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

All I can say... biggest you can get...

Definitely go as deep as possible, for a hoist you’ll want the central section and may need things like an engine hoist in front of the vehicle if doing serious work.

Go for a shed with open bays instead of carport, that way if you repurpose it later you can just enclose the bays

I agree with Tombie, go as big as you can.

14m front you'd probably end up with 4 bays??

For depth, I went 7.5m (don't forget your walls, doors etc), but I find that with 110 utes that this leaves enough good space to move between the back of the vehicle and the roller door to open it, and at the other end there is heaps of space for storage, workbench or whatever you need and to pass comfortably with your stuff between that and the front of the cars. I'm not sure how long a Ranger is, but thats based on 110. It also leaves heaps of space to work on the cars although trolly jack handles are fine at the front, I do need the door open at the other end.

Height, I had the same thoughts. Disco 4", 35's ARB rack needed to fit through with space. The roller door height I got was 2.65Hx3.0W. With that the wall height went to 3.0m. I'm not sure what the roof peak height is, but you'd calculate that for your specs pretty quickly. If you go wider in the door, you will end up with an industrial door which is more expensive. I was going to go double doors, but in the end did single roller doors instead and increased the number of bays.

No idea with the hoist, but it sounds like you want to go clearspan without the regular trusses, which I have also done.

For lighting I ended up putting in a lot of windows. I had the roof insulated to keep the heat out and windows really open the place up, allow loads of airflow, let heaps of light in and they look fantastic. Spiders do love them and they can restrict shelving if you don't want to shelf over them. They also make the shed look more like a house than a shed. Also think about eves also. I did 450mm eaves and again it makes the shed look a lot more like a house, it presents so well.

Also, choose your shed colouring rather than having a boring single colour shed. Match it to the house or whatever.

Quick edit, the glass PA door is excellent!!

During construction:





Finished shed



And filling the shed. The bay that I took the photo from is a workshop bay.

I would be putting windows in & solar powered extractor fans in the roof that is what I have done , but don't get them from that well known hardware chain , they are made of hard plastic & are very hard to seal & ( know from experience ). When we had our business we took out sheets of iron & fitter translucent sheets in but as you walked through the workshop as you walked under the clear panel you could feel the difference in temperature . We ended up making up frames with shade cloth to fit under the clear panels . Our guys would avoid working under the clear panels. The other problem is in a big hail storm they can be damaged.

Lots of people (including me) will have some wonderful ideas, just make sure they work for your situation.

Hoist, clear floor or clear roof design ? If clear floor then the hoist specs will determine your height.

Light and ventilation, windows are great for cross ventilation so think about where your breeze comes from for placement for those. The down side is they are a (slightly) greater security/privacy risk. Skylights are good but do let a noticeable amount of heat through. They can be retro fitted at a later date if you are not sure where you want them at the building stage.

Rollerdoors, big (double) ones are great for access but open up big holes if privacy is a concern. They are also dis-proportionally expensive compared to 2 smaller doors, particularly if you damage one and have to replace it. If the rollerdoors face the windward side of the shed, big doors act like a sail and suffer a bit more if motorised. Depending on the size of the rollerdoor, you will need to allow 3-500mm above your door opening for the roll of the door when up.

Probably the most important advice would be to ensure you get EVERYTHING in writing from the shed company. I build them for a living and I have lost count the number of times customers have said "but the salesman said ".

Good luck.

Sheds are like camping fridges. it doesn't matter how big it is; you will fill it.

When I had my shed built I had two roller doors, but the vertical runner between them was removable.

So even though it looked like a double garage, it was easy to fit a third vehicle in.

Yep - the bigger the shed, the more you can squeeze in... Lol

Mine is 24 x 9 x 4.5.

The original idea was 6 - 4mtr bays.

The reality - I have squeezed 8 cars in.

You need depth - so you can fit the car in, and work on both ends.

Also - you need space for racks, shelves, tools, benches, etc.

When you work on the car - you need a bench for your tools, parts..

Just my opinion...

Given you are in Hobart I think clear panels in the roof will be fine - but I'd also have windows and don't skimp on the lights. What are you actually going to do in the shed? Will you have a non-mobile project in a bay for an extended period? Are you a hoarder (I am!), in which case you'll need plenty of shelving. I'll measure my hoist tomorrow and let you know what ceiling height you need. If you are limited on depth (but have a set back from your boundary) consider a roller door in the back wall in one of the bays so you can have easy access to either end of a vehicle. And some heating would be nice in a Tasmanian winter...

Having seen sheds in the recent bushfires alight due to embers burning through the polycarbonate skylights, I suggest you go for windows instead.
And yes, as big as you can.
Don.