Were you hoping to build a new shed this financial year? Or are you planning a new shed build in 2023? Wondering about the lead time for farm sheds in 2023?
Farm sheds, like many other construction projects and products, were experiencing longer than usual lead times, largely due to supply chain and labour issues caused by the Covid-19 pandemic?
But is this still the case? What is the current time frame for a farm shed build?
Having a clear picture of how long your shed project will take is important.
Your shed project could be a sheep yard cover to keep sheep dry before shearing. Or a hay shed to get hay out of the paddock and under cover. Or it could be a calving shed or calf shelter that needs to be ready in time for calving.
Regardless of your project requirements, having accurate and realistic time frames for your shed from the get-go is essential for project planning and peace of mind.
Here at Action Steel, we like to be upfront about our current lead times. This means we don’t make promises we can’t deliver on. In fact, one of our core values is: we do what we say we will do.
So, here’s an open and honest discussion about farm shed lead times.
In this article we discuss the lead time for a new shed, our scheduling process and what you can do to ensure your shed is delivered in time.
If your shed project is time-bound and you want to know everything about lead times, then this is the article for you.
What Is The Lead Time For A New Farm Shed?
The lead time for a shed project is determined on a job-by-job basis and is subject to a few factors, such as the complexity of the project.
However, the current lead time for a new shed build is around four months.
This is a significant improvement compared to time frames over the past two years. This can be attributed to a number of factors including supply chain and labour issues being resolved. And it is also due in large part to our operational efficiencies which has resulted in our workshop team manufacturing more farm sheds than ever before!
We continually strive to deliver excellence, and one way we do this is with our industry leading manufacturing facilities, project scheduling and project management.
And one of the many benefits for you is quicker time frames.
So, the lead time for an Action shed is about four months and our project schedule is regularly updated and where possible projects are brought forward.
You might also be wondering about the erection process and how long that typically takes – so this is what we answer next.
How Long Does It Take To Build A New Farm Shed?
The average farm shed build is usually completed within two to three weeks, however, large-scale or complex projects can take up to six weeks or more to complete.
The time it takes to build a shed can also be impacted by factors like the weather so keep that in mind.
In fact one way you can ensure your farm shed build is not held up by wet weather, is to properly prepare your shed pad and have good access to the site.
Watch the view below to learn all about good site preparation.
How Do We Deliver On Time Frames?
Over the past few years we have made a number of changes at Action Steel to accommodate the increased demand and to limit the impact of any supply issues.
These include increasing our production capacity by streamlining internal processes, improving manufacturing efficiencies and expanding our operations.
We also accurately schedule work and regularly update the project schedule with any changes.
To ensure we are not impacted by supplier delays we buy steel in bulk and well in advance. And we have moved many activities in-house such a steel processing and concrete panel manufacturing. We also manage the council permit process and engage a private surveyor to avoid delays with councils.
These changes all help us manufacture and deliver your shed on time. There are also a number of steps that you can take in the decision-making process and buying stage to help streamline your project.
What Can You Do About It?
As well as the steps we are taking to improve shed build time frames, some of the decisions you make can also influence this. These include ordering your shed well in advance and choosing a standard span shed.
1. Order well in advance
Plan your purchases well ahead. Staying abreast of current time frames for farm sheds and ordering in a timely manner takes the pressure off both you and our production teams.
Another option to consider is choosing a standard span.
2. Choose a standard span
Our standard spans are a range of span sizes that have been designed to suit farm sheds. These include 15 metres, 18 metres, 21 metres, 24 metres – right through to 60 metres clear span.
Choosing one of our standard size spans speeds up the manufacturing process and avoids delays. This is because it makes drafting quicker and easier and means that a new truss jig does not need to be set up to accommodate a non-standard span – saving both time and money!
Or you could purchase a ‘kit-only’ shed.
3. Order a kit-only shed
With our streamlined manufacturing process, sometimes the bottleneck in a shed project can be getting the shed up and standing. One way to potentially avoid this delay is to arrange the erection yourself. Otherwise, we can allocate the erector best suited to your project and provide you with an expected completion date.
We hope this discussion around lead times for farm sheds has helped you understand all the factors at play. If you would like a more accurate indication of when your shed will be completed, please do not hesitate to give us a call.
You might also find these articles of interest:
- Can I Write-Off My Farm Shed?
- Are Steel Prices Coming Down?
- Updating Your Farm Shed Insurance
- What Is The Best Way To Store Fertiliser?
- How Much Do Farm Shed Permits Cost?
For more articles like these, and for farm shed resources such as brochures, videos and storage calculators, check out our Learning Hub.
