A Few Features to Consider When Buying a Rural Shed

If you live in the country or on a farm and are in the market for a shed, chances are you need something a bit different than what someone living in a suburb might need. For a suburban home, a shed might hold a lawnmower and some lawn care equipment and nothing more. You, however, may need space for a tractor and other heavy-duty equipment. Because your needs are a bit different than someone looking for a compact, lightweight shed, note a few features you'll want to consider when shopping for a new rural shed.

Roller doors

A shed may boast a certain height inside; however, if the door to the shed rolls up on tracks and sits along the ceiling area, this can greatly reduce that clearance and eliminate the ability to put shelving up on the ceiling itself. A roller door can be a better option, as it will roll into a housing unit above the doorframe, getting it out of the way completely and ensuring your overhead clearance. This also means not having to worry about clearance in front of the shed when you open the door, which can be good if your shed is going to be located near a silo, barn, or other outbuilding.

Pass-through design

Rolling a riding lawnmower into a shed and then backing it out may not be a problem for those in the suburbs, but if you have a large, heavy-duty tractor or other such equipment, you may want to avoid backing it up as much as possible. Visibility may be limited and you may have a reaper, baler, or other attachment behind the tractor that doesn't allow for backing up. Choosing a shed with a pass-through design, or doors on both sides, can mean driving your tractor straight into and out of the shed.

Heavy-duty locks

In the suburbs, when a shed is located close to the house and neighbors, a thief may hesitate to try to break into it, knowing they could be seen or heard. However, in a rural area, a shed may be located quite some distance from the house; thieves might be more likely to try to break in, knowing they won't be so readily seen. Invest in a shed with heavy-duty locks such as you would see with an industrial building; this means a thick deadbolt on the entryway doors and padlocks that attach to the roller doors and the floor for added security.