Power is the difference between a shed and a usable building, and it is the option people most often decide to “add later,” which is also the most expensive way to do it. Here is what to think through before you order.
Start with the load, not the outlets
Write down everything that will run out there and roughly what it draws. Lighting is almost nothing. A few outlets for chargers and hand tools is modest. A compressor, a welder, a table saw, a window unit, a chest freezer or a mini split are each real loads, and two of them running at once is what determines the size of the feed.
Tell your electrician the list, not a guess at amperage. They will size the circuit correctly, and it is far cheaper to run one adequately sized feed once than to run a small one now and replace it in two years.
What we can build in
Our finish-out packages include electrical, flooring and wall coverings. Having the interior wiring, boxes, switches and fixtures done at the shop during the build is dramatically cheaper and cleaner than opening finished walls later, and it means the building shows up ready to be connected rather than ready to be a project.
What you will still need locally is the feed from the house or the meter to the building, and that is licensed electrician work.
The trench is the part that takes the day
Getting power from the house to the building usually means a buried run. Call 811 before you dig, every time, no exceptions. Plan the route to avoid the septic field, the water line and any irrigation. Direct burial cable and conduit have different depth requirements, and your electrician will know which applies.
Practical tip: pull an extra empty conduit in the same trench while it is open. Data, a security camera, a doorbell, a future circuit. The trench is the expensive part; the extra pipe is nearly free.
Sub panel or single circuit?
If the building will only ever have lights and a couple of outlets, a single dedicated circuit is fine. If there is any chance of a shop, a window unit, a freezer or a mini split, run a feed to a small sub panel in the building. It gives you breakers on site, room to add circuits, and a disconnect you can shut off without walking back to the house.
Permits and inspection
Robertson County and the state have requirements for permanent electrical work, and an outbuilding feed is permanent electrical work. Get the permit. It protects you on resale and it protects your insurance claim if anything ever happens. Ask your electrician to handle it.
What not to do
Do not run an extension cord from the house as a permanent solution. It is a fire risk, it will trip breakers, it degrades outdoors, and the voltage drop over a long run will damage motors and produce hum in anything with an amplifier. Everyone does it for a week. Nobody should do it for a year.
Off grid instead
If a trench is not practical, a small solar setup with a panel, charge controller, battery and LED lighting will run lights and charge devices indefinitely for a modest cost. It will not run a compressor. Plan the panel location and a conduit path at order time.
Pair it with insulation
Power and spray foam insulation belong together. Lights and outlets make a building usable; insulation makes it comfortable enough that you will actually use it. Do both in the same build.
Cost and terms
Buildings run 6×8 to 16×60, starting at $1,900 for a C+ Utility 6×8 and $2,762 for a Cardinal Utility 8×8, with finish-out priced as an option. Rent-to-own has no credit check, 24 to 60 months, from $75.44 a month, first two months down, no early payoff fee. Every building carries our 10 year guarantee, a 50 year LP SmartSide siding warranty and a lifetime AdvanTech floor warranty, with claims handled by us.
Get Started on Your Westmoreland 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 Westmoreland.
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.
