How To Construct a Cattle Shed Made to Last
No matter how many cattle you herd, a cattle shed is a substantial investment within any farm. With price tags ranging from a hundred dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars, a cattle shed is an investment farmers should complete properly to ensure they get the most value. Designing a cattle shed using the highest quality materials and involving an experienced team will see farmers spend less money in the long term, compared to replacing cheaper DIY solutions more often. Farmers looking to bring long term financial profitability should design sheds built to last.
But exactly how do you protect your cattle shed and ensure it can survive the heat, rain, storm, and flood? These are common queries that arise when creating a cattle shed.
Fortunately, to help farmers out, we have created a guide on how to create a cattle shed that is long-lasting and maximises the use of your investment.
Surveying Your Site
The first step to prolonging the life of your cattle shed is to ensure that it is built on a solid foundation. Factors that you should consider when choosing the location of your shed include how close it is to feed and water, whether you can extend your cattle shed at a later date, and whether it sits in an area that minimises travel for your cows. If these points are considered properly, a cattle shed will enable farmers to use it with minimal logistical troubles.
Once you have found the desired location, it’s important to next examine the soil, slope of the site and whether there are any local building restrictions on your desired location. Each of these factors can affect the suitability of your chosen location as it can mitigate the longevity of your cattle shed.
Using the Correct Materials
While all cattle sheds are made out of steel, ensuring that it’s supported with the right type of steel is a major part in maximising its quality and subsequent lifetime. Bare and painted steel may begin to show signs of rust within a matter of days especially under humid conditions, thereby compromising the structural longevity of the cattle shed.
To further augment the durability of your steel building materials, you can purchase galvanised steel building materials, which use a thin layer of metal coating that protect the steel against the effects of corrosion and rust. By choosing galvanised steel products, your cattle shed can remain protected from any damaging effects caused by, wind, rain and sun, and can last between 25 – 50 years, depending on the climate conditions.
Finding a Trustworthy Steel Fabricator
Making sure that you have a steel fabricator that can deliver a cattle shed of high standard to your design specifications seems like an easy task, when in reality, the process is much more complicated.
When dealing with an investment as large as a cattle shed, it’s important to check that your fabricator can:
- Verify the source of their steel
- Verify the rated tolerances for their steel
- Deliver projects to a high standard
- Demonstrate a capability to meet your requirements and specifications
- Deliver on time
- Understand the environment in which your cattle shed will be subjected to
By consulting a professional fabricator who has a wealth of experience in the area your farm is located, you can ensure that your steel shed is constructed in line with Australian building standards.
Get a Qualified Consultant on Building & Design
Although you may be tempted to build the cattle shed yourself, enlisting the help of an expert can save you a significant amount of time and money when creating and installing your cattle shed. A consultant will help manage the whole process from identifying your needs, to managing design, logistics, and the assembly of your cattle shed. A consultation will often provide access to discounted services throughout the building and design process, while also providing an accountable team to implement and oversee the entire process. Using an experienced company like Steel Supplies Charters Towers enables farmers to have confidence in the process and know their investment will be worthwhile.
If you’re interested in building durable, high-quality steel cattle, contact our experienced and friendly team today.
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