Is your shop/building/barn/garage big enough?

Whatever you call your building(s) where you store your "stuff".

I built a 32x48 building 10 years ago thinking I'd have ample space for years and years to come. Well, it got filled relatively quickly and I ended up building more outbuildings.

Anyone else have this issue?

For those going to build, what kinds of things are you anticipating having to utilize the square footage?

A year ago we build a 48X24 4 stall barn with a 20X24 equipment shed on the end.

It's so full I had to move the implements out of the shed last week to make room for hay storage. I had planned to use a couple of the stalls for storage since we only have 2 horses. My wife took in 2 horses as boarders from her sisters so not only did we lose the extra stalls as storage space we need twice as much storage

I'm not expanding or building anything else. We're just going to have to live with the space we have now because we have our retirement place bought and If I build another barn it will be there.

Jim

You can't be too rich, too good looking, nor have too big of a barn

It's always a case of expanding the junk on hand to fit the space available.


My barn/shop is a series of additions. It's essentially built like a house of cards. I just recently finished the "tractor shed" portion. And guess what? Before it was even done, there wasn't enough room to park the first tractor. But, the junk I crammed into the tractor shed is no longer in the shop, so I can take the tractor out of the wood shed and put it in the shop. Then I can take the wood out of the garden shed ond put it in the tractor shed while I put the hay baler in the garage instead of my wifes car, then..... Well, then I'll need to empty ALL the sheds and move out of the house, 'cause her car HAS to go in the garage.

You know what else? I need to build ANOTHER addition on the barn

Garage/Barn/out-building = Never big enough.

Mine is 48 x 63 and is too small already.

Farmwithjunk said:

It's always a case of expanding the junk on hand to fit the space available.

Click to expand...

You added the "Bad Idea" to the end. Yea, it happens somehow or another.

Looking back, it's like you spend your 30's getting "stuff" then your 40's trying to get rid of it.

I also found I have more "stuff" to make my chores easier. It used to be a garden tractor and hand tools. Well, now it's the big tractor, ZTR, 25 gallon sprayer, grass catchers...

Kids "stuff" also sucks up a fair amount of space. Barbie jeeps, bicycles, ATV's... just keep using up the space.

The other thing that's killing my space is stuff I bought for projects I haven't gotten to.

Isn't there some scientific theorum "the propensity to fill one's shed is directly proportional to amount of available square footage"?

JDFANATIC said:

Isn't there some scientific theorum "the propensity to fill one's shed is directly proportional to amount of available square footage"?

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I thought so but found that it's available sq/ft + 144.

The first basic rule of Pole Building Construction is....

Figure out what you need, double it and add 50%.........

I was not aware of that rule when I built mine.

I had a 10x15' workshop that was on the small side, and extended it last summer. With the extension its 10x30' and it seems even smaller than it did before!
I'm going to have to extend soon again I think, with the backhoe the tractor wont fit in

The extension is 8' tall, so in the part that I only walk under I built a big shelf about 4x8' just so I could walk under it, and have alot of parts up there. Very quick and easy way to free up floor space. I've got the bandsaw under there, so I don't really need that area taller than I am.

My main building 48 x 100 divided into two areas. The shop area is about a 1/3 of the total. I have to pick my way around stuff. The bigger area has a spot down the center that gets used for temp storage...the rest is...well, full. We have two other smaller buildings that we use, both about 20x30, one for storage, one for tool storage...you know...those outdoor tools, lawnmower, etc and the other end of it we use to store feed. The storage building we use to store stuff from when we moved to this place. Its full and though our house is bigger we dont have room..so its full..of mostly unpacked boxes, etc.

We also have two garages. a 2 car and a 3 car. My trucks go in the 2 car. The 3 car I use 2 stalls for my woodshop. The other stall is/was for my wifes car. Well, she just got herself a one of those soccermom SUV's. I have been told that my woodshop needs to slim down. She needs the other stall for her new vehicle. Now I dont have room to turn.

The only thing left is the barn. And the critters are there. hmmmm...maybe just move em to the corral.

Point being...no matter HOW MUCH room you think you got....its never enough.

Yep, I agree with Dennis and others who said it's never big enough. You expand to fill the space until you are out of space.
My 2 utility trailers and a couple of my 3ph implements have to be stored out side because my 28 x 70 pole barn is full. Tractor, ZTR, jet ski, 3 boats and that is about it for the bigger stuff.
I've thought of building a 3 or 4 stall garage, but that will have to wait a few years. So, if I use the estimation formula above I should double the 4 car garage to 8 then add 50% which I think woudl make it a 12 stall. Yeah, I could sure use that. Paying for it and the cars to fill it would be my problem.

When we first moved to the house we had no outside storage at all - of course didn't have anything so we didn't need it. Finally built an 8x16 shed, then a 12x16 shed. Finally built my garage / pole barn whatever you want to call it. It is 32x48. I have all 3 full and still have implements sitting outside.

Now that we are going to build a new house, we are going to have an attached garage. It will be 24x24 - enough for my work car and the truck (Monica drives it). Once this happens the only vehicle that will have to park in the existing car will be our Trailblazer. This should give me a little more room so I can get the rest of my implements in the garage. I will build pallets for them so that I can keep them close. Already have the KK box blade, rotary cutter, and PHD on wheels so they work pretty well. Combined with the Pat's, it makes it a breeze to hook implements up.

Doc said:

Yep, I agree with Dennis and others who said it's never big enough. You expand to fill the space until you are out of space.

Click to expand...

Yep...and when we bought this place and moved, we couldnt understand how we had collected all that we had. And we moved from a far smaller place. And only been on this place 3 years.

Doc said:

I've thought of building a 3 or 4 stall garage, but that will have to wait a few years. So, if I use the estimation formula above I should double the 4 car garage to 8 then add 50% which I think woudl make it a 12 stall. Yeah, I could sure use that. Paying for it and the cars to fill it would be my problem.

Click to expand...

Doc, I would recommend that you double the double. And add a third.

Mine is a 38 X 20ft 2 stall with an upstairs storage loft of the same area and it feels too small. As my collection of "stuff" grows, I find myself having to re arrange things in my shop constantly. Stopped parking the cars in there a long time ago. Theres a big tidy up looming on the horizon.
My wife has the same problem. The kitchen we have now is almost the size of the whole apartment we lived in prior to building our country home. She sometimes complains it is too small... that makes me laugh when i think back to our old place...

Man you guys are scaring me!!!!!!

Follows deserves it's own thread......... I need experts, see "Building a Garage"

jwstewar said:

When we first moved to the house we had no outside storage at all

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How do you not have "outside" storage?

Here's part of my "other" garage.

As mentioned, you have a tendency to fill your space. Well, I've been avoiding putting things in here for fear I'll fill it up.
I did break down and put some things in there last weekend (ATV's, dune buggy, soapbox derby cars, pressure washer, rototiller...). Things I won't be using over the winter and would prefer they're out of the way and in a non-freeze environment.

Brian, not all of us have a nuclear bunker to fill.....

bczoom said:

Here's part of my "other" garage.

As mentioned, you have a tendency to fill your space. Well, I've been avoiding putting things in here for fear I'll fill it up.
I did break down and put some things in there last weekend (ATV's, dune buggy, soapbox derby cars, pressure washer, rototiller...). Things I won't be using over the winter and would prefer they're out of the way and in a non-freeze environment.

Click to expand...

Looks like an underground parking garage. Or as someone mentioned...a nuclear shelter.A BIGGGG shelter.

goldchaser said:

Or as someone mentioned...a nuclear shelter.A BIGGGG shelter.

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Mith is correct. (But he already knew...). Here are some more pics.