Quaker Barns Offer Unique Design Elements to Buyers

Anyone who has spent any time on the rural back roads of America has probably seen plenty of old barns. The majority of these buildings, and indeed the most recognisable and iconic barn shapes, are usually Quaker barns. These structures have the multi-angled roofs that give the barn tops their familiar, almost rounded appearance; these varieties are also referred to as Mansard roofs and can be just as stylish and functional in Australia as in their native country.

In addition to the recognisable roof, one feature that these Quaker barns have in common is that they usually appear to be one single, large room; however, they may actually be divided into two or more rooms. Some contain a single or double-wide door in the centre, while many others place a door to either side of the middle. They are likely to have two windows situated somewhat below the roof.

American barns (on the other hand) often feature pointed roofs, which are slightly taller and more angled in the centre than on the sides, with a decorative window set at the highest point. The buildings often appear almost segmented because the middle appears to pop up from the rest of the structure. American barns can have up to three different doors, as well.

Our Quaker barns come in a variety of colours, sizes, and styles. Our buildings can have traditional barn doors, sliding glass doors, attached carports and even balconies and the siding or "cladding" can be either horizontally or vertically oriented. The structure can have several windows and a single offset door or a single window and double doors. Regardless of your taste and your intentions for the building, at Fair Dinkum Sheds we have multiple options available to suit any and every functional need.

Why Customisable American Barns are Right for You

Our American barns are one of our bestselling structures because they are some of the most versatile options on the market today. The American line comes in a variety of pre-designed styles and sizes that work well if you are not sure what you want. On the other hand, if you know exactly what you need, a barn can be custom built to meet those specifications.

These structures feature a wide multi-level roof with a centre that stands slightly above the rest of the building, leaving room for storage space above the standard height of the remainder of the barn.

The customisation options are endless:

• Customers can choose whether to put windows in the loft areas and any other part of the building or not to have any.
• American barns can be further customised with roofed decks on the ground floor and covered balconies on the second story.
• The buildings can be accessed via regular-sized house doors, barn doors or roll up garage doors, which can be located on the front and rear of the structure, on the sides and in the centre or all of the above.
• The high point of the roof can be offset with straight walls or slope gently down at an opposing angle.

Our company is accredited by the Australian Steel Institute for its compliance with the country's billing codes, a factor that should speak volumes about the integrity of our products. Fair Dinkum Sheds' American barns are safe, fully customisable, and come in enough styles, sizes, and colours to suit every need. Also, all of our structures are conveniently designed to allow for additions to be built onto them at a later date.

Call us today and see which barn is right for your needs!

How Do You Protect Your Farm Equipment When a Storm Happens?

Did you now that it’s already winter growing season in Australia? I know, it’s still warm outside and it feels like summer was just here, but the winter growing season starts in April. This is the time of the year farmers start the process of planting canola, cereal and other grains in preparation for the winter harvest that runs from September to January. As farmers gather their seeds, hay and farm equipment together, they might find that they need more space. A farm shed is an important investment that will you keep your equipment and materials safe from the elements as well as theft. But which farm shed should you buy? When everything else is even, you’ll want the ShedSafe stamp of approval.

What is ShedSafe? In March of 2006, Cyclone Larry made landfall in Queensland, Australia and left destruction in its path. In total, over one billion AUD in damages can be attributed to the Category 5 cyclone. In the wake of this, the Australian Steel Institute decided to revamp its guidelines for steel shed design because it noticed that many sheds experienced structural failure during the storm. This accreditation scheme would become ShedSafe.

What does ShedSafe do? ShedSafe offers accreditation to manufacturers who are compliant with the standards set forth by the Building Code of Australia and the Australian Steel Institute Design Guide Portal Frame Sheds and Garages.

Does this matter? It depends if you’re worried about your safety and the protection of your farm equipment and materials. ShedSafe accreditation gives customers the assurance that the manufacturer was judged by a third party and is compliant with all standards set by the Building Code of Australia. After Cyclone Larry, it was discovered that many sheds weren’t built to those standards, which is why they suffered structural damage from the storm.

Can ShedSafe accreditation be bought? No. If a manufacturer gets ShedSafe accreditation, it was earned through best practices and a record of compliance.

There’s no question that farm sheds are an important part of the winter growing season. They help your farm equipment brave the elements and keep everything housed in one location. You never know when another Cyclone Larry can occur. In those times, it’s important to have a shed that can withstand the torrential winds and rains. Searching for shed manufacturers who have ShedSafe accreditation is a first step in making this happen.