Thread: Shed sizing - questions for those that have gone through the process

If you're considering a hoist at a later date, ensure th floor is up to spec and you have certification to prove it.
Reputable installers will not fix hoists to normal shed floors.

Good point about the floor - I installed double thickness / re-inforced concrete in the bay that I use for my hoist..

I forgot about that!

Oh - and power points. Install twice as many as you think you will need, and you still won’t have enough... I have moved things around in my shed in the 2 years since I finished it, and have had to use a few extension leads.

Eg - you may want to use a battery charger in a bay or vac cleaner or air compressor...

There is never to much room in a shed so make it as big as possible,and door height, as high as practice as well.At least 2.6M

Good lights are the go as well,LEDs are the only way to go.Mine can be switched from both entrances to the shed,which is handy.

Two 20A circuits are handy or 3 phase if possible,and a heap of power points is the go.

Don't even think about using plywood wall lining unless you live in one of the few parts of Australia without white ants.

But insulation - absolutely, especially roof and west wall. Avoid windows in west or north walls.

And second portal construction and mezzanine, and height - wish I had made mine a metre higher for better clearance on mezzanine!

On the topic of depth, definitely do a minimum of 8m, and stick to your guns on the 8.5m if you can.

I also recently built my shed. mine is 8x5m on a typical suburban block, so had more restrictions.
If I could do it again, properly, only thing I'd change to what I did would be a min 5.5m width.
8m depth is pretty much fine and dandy. Have plans for benches in front of the car when in the shed, with some work space between bench and front(or rear) of car. 8m min.

Also agree re the comment about height. height costs $s tho, and makes it harder to build(yourself).
I went with a 3m wall height rising to 3.85 at the apex of the gable. Made it very hard for a broke person(ie. me!) to fit the roof sheeting.
But my idea was for both the possibility of a hoist(low) more importantly a pseudo mezzanine storage area overhead. Because of my suburban block restrictions, ground area wasn't an easy option, so height was used to allow for excess storage.
Can't recall my permit options, but the higher it went, the more it'd cost(in fees) .. not just material cost. 3m walls gave me a 2.5m roller door height too.

For skylights, I just did the strategic placement thing. Only put them where they were needed. two strips side by side where it gives me maximum light in my workspace bench area in winter.
In summer, the placement of the skylight doesn't line up with the work space area, but is not a problem.
I had three high quality large 2500x800 windows given to me by my brother in law, and used them for window area.
Only place windows where you really need them, like near bench work areas.

My plan for 'lighting' .. that is normal every day lighting when it's really needed, is to buy some cheapo solar panels, hook them into some SLA batteries I have, and run many LED types as and where needed off the batteries.
Hopefully the plan is that I'll never use the planned 240v lighting ever.

I've turned away from the 'as many power points as you can' theory recently.
I will have maybe three on one wall, and one on the other, by my plan so far is to have a hanging/floating extension lead setup.
I've found that the most annoying aspect of leads for tools, eg. drop saw, cut off saw, power grinder(ie. not the cordless grinder) .. damned leads are always in your way at some point.
I looped an extension lead up into the rafters with the end of the lead just above the height of the roof rack on the D1. Just within reach. Used this for the final few cuts of timbers and grinding of metal .. and what a difference it made to doing the jobs!
No leads to trip on, and get in the way of moving the work piece, cord always over your shoulder and up and out of the way.
Will look to buy(maybe build) a more permanent setup for a retractable extension. Will also add a air line off the compressor too.

We just built two bays with single roller doors and a carport for about $20,000.
Strongly support the idea of windows rather than poly skylights, which hail can smash. You still get light, but also get a breeze.
Put spinning roof extractors in.
Fully insulate the roof. Even consider adding a ceiling.
Be careful to get door heights right - taller is better.
Make sure the slab has joints for expansion and is not poured as one piece.
You can't have too many power points.
LED lights are the way to go - a big one for each bag.
Talk to an electrician about the best way to install three phase power before you build the shed. We thought ours could come from the house, but were then told it had to come from the front pole, so that's about $2000 extra which we hadn't allowed for. Have to dig a trench acro. G, ss the driveway. 00
Hope that helps.

Work out how much you think you will need then double it and then add a bit more to be sure. Depth needs to be 40' for a 16-20' car/light truck with room in front and behind for working, benches, etc. A mezzanine is good if you are young and can still comfortably climb stairs. You need a bay at one end for a lathe, pedestal drill, other machine tools, fabrication bench, welders, grinders & linishers. So for me a 60' x 40' shed is the minimum. I know you folks who choose to live in the frozen southern cities mostly don't have big enough blocks of land to do this or will have council and neighbour trouble doing so. Height needs to be sufficient to stand without stooping under a Land Rover on a hoist. An RSJ and monkey is nice if you can arrange one. First time you have to drag a workshop crane around a cluttered floor you will realise why.

I'm getting serious shed envy, new shed is on my list for this year but being a suburban 800sm block i am limited to 6x7m plus parking for 2-3 vehicles in front or maneuvering space.