The coastal Queensland town of Rockhampton is near one of the leading agricultural regions of Australia. Lonely Planet reports that there are more than 2.5 million cattle within a 250 kilometre radius of the town, so it makes sense that 'Rocky' is known as the beef capital of the country.
But don't just be moo-tivated by the strong agricultural background here, as the CBD of Rocky tells an urban story – elegant wide streets dotted with Victorian-era architecture make a statement along Quay Street, while paved modern walkways frame the coastline. Right in the centre of all this action is Shed Boss Rockhampton.
Meet the rock-solid team at Shed Boss Rockhampton
Shed Boss Rockhampton is managed by Terry Horsley, who has been a builder since he graduated school and has over 25 years of experience in the industry. Prior to running this franchise, Terry worked closely with one of Shed Boss' partner companies.
Our full-time in-house professionals are trade qualified builders.
Terry works alongside nearly 20 staff at this franchise, many of whom have worked here for almost a decade and know the local area well. These full-time in-house professionals are trade-qualified builders and project managers who can offer clients bespoke advice on the most efficient, cost-effective and functional way to build their custom designed sheds or garages in Rockhampton.
Keith Whittaker is the sales project manager at this franchise, and has worked with Terry for 10 years. Previously, Keith worked in mechanical workshops, has sales experience and is a trade-qualified mechanic.
We sat down with both Terry and Keith for an interview about their work in Rockhampton, and their favourite projects.
What Shed Boss products are really popular in your area?
Terry: By and large, 80 per cent of our work is on domestic sheds and workshops. Spaces for 'John Smith' to store his toys and tinker in his backyard, as opposed to a commercial workshop. But we do some commercial projects, too. What's great is our sheds are strong enough that we don't need to change the roof structure to support solar panels, which is an added bonus for people keen to have a green structure.
Keith: We have also built sheds for people with rally cars, with both internal car storage and garaport feature for outdoor parking. Another time, we built a workshop for a local jeweller with space to keep a kiln, so there are many varied purposes for our projects.
Please can you describe your favourite Shed Boss project that you worked on …
Terry: I'm probably most proud of a commercial project we did for a company called Sibelco. We built them a 40-metre-long, 20-metre-wide and 10-metre-high shed, and as any experienced constructor will say, 10 metres is pretty high for a shed. I'm proud of how we managed the design and construction with the utmost safety, using cranes and other technology to deliver a quality shed safely. Workplace health and safety was paramount.
Keith: Mine was more of a workshop, it was 14×9 metres and the client was a motorvehicle restoration chap. He kitted out the workshop with extras like insulation and special fleck flooring, you could eat off the floors it was so well done.
How long does council approval take in your area?
Terry: I have meetings with certifiers on a regular basis and we have a strong relationship with the Rockhampton Regional Council, so the times may be shortening in the near future. All up, though, for a standard building request with no bells or whistles, approval typically takes around 10 working days, so just a couple of weeks. A complex project could take around a month or six weeks. We can also chase for verbal approvals if clients are under time constraints.
Keith: We have been here a long time and we don't advertise a lot, we rely on referral and word of mouth marketing – but it doesn't fail us because of how happy we keep our clients. We meet their expectations, and that in turn helps with council approvals as we have a proven track record.
Come visit Terry or Keith in person!
