How big of shed do I need?

Ya north doors is a very good thing.

I have heard of the land use permit Will. Don't really know the ins and outs of it though. I think it basically means you have to pay when you cut down trees because of the oxygen that you are taking from the earth. Are you going to take the trees you cut down and make a "mini" log cabin type tool shed?

Maybe go online and see if you can find what the zoning laws are pertaining to Land use permits.

Build it big, then add 10-25% more.

I have done some cutting in Adams county and I don't remember have to get a land use permit but I do know things can vary from county to county. The most challenging part of a pole building is making sure the frame is square and straight in the beginning. A friend of mine put one up a few years ago and I think after setting the timbers in the holes it took them about a full day to square them up. The guys that do this every day make it look easy. Now think about floor drains, water lines and any other things that will be under the concrete. How about your HVAC? Are you going to heat the whole building or just the temp. living quarters? If you go with a Modine type furnace that hangs from the ceiling the floor will be cold. Hydronic is awesome if you will be using it in the winter but you will need to plan ahead. 40X60 would be nice but I know money comes in to play also. Windows are also a plus and if they can catch some sun they will provide some solar energy. I'm just trying to throw some stuff out there for you Will. Planning is everything. Good luck.

It'll never be big enough! But I built 32' X 54' with 14' side walls. I put a 14' X 14' office and a 14' X 18' "bench area" on one end. That has a mezzanine above it. That left me with a 32' X 40' shop area. It is tall enough for a hoist. The 12" X 12' overhead door is up against the office, leaving room on the end to have three projects side by side and keeping the "main bay" open at all times. And no, it's not big enough!!

That is a cool setup Qdrill. Congrats on having that!

WOW GDrill!! Thats nice!

always build it bigger than you need because you out grow it when your finished building it!

snakeyes said:

always build it bigger than you need because you out grow it when your finished building it!

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Sounds like the voice of experience . . . X2 . . . I think Snakeyes hit the nail on the head ! ! !

G'luck on your planning and Building Prop/Will . . . I'm sure it'll turn out awesome in the end ! !

Will, talked to my brother the other day about this and he looked it up online. Basically it said with the land use permit, it gives you some protection say if someone else builds next to your property and their property gets contaminated by "whatever", then the county would be responsible for any (probably not all) damages. Without the land permit, then the "neighbor" could go after you for everything. He also said to maybe check with the DNR or someone in the Forestry Service and see if they can give you an explanation also.

Hey thanks for the continued comments fella's, and I appreciate the research Roger. We got the "go big" question knocked out..LOL Actually got a few sizes/designs narrowed down now. Like Ron mentioned, thinking right around a 40 x 60, give or take. Side mounted doors like a couple of you mentioned (facing south). Side entry door as well. Windows on each end. Heat will be Woodstove Eric. Got plenty of timber to burn and I don't mind chopping wood. As far as water/drains, I'm not anticipating any. Water onsite will be provided by a sand point well and sewer is septic, so I really need to be conservative on my water sewer needs. This shed is not going to be as snazy/well equipped as some shops (like gdrill's), but more of just a storage shed w/temporary living area and workbench, not a full blown shop.

I plan on putting the living quarters on a mezzanine like gdrills. It will be open as well. I plan on using the shed for a roof over my head and the woodstove for heat while building the cabin. Other than that, just mainly storage of equipment and some off-terrain vehicles

Steel pole type building?If you can put the doors on the gable end and not on the sides,with the snow sliding off the roof and you not there all the time the doors will be buried in snow and froze shut.If going with a pole shed and the snow up there I would go 8' centers on the trusses and use 2x6 purlins with joist hangers between the trusses.Thinking something like a 30x60ish would fit your needs.If you don't need the height go with the shortest sidewall you can as it saves a crap load of cash on the steel cost.I have 12' exterior sidewalls on mine and when you figure the depth of the truss and concrete floor you lose about a foot or better on the inside.

Sounds like a great opportunity on this land Propwash. Everyone is talking about the land and size of the building, which is great. But have you considered your electricity requirements? Are you going solar or will you be running a generator? Just looking at your distance from the road/civilization, and the fact you are in a heavily wooded area, can you get power lines to the proposed shed and cabin?

Can't wait to see some progress shots.

That's a real good point you have about the snow Jay! I'm gonna have to think a bit on that one. I'm sure i'll be at camp in the winter, but i'm sure it won't be every weekend. Height is really not an issue. Tallest thing in there will be a Farmall tractor. Thanks for the advice on the joists/trusses.

Electricity from the power company is not an option Kiwi, but thanks for bringing it up. Closest power pole is almost 8 miles (12.87Km) away. I spoke with the power company when trying to figure out where the nearest power was. They told me about 8 miles and they would run power to the property line for about $230,000-$250,000 dollars. Yup, think i'll be waiting on that one...LOL. Solar wouldn't work being the tall thick hardwood canopy shading everything out (would need a very large clearing). Plus this area is not the greatest for capturing solar power, especially the short days in the winter. Sun sits pretty low in the south and is only up for about 8 hours. Wind, again with the woods not really going to work.

Plan is to run a Propane Generator, as well as a battery bank system. I can get large caterpillar deep cycle batteries for basically nothing thanks to family connections. We'll bridge them, run to an inverter/controller. We plan to build a small shed to keep the generator quieted down as well as out of the weather. In the same building we'll have the batteries as well as a small solar panel on the roof to maintain the batteries. If all goes well, we'll have a system that primarily works off the batteries, but when needed (heavier draw- like well pump or just recharge) the generator will fire up. The cabin will have the new 2 or 3 Watt LED light bulbs, so very little draw there. The fridge, stove and water heater will be propane as well. Again heat, will be wood.

Here's a couple pic's of the cabin we're thinking about. Nothing fancy, easy to build and makes good use of it's floor space. I'm currently working with the architect to incorporate a taller pitched roof for snow load as well as adding a loft area on one side for a couple beds. Also adding a river rock stone fireplace on one side.

It sure sounds like the Propane and battery option is the way to go. You could buy a lot of gas for a 1/4 Million bucks ;)
I figured it would be a decent distance to the nearest power supply.

Recently a customer of mine installed an off-grid power supply using the latest generation wind turbine. He generated so much power, that they have to run 2.0kw heaters continuously just to load-shed. Even the battery system can't soak up enough power.

Hope it all works out, it sounds awesome what you are doing. :headbang:

Just read this thread for the 1st time and you American guys crack me up when I read what propwash has to store. Where I come from that lot would need to be stored in a big ol barn. I have a shed and it houses my push along petrol lawnmower, my mountain bike and some grass seed and a few spiders. That's what a shed is to us Brits lol.
Good luck propwash with the build.

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That is really cool looking cabin Prop and reminds me of little house on the prairie house a little. I recall their main barn door was on the gable end too, but you could also have doors on the side that you could use when there's no or little snow. If you don't HAVE a side door you can't use it at any time.

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Adam Nathan said:

Just read this thread for the 1st time and you American guys crack me up when I read what propwash has to store. Where I come from that lot would need to be stored in a big ol barn. I have a shed and it houses my push along petrol lawnmower, my mountain bike and some grass seed and a few spiders. That's what a shed is to us Brits lol.
Good luck propwash with the build.

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That's funny Adam but where do you keep the Farmall, implements, trailers, 4x4, and snow mobiles?

tallhair said:

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That's funny Adam but where do you keep the Farmall, implements, trailers, 4x4, and snow mobiles?

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In my experience of living in Merry Old England....you only need sufficient space to store the 3 x stolen road cones to mark out a parking space outside your own flat.

kiwigtx said:

In my experience of living in Merry Old England....you only need sufficient space to store the 3 x stolen road cones to mark out a parking space outside your own flat.

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He he. You know it dude. Always got someone parked in my space outside my flat. Damn it sure pisses me off lol.

Adam Nathan said:

Just read this thread for the 1st time and you American guys crack me up when I read what propwash has to store. Where I come from that lot would need to be stored in a big ol barn. I have a shed and it houses my push along petrol lawnmower, my mountain bike and some grass seed and a few spiders. That's what a shed is to us Brits lol.
Good luck propwash with the build.

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Thanks Adam! Yeah we're a bit spoiled over here. Definitely not cramped in my neck of the woods. Still quite a bit of open acreage about, can get pretty desolate. I cannot imagine trying to battle for a parking spot outside my own home. Feel for you guys there. Have a Merry Christmas!


Glad you like the Cabin TallHair........and what's this, a Staff Member? Ohhhh nelly. You're not gonna get all General George Paton on us and start sportin ivory handled Colt six shooters are ya..LOL. Best of luck on your newly acquired roll. Hope it works out well for you. Good guy for the job. Merry X-Mas!