3D configurator for Australian shed builders: sheds, garages, carports and patios designed online
A 3D configurator lets Australian customers design their shed, garage, carport or patio in metres, pick colours and openings, see it in 3D and send a request you can quote. It works for the suburban homeowner and for the farmer who needs a machinery shed alike.
A 3D configurator for an Australian shed builder is a tool on your website where customers design their shed, garage, carport or patio: they set the size in metres, the roof, roller doors, windows and colours, see it in 3D and send you the request. You get something you can quote, not “how much for a 6 by 9?”.
I have a demo of my own that does this, Estructuras 3D. Here's how it fits Australian buyers, who look very different depending on whether they live in a Brisbane suburb or on a property out west.
Three Australian buyers
The suburban homeowner. Wants a garage beside the house, a carport for the car and the caravan, or a patio for the barbie. Cares a lot about how it matches the house and about colour, and worries about what council will say.
The acreage or farm owner. Needs a machinery shed, hay storage or a shed with an open bay and a lock-up section. Thinks in usable floor space, door height and getting it delivered out to the property.
The hobbyist or granny flat buyer. A workshop, a man cave or a small home for family out the back. Decides on layout, windows and insulation, and usually compares a few options before committing.
What customers want to choose themselves
- Size in metres: length, width and wall height, say a 6 x 6 m double garage or a 12 x 9 m shed with an open bay.
- Roof: gable, skillion or curved, plus the overhang.
- Openings: roller doors, personal access doors, windows, and which wall they go on.
- Colours: walls, roof and trims, which is where people take longest and change their minds most.
- Kit or installed: whether they build it themselves (or get a local builder) or you put it up.
- Extras: insulation, skylights, a mezzanine, gutters.
Dealers, display centres and field days
A lot of Australian sheds are sold through dealer or franchise networks, each with its own territory. The configurator can give each dealer their own link with their logo and details, and every request lands with the right one. The factory sees everything together. More in 3D configurators for dealer networks.
It works at display centres and field days too: the rep designs the shed with the customer on a tablet and sends the spec sheet on the spot. For carports and patios specifically, see carport configurators for dealers and pergola and deck configurators.
The demo: Estructuras 3D
Estructuras 3D is my own configurator for metal buildings, carports, horse stalls and modular homes, in English and Spanish. Customers change the size, roof, doors, materials and colours, see it in 3D by day or by night, and request a quote with everything they picked. Its blog has a piece on shed and patio configurators in Australia.
It isn't an Australian client. It's the base I use to show a builder what theirs would look like, with their own models and rules. My real case with a manufacturer is EQUIBOX, a horse stall maker in Argentina.
See Estructuras 3DWind, council and the rules you set
Australian buyers ask whether the shed suits the wind rating where they live and whether they need council approval. The configurator doesn't answer that on its own. It only offers the structures your engineering has approved for each area, for example by postcode, and it can add a note like “check with your council before you buy”. What each area requires is for your team or a local professional to confirm.
Working across a 13-hour gap
I work on my own, remotely from Buenos Aires, in English or Spanish. Argentina is 13 to 14 hours behind Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane depending on the time of year. So we keep one short, fixed call a week at the edge of the day, progress on a link you check when it suits you, and feedback in writing. What you send me in the afternoon is ready to review the next morning. I explain the routine in software developer for Australian small businesses.
Frequently asked questions
Does the configurator work in metres?
Yes. For Australia everything is in metres: length, width, wall height and door sizes. It's built on the real sizes you make, and customers can only pick combinations that exist.
Can it follow my engineering for each wind region?
It can offer only the structures and options your engineering approved for the customer's area, for example by postcode. What applies where is up to your team or a local professional; the configurator just applies those rules.
Does it work for a dealer or franchise network?
Yes. Each dealer can have its own link with its logo and territory, and requests go to the right one. The factory sees all requests together and learns which sizes and colours people actually ask for.
How do we work with such a big time difference?
With one short, fixed call a week at the edge of the day, progress by link and feedback in writing. Argentina is 13 to 14 hours behind eastern Australia depending on the time of year, so what you ask for in the afternoon is ready to review by morning.
If you build sheds, garages, carports or patios in Australia and want customers to show up with theirs already designed, message me on WhatsApp at +54 9 11 6193-3176 or email contacto@facundocampo.com.ar. I answer in English and Spanish and quote each project on its own.