Thread: Max shed size?

Originally Posted by rustynail

Maximum shed size is only limited by the size of the property.

If only that were true, councils and land zonings are the obstacle these days By the time you pay all their fees, it's cost you thousands out of the total shed budget too, which could be better used on the shed itself!

As for the question can a shed be too big, yes it can. I read a great quote about the need to be organised - if you spend more than 2 minutes looking for something you're not organised. The bigger the shed the worse the problem gets, if you aren't organised. And having a lot of space can make you lazy about planning the workflow, which makes you less efficient. There's no point to having lots of space if you don't utilise it effectively.

Originally Posted by richmond68

There's no point to having lots of space if you don't utilise it effectively.

Too true

One of the little-used laws of that dear Mr.Murphy was that possessions (and this includes tools and machines) will accumulate to fill 110% of the available storage / working space. You can *never* have enough shed space! You may need a mechanical mule to get around it all to start with but it will, eventually be too small and you will need to expand, a bit like my waistline at the moment )

Shed space requirements vary job to job. Some things can be done in a couple of square metres, while others have you searching for more space. If your shed is too big, lease out the excess. Simples.

I believe that maximum shed size is one that falls just short of divorce. In my case it was a modest shed but when I put the clothes hoist back up, I had tp remove the outer most line on the clothes hoist and the foot or so of pipe behind that so that it fitted in the available remaining space. When my wife noticed the reduced clothes line capacity, this became a traumatic time in my life. My wife accused me of being like Indonesia in that I had expansionist policies that encroached on other peoples space. That was around 20 years ago now and things finally seem to be settling down although she can still be a little tetchy on laundry day.
All the best

Originally Posted by labrat

In the interest of world peace I believe that maximum shed size is one that falls just short of divorce. In my case it was a modest shed but When I put the clothes hoist back up, I had tp remove the outer most line on the clothes hoist and the foot or so of pipe behind that so that it fitted in the available remaining space. This was a traumatic time in my life where my wife accused me of being like Indonesia in that I had expansionist policies and encroached on other peoples space.

Was that a not very silent plea for "home rule.?"

Regards
Paul

I was planning on building a modest carport and during the design phase I found out I couldn’t draw the plans myself for council; they wanted a qualified draftsman. Then there was the Cost of lodging the Development application then the cost of the verifier, be it council or private. All up cost was approx. $2500.

Moved the carport back 1m from the front building line and it became a complying structure under State Planning rules so no costs involved.

Worth looking a your State planning website to see if what you want to build can be under the Complying rules.

Heres what I can tell you:

the most precious commodity in a shed is open floor space. Not so much designing it in, as keeping it open. Stuff accumulates.

the relationship of doors to walls to machines can be real important. Doors are the places where stuff comes in and out, but they can also double as extended working space for machine in and outfeed for abnormal jobs.

Sometimes its not the size of the space that matters, so much as the shape. With your average suburban backyard that can be somewhat moot, but when you have plenty of space there can be a lot of difference in how much useable space you have between say a 10 x 10 shed and a 14 x 7 and a 20 x 5. even though there isnt much actual difference in square meters, there is a whole lot of difference in how that volume works.

Always (when space permits) think about where the extension/next shed and then the shed after that will go.

Internal posts are a misnomer, they should actually be called infernal posts.

Vertical space should be considered. It doesnt cost that much more to make a shed higher but it can have a whole lot of effect on things like cooling, airflow, and noise attenuation. Also for things like timber racks, general storage and tool cabinets etc efficient use of vertical space can often open up an otherwise limited floor area.

Personally I have a whole lot of shed and I'm telling ya... there are a lot of days where I'd like to put a bulldozer through the lot or just move and start from scratch. These sheds here were designed to handle palletised freight and as the previous owners required expansion they just kept digging further back into a hill. The result is far from ideal given what I use them for... doors too narrow, doors in the wrong places, restricted access from the sides giving big spaces that cant be properly utilised because you cant get at them and still keep clearways clear. I dream about a blank slate a lot - point being that you need to think about your shed and how you'll use it, not just how someone else thinks a shed should be.

Labrat made me realize something.
My wife is all in favour of me having a large shed provided it is tidy and close to the house. However she also has this bizarre idea that my workshop is a suitable place to store things. Like suitcases etc. The space loss is one factor but worse is all the effort I have to go to to prevent such things getting covered in dust. A large shed could be disastrous.
So my dream shed also needs a seperate storage room or box that can be shut away from dust.
The scary thing about that is that if I build a space, she'll fill it. Apparently having a minimialist house style doesn't prevent the acummulation of stuff, which then needs to be stored out of sight most of the year.
Buggered if I understand that but I do understand the need for world peace.


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My situation is as you described Dave. A work shed PLUS a storage shed It’s a modest 3.7M X 4.8M but also holds all the paints from every paint job in the last 40 years plus paint applying apparatus, 3 ladders, camping equipment, karcher gear, etc. etc. i also try and store timber in there I built two high platforms at each end of the shed to store “this won’t get used much but I don’t want it in the house or attic” type items and while this has cleared some floor space by removing floor to ceiling shelves, I have no more room for more equipment, let alone any assembly space, which is my biggest gripe. My home built table saw doubles as a work bench with vices attached and holes for bench dogs etc.
How I dream of more space

Bush miller,
It was not all that silent and was more of a demand to be the benevolent dictator. I was required to respond to all requests with the standard chant of "yes dear, straight away"

Hello Lappa,
I recently removed a swimming pool in Brisbane and trying to do the right thing I contacted the Brisbane city council to ask the requirements to demolish and was told I had to apply for a building permit to demolish. This like your carport required site plans and a private certifier as the council does not have any now. Then the sewer main was noted around 2.5m from the pool so I then had to engage a person to put a camera down the sewer lines to determine their condition and exact depth. All because it was closer than 3meters to a sewer main. Then that meant Urban utilities had to supervise any work on the sewer line and connections to the main sewer.It cost over $4000 more to do the right thing and that does not include the cost of the plumber to dig and replace parts of the sewer line when the camera got turned around and stuck. When a man in the area said he was also going to remove a small in ground hot tub I advised him to make sure it was not near a sewer main and hire an excavator and just do it. He did and it cost him less that $4000 all up to bring the area back to grass.

Originally Posted by labrat

... trying to do the right thing ...

That'll teach ya'.

A bit like the adage that no good deed goes unpunished.

Originally Posted by rob streeper

That'll teach ya'.