Farm Shed Planning Guide

Farm buildings earn their keep. Size, span and access are the difference between a building that speeds up your day and one you work around.

Define the job

Hay storage, implement shelter, livestock shelter and a shop each want different things. Hay wants airflow and a dry pad. Implements want clear span and tall openings. Livestock wants ventilation, safe surfaces and mucking access. A combination building is fine, but design each zone deliberately.

Span and bay layout

Post spacing determines what fits between the columns. Common farm spans run 30 to 60 feet clear. Lay out bays around the machinery you actually own, then add one bay — farms always fill the last bay.

Door and eave height

Measure the tallest machine with the loader raised, the auger folded and the cab antenna up. Fourteen to sixteen feet of clear height is common; going one increment taller now costs far less than a retrofit.

Pad, drainage and mud

Western Kentucky bottom ground stays wet. Build the pad up above surrounding grade, compact in lifts, and grade the apron so water leaves before it reaches the doors. Mud control at the entrance is worth every dollar of stone.

Ventilation

Open eaves, a ridge vent and open gable ends move a surprising volume of air. That keeps hay from sweating and cuts condensation dripping off the underside of steel.

Lean-tos and future expansion

Adding a lean-to later is easy if the main structure was designed for it. Tell us your five-year plan and we will set the columns accordingly.

Common questions

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