Volume 5: Commercial, Agricultural, and Local Market Posts
Equipment Storage Buildings: How Big Should Your Shop or Barn Be?
The right equipment storage building size is your current equipment plus room to move it, work on it and add to it, with door and eave height planned as carefully as the footprint.
Plan the footprint
List what goes inside today, then what you are likely to add in the next several years: tractors, implements, trailers, boats, side-by-sides, RVs, hay equipment and workbenches. Then add space to:
- Enter and back out
- Walk around and service equipment
- Store tools and supplies along the walls
- Use a workbench if the building is also a shop
Owners who size a building to fit what they own today often find it cramped within a few seasons.
Plan the height
Measure your tallest equipment with implements raised, including cab height and any antennas or beacons. Choose door height and eave height to clear it with room to spare. A mezzanine can add storage if you have the height. Height is hard to change later.
Start from a common size
CC Steel's smallest project is 20 by 30 feet. Its most common size is 40 by 60 feet with 14 foot eaves, and the largest completed so far is 100 by 200 feet.
Sketch the real use
Draw the building with your actual equipment, turning radius and door locations, not just the dimensions of the largest machine. Before you finalize, have the contractor visit the site for access, and know your soil conditions.
Planning a steel shop, barn, or commercial building?
The fastest way to get a useful answer is to request a free quote. CC Steel can look at your actual site, building use, and scope instead of forcing you to guess from a blog post.