How Big Should The Pole Building Be?

Just like any construction project, think of the function first: How will you use your building?

Graber Pole Barn customers have used their structures for:

  • General Storage
  • Garages
  • Oversized Truck Storage
  • RV / Boat Storage
  • Horse Barns
  • Riding Rings & Arenas
  • Practically any commercial/business use imaginable

Start with the Doors:

Measure everything you plan on keeping in your new building - if it can't fit through your doors, it won't fit in your new garage.

For a frame of reference consider this:

  • Most home garage doors are 7' tall, which is fine for most cars and minivans
  • 8' foot high doors can fit the larger pickup trucks, and SUV's
  • 12' foot high doors are needed for many campers and boats
  • 13' 6" is the legal height limit for the highway, so even a semi truck will fit in a 14' high door.

For door widths, we suggest:

  • 9' wide span for each passenger car
  • 16' wide span (minimum) for 2 cars
  • 10' wide span for each boat or trailer
  • 12' wide doors for semi tractors or larger RV's
  • Keep at least two or three feet between doors (or from the wall to the door), so that car doors can open with plenty of clearance

How Big Should it Be?

Garages:

For Cars and Pick Ups - count on at least 12' x 24' per bay. You'll most likely want doors that are 9 or 10 feet wide.

Assuming you want a one-bay (one-opening) garage with no extra workspace, you'll be safe with a structure measuring 16 feet by 24 feet.

For two bays, we advise a 24' x 24' minimum. Remember, you'll want some added space in the garage so you can open doors without hitting the vehicle next to them. 24' x 24' in a two bay garage won't give you too much room to use the interior walls for storage or hanging items.

If you're looking for some storage in your new two car garage, 24' x 30' allows you enough space for the vehicles and to store something else, such as your lawn mower or bicycles. There is even enough room to build a work bench or storage shelves.

Semi Trucks:

Ira from Graber advises, "Go with a minimum of 14 feet across and door that's 14 feet high for each bay." For just tractor storage, a 48' x 60' x 16' should be good. Need room for a semi tractor and trailer? We recommend 80 feet long, to enclose both tractor and trailer.

Commercial Warehousing:

The size of a commercial building really depends on how much you have to store. The folks at Graber Buildings don't limit you to a specific range of sizes - they have years of experience designing and constructing small size buildings to larger units. If you'll be stacking pallets, for example, you'll probably want to make sure you have enough inside height, maybe as tall as 20 feet, to allow for the forklifts to easily maneuver. Give some thought as to whether or not you'll want to at least get a quote on how much a loading dock would be.

Horse Barns:

Our equestrian friends have told us for years that center aisles are the way to go, because it's easier for them to care for their horses. And the savings of Post & Frame construction, compared to traditional construction, is astounding.

For center-aisle Horse Barns, you'll really want a minimum of 30 feet in width, and 36 feet in length (or longer). The way we see it, you have horse stalls- 10 x 10 for smaller horses, or 12 x 12 or larger for large horses, then you also need adequate space for the center aisle itself.