works.

Internal Fit-Out

Local tradespeople need to connect any services and complete the internal fit-out of your building. We can draw the internal fit-out and design in the initial stages; however, it won’t be a detailed design; only a floor layout. Your local builder can organise the final details, and arrange other trades (plumber, tiler, electrician) to come in and complete the fit-out as required.

Landscaping & Carparks

The best time to finalise your landscaping is once all the other tradies are finished on-site to ensure your landscaping doesn’t get damaged. You should also ensure your car parks are in place, and everything is finished off. The only thing left to do once this stage is complete is to start using your building.

What’s Next?

Now you have a pretty clear overview of how the Smart Build System can help you save time and money; the only thing left to do is to get started! Missed our first article with information on the consultation stage or the second article on our manufacturing procedures? Check them out now.

The Smart Build System is both innovative and efficient, empowering you to effectively self-manage a project. The system allows you to choose what you would like to handle, and TechSpan works with you to coordinate the rest. As a result, you achieve a quality building outcome with much less effort than going it alone and much less cost than going with a full turn-key package.

Manufacture: Smart Build System

Our Smart Build System Manufacturing Process Saves You Time & Money And Gets You A Building That’s Structured To Work.

At the end of the consult phase, you’ll have a final, engineered plan for your project that is structured to work. You’ll have the necessary approvals, and be ready for us to start our manufacturing process. Manufacturing is where the Smart Build System really shines!

Our Manufacturing Process

Our manufacturing process is comprised of six key stages to reduce waste, save time, and ensure quality. 

  1. Shop Drawing: First, we create a detailed shop drawing with innovative CAD software to allow us to get the position and alignment of every piece and bolt perfect. 
  2. Scheduling & Procurement: We then schedule the production of your building kit using our cutting-edge production scheduling and procurement software. 
  3. Material Processing: Once the materials for your building arrive, we use the latest in CNC and plasma technology to cut, drill and prepare the materials for fabrication with the least amount of wasted materials and time possible. 
  4. Fabrication: With all the pieces ready, our highly-skilled professional fabricators check each component and begin welding. 
  5. Surface treatment: When fabrication is complete it is important to protect your building against corrosion. We have a number of options for various applications.
  6. Delivery: Once fabrication is complete, our SmartPoint QC checklist ensures that everything you need for installation is correct before it is delivered to site by our network of trusted carriers.

Shop Drawing

Once your design is finalised & engineered, we construct a detailed 3D CAD model of the building. We place each piece, right down to every single bolt, to ensure the perfect fit and alignment. Our advanced CAD software also enables us to simulate the movement of all moving parts to ensure proper operation when the structure is complete.

Our shop drawing differs from the engineered plan as we draw and dimension every individual piece of steel. This 3D drawing is more detailed than the engineered plan and enables us to get the fabrication and fit of each component perfect.

Our unique manufacturing and design processes allows us to create structures that are easy to assemble. That’s how we help reduce your total costs: by saving on installation labour costs while making installation as safe and easy as possible.

Once the shop drawings are complete, we create a full bill of materials for your project, which incorporates every piece of steel we need to fabricate the entire structure. Before progressing further, we then double-check the bill of materials with our SmartPoint checklist and distribute the list to all the manufacturing divisions.

Procurement & Scheduling

We don’t just save you money by reducing our material waste. Our in-house procurement and scheduling systems lessen the final cost to you by ensuring there is no wasted time. We use a cutting-edge production scheduling system to ensure the productivity of our fabrication and manufacturing staff. This system also allows us to give you accurate delivery estimates, saving you the time and hassle of coordinating or rescheduling multiple contractors for earthworks and concreting without any definite timelines.

Our innovative scheduling system also allows us to order the materials required for your project using automated purchase orders. Automated procurement ensures the materials arrive in time for our fabrication process to begin.

Material Processing

At TechSpan, we use a combination of various computer-aided material processing techniques to ensure the materials for your project are cut, drilled and prepared for fabrication as accurately as possible. These technologies reduce material waste and errors, making sure we get each cut right the first time.

CNC Cutting & Drilling

CNC stands for Computer Numerical Control and refers to any computer-controlled machining tools. CNC allows for much higher accuracy in cutting and drilling the material for your project and utilises the detailed data from our shop drawings to make sure everything fits together as it should.

Plasma Plate Preparation

Plasma is an advanced cutting process that allows plates of any shape or size to be accurately cut ready for use in the structure. We use plasma cutting to prepare all plates to ensure a perfect fit.

Fabrication

Once we have all the materials for your project cut, drilled, and prepared, our highly-skilled, trained fabrication professionals begin putting everything together. But, before the welding begins, every component is checked with our thorough SmartPoint checklist. We check that each piece is the correct size, the holes are drilled where they should be, and we have every part we need. By ensuring everything is perfect before welding begins, we save wasted time and material. It’s also one way we make sure the end product delivered to your building site is high-quality.

Components

We ensure all of the bolts and fixings for your structure are manufactured to Australian standards and are of the highest quality. All components are designed to fit and work correctly as part of our innovative design and shop drawing processes.

Surface treatment

Once we have completed the fabrication of your building, we treat the surface of all the parts to ensure they are long-lasting. 

Depending on your location and requirements we offer a number of Surface treatment options. Most buildings are best suited to a blast & paint finish. For marine or corrosive environments we recommend upgrading to Hot Dip Galvanizing. For more information about the surface treatment options available and what might best suit your project, read our article about hot-dip galvanizing and painting.

Delivery & Logistics

Once all surface treatment for your building is complete, we complete our final quality control check. The final QC check allows us to quickly correct any issues, before delivery to site, and is a crucial step in our SmartPoint verification system.

We check that each component has been fabricated to the precise specifications from the shop drawing and that every single piece—right down to every bolt—is ready for installation.

Once our final SmartPoint QC check is complete, everything you need for on-site installation to begin is dispatched with one of our trusted, SmartPoint verified carriers. Our network of carriers ensures your building kit will arrive on-site on time and ready to be installed, at the best cost possible.

What’s Next?

While we’re manufacturing the structure for your project, you’re likely managing the completion of earthworks, foundations and preparing the site for delivery and installation. With assistance from our network of approved contractors, this is not as intimidating as it sounds. Once your shed kit is delivered to site, installation can begin. Our network of approved contractors will be able to efficiently and safely install your building at the prepared site.

Want more information about what is involved in the first stage of the Smart Build System, and what makes it different from traditional building projects? Go back to our article about the design and consultation process, which is the first phase of our process, and see how you can save time and money.

Want to know more?

Want to learn more about our network of approved contractors to assist in preparing your site for installation? Read our article on the connect phase of the system, and how we empower you to self-manage the on-site works and installation to get a building that is structured to work.

Read About Our Installation & Construction Process

Consult: Smart Build System Design & Consultation Process

How the Smart Build System Enables You To Get A Building That Is Structured To Work For Your Needs.

The TechSpan Smart Build System is structured to work from planning to completion, and we’re with you every step of the process to enable you to get the building you need. The first step, though, is determining what it is that you actually need for this development, and that’s where our expert design consultants come in.

You probably already have a pretty clear idea of what needs to go in your building, how you plan on using it, and what it needs to help you achieve. But our experts and the Smart Build System can help turn that into a reality; meeting, or even exceeding, your expectations for the project.

An Introduction To The TechSpan Smart Build System

TechSpan's Smart Build System.

There are three main phases in the Smart build System: Consult, Manufacture, and Connect. Firstly, you consult with TechSpan, and our network of SmartPoint verified consultants to plan and design your building. Once both yourself and the council approve your building, then we move on to manufacturing your structural steel building. Our in-house manufacturing gives us the edge on design, quality and lead-time. Once manufacturing of your building is complete, we organise delivery to your site and connect you with the necessary contractors to get your building installed.

Why Choose The Smart Build System?

Our Smart Build System was born out of experience; a desire to streamline the building process; and the belief that there must be a better way to build. TechSpan and our clients both recognised and became frustrated with the amount of waste that has found its way into the traditional turn-key building contracts.

The primary goal of the Smart Build System is to reduce the waste of time and materials and streamline the entire building process, from planning to completion. This is achieved by empowering you to effectively self-manage your project.

Traditional turn-key building projects waste time through the fragmented and disconnected circuit of consultants who have no defined coordinator and spend precious time waiting for one another to share information. More time is wasted through the commercial tender process where bidders spend weeks preparing detailed pricing tenders and enter an evaluation and negotiation phase. All of this is before any meaningful work can even commence. At times when designs are unrealistic, even more time and money is wasted by another round of design work and tendering. To recoup the cost of this time, builders charge higher margins on all the trades and services they oversee. 

Our innovative system disrupts the fragmentation of turn-key building projects by making you the central coordinator for your project and connecting you with the consultants you need at each stage. This has shown to reduce build time on some projects by up to 4-6 months compared to traditional methods, resulting in a more efficient project and a faster return on investment for our clients.

The Smart Build System also reduces the waste of building materials and labour, leading to a lower project cost. Our years of industry experience and management of design, manufacture and procurement has proven to save clients more than 30% of the build cost through efficient use of both materials and labour. Efficiency is core to our engineering, design, and manufacturing processes and installation procedures.

Get An Overview Of The Smart Build System

So now you have a basic understanding of what the Smart Build System is, and how it came about, let’s get into how the first stage works.

The Initial Design Consultation

The first thing we need to do is get a clear picture of your goals for your new development. Years of experience have taught us that the best way to do this is simply to have a chat! We start by getting to know you, your business and goals, and any specific requirements or limitations you might have for this development.

Once we’ve started to get a bit of an understanding of what it is you’re after, we ask some more detailed questions to determine the project specifics and scope. Depending on how developed the project concept is, we might also recommend you download our design worksheet to help you sort through your ideas and get them down on paper. The worksheet guides you through some of the things you should consider to get a clear picture of what the final building needs to be, which will likely also save you some money.

If you already have a pretty clear picture of the end result, we’ll get started on a plan covering the specifications of the project like the size, location, site limitations, design features, materials, and an initial design concept. That’s why we’ve found that these consultations work best as a conversation—we can offer advice on what we think works best for you based on our more than 20 years experience, and you’re not handing off control to a third party which can cause a lot of back and forth and wasted time.

At this stage, we also discuss how much help you’ll require for council approvals, site surveys, specialist engineering, soil tests and any other area where you may need assistance.

The core of the Smart Build System is that we enable you to self-manage your project by putting you in touch with our network of SmartPoint verified consultants, and letting you choose the level of assistance you need from us.

Our network of SmartPoint verified consultants have a thorough understanding of the building codes and engineering requirements. They can bring a coordinated and no-nonsense, can-do approach to meeting the requirements for your location.

By the end of this stage, you’ll receive an initial quote, a free concept design, and possible inclusions and exclusions based on your needs. We’ll include as much information as we can in this estimate to enable you to make decisions and plan your finances.

Once you’re happy with your initial concept, we connect you with our SmartPoint verified consultants to assist with BCA (Building Code of Australia) requirements, site surveys, soil tests, engineering and council approvals and turn our initial plan into a detailed design.

Site Surveys

Site Surveys

You’ve got a pretty clear plan of what your project needs to deliver following your design consultation, and you’ve probably got a pretty clear idea of where it will be built, so now is the time to bring in a surveyor to assess the conditions of the building site.

Unlike traditional turn-key building projects where time is likely to be wasted waiting for information from independent consultants, we enable you to become the project manager and take control. Self-managing lets you get the information you need and move on to the next stage in a more timely manner.

Soil Tests

Soil Tests

As part of your site survey, it’s a good idea to get a soil test done. A soil test determines the properties of the soil on the site. It includes the compaction rates and reactivity (whether the ground contracts and expands considerably).

While a formal test is not always necessary for an engineers certificate, it is something we recommended as the soil test determines what is needed regarding the building’s foundation and footings. Soil testing can determine how deep the foundations should be and if long piers are needed.

The Smart Build System allows us to put you in touch with a local geo-technician to get your soil test organised. Instead of having to search for someone, you can choose to work with one of our SmartPoint verified consultants. These are consultants that have passed our rigorous criteria to ensure they are knowledgeable, reliable, and can get you the information you need quickly.

Final Design & Quote

Final Design & Quote

Once you’re happy with the initial plan, and you have the extra information from the site survey and soil tests, we work with you to finalise all the details of your building. Based on the information from the initial design consultation and any new information from soil tests and surveys, we finalise a detailed design and plan. 

We’ll go through the design with you and make sure everything is precisely how you want it. Whether you choose to do this over the phone, in person, or via email, we’ll walk you through the whole process. By the end of this stage, you’ll have nailed down the exact design of your project, and you’ll get a final quotation and with a full list of everything it does and doesn’t cover. You’ll also have most of the information you need to proceed with engineering certification and council approvals.

Engineering Certification

Engineering Certification

Once you’ve approved the final design and quote, we’ll connect you with an independent engineer who can check that everything on the plan meets the requirements and specifications. They’ll consider the required wind ratings, terrain, soil test results and the building’s importance rating.

During this stage, the engineer gives further feedback and recommendations, and we make the appropriate changes in our drawings before sending back for further evaluation. Once the engineer is happy with the design, they issue a Design Certificate or Form 15. You’ll need this to proceed with council approvals.

Council Approval

Council Approval

Council approval and building permits are renowned for being one of the most significant headaches in the building process. But it doesn’t have to be that hard. The Smart Build System can simplify the approvals process by helping you reach the right SmartPoint verified consultants at the right stage.

It’s important to note, though, that not all structures will require council approval. Some buildings may be exempt developments (that require no approval) or complying developments (that require the council to be notified but don’t require a development application). The requirements for each type of development varies from council to council and can be impacted by state and territory laws, but our design consultants and SmartPoint verified planning consultants will help you find which rules apply to your building. 

If you do need Council approval, this generally requires a bit of a back and forth process, as council requests more information and details as the process progresses. The complexity of the project will determine the stage to best approach council. On complex projects, it will be beneficial to organise a pre-DA meeting with the council to discuss any specific requirements and flag any potential issues ahead of time. The information gained from this meeting enables us to tailor the design of your building to suit these specific requirements and helps to avoid some of the back-and-forth, ultimately saving you time. The pre-DA meeting will normally include yourself, a TechSpan representative, the planning consultant and a council town planning representative.

If the council needs extra details and documentation, we’re more than happy to help you out, connecting you with the most appropriate consultants from our network, and providing the necessary information.

You might also choose to work with a private certifier instead of directly with council certifiers. The process is pretty similar for both, and the building has to meet the same requirements regardless. However, private certifiers can typically speed up the process, which may be beneficial if you have a short time frame for your project. Early on in the consultation process, our experts can help you choose the option that best suits your needs and the project.

Want to learn more about the council approval process? Read our council approvals guide here.

What’s Next?

At this stage, you have a final, engineered plan that has been approved by council, and you’re ready for the next step. Building kit manufacture is the core of our business and our strong suit. We are renowned for our innovative building designs and high-quality manufacturing. Once everything is signed-off, we begin our manufacturing process.

Want to learn more about our manufacturing process?

Want to learn more about our manufacturing process? Read our article on our manufacturing process here. We cover our process and how the Smart Build System makes us different from other manufacturers.

Learn About Our Manufacturing Process

Choose The Right Cladding

When selecting cladding for your building, there are two main options you’ve likely come across: Colorbond®️ and Zincalume®️. Both of these products are made to suit Australian conditions, and they both do a great job of lasting long-term on the exterior of your shed. But which is the right one for your needs?

Firstly, what’s the difference?

Both cladding options are strong and durable, but the difference that matters to most people between the two is the cost and the variety of colours and finishes available.

Zincalume®️ is an unpainted blend of aluminium, magnesium, silicon and zinc. It is designed (and has been heavily tested) to stand up to Australia’s harsh environmental conditions. It’s rust-resistant, it doesn’t scratch easily, and it comes with a lower price tag than Colorbond®️.

Colorbond®️, as the name might suggest, has colour (and some other protective coatings) bonded to the base material, so it is available in a variety of colours and finishes. It is a low-maintenance, long-term cladding material that also allows you to add a bit of colour to your shed.

  • Large Steel Hay Shed
    A TechSpan Zincalume®️ Hay Shed
  • Aerial Overview
    A TechSpan Commercial Building Combining Colorbond®️ wall cladding with a Zincalume®️ roof.
  • Large Industrial Shed
    A TechSpan Colorbond®️ Commercial Building

Which cladding is right for your shed?

Well, that depends on the location of your structure and what you plan on using it for.

First, you’ll need to look at any restrictions that apply in your area. Some councils may require that new buildings be clad with Colorbond®️, and others may have no specific cladding requirements. It’s also common that structures close to airports, like hangars, have restrictions on the amount light the roof can reflect, so it doesn’t interfere with airport activities.

If the council or other restrictions do not require Colorbond®, the next thing to consider is what look you want for the exterior of your building. While Zincalume®️ cladding will you give farm shed that classic Aussie look, it might not be what you’re after for new development in a commercial area.  

Unlike Zincalume®️, Colorbond®️ is available in a range of colours and finishes to suit your tastes and the goals for your project. Colorbond®️ is available in contemporary or classic colours which can be used in combination to create a modern two-tone exterior on your building.

When choosing your colour, you’ll need to keep in mind that different colours have different solar absorptance and solar reflectance properties. Solar absorptance and solar reflectance properties affect the amount of heat from the sun that gets absorbed by your structure and transferred to the interior of your shed. Lighter colours reflect more of the suns heat, and so can be better suited to sheds in hot, sunny positions. Darker colours absorb more of the suns heat, making them require more insulation, or cooling, to stay at a comfortable temperature.

You should also consider using a contrasting colour for the trim and doors of your building as a way to add interest or highlight particular architectural features. 

The next thing to consider is cost. If you have no specific requirements to use Colorbond®️, you might be able to save some of the cost and go with the Zincalume®️ cladding. If you’re concerned about the appearance of the Zincalume®️, a popular option economical option is to use Zincalume®️ on less visible surfaces of the structure like the roof, and use Colorbond®️ for the visible walls. Mixing the two claddings can offer substantial savings on large structures, and still create an attractive exterior.

If you decided Colorbond®️ is not for you or is out of your price range, Zincalume®️ is your next best choice. It’s rust-resistant and is designed to last in Australia’s conditions, costs less, but does not offer the colour and design choices you’ll get with Colorbond®️. It’s most suitable for structures where the outward appearance is not critical, and it’s commonly used for hay sheds and other farm sheds.

Steel cladding not what you’re looking for?

There are some situations where standard roll-formed steel cladding like Colorbond®️ or Zincalume®️ might not be the best solution for your wall cladding. In these cases, you might look at incorporating precast concrete cladding panels or precast structural walls into the building design. Precast concrete panels can be used as exterior cladding on commercial buildings to create a modern, streamlined finish.

Concrete panels are often used as fire rated walls on industrial buildings, to enable construction right on the lot boundary. Another situation where precast concrete panels are useful is as cost-effective retaining walls to level a sloping site. Concrete perimeter panels are also regularly used on the inside of the steel columns to create a no-gap holding area for bulk produce or grain.

Picture: A TechSpan Building With Pre-Cast Concrete Cladding

Industrial Spring Water Processing Shed Exterior
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