IN THE SHED

Adrian Hoffman draws on fond childhood memories at Pawleena

Adrian Hoffman’s shed is an informal monument to his grandparents. Although “Red”, as he is known, grew up at Pawleena, just north of Sorell, he spent many happy times visiting and camping close by in Kellevie, at his grandparents’ farm.

There were some sandstone chimneys on the Kellevie farm from an early settlement, post-war house. They’d always been special to Red and when his grandparents sold the farm in 2008 he got permission to salvage the sandstone to help build a shed on his mum’s property at Pawleena.

First, with the help of his brother and a family friend, Red built the fireplace. It was to be the main feature, the central part of the shed, with the Kellevie sandstone at the front of it.

“It takes a wheelbarrow of timber to get it started,” Red says.

The internal design includes many great features. “I had all the plans in my head,” he says.

The curving walls either side of the fireplace were also made with the chimney sandstone, and the second-hand Indian limestone for the floor came from a local stonemason.

The timber beams were bought secondhand from a painter who’d used them as his scaffold beams for 40 years.

The sandstone isn’t the only reminder from the property at Kellevie, though. The natural bench-style seats were made from a tree cut down from his grandparents’ farm, then hand-milled with a chainsaw by Red to sit either side of the fireplace.

And the corrugated iron that lines the roof came from the house.

“My grandparents, John and Mary Stokes, died aged 91 and 95 respectively. They’re the main reason for the build,” he says. “It’s awesome to be able to keep a small part of what they created and enjoy it forever.”

The shed is a brilliantly designed space for relaxing and entertaining, with many treasured items hanging on the walls, all from the old farm.

“Most things in the shed have a story to them,” Red says.

His grandfather’s old plough; the bullock yoke that was his great-grandfather’s; the old scythe that his grandmother used when she was young; the old sandstone grinding wheel; and his most treasured piece, the war helmet that his grandfather used as a hard hat whenever he was on his bulldozer.

The modern feel of the spit roast pit and barbecue, a swing, a portable TV, outdoor timber tables and a second shed just add to this ripper space.