Steel Barns Offer Housing Solution

Victorian company Meleah Kit Fabrications is helping to create a niche housing market by selling kit sheds as homes. The sheds are made from COLORBOND® steel and come in an American or Mansard barn design, ranging from 9.5 to 30 metres in length. Both barns allow extra space for a mezzanine level.

Meleah Kit Fabrications, a distributor for leading Australian shed manufacturing group Fair Dinkum Homes and Sheds, recently sold a steel barn that is being converted into a three bedroom home.

"The American barn is 17.5 metres long, 11.5 metres wide and 5 metres high and has been customised to include a second floor, two large balconies, three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a rumpus area," company owner Leah Voigt says.

"It's been designed to meet the five star energy rating now applying to all new homes in Victoria, and to pass council approval processes."

Leah says American and Mansard barns offer an ideal housing alternative for people running hobby farms, and those who live close to national parks and bushland.

Meleah Kit Fabrications sells its sheds in kit form and delivers to site within three weeks.

The company can also provide details of qualified subcontractors to assemble the barns to fit out stage.

"A typical American barn kit includes roof and wall cladding and three roller doors, all made from COLORBOND® steel, along with rainwater goods also made from BlueScope Steel products," Leah says.

"It's up to the customer to choose options such as skylights, personal access doors, windows and insulation."

Meleah Kit Fabrications also sells conventional, industrial and rural sheds, garages, carports and fencing made from COLORBOND® steel.

"Double garages are very popular. We sell about 90 a year to new home buyers in and around the Horsham area," Leah says.

Meleah Kit Fabrications uses Fair Dinkum Homes and Sheds' design software to calculate steel shed dimensions, and has the added support of Fair Dinkum's engineers for more complex projects.

The company runs a delivery depot, display yard and office from its Stawell premises, northwest of Ballarat.

Meleah Kit Fabrications joined the STEEL BY™ Brand Partnership Program to demonstrate its support for quality, Australian made products, and to align itself with the reputation of Australia's largest steel manufacturer.

The family owned, brother and sister run business started out in a backyard in 2002 and sales have since grown 12 fold.

"We find the STEEL BY™ program signage very useful, we display the large round signage on our front fence and use the STEEL BY™ stickers on all of our mail."

For further information contact:
Leah Voigt
Meleah Kit Fabrications
Phone: 03 5358 5855
www.meleahkit.com.au