Local City of Casey trades we coordinate with.

Concreters — the slab under everything.

The slab is poured to engineering dimensions matching the shed frame layout, with M16 hold-down bolts cast into wet concrete in the exact pattern of the column base plates. If the slab is out, the steel won’t bolt down. We use a small group of Casey concreters who have done dozens of shed slabs with us — they know AS 2870, they know Class M and H1 reactive clay, and they know our engineering drawings. On full-build jobs the concreter is part of our team; on kit jobs we’ll recommend trusted concreters before you go to market.

Electricians — three-phase and shed circuits.

We rough in conduit during the slab pour and leave terminations at the nominated location. The licensed sparkie then runs the actual three-phase or single-phase cable, fits the sub-board, and tests / certifies. We have two electrical contractors who specialise in workshop builds — welder circuits, dust extraction, LED batten lighting on dedicated switching, EV charging conduit for the future. Either we coordinate them as a subcontractor, or you bring your own.

Roller-door fitters — sectional & motorised.

We fit standard Colorbond roller doors as part of our own crew. For sectional commercial doors, custom-spec motorised gates and double-skin insulated doors, we work with a Hallam-based specialist who does the supply and the certified install. Tracks and headers are built into the structural design from the beginning — not retrofitted.

We point shed owners to these references constantly — particularly AS 1170 wind-load and AS 2870 footing design, both of which have caught more cheap shed quotes than any other regulatory issue.

• City of Casey Council — building permits for Class 10a outbuildings, planning permits where a heritage, significant-landscape or BMO overlay applies, and the stormwater connection requirements. casey.vic.gov.au
• Victorian Building Authority (VBA) — public register of licensed builders, mandatory for any work over $10,000. Verify your builder before signing anything. vba.vic.gov.au
• AS 1170 — Structural design actions, Part 2: Wind actions — the standard that prescribes wind classification (N1–N4) for the location and exposure. City of Casey is Region A non-cyclonic, typically N2–N3. Every shed engineering certificate cites this standard. Standards Australia
• AS 2870 — Residential slabs and footings — the Australian Standard for slab and footing design based on soil reactivity (Class S, A, M, H1, H2, E, P). Sheds and houses both follow it. Cheap kit slabs often ignore the soil class. Standards Australia
• AS 1397 — Continuous hot-dip metallic coated steel sheet — the standard BlueScope rolls to. Imported coil that doesn’t state AS 1397 compliance is a quality risk — gauge tolerance, coating weight and edge corrosion all suffer. Standards Australia
• National Construction Code (NCC) — Volume Two applies to Class 10a (non-habitable) outbuildings including sheds, garages and workshops. Sets the structural, durability and bushfire requirements. ncc.abcb.gov.au

Permit first or steel order first?

Permit first — always. The permit issuance lets the concreter pour the slab to certified engineering drawings, and the surveyor schedule the frame-up inspection. Steel order goes in around the permit lodgement (lead time 4–8 weeks) so the steel lands roughly when the slab has cured.

When does the engineer get involved?

Before the permit. The engineer produces the AS 1170 wind-load certificate and the AS 2870 footing design for your specific soil class and block exposure. These are appended to the permit application. No engineering certificate, no permit, no slab, no shed.

Do we need a soil test?

Strongly recommended on any slab over $5,000 in concrete. A $400–$700 soil test confirms the reactivity class (S/A/M/H1/H2/E/P), which drives the slab design. Skipping the soil test means designing to worst-case assumptions — more concrete than needed, costing more — or to best-case assumptions and cracking within a few seasons. Soil test pays for itself most jobs.