Pole barn thoughts and ideas please

[Robert_in_NY]

I'm in the planning stages currently for a new shop at the new house. Will park the 31' travel trailer and my 2006 F350 crew cab long bed dually in it. Want two 16x12 overhead doors on the gable end and a 2 post lift to be able to work on my vehicles as needed. Will have a half bath in it as well. My issue is trying to balance size/cost as I don't need too much extra storage here but don't want to be cramped either. Thinking 40' wide but not sure on the length yet. Also not sure about the lift as I've never owned 1 before so any thoughts on placement would be helpful. I'm leaning towards the rear of the building to keep it out of the way.

 

[ovrszd]

I'd want to be able to back the truck/trailer into the shop and shut the door.

Put the hoist at the back of the second spot so a vehicle could be parked in that slot without being "in" the hoist.

 

[ultrarunner]

This shop is 40 by 96 and very spacious with good light and access...............

 

[truckdiagnostics]

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/327399-pole-building.html
Above is the link to one I built 2 years ago. We do not have a lift in this building but do in the other. I am thinking you want 2 14 high by 12 wide doors. Put door in the back so you can get stuff in and out in the back, say 9' high by 10 wide that will get you access to lift if front is packed, happens to me all the time.
2-Post 11, lb Symmetric Car Lift: Eagle Equipment
this is similar to lift we have don't make ours anymore, can put suburban on it no problem. Want it wider, posts on ours is to close together and hard to get in and out the car doors.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/327399-pole-building.html
Above is the link to one I built 2 years ago. We do not have a lift in this building but do in the other. I am thinking you want 2 14 high by 12 wide doors. Put door in the back so you can get stuff in and out in the back, say 9' high by 10 wide that will get you access to lift if front is packed, happens to me all the time.
2-Post 11, lb Symmetric Car Lift: Eagle Equipment
this is similar to lift we have don't make ours anymore, can put suburban on it no problem. Want it wider, posts on ours is to close together and hard to get in and out the car doors.

Any reason behind 14' high doors? 12' allows the camper and my harvester to fit comfortably. I'm leaning towards 16' wide as it's nice having the extra room backing trailers and equipment in. Can see the edges of the door while backing up a lot earlier than with narrow doors.

I appreciate the idea of the door on the back as one of my other barns has doors on both ends which is great for what I use it for. However, this shop will not need rear access. To help understand why, I currently have a 28x40 barn and a 40x64 and I'm building a 30x40 spray barn this spring with a lean-to on possibly both long walls which will house my spray tractors and sprayers along with other extra equipment at the farm. This shop at the new house will house my truck and camper primarily. The wife's explorer and bx1800 park in the 2 car attached garage. So I don't see anything else outside of kids bikes and atvs which don't take too much room or need rear access. But I'm listening if you have any thoughts or reasons I didn't think about.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I'd want to be able to back the truck/trailer into the shop and shut the door.

Put the hoist at the back of the second spot so a vehicle could be parked in that slot without being "in" the hoist.

That's kind of how I thought about doing it, would be nice to be able to hook up the night before a camping trip or to just back in at the end of the weekend and just shut the door without worrying about unhooking.

 

[kevinwak]

If this is a shed for camper storing I will second going with 14' doors. One day you might want to upgrade to a 5th wheel. Most 5ers are 12'4" to the top of the AC. Same with most class A motor homes. If you are sticking with bumper pull then 12' is good. A pull through RV bay with enough width to open all slides would be cool. If money was no option my RV bay would have a 14' tall door at each end, by min 12' wife to allow slides and long enough for the entire rig when hitched up!
Also think about access for loading the trailer with it in the shed. The doors are on the passenger side, so leave design it so you have a clear path to a he door location.

 

[mapper]

A small detail, on my pole building (which was built for the previous owner) the access door was framed by a two 6X8 poles one is a corner and the other set just wide enough to fit the door jamb, the door jamb is screwed into the poles. The problem is that the pole on the strike plate side of the door twists with the seasonal change in humidity. During the summer the door will not latch securely.
Make sure to design the door openings with enough extra width so that a bit of framing can support the door jambs rather than having them fastened directly to the poles supporting the building.
A small but irritating detail to me.

 

[fried1765]

I'm in the planning stages currently for a new shop at the new house. Will park the 31' travel trailer and my 2006 F350 crew cab long bed dually in it. Want two 16x12 overhead doors on the gable end and a 2 post lift to be able to work on my vehicles as needed. Will have a half bath in it as well. My issue is trying to balance size/cost as I don't need too much extra storage here but don't want to be cramped either. Thinking 40' wide but not sure on the length yet. Also not sure about the lift as I've never owned 1 before so any thoughts on placement would be helpful. I'm leaning towards the rear of the building to keep it out of the way.

In pole barns at least: Bigger is always better.
The 14' door height is also a much better idea than 12',.... for future needs.
I had a 2 post lift years ago. Mine was an offset lift, allowing the driver door adequate opening space.
I would assume that 2 post offset lifts are still being sold.
Mine burned in a major house fire, and I did not replace it.
My two teenage boys were a bit upset with me at the time.

 

[sixdogs]

For ag use, you want at least 14' high which is the height of a lot of equipment. You may not need it now but that grape picker of the future might need it. Every ag building around here is at least 14' high. With any building, plan for tomorrow's needs.

And doors? You want at least 17 ft so you can get a pickup in without having to open both doors. Mine are 17' and I love it.