It’s He Sheds vs. She Sheds on Saturday
Rotelle Studio(e) to unveil custom sheds Saturday at ‘He vs. She Shed Shindig’
SOUTH COVENTRY » This summer was a busy one for the team of custom home builder Rotelle Studio(e) — and not just with business.
As the team began planning for its second annual Dream Big Custom Home event, Peter Rotelle, president and owner of Rotelle Studio(e), said they wanted to top last year’s event — which featured Ty Pennington of “Trading Spaces” fame.
During a team meeting, Rotelle said he heard an idea that made his “eyes light up” as soon as he heard it.
“We were in a team brainstorming session on what to do — we wanted to do something that was interesting, fun and reflects current trends.” Rotelle said. The idea – suggested by the company’s chief designer Renée Pratt — was to do a backyard shed battle.
The idea was tweaked a bit and then formalized as the He vs. She Shed Shindig — pitting the men and women of Rotelle Studio(e) against each other to turn the traditional garden storage shed into an outdoor living space that is uniquely his and hers.
The idea, according to the company, was inspired by the growing popularity of tiny houses and the reimagined shed as the new backyard getaway.
The completed sheds will be unveiled on Saturday, Sept. 15 during Rotelle’s Dream Big Custom Home event which will be
held from 1 to 4 p.m. at the company’s headquarters, 1011 Ridge Road, South Coventry. Pennington will return for this year’s event, and will be the guest emcee during the big reveal, according to Rotelle.
The event will feature refreshments, a studio tour, an opportunity to meet the Rotelle Studio(e) team and Pennington, as well as a chance to win custom home upgrades.
One of the sheds will be given away in a raffle, while the other will be auctioned off in an online auction.
Those in attendance at the
event will be able to vote for their favorite shed, which will be followed by two weeks of online voting for a favorite. The online auction will also continue for two weeks.
All of the proceeds from the auction will benefit Ashley Addiction Treatment, in Havre de Grace, Md. The facility has served more than 45,000 patients and their families since its founding in 1983, including thousands from the Philadelphia region.
“We are very proud to be supporting Ashley Addiction Treatment through our first-ever He
vs. She Shed Shindig,” Rotelle said in a press release. “We hope to use this unique and fun online auction to literally ‘shed’ more light on the substance abuse epidemic in our country and the healing mission of Ashley.”
The teams used repurposed
and reclaimed materials like wood, antiques, textiles, industrial and farming equipment, to design and furnish their 12-by-14foot sheds.
They completed their work in separate locations, and neither team has seen the other’s finished product, according to Rotelle. The finished sheds are being kept completely covered at the company’s South Coventry location until the big reveal.
Rotelle said the women’s
team started with a shell of a shed, while the men’s team built from scratch — having their lumber milled at a sawmill. He added that saw cuts from the mill were purposely left exposed on the interior.
The budget for the sheds was $7,500, according to Rotelle, who admits the men’s team went over budget while the women’s team “stuck to the budget to a T.” He added that some items for the sheds were donated by vendors that work with Rotelle Studio(e), which has increased the overall value of each shed.
Throughout the building process, Rotelle said
the teams tried to make it fun, including the creation of a video series throughout the process. The series can be viewed on the company’s Facebook page.
“I have always been a big believer in having a work environment that is fun, exciting and challenging. We have a lot of fun in what we do, but everyone is expected to work very hard. This has been an extension of that,” Rotelle said, adding that there were pranks and jokes — all of which brought the group closer as a team.
“You only have one go at life,” he said.
The men’s team included Rotelle; Chief Operating
Officer, Anthony Holowsko; and Senior Project Manager, Ken Zimmerman. The custom home builder’s women’s team included Chief Architect, Heather Ryan; Chief Designer, Renée Pratt; and Design Consultant, Emily Wisler.
For his part, Rotelle expressed some confidence Wednesday in his team’s finished product.
“If anyone is looking for me on Saturday, I’ll be in the winners’ circle,” he joked Wednesday.
On Monday, Sept. 17, the company will announce which shed will be auctioned and which will be raffled. Everyone that votes for their favorite
shed — either in person Sept. 15 or online — will be entered in the raffle.
Voting will begin at noon on Sept. 15 through the company website, and will run for two weeks.
Those looking to attend the Studio(e) Dream Big Custom Home event are asked to register for a timed ticket, due to parking restrictions. As of Wednesday afternoon, tickets were still available for the 2 to 3 p.m., and 3 to 4 p.m. time slots. For more information and to register for the event visit http://www.rotelle.com or www.facebook. com/RotelleStudioe/.
Rotelle Studio(e) is a division
of Rotelle Development Co. a custom home builder and land developer for more than 25 years. Staffed by Rotelle building and design professionals, Studio(e) is designed to educate and inspire homebuyers about building a custom home. It brings together under one roof, every aspect of the custom home building experience including home design and construction, lot evaluation, virtual listings, property acquisition and access to financing.