Wood River is a working town with a lot of postwar houses that came with a one-car garage, if they came with a garage at all. Meanwhile the vehicles got bigger and the tools multiplied. A portable garage or shop building in the backyard is usually the cheapest square footage you can add to a property here, and it does not require a foundation permit process the way an addition does.
Alley access is your friend
A lot of Wood River blocks have rear alleys, and that is a real advantage. An alley usually gives us a straighter shot to the back of the lot than threading between two houses. Before you order, drive the alley and look for two things: overhead utility lines crossing it, and how sharp the turn is into your lot. We need roughly 13 feet of overhead and about two feet wider than the building along the path.
If there is no alley and the side yard is tight, an 8 or 10 wide building run long will get in where a 12 or 14 wide never will.
Door width decides everything
If a vehicle is going in, size the door first and the building second. Full-size trucks are around 6 feet 8 inches wide at the body and wider at the mirrors. An 8 foot door is a squeeze. A 9 foot door is comfortable. A 10 foot door is stress-free. For a shop where you are rolling a toolbox, a jack and a creeper around, add three feet of width past the vehicle so you can open a door and walk.
Make it a shop, not a garage
The difference is insulation and power. We offer spray foam insulation, and we offer finish-out packages that include electrical, flooring and wall coverings, so the building arrives ready to work in instead of arriving as a shell you will spend six weekends finishing. Plumbing is the one thing we do not do in house, but we will help you find the right contractor if you want a utility sink.
Base and drainage
For a shop holding a vehicle, concrete is the best base and the most expensive. A level, well drained gravel pad set about a foot larger than the building on all sides works and costs far less. Either way get the water away from it, because a shop floor that stays damp underneath will telegraph rust onto every tool in the building.
What it costs
Sizes run 6×8 to 16×60, with the C+ Utility 6×8 starting at $1,900 and the Cardinal Utility 8×8 at $2,762; shop-size buildings price up from there based on size, door package and options. Rent-to-own carries no credit check on 24 to 60 month terms from $75.44 a month with your first two months as the deposit and no early payoff fee, and financing with no money down is available with approved credit. Every building carries our 10 year guarantee plus a 50 year LP SmartSide warranty and a lifetime AdvanTech floor warranty, with claims handled by us.
Get Started on Your Wood River 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 Wood River.
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.
