Many customers come to us for the beautiful barn homes that fill our website and socials. And yes, our Cedarspans make stunning accommodation. But the true power of a Cedarspan lies in its adaptability, and accommodation – whether permanent or holiday – is only part of the story.
If you’re reading this, chances are you have some rural land. It could be a small parcel or it might be sprawling acreage. Maybe a barn home is out of reach for now but you want to add value to your empty block? Or maybe you love the look of a Cedarspan but need it to do a more practical job? Either way, a Cedarspan can add real value, function and even income potential to your property, and perhaps in ways you hadn’t considered.
And on rural land in some parts of Australia, you may be able to build without council approval when the structure meets the relevant exempt-development criteria. Because that depends on your property, your zone and how you’ll use it, take a look at our guide to council approval for rural buildings and confirm what applies with your local council.
Here are eight ways our customers have made their mark with a Cedarspan… or two. And you’ll also see that some of the most rewarding projects are the ones you can start now and adapt into the future.
Farm Buildings
Out on working properties, a Cedarspan earns its keep by being robust, durable, and built for life on the land. And best of all, it will actually look the part.
The machinery shed
Gone are the days of the ugly metal farm shed.
Sam’s machinery shed on his 113-acre farm in the Southern Highlands proves a working agricultural building can be genuinely good-looking, built to house machinery, store supplies and handle the rigours of daily farm life while sitting comfortably in the landscape rather than dominating it.
It might hold machinery, stock or produce, or serve as a garage, tractor shed or workshop today. But because farming needs to adapt to change, a Cedarspan can adapt with it – allowing a building like this to take on new roles as a property’s needs change over the years.
The stables
Demonstrating that a Cedarspan isn’t just for humans, Tony and Anna’s twin Cedarspans in the Macarthur region of NSW show the same building serving two very different purposes – one being fitted out as stables, the other as comfortable accommodation next door.
With three roomy stalls, soaring ceilings and custom stable doors and windows, it pairs modern equestrian function with traditional aesthetics.
It’s a barn being used exactly as barns were originally intended, with the right balance of contemporary flair and genuine rural character.
Backyard Cedarspans
You don’t need sprawling acreage to build one. On a smaller block, a Cedarspan brings the same rural character closer to home.
The teenage hangout
A holiday house should be somewhere the whole family wants to be, teenagers included.
At their coastal getaway, Meg built a backyard Cedarspan with her teens and their friends in mind. It’s a fun, funky rumpus space for hanging out, gaming, movies, music and sleepovers when they take the trip from Victoria to the South Australian coast for the holidays.
Not quite a secondary dwelling, not quite a games room, its barn aesthetic suits the Fleurieu Peninsula location and gives everyone their own space while under the one roof for the break.
Extra living space, built right
Having land doesn’t always mean having enough room.
As families grow or needs change, a rural property can feel short on space just like any other, and moving is rarely the answer.
Rather than extend their recently renovated farmhouse, Ryan and Ashley added a Cedarspan in the backyard for the extra living space they needed.
With the right proportions for their rural block and customised to suit the house it sits alongside, it looks as much at home on the property as the 120-year-old homestead.
Commercial
A Cedarspan’s beauty, versatility and practicality make it a natural fit for business, events and tourism.
The wedding and events venue
Belle Heath Estate created a setting so picturesque it’s become the backdrop for some of life’s most cherished moments, and the centrepiece is a stunning all-white Cedarspan barn.
Inside, it serves a practical purpose as a three-car garage.
But it’s the exterior that steals the show as a crisp, elegant backdrop for weddings, events and photoshoots – the kind guests talk about for years.
A hard-working building doesn’t have to be a plain one – a Cedarspan can do a real job and still be the most beautiful thing on the property.
The business on the waterfront
At the mouth of the Hawkesbury River sits Brooklyn, and on its wharf stands the home of the Riverboat Postman, the water-based mail run that’s served the river’s boat-only communities since 1910.
When Catherine needed a permanent post-and-ticket office to replace the flood-prone original, she had one condition – it had to look like it belonged.
A Cedarspan was extensively customised to do exactly that. Pier-mounted at the waterside, and elevated to survive a one-in-a-hundred-year flood, it fits in perfectly with the town’s historic streetscape.
Workshops and garages
For a hands-on owner, a Cedarspan is a workshop that is as functional and versatile as it is sturdy and robust. Better still, it looks like it belongs.
The garage that paved the way
When Michael and Margaret-Anne set out to build a country homestead on their block near Stroud, they started with the garage – and lived in it.
Their first Cedarspan was built to be the property’s detached garage and workshop, but fitted out with bathroom and laundry facilities, a kitchenette, and a wood-burning stove, it was much more from the start.
Self-sufficient with solar panels and rainwater tanks it became a comfortable temporary home while they owner-built their matching house beside it.
By parking their camper trailer inside, they were able to live on site and take their time on the build of their home, with no rent and no rush.
The barn built to evolve
Some of the best Cedarspan projects are designed from day one to change with the property.
Today, John’s Cedarspan on his 10-acre Central West property is a car enthusiast’s dream – a bright, well-ventilated garage and workshop for his classic cars. But look closer and the dream doesn’t end there. Behind the raw workshop walls sits a fully tiled bathroom with a bathtub; beneath the concrete floor runs plumbing; within the unlined walls, cabling.
From day one John had it designed, plumbed and cabled to convert into living space later – a barndominium, studio, B&B or party barn.
It’s possible because a Cedarspan can do one job now and quietly hold a completely different future in reserve.
One barn, eight projects, many more possibilities
These eight real-life projects barely scratch the surface of what’s possible.
Because a Cedarspan can become whatever you and your property need it to be – a farm shed, a backyard retreat, a wedding backdrop, a workshop… or a home… and everything in between.
And the best projects rarely stop at their first use. A building can solve today’s problem while leaving the door open to tomorrow’s, adding space, function or even new opportunities to your property as your needs change.
That’s the beauty of a Cedarspan. You don’t necessarily have to know exactly what your property will need years from now. You can build for what you need today, while keeping the possibilities for tomorrow open.
So the question isn’t whether a Cedarspan could work for your property. It’s what you’d use it for first – and what it might become next.
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