Business South November 2021

74 | South Canterbury: Outpost Buildings Rural kit-set buildings just the ticket T T Russell Fredric Outpost Buildings started in Timaru in 2005 making calf shelters, woodsheds and horse stables. “We love seeing the pictures and the getting the feedback, that’s how we develop our products, from customer feedback.” BUILDING I f horses, lambs, calves, hens, alpaca or goats could talk they would probably be providing a testimonial for Outpost Build- ings tough rural kitset buildings. A family-owned company, Outpost Buildings started in Timaru in 2005 making calf shelters, woodsheds and horse stables. Today it manufactures a range of more than 30 product lines which include horse shel- ters, sheds, livestock pens and shelters, hen houses, sleepouts, cabins and studios from its factories in Timaru and Silverdale, north of Auckland. Constructed of strong treated timber, they are designed to stand up to extreme condi- tions, from coastal to high country whether rain, hail, snow or extreme heat. Pre-manufactured kitset buildings range from small garden and tool sheds to stables in excess of 50 square metres, with the option of customisation available. Marketing manager, Aimee Johnston, says understanding customers needs has been a key to developing the product offerings. “We have built relationships with our cus- tomers and really care about after sales ser- vice and try and make sure everybody’s happy and we check in to see if there’s any questions about kitset assembly. “We love seeing the pictures and the getting the feedback, that’s how we develop our prod- ucts, from customer feedback.” Some new products have even been created as a result of taking suggestions on board. Outpost has a versatile range of equine buildings including paddock and yard shelters with tack rooms and stables pre-manufac- tured or customised, all in various configu - rations, including with mono-pitch or gabled roofs. Materials include treated 150mm x 50mm timber framing, exterior grade 15mm plywood end walls, a heavy duty 150mm x 100mm skid mounted base, Zincalume or Colorsteel roofing and a spacious clear-span interior with solid timber kick-boards. The size and weight across most of the kitset range makes the logistics of delivery and trailering by customers a convenient easy task and once built they can be moved relatively easily from one part of a section or paddock to another without the need for heavy ma- chinery. Sheds up to 30 square metres that meet certain building code criteria do not need a building consent. It’s not only animals that love Outpost Build- ings; the company has numerous testimonials from happy customers. Among them are Greg & Khirsty Fleming who have a lifestyle block close to Wellington. They have lived there for more than years, raising two daughters while working in the city. The recent addition of a full-size flood-lit arena and Outpost Buildings stables has enabled eldest daughter Kate’s business, KF Equestrian to flourish. The Flemings originally started with a bare block, built an arena and then researched building options to complete the project for Kates’ equestrian business. “We visited several rural properties in the area and were impressed by the Outpost stables. They were solid and authentic. The owners were all Outpost fans. “We contacted Rachael at Outpost, who was patience personified, as we explored the whole range of buildings with various modifi - cations. “We finally settled on four Outpost Build - ings, all tweaked to suit our needs.” The result is very functional buildings, with one stable including a tack shed and the other a feed shed, perfect for Kate’s equestrian busi- ness and for her clients who come to train.