Ray Brown recently approached Graham Heath Construction Ltd for a new building for his upcoming family business venture, which the team have been excited to work on since the very first phone call. They operate their business from their 500-acre farm, with the 100-year-old Bidlea herd which has been passed down three generations – The Brown Family are a true definition of a family-run business.
The Brown family wanted a 100 x 50 x 22ft shed with timber cladding, which will eventually go on to house their brand-new pasteurizing equipment for their new dairy business on the horizon – Bidlea Dairy. Ray Brown was born in Biddulph Staffordshire, which is where the Bidlea herd originated from.
Bidlea Dairy is aimed to launch late autumn 2018, and will be producing the likes of whole and semi-skimmed milk, flavoured milk and even cream. As the business grows and the family begin planning for the future, they hope to venture into making sports drinks to help expand their product range. Their focus will be to supply to local shops to support and build relationships with local businesses by creating a gateway to market known as the Cheshire Larder.
The objective
The brief was to design, fabricate and construct a 100 x 50 x 22ft building with timber cladding, to ensure it blends in with the environment. In addition, Mr. Brown wanted to include a mezzanine floor. The building will be used for pasteurizing and storing milk and their other new dairy products, with pipes being brought through the loft which will be pumped from across the land. The mezzanine floor however, will be utilised for upstairs office space, tanks, and even guided tours for schools and potential local events, introducing the public to the new dairy business and the family farm. From the far end, the final objective will be to have stairs on the exterior which bring you up to an outdoor balcony area, giving you fantastic views of their surroundings, which includes a fantastic view of Jodrell Bank Observatory.
Design challenges
The biggest challenge for Mr Brown’s new building project, was the mezzanine floor. Due to the purpose of this floor, the team had to ensure the structure they design would be safe and strong enough to hold groups of people, as well as storing equipment and an office space.
Why did they choose Graham Heath ConstructION?
We’ve always tried to be competitive on lead times, and this is one reason why Mr. Brown chose Graham Heath Construction. With this being their first time using our company and services, the turnaround is what appealed to them most.
The result
Overall, Ray Brown and his family were extremely pleased with the result of their new build. Their biggest shock was just how fast our team of Erectors got the build-up. In just 7 days, our team had erected the building, despite it being the one week of the renowned ‘Beast from the East’ possibly the coldest week we have ever endured. Regardless of ice-cold winds, snow and forecasted rain, our team stuck at it and didn’t let the weather affect them or the build.
Ray Brown said, “I couldn’t believe how fast it went up. I only went down the field to do some draining for an hour, and came back and the uprights were up. It was great considering the weather we had”. The Beast from the East couldn’t stop us!
