This Greater Sydney family wanted more than a games room. Their existing Colorbond shed already housed classic Holden and other GM cars, arcade games and social space, and the next step was a two-lane bowling setup the whole family could use, including the grandkids.

Because the shed already existed, the design had to work with the building rather than force a rebuild, keeping the rest of the space running as a family entertainment area while the lanes were added.

The Brief

Format: Two private Tenpin bowling lanes
Location: Greater Sydney, NSW
Building: Standalone Colorbond family entertainment shed
Key requirements:
- A bowling setup the grandkids could use easily
- Two lanes so family members could play side by side
- Integration with a larger entertainment shed containing classic cars and arcade games
- Clear movement around the cars, arcade machines and social areas
- Simple scoring and game selection without needing a staff member or operator
- Minimal structural changes to the existing shed and concrete slab

Wide view of two finished private bowling lanes running the length of a dark entertainment shed

What We Installed

Two private bowling lanes. Built for residential Tenpin play, with full approaches, ball return, scoring and player controls. Two lanes also means two independent game modes at once, so the grandkids can play something fun while the adults run a more competitive format alongside them.

A raised lane over the existing slab. Rather than cut the lanes into the existing concrete, we built them up as a platform over it and recessed only the equipment room behind the pins, to the depth the pinsetter needs. That kept slab work, and disruption to the rest of the shed, to a minimum.

A layout that works around the collection. The lanes share the room with the cars, arcade machines and social areas, so the priority was protecting clear movement around all of it rather than letting bowling take the room over.

Self-service scoring. Wall-mounted screens and a touchscreen console handle game selection, scoring and switching between modes, so no one has to run the system, or explain it, every time someone wants a game.

Storage and seating built in. Bench seating and racking along the side wall keep shoes, balls and gear out of the playing area.

A palette that matches the building. The shed’s existing Colorbond cladding is Monument, a deep charcoal that’s an almost perfect match for our gutters and bumpers, so the equipment reads as part of the room rather than an add-on, with UV-lit pins giving the pin deck a bit of atmosphere.

The Results

The finished space gives the family a private bowling room that’s ready whenever they want to play.

Two-lane family play with room for kids, adults and guests at once
Independent game modes per lane so the grandkids can play fun games while the adults run something competitive
One complete entertainment shed where bowling, cars, arcade games and social space share a room
Simple self-service operation with no operator or staffed control desk
Minimal disruption to the existing shed and slab

Bench seating and storage beside a private bowling lane

Behind the Build

This project was planned around the way the family actually uses the shed, so before anything was finished we coordinated lane levels, clearances, services, display positions and circulation against everything else already in the room.

The family handled the ambient lighting themselves, running a geometric arrangement of LED strips that lifts the whole area without the harshness of direct downlights and throws a clean pattern across the balls as they ride back up the ball return. Because a large projector screen was planned for the end of the room, the feature lighting stayed on the approach bulkhead rather than the masking wall, keeping the screen wall clear without losing the atmosphere over the lanes.

Two touchscreen scoring consoles mounted on the side wall beside the bench seating

Planning a Home Bowling Lane in an Existing Shed

For larger Sydney and NSW properties, a standalone shed can be a practical way to make room for private bowling without touching the main house, with space for lane length, approach, ball return, seating, scoring screens and other entertainment in one place.

The key is early planning: slab coordination, power, data, display locations and circulation all need to be settled before the room is finished. In an existing shed, raising the lanes over the slab can sometimes reduce groundwork, with only the equipment room recessed for the pinsetter.

Completed private bowling shed showing the ball return, custom sign and approach area

Our Comments

This project worked because the bowling equipment was treated as part of the room, not a separate feature dropped into it. The lanes had to share space with cars, arcade machines, a projector screen and family traffic, and the design started from that.

It’s also a useful reference for homeowners wondering whether an existing shed can take a bowling lane. Sometimes the answer isn’t to cut up the whole slab, but to build the lane up and recess only where the equipment genuinely needs it.

Private Family Bowling Retreat