82 | KiwiSpan - Hawke’s Bay BUILDING Richard Loader KiwiSpan sets the standard with sheds KiwiSpan sheds are made with high quality steel and are designed to withstand the harshest New Zealand conditions. Made with high-quality steel, built to the highest standard and designed to withstand the harshest New Zealand conditions, KiwiSpan sheds set the standard when it comes to quality sheds. Ron Leijn moved from Northland to the sunny Hawke’s Bay to take over the region’s KiwiSpan franchise in 2018 and has never looked back. A qualified builder by trade, Ron had previously been involved in the construction of steel sheds in Northland and, prior to moving to the Bay was contracting to KiwiSpan, laying concrete floors. “I saw some of the KiwiSpan sheds being built on the floors we did and I was quite impressed with how they looked. When the Hawke’s Bay franchise was advertised, I knew the time was right for me to make a change. The rest is history really. “What I bring to the business is trade experience, dedication, a willingness to work hard and a drive to succeed. Quality is our mainstay.” Over the four years that Ron has owned the franchise he has worked hard developing the brand in the region, and that is paying dividends. “I have found that being up-front with clients and following up promptly with enquiries has been critical to our success. “We’re now building a positive reputation in the Bay for quality workmanship, and getting repeat clients. A couple of years ago our workload had got so high that my partner, Lesley Redward, joined me in the business as the sales and office manager. “That’s working really well. We have just received a KiwiSpan award for highest percentage growth, and we topped the sales for the first quarter of this year.” Ron has now employed a full-time labourer, and contracts another licensed builder. He says his workload is such that he could easily employ more staff if they were available. Working from a home office in the little coastal village of Haumoana just out of Hastings, Ron also has a small yard on the outskirts of Havelock North. “We operate from as far north as just south of Wairoa and as far south as the Norsewood/ Dannevirke area. Our core customer base is residential. Many of our clients are car enthusiasts, wanting to build a nice shed to store their classic cars in. “A lot of people are building shed/homes now, because they are a more economical way to go and the building can be closed in pretty quick. People haven’t travelled since COVID, and they have bought campervans or boats and need a shed to store those types of things.” Ron and his team have just completed building a 640sqm shed for a client. Attached to the rear of the client’s home, the shed’s main structure spans 32 metres by 12 metres, with a lean-to adding a further 32 metres by 8 metres. “A lot of people are building shed/homes now, because they are a more economical way to go and the building can be closed in pretty quick.” “The total span that we can do for a building is eighteen metres without requiring special engineering,” says Ron. “Steel sheds are very strong and there are no discrepancies with different gauges, or warping that you typically get with timber framing. It looks tidy and it enables a fast build. Our kitset steel framing fabricator/supplier is Donovan Group, which owns the KiwiSpan brand.” An on-line enquiry system enables customers to specify the shed dimensions through the KiwiSpan website. “Once we get notified of that we draw up a concept plan for the client and then put that through our electronic quoting system, subject to any engineering requirements. We can typically get a quote out in a few hours. Clients can also approach us directly. Our Head Office has its own engineers, because every building that requires a permit has to be engineered.” Our steel is made tough No compromise on quality ƞƋĕijČŤ and fastenings eÎƋĕljŰlj use of space Designed For You Visit kiwispan.co.nz or call 0800 870 078 to discuss your new quality steel shed.
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