Washington County has a lot of ground with no power on it: hunting property, timber tracts, family land that has never had a meter. A portable building works fine on a site like that, but only if you plan for the absence of electricity before it is built rather than after.
Light without a meter
Two approaches, and most people end up with both. First, natural light: put real windows on the walls that face the direction you will use the building in daylight, and add a transom over the door. Glass is cheap compared to any powered alternative. Second, a small solar setup: a panel on the roof, a charge controller, one battery and LED fixtures will run lights and charge phones and radios indefinitely for a modest cost. Plan the panel location and a conduit path at order time.
If there is any chance power comes to the property later, have us rough in the electrical now. Our finish-out packages include electrical, flooring and wall coverings, and running it during the build costs far less than opening finished walls later.
Heat and moisture on an unattended building
A building nobody visits for six weeks needs to manage its own moisture. Gable or ridge vents are essential. Spray foam insulation stops condensation from forming on the underside of the roof deck, which is what soaks the contents of an unheated building over a winter. If you plan to run a heater on the days you are there, insulation is the difference between it working and it not.
Never run an unvented combustion heater in a sealed building. If you want that kind of heat, plan the venting properly.
Security on remote property
Nobody will hear an alarm out there, so the answer is physical. A heavy hasp bolted through the door with carriage bolts, a shrouded padlock, non-removable hinge pins, and no window in the door. Do not store anything you would hate to lose. Take valuables home.
Getting a truck to it
This is the real work on remote property. Walk the whole route: the turn off the county road, the lane width at its tightest, the culvert or low water crossing, and the overhead limbs. We need roughly two feet of clearance past the building width the entire way and about 13 feet of overhead, on ground firm enough for a loaded trailer after rain. Low branches are the most common reason a remote delivery is rescheduled and the easiest thing to fix in advance. If we have to cross a neighbor, get written permission. See the delivery prep page.
The pad on timber ground
Pick the high point, not the pretty spot. A level gravel pad about a foot larger than the building on all sides, standing a few inches above the surrounding grade, keeps water and leaf litter from packing against the skids. On a site you rarely visit, drainage problems go unnoticed until they are damage.
Built to sit alone
Our 10 year guarantee covers acts of nature such as storm damage and settling plus our craftsmanship, and LP SmartSide siding carries a 50 year warranty with AdvanTech flooring under a lifetime warranty, all handled by us. Sizes run 6×8 to 16×60, starting at $1,900 for a C+ Utility 6×8. Rent-to-own has no credit check, 24 to 60 months, from $75.44 a month, first two months down, no early payoff fee.
Get Started on Your Potosi 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 Potosi.
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.
