Frequently asked questions

Maybe not. Florida law (s. 604.50, F.S.) exempts nonresidential farm buildings on a farm from the Florida Building Code, and a machinery barn used for the farm usually qualifies. The exemption does not cover floodplain rules, and some counties still ask for a notice or proof of agricultural use, so call the county building office before the steel ships.

It should be. The package should arrive with drawings sealed by an engineer for your site's design wind speed and exposure. An open-sided shed takes wind under its roof differently from a closed barn, so the engineer needs to know which walls stay open before the frame and footings are sized.

A pole barn sets wood posts in the ground and hangs metal sheeting on wood girts; a steel-frame barn bolts steel columns to concrete footings. Pole barns are often cheaper to start. Steel frames span wider without interior posts, don't rot at the ground line, and are easier to close in or lengthen later. The choice comes down to how wide your machines are and how long you mean to keep the building.

Start from the largest machine with its attachments on, then add room to turn in and walk around it. Door width and the clear height under the door header usually decide the design more than floor area does. A folded sprayer boom or a cab with a beacon light can stand taller than you expect, so measure rather than guess.

Open sides cost less and let you drive through from more than one direction. Enclosed walls keep out blowing rain, birds and thieves, and they make room for overhead doors and a shop. Plenty of farms close in a few bays for the expensive equipment and leave the rest open.

Not always. Many machine sheds sit on compacted gravel or lime rock, with concrete only at the column footings. A slab earns its cost where you service equipment, keep small parts or want to sweep up. The engineer designs the foundation around whichever floor you pick.

Bare metal roofing can gather condensation on its underside on cool, damp mornings and drip onto whatever is parked below. A condensation blanket or faced insulation under the roof panels is the usual answer, and it goes in far more easily while the roof is being installed than afterward.