If you run a trade out of your house in Hopkins County, you already know the two problems: the garage is full and the rented unit across town is costing you money and an extra stop every morning. A building on your own property fixes both, and for most one and two truck operations it pays for itself against the storage rent alone.
Design it around the morning load-out
The measure of a contractor’s building is how fast you can get loaded at 6 a.m. That means a wide door, a clear path from the door to the truck, and everything visible from the doorway. Deep buildings with a single narrow door are where tools go to hide.
Put a roll-up or double door at least 8 feet wide on the end nearest where the truck parks. Keep the center aisle clear. Run shelving down both long walls: 12 inch shelves at eye level for small stock and fasteners, 24 inch shelves down low for heavy boxes and cases.
Material storage is a length problem
Trim, pipe, conduit and lumber are long and they will define the building. A 20 foot building lets you store 16 foot stock; a 16 foot building does not. If you regularly handle long material, buy length before you buy width. We build up to 16×60 and anywhere in between, so length is available.
Overhead racking along one wall for long stock keeps the floor clear and is the single best use of a contractor building’s volume. A lofted style gives you the same benefit across the whole footprint.
Security
Your building holds more value than most people’s cars. Skip windows on the door side or skip them entirely. Use a shrouded padlock on a heavy hasp with carriage bolts through the door, not screws. Put a motion light on the approach. Park a vehicle in front of the door overnight if you can. And keep a written inventory with serial numbers, because that is what makes a police report and an insurance claim go somewhere.
Talk to your insurance agent too. A permanent, lockable structure on your property may be treated differently from a rented unit, and it can affect both coverage and premium.
Power and climate
If you charge batteries, run a compressor or do any bench work, get the electrical built in. Our finish-out packages cover electrical, flooring and wall coverings, and spray foam insulation keeps the building from swinging thirty degrees a day, which is hard on battery packs and adhesives.
Base
Contractor buildings take abuse. A level gravel pad about a foot larger than the building on all sides works and is what we recommend for most customers. If you are rolling loaded carts or a job box in and out daily, concrete is worth the extra cost.
Numbers and terms
Buildings start at $1,900 for a C+ Utility 6×8 and $2,762 for a Cardinal Utility 8×8, priced up by size, door package and finish, all the way to 16×60. Cash custom orders take 20% down. Financing with no money down is available with approved credit, including 12 month 0% APR terms through our lending partners. Rent-to-own has no credit check, runs 24 to 60 months, starts at $75.44 a month, takes your first two months as a deposit and has no early payoff fee. Every building carries our 10 year guarantee plus a 50 year LP SmartSide warranty and a lifetime AdvanTech floor warranty, claims handled by us.
Get Started on Your Madisonville Building
You do not have to drive to a lot to get moving. Use our 3D Shed Builder to pick your size, siding, colors, doors, windows and add-ons and see the building take shape on screen. When it looks right, send it to us and we will confirm pricing and a delivery date for Madisonville.
Prefer to talk it through? Call our main office at 618-518-5578. We will walk you through building styles, custom options and rent-to-own and financing, and answer anything on our FAQ page. You can also see what we serve nearby on our location page.
