Reeds Ferry Sheds 2017 Holiday Food-Drive

Thursday, Dec 21st, 2017 – Reeds Ferry Sheds delivered just over 6,000 nonperishable food items to the St Vincent de Paul Food Pantry operated by the St. John’s Parish in Hudson NH. The St Vincent Pantry provides bags of groceries for families in need, and special packages are given to 100 area school children for their weekend meals.

The food-drive was organized by the staff at Reeds Ferry Sheds. Our staff formed collection teams and the team of Catrina Carson and Mike LaCorci were crowned champions and recipients of the coveted “Quadruple Corn-Can Trophy”.

Reeds Ferry Sheds® agreed to match all staff donations. The end results was a truck and trailer full of 14,000 cans, pasta, soup, noodles, cookies, and various homegoods

Reeds Ferry Sheds® would like to thank Pauline Boivert and the staff of St Vincent Pantry, The Hudson NH Police Department…and thanks to all our Reeds Ferry employees for their generosity and community spirit. Merry Christmas to all.

Reeds Ferry Sheds on This Old House

Reeds Ferry Sheds® is a participating contractor on the television show This Old House. The PBS Network TV series first went on-the-air in 1979 and today it remains the most watched and respected home improvement program on national television.

In Season 37 of This Old House, Host Kevin O’Connor and the programs long-time General Contractor Tom Silva work with Reeds Ferry to create an outdoor living space for a home in Arlington Massachusetts. Homeowner Emily Deldon wanted an enclosed space for a yoga studio. Emily and her husband Nick determined a custom Reeds Ferry Shed was the perfect solution. Watch the video below.  In it Kevin O’Connor meets with Reeds Ferry Project Foreman Rich James who managed the one-day build. After the pre-assembled walls and roof go up Tom Silva inspects the quality of construction.

Renovation of the Deldon’s century-old Arts & Crafts style home built in 1909 is the focus of 16 episodes. Reeds Ferry’s goal was to match the craftsmanship and look and of the work taking place on the house. The end-result is a 14×20 studio-shed with cedar shingle siding, 15-lite French doors, and an extended portico supported on columns. All of these features mimic the style of the Deldon’s house and achieved the goal of a matched building pair. The studio-shed has a finished interior with climate-control, plenty of open floor space, plus added space in the loft above the portico, (which we learned is perfect spot for storing yoga mats:). Below is a photo of the finished studio-shed.

Below left, Kevin and Tom pose with the cast and crew of Reeds Ferry Sheds. – The photo on the right was taken at the “wrap party” held at the Deldon’s newly renovated house. Left to right are Tim Carleton, VP of Reeds Ferry -Norm Abram, Co-host of This Old House -Rich James, Reeds Ferry Project Foreman -and Mike LaCorcia, Reeds Ferry Site-Manager. If you work with wood, there’s no greater thrill than meeting Norm Abram. Norm is a Master Carpenter and has been part of the show for 38 years. Saying he wrote the book on carpentry isn’t quite accurate, because he’s written 8 of them. When he told us, “Nice job on the shed”, it’s the same as having Jack Nicolas tell you “Nice swing”.

Click here to see all 14 episodes of This Old House and the Art & Crafts restoration in Arlington Massachusetts. Reeds Ferry Sheds would like to thank Kevin O’Connor, Tom Silva, Charlie Silva, Norm Abrams, and the entire staff of This Old House. And thank you to the Deldon Family for allowing us to be a permanent part of their home.

 

Reeds Ferry 2016 Shed-of-the-Year

Congratulations to Gail and Don York of Bedford NH. The York’s are winners of the 2016 Reeds Ferry Shed of the Year Contest. It was an extremely close race again this year. With over 2,800 votes cast by Reeds Facebook fans the York’s won by 50 votes over first runner-up, the Milsky’s from Wakefield MA. The top two finishers were separated by only 2% of the vote.

Without question both photos were worthy of the top prize, but as 2016 taught us, even if the margin of victory is small, the outcome of an election can only have 1 winner. Yet we’re happy to report all of the contestants were great sports. The election took place with very little acrimony; even the protest that closed down Route 93 lasted less than 30 minutes. 😉

The York’s photo (below) featured their custom pool house set near their inviting backyard pool, complete with rock-slide. As with most Shed-of-the-Year winners, the total setting was equally appealing as the building itself. In their photo the sun, blue water, and flowers gave the feeling of a Caribbean oasis…worthy of 1,200+ fan votes.

York Family of Bedford NH -The 2016 Shed-of-the Year

The Milsky’s of Wakefield also have more than a shed. They used the shed to create a backyard social and recreation center. The shed is wired for cable and they’re able to watch the game by the fire-pit. On the inside (below right) is their neighborhood ping-pong tourney stadium, and the kids use the carpeted loft as their secret hide-away… An impressive backyard, confirmed by 1,146 votes.

1st Runner-up, the Milsky Family of Wakefield MA

The Anslem family finished 3rd with their custom Gambrel shed converted to a very cool pool bar, (left).  The Gagnon’s are the 3rd runner-up with their “classic backyard shed scene” (center). And the McCaffrey’s are the 5th finalist of the 23 total entries with their garage on a custom-built foundation, (right). Congratulations to all the 2016 finalist!

$500 is awarded to the York family. All the other finalist receive consolation prizes, including Bruins and Celtics tickets, dinner at Cafe Escadrille, etc… If for any reason the York’s are unable to fulfill the duties of their crown the Milsky family, as First Runner-up, will take on the “duties” expected of shed royalty, (although we can’t think of what those duties are). Thank you to everyone who voted and THANK YOU to the participants of the 2016 Reeds Ferry Shed of the Year Contest!

NOTE: To enter the 2017 contest, upload your Reeds Ferry Shed photo to our Facebook page with the words “enter me in the contest”.  https://www.facebook.com/ReedsFerry/  There’s “greatness in you”, and there could also be greatness in your shed.

–The Shed Ferry

Reeds Ferry Collects 14,000 Items for Local Food Bank

Wed. Dec 7th, 2016 – Reeds Ferry Sheds delivered just over 14,000 nonperishable food items to the St Vincent de Paul Food Pantry, part of the St. John’s Parish in Hudson NH. The St Vincent Pantry provides bags of groceries for families in need, and special packages are given to 95 area school children for their weekend meals. Pauline Boivert, of the food pantry, reports that the food donation will go a long way towards keeping the Panty stocked through the 1st quarter of 2017.

The food-drive was organized by the staff at Reeds Ferry Sheds. Veteran Reeds Installer Josh McMahon was the first to suggest the idea and the remainder of the staff joined in and formed collection teams. Soon after the simple can-drive turned into friendly competition. The team of Kara and Paul were crowned champions and recipients of the coveted “Golden Peach Can Trophy”.

Reeds Ferry Sheds® agreed to match all staff donations. The end results was a truck and trailer full of 14,000 cans, pasta, soup, noodles, cookies, and of course Mac and Cheese. (watch the delivery day video below).

Reeds Ferry Sheds® would like to thank Pauline Boivert and the staff of St Vincent Pantry, Len Lathrop and Bruce Preston of the Hudson-Litchfield News…And a big thank you to all our employees for their generosity and community spirit. Merry Christmas to all.

3D Shed Builder -Reeds Ferry Sheds

Watch the video below and see how easy it is to sit on your couch and order a shed using the Reeds Ferry 3D Shed Design Tool.

 
PERMUTATIONS: Our 3D Design Tool offers over 70-million shed combinations. That seems impossible, but in math it’s called “the multiple of permutations”. A permutation is a rearrangement of things where each “thing” is used once in combination with every other thing. When you consider the number of styles, sizes, colors, sidings, and all the different options, it equals millions of possible variations. Luckily there’s a formula used to compute the total, otherwise we’d be counting to the year 2042. 😉

SECURITY: Have you ever visited a website where you can order their product online, but you don’t order because you’re afraid your credit-card info might end up with a guy name Sergei working in his basement in Belarus? We have too, so we invest in Amazon credit-card services and ensured our transactions take place on a https server verified by a VeriSign security certificate, a service of Symantec. When you order a Reeds Ferry Shed online we treat your information like a government secret. (Whoops! Change that to “better” than a government secret! wink)

SIMPLICITY: We have a confession. You can’t use the 3D Tool to order a shed with every possible custom option. This was intentional. We wanted a tool that made it extremely easy to purchase a shed without confusion and with our most typical configurations, because “typical” is typically what people want. Still, you can customize your selection further when we call and confirm your order by phone, and of course when you visit our showroom we will build the shed version of the Taj Mahal if that’s what you’d like. You might say our showroom is the “total menu” and the online tool is the menu for our drive-thru window.

CONFIRMATION: All orders receive an immediate confirmation email and confirmation number, but when a customer puts $2K or more on a credit-card they require a “personal confirmation”; therefore every online order receives a call within 24 business hours to ensure we have the details correct and to make arrangements for delivery.

Thanks for joining us for “tool talk”, and thank you for considering Reeds Ferry for your shed purchase.
 

Reeds Ferry Sheds -1970’s Vintage

Harry Carleton opened Reeds Ferry Sheds for business 56 years ago.  Now 75, Mr. Carleton still man’s the top chair as President of the company. Not only has Harry stood the test of time, so has his earlier work, like this shed he and his crew built back when he was a 35 year-old “rookie” in 1976.

When customers fill out their warranty we invite them to throw in a few comments about our service. The kind comments circled above came from a “repeat customer” in Hudson NH. They recently upgraded their 40 year-old Reeds Ferry shed that they purchased during the Ford administration. Actually there are many 40 year old Reeds Ferry sheds still in service, and occasionally we bump into ones from our “woodstock” era in the 1960’s. (Note: The reason everyone refers to the 60’s as the “woodstock era” is because back then all our sheds were made of wood. Amazing how it has caught on 😉 )

If you think we wrote this little blog solely for the purposes of marketing, you’re right. The point is, a well-cared for high quality Reeds Ferry shed will provide decades of service. We back every shed with a rock-solid warranty and Mr Carleton’s 56 years of experience; and he ain’t no rookie.

 

Labor Day Pig Roast – Reeds Ferry Sheds®

Since the first Labor Day holiday in 1894 America has celebrated the contributions workers have made to the strength and prosperity of our country. This Labor Day Reeds Ferry Sheds did the same. Friday
we put our business on pause and had a big
pig roast to pay tribute to our staff. The best way to say “Thank you” is with bacon.
(Right: Pig Party Participants Pic)

It wouldn’t be a pig roast without the guest of honor, the pig. (left) Enough ham to feed 70 shed carpenters, along with corn, watermelon, potato salad and steamers. The chef at the pig pit was Reeds Delivery Manager John Miley, (right). Thanks for a great spread John!

The gentleman circled left is Harry Carleton, President and owner of Reeds Ferry. Harry and his father opened for business in 1960. Mr Carleton said the secret to surviving 55 years in business is hiring quality people, “I’ve always been fortunate to work with a great team committed to doing the job right. Any success I’ve had is owed to those here today and others along the way.”

Pig Pile was a new event at this year’s roast. Four teams of 15 competed to see who could fit the most people in our Smart Car, (below left). Members of the winning team were awarded with not having to be seen driving the car for a year!  The winning team stuffed 11 people in the car. The record is 16 set by a group of circus clowns from Des Moines Iowa.

Dunk Tank: The Vice-President of a company is like the Vice-Principal of a high school, generally they’re not well liked. Fortunately we were able to talk our Vice-President into a dunk tank!  (below left.) He was submerged in cold water on throw #142.  142 seems like a lot, but officials ruled the first 137 were aimed at his head and should not count.

$500 Double-Elimination Cornhole Tournament: Cornhole is a bean-bag game. It’s like horseshoes, but unlike horseshoes you can play while intoxicated without fear of concussion. Cash money was at stake, so no team was foolish enough to imbibe. 3rd place took home $100, 2nd place $250 and $500 to the winning duo. But because this is 2015 everyone received a trophy and were told they were winners just for participating.

Labor Day is our chance to stop and appreciate the great work of our staff.  We build quality sheds, but our brand is represented by the men and women wearing Reeds Red.
We thank them sincerely for all they do. Happy Labor Day…

Checkout the pig roast video

 

Reeds Ferry Invades England

Reeds Ferry Sheds is now officially represented across the pond. A British customer recently put one of our sheds in a crate and had it shipped to his home at Frinton-on-Sea in Essex County England.  (Fittingly he chose our “American Classic” style.)

Below is a photo of his new Reeds Ferry Shed in his backyard. You can tell it was really taken in England because the sky is dark gray 😉  But also the surrounding architecture gives you a clue it’s Old England rather than New England.  (You just don’t see a lot of multiple angled hip-roofs with mini castle turrets in Peabody Mass.)

Reeds Ferry Shed -Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, England

Folks in England absolutely love sheds. Even people who have no room for one-have one. So why would an Englishman need to order a shed from the Colonies? Our customer explained that he liked the look and construction of ours better than the ones available in the motherland. He may have a point.

To be quite frank the sheds found in England tend to be somewhat “shabby chic”. (See below).  Many look like they were built using spare kindling wood. You can almost imagine if a piece of wood falls off a dump truck in England their first thought would be “let’s nail it to the shed”.  This is not an insult!  After all, Reeds Ferry sheds have far less charm because we actually build ours using all the necessary pieces 😉  In fact we may join the Brits and come out with our own “English” style. You’ll be allowed to paint it clashing colours and nail random things to it!  Perhaps here in the States it’s a style that won’t fly, but like our favorite Englishman Winston Churchill once said, “A kite rises highest against the wind -not with it.”   –The Shed Ferry

Small Potting Shed -Grantham England

Jimmy Fund Teams With Reeds Ferry Sheds

From July 28 through September 7, customers at Burger King and Valvoline Instant Oil Change can help fight pediatric cancer by contributing $1 to the Jimmy Fund through the “Chance for Kids” program. With each $1 contribution customers receive a scratch card guaranteed to be a winner. Grand prizes include a new Reeds Ferry® Storage Shed, an all-inclusive trip from TNT Vacations, free airfare from American Airlines, theme park tickets, and a number of other prizes. Again, EVERY card is a winner; ( at a minimum a free burger at Burger King or a discount on your oil change at Valvoline.)

If you scratch a ticket and see “Reeds Ferry” you’ll win a $5,000 Victorian Cottage Shed from Reeds. We hope you’ll agree that a chance at winning a quality Reeds Ferry Shed while supporting the Jimmy Fund at the same time is a great $1 investment.

All proceeds from your $1 donation go directly to the Jimmy Fund to benefit pediatric cancer care and research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The scratch cards are available at Burger King restaurants in six New England states and throughout New York and New Jersey, and at participating Valvoline Instant Oil Change locations in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island.

Now in its 14th year, the Chance for Kids & Families program has raised more than $11.6 million to fund pediatric cancer research and care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. The innovative research benefits children diagnosed with cancer in not only in New England, but patients from around the world as well. 

About the Jimmy Fund and Dana-Farber

The Jimmy Fund (www.JimmyFund.org) solely supports Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, raising funds for adult and pediatric cancer care and research to improve the chances of survival for cancer patients around the world.  The Jimmy Fund is the official charity of the Boston Red Sox, the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, the Pan-Mass Challenge, and the Variety Children’s Charity of New England. Since 1948, the generosity of millions of people has helped the Jimmy Fund save countless lives and reduce the burden of cancer for patients and families worldwide. Follow the Jimmy Fund on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thejimmyfund and on Twitter: @TheJimmyFund.

About Reeds Ferry Sheds®

Reeds Ferry was established in 1960 by the late Hobart D. Carleton. the company has over 55 years of manufacturing experience. Hobart’s son Harry Carleton is the current President of Reeds Ferry and the third generation of the Carleton family operates the business today. Reeds Ferry builds and installs high quality backyard storage sheds and other various types of small buildings, as well as gazebos. Along with their participation in fundraising for Dana-Farber, Reeds Ferry supports Habitat for Humanity of Greater Lowell, the Salvation Army Food Bank, and Make A Wish foundation of New Hampshire. Follow Reeds Ferry Sheds® on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ReedsFerry and on Twitter: @ReedsFerry.

Reeds Ferry 2014 Shed of the Year

Armaganian family of Concord NH, Reeds Ferry 2014 Shed of the Year Winner.

Congratulations to Mark and Nicole Armaganian of Concord New Hampshire. The Armaganian’s are winners of the Reeds Ferry 2014 Shed of the Year contest with 1,289 votes, 46% of those cast.  Their beautiful cabana won a close battle with Dom and Sara Lococo of North Reading who finished 2nd with 34% of the vote.

 

1st Runner-up in the Reeds Ferry Shed of the Year Contest -Dom and Sara Lococo of North Reading MA

The worst thing about a poll is that we have to call any of the other nominees “non-winners”.  Everyone might be happier if we subscribed to the “youth soccer model” and we awarded championship trophies to all, but like Al Gore once said, “Democracy is a tough game”.  (Actually he said a bunch of other stuff, but we can’t print it here.)

 

The final voting results are below. $500 is awarded to the Armaganian family. All the other finalist receive prizes. Consolation prizes include Bruins and Celtics tickets, dinner to Cafe Escadrille, water park tickets at Great Wolf Lodge, etc… Also, if for any reason the Armaganian’s are unable to fulfill the duties of their crown the Lococo family as First Runners-up would be asked to take on the responsibility thru the upcoming calendar year. Thank you to everyone who voted and THANK YOU to the participants for their show of sportsmanship and for entering the Reeds Ferry Shed of the Year Contest.

2014 Reeds Ferry SHED OF THE YEAR VOTING RESULTSHere is the final poll result.

 

Santa Avoids Cotton-Headed Ninnymuggins. Hires Reeds Ferry

Look for Santa Claus this year in his Reeds Ferry Cabin at Fanuel Hall in Boston and at the Garden City Shopping Center in Cranston Rhode Island.  We’re honored again this year to be the official builder all of Santa’s outdoor cabins. Reeds Ferry partners with the Noerr Group (Santa’s Talent Agency). We provide Noerr a warm building at outdoor shopping centers so Santa can hunker down with the kids to review their Christmas wish-list.

The Noerr Group takes care of Santa at hundreds of shopping centers across the USA. It’s a huge job. When we first went to work for Santa our big question was how he can be in all these locations at the same time? Now that we’re inside Santa’s circle we’ve figured out his secret. Santa and Noerr hire Santa look-a-likes to fill-in for him! Essentially he’s the world’s fattest, jolliest franchise!  Before assigning the fill-ins to shopping malls Noerr requires each Santa surrogate to attend their Santa University to learn all his mannerisms. For example, they learn to always say, “Ho-Ho-Ho” when they don’t have the answer to a question. Take a look at the video BELOW to see all the Santa’s in training.

It’s coming down to crunch-time. The tree at Faneuil Hall was lit last week and Santa and Mrs. Claus arrived at Garden City last weekend. Santa Claus (or a like facsimile) will be at all the Noerr shopping locations now through Christmas. Bring the kids and create a Christmas family photo with old Saint Nick.  ( Garden City just posted their Santa schedule; see it here. )  When you stop-in be sure to compliment Santa on his Reeds Ferry cabin and ask for one under your tree… He’ll pause, give you a look of panic and then say, Ho-Ho-Ho  😉

Merry Christmas to you and yours from all of us at Reeds Ferry Sheds.

Make-A-Wish Calls on Reeds Ferry

Aybel and his family live in Goffstown NH.  Make-A-Wish of New Hampshire came to us and said Aybel wished for a “fort” and “playhouse” in his backyard. Reeds Ferry was so happy to fill his wish. Our only wish is we could do more…  Thank you Aybel.

 

2014 Massachusetts Tax Holiday

Reeds Ferry Sheds factory-showroom is located just over the Mass border in tax-free New Hampshire. So why do we promote tax savings during the Massachusetts Tax Holiday if we are in the “no tax” state of New Hampshire?  The reason is Massachusetts law requires all out-of-state businesses to charge Mass sales tax if they “knowingly sell a product to a Massachusetts resident”. And of course for us to install a shed for a customer living in Massachusetts we are aware of the buyers place of residence, so we are required to charge the Massachusetts tax.

The word “knowingly” is the key. If you live in Massachusetts and go to Sears in Nashua to buy a TV, if you put the TV in your car Sears will not charge the sales tax. But if the Sears store delivers the TV to your Massachusetts address they’d be required to charge the Massachusetts sales tax because they know where you live. Crazy!

Crazier still, if you live in Massachusetts and put the TV in your car you’re supposed to voluntarily declare the purchase on your state return and pay the sales tax on your own! Of course no one ever does this and Massachusetts ignores it, but they DO make great effort to penalize New Hampshire businesses that don’t collect the sales tax on Massachusetts deliveries.  Perhaps the only way to avoid the tax is to strap our shed on the roof of your car and drive it home…

But rather than ruining the roof of your car, a better way to avoid the Massachusetts sales tax is to shop during the Tax Holiday. This year the Tax-Holiday is the weekend of August 16^th and 17^th. (You can order your shed before the weekend and we execute the actual purchase on the 16^th-17^th )  Purchases made by Mass residents totaling $2,500 or less aren’t subject to the Massachusetts 6.25% sales tax. And for larger sheds priced above the $2,500 limit Reeds Ferry will reduce the price by $156.25, (which is the maximum 6.25% tax savings on the $2,500 cap). There are additional saving during the Tax Holiday as well. Please ask your Reeds Ferry sales rep.

Frankly Reeds Ferry would prefer to operate like the Sears in Nashua and charge no sales tax to any Massachusetts customer. We’d trust that all our Massachusetts customers would follow the “honor system” and report the purchase on their own. (wink)  But the Massachusetts Department of Revenue has proven they know how to audit and collect sales tax from New Hampshire businesses that don’t adhere to their tax code. Nothing in life is more certain than death and taxes… and in Massachusetts you might have a better chance of beating “death”…  😉   -Reeds Ferry Sheds®

Reeds Ferry Sheds New Offices

The goal is to build a higher quality shed, but we also want to provide a better buying experience. So to increase “customer comfort” we expanded our showroom and created more room to sit down and go over your shed design with our staff.  Check out the new offices in the video below.

Reeds Ferry is Handed The Torch -Again

Reeds Ferry Sheds® has received the Better Business Bureau Torch Award. Reeds Ferry has been an accredited member of the BBB for 38 years and has earned the Bureau’s highest honor 13 years in a row, (every year since the inception of the award). This streak means Reeds Ferry Sheds has a record of positive reviews with no complaints or disputes for 15 consecutive years. Thank you to the Better Business Bureau for their recognition and to our customers for their support.

 

Reeds Ferry Wins 2014 Angie’s List Super Service Award

Reeds Ferry Sheds recently won the 2013 Angie’s List Super Service Award. This is the 5th consecutive year Reeds has received the honor. Angie’s List is recognized as the most credible and respected consumer review website. Every home improvement company in America is listed on Angie’s List, but each year less than 2% earn Angie’s Super Service badge. The award is only given to companies that consistently score high grades from their customers.

All consumers expect good service, so there’s less motivation to praise then there is to be critical. Therefore we sincerely appreciate our many customers who took time out of their day to praise our service. Thank you for your kind words and recommendation.

Angie’s List slogan is “reviews you can trust”. Unlike other online review sites it’s impossible for a company to manipulate their rating. — For example, Angie’s reviews are never anonymous. Angie’s staff individually screens every review to be certain it is authentic and written by a legitimate customer of the business. Also companies do NOT pay to “join” Angie’s List. The site operates through membership fees paid by the consumer. Homeowners pay the small membership fee in order to sample reliable information on the service providers they’re considering.

Angie’s members rate each company based on price, quality, responsiveness, punctuality, and professionalism; then they assign an overall letter grade. Reeds Ferry has 47 reviews and all “A” grades.  We’re the only shed company in new England to score 100% A’s.

When is a Reeds Ferry Shed, not a shed?

Reeds Ferry Sheds are built like a house. Heavy-duty floor joists, thick sub floor, 2×4 framing studs 16″ on-center,  2×6 roof trusses with exterior grade plywood sheathing… It’s the same design specs used to build a house — and with a little additional work some of our customers have converted our shed from a storage unit into added living space for the family unit.

The Reeds Ferry 2013 Shed-of-the-Year winner is a good example. Peter and Pat Eggimann of Groton MA converted their Reeds Grand Victorian into a detached family room. (some might call it a “man-cave”, but Pete assures us all genders are welcome.) Looking at the photos below you’d think it was the interior of a fine home.

The Eggimann’s retreat has built in-wall 7.1 surround sound speakers, a 65″ LCD TV, phone, cable, internet, wireless, internet security cameras with alarm, internet controlled outlets and exterior lights, a beautiful engineered hardwood floor, power reclining leather sofas… and a mini bar with beer & soda fridge… Very nice.

According to Mr. Eggimann the conversion was an after thought, “The shed started out as a place to store garden tools and lawn mowers, but when we saw it fully built we realized it had greater potential. Now it’s a place where neighbors, friends and family hang out. We’ve used it as our personal movie theater; enjoyed watching the Red Sox win the World Series, even gathered there to toast our god-daughter’s engagement.” — Reeds Ferry provided the framework and the Eggimann’s added their creative vision.

Another finalist in the Shed-of-the-Year contest also upgraded their interior. Jason Adams from Hooksett NH has a 2-story Reeds Ferry Gambrel. He turned the first floor into a backyard clubhouse. You really could send out-of-town guests to live in the backyard and they’d be perfectly comfortable. A beautiful job by Mr and Mrs Adams on this layout.

Here’s a video of the construction on the Adams Gambrel.

A Reeds Ferry building is a great idea for folks that want to expand their living space without disturbing their current space. Call Reeds Ferry and talk to our “Specialty Buildings” team.

Reeds Ferry Helps the Patriots Holiday Toy Drive

Reeds Ferry is proud to be associated with the New England Patriots Holiday Toy Drive. Bring a new, unwrapped toy to the drop-off box in Santa’s Reeds Ferry Cabin located at Faneuil Hall. All toy donations now through December 24th will help support children in need this holiday season.

It’s coming down to crunch-time. Santa Claus has been next to the huge holiday tree at Quincy Market for a few weeks now, but he’ll take off, (literally) on Christmas Eve. We were honored again this year to build all of Santa’s cabins. We recently asked him why he chose Reeds Ferry. He explained, “Santa has a good-list and a bad-list and everybody knows if it says Reeds Ferry you got a good one”. Thank you Santa. That about sums it up.

Santa’s appearances are arranged through his talent agency, a company called The Noerr Group. Reeds would like to thank Michael Campbell for all his help. Michael is VP of Corporate Partnerships at Noerr. He takes care of Santa at hundreds of shopping centers across the USA. As you can imagine it’s a huge job. We’re not saying Santa is a prima donna, but the other day we witnessed him admonishing Campbell when his cookies weren’t in a perfect circle on his plate. (No doubt at this time of year Santa is under a lot of “stress”.)

But no fear! With Santa Claus it’s all about the kids. Magically he’ll be at all the Noerr shopping locations simultaneously now through Christmas Eve!  Bring the kids to one of the locations and create a Christmas family photo with old Saint Nick. Here’s the schedule for Santa at Faneuil Hall.

Merry Christmas to you and yours from all of us at Reeds Ferry Sheds!

Reeds Ferry Sheds is on The Map

It’s Reeds Ferry Sheds Grand Opening. Wait a minute… Reeds Ferry Sheds has been around over 50 years, so how could we be having a “grand opening”?  Here’s how. Google is in control of the world. If Google says you don’t exist, you don’t. Ever since we opened our showroom on Route 102 Google Maps street-view has showed our headquarters as an empty field. Customers would search our location and see nothing more than some trees, weeds, and a lonely woodchuck.

It’s difficult to convince folks to make the trip to your store when Google shows it as a wildlife preserve. 😉

If you look in the bottom corner of the picture it says “report a problem”, so we’ve called Google every day for the last five years to tell them “we had a problem”. After awhile we figured out that “reporting a problem” is different than “solving one”. Each time Google would tell us we were on the schedule for a drive-by. Then we’d ask if “on the schedule” meant sometime in this decade?  But seriously; how crazy is it that Google would take on the job of driving and recording every street in America?! It’s insane, but they do it… Our complaining about how long it takes is like being in China 7th century BC and saying “When you gettin’ that wall done?”.

So the bottom line is, we welcome you to the re-opening of the grand opening! See below. Google recently drove-by and updated our street-view on Google Maps! Reeds Ferry Sheds® now exist!  (and thank goodness that day we weren’t walking to the mailbox in our underwear.)

Shed Winner Drawn During Habitat for Humanity Anniversary Party

The “Ol’ School Rockers” were playing to celebrate the 1st anniversary of the Greater Lowell Habitat for Humanity Re-Store in Billerica MA.  The sun was out, kids were dancing to the music and people were shopping in the store.  2:00PM arrived and after some comments and thanks to the community for their support, the drawings started.  I picked the winners for a “his and her” tool box, and a blue scooter.  Next was the drawing for the red scooter, which was won by Maggie O’ Donnell of Chelmsford.  The first words out of her mouth were, “Am I still eligible to win the shed?”  “Yes, as long as you’ve purchased a ticket.”

It was time for the shed drawing.  People were anxious, excited.  I spun the canister that held over 600 entries.  I reached down into the mass of papers and near the bottom I pulled one out.  The first words out of my mouth, “Oh my gosh…..it’s Maggie O’Donnell”.  The winner of the red scooter was the winner of the shed.  She was so excited, choked up, huge smile, practically in tears.  No, I had never met Maggie O’Donnell until today.  But you know how every once in a while, you meet someone and realize, this person is genuine?  Well she is.  She was so elated.  She told us about how she went home after she bought the ticket, shook it and told her son, “this is the winning ticket and if I win, I’m going to give it to you”.  And she intends on keeping that promise.  My understanding is that Maggie is a widow and her son has done so much for her.  This is her way of giving back to him.  You could see how elated and thankful she was.  And hey, after winning a scooter and a shed, she’s very lucky too!  She was planning on going to buy a lottery ticket on her way home.

Congratulations to Maggie O’Donnell of Chelmsford, awarded the grand prize by Dan Bush of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Lowell. Ms O’Donnell is the proud owner of a Reeds Ferry 8×12′ Victorian Cottage. (which she can visit at her son’s house 😉

Good luck Maggie! Thank you for supporting Habitat for Humanity of Greater Lowell, and congratulations to you and your son on winning the brand new Reeds Ferry Shed!            –by Laurie Blanchette, Controller -Reeds Ferry Sheds, Inc.