Special feature: Alpine Buildings

Rose Ag invested in an Alpine shed to safeguard their growing machinery fleet, ensuring efficiency and longevity for generations to come

Since the early 1900s, commitment to vineyard and agricultural work has been a part of the Rose family’s life.

The original farm has been passed from one generation to the next, and while traditions have continued, the need for innovation and development has evolved. With a growing fleet of machinery came the need for a shed, and that’s why Vaughan Rose chose Alpine.

Rose Ag is currently owned and operated by the fifth generation of the family. Both Vaughan Rose’s grandfather and father worked as contractors, and while Rose Ag has carried on this tradition to some degree, the popularity of vineyards in Marlborough has seen them shift their focus. Over time, they’ve moved away from hay and silage work and into services such as groundwork, grape harvesting, vineyard services, and lime and fertiliser spreading.

Rose Ag previously leased a space in town for their machinery, but after many years, they decided it was time to build a shed. This brought about a tough decision, and finally, it was concluded that the old, traditional barn would have to go.

“It (an Alpine shed) just adds value to the property, and we had an old barn there, but it didn’t have a use anymore; it didn’t have height (for storing and manoeuvring machinery),” says Vaughan Rose.

“It was time to bite the bullet and move forward and have a decent shed for storage that was rodent-proof as well. The height, just the size in general, has been quite ideal.”

When evaluating design options, Alpine suggests considering the potential height requirements of future, additional equipment outside of the immediate needs. Adding extra height to a shed greatly increases the flexibility in the long term — rarely do you hear of anyone saying their shed was ‘too big.’

Rose Ag considered building a longer, narrower shed, but they didn’t see the point in having a shed where “you just open the door and drive into it. We needed to be able to move around inside it easily enough and keep equipment stored in there.”  

Alpine Buildings says they understand that in today’s busy world, everybody wants practicality and usability as the main features of their shed.

This commitment to client satisfaction sets Alpine apart and provides people like Vaughan Rose with solutions to their needs. Rose Ag provides multiple contracting services, and the seasonality of their work means the equipment being stored in their shed is often changing.

Alpine’s clearspan design provides the perfect answer for this requirement, with the absence of centre poles making moving machinery inside the shed a breeze. Also, the timber framework future-proofs against any changes or add-ons that need to be made later down the track. Adding on bays or a lean-to to the shed becomes achievable, providing owners with ultimate flexibility.

“We liked that it had timber framework and the fact that it was a lot easier to add on in time if we want to,” says Vaughan.

“It’s just so easy talking to Brad; you could tell him an idea and he would throw something back like ‘how about we do this or that’.

“I said we needed a five-meter lean-to, but Brad said the timber comes in six-meter lengths so there’s no point wasting timber by cutting a meter off everything. He’s really good to deal with and talked us through everything to see if it could be done. We would definitely go with Alpine Buildings again; it was just such an easy process.”

The Rose family legacy has thrived, and now, with an Alpine shed on the property, the Rose legacy will last forever — a perfect testament to innovation and durability.

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