Most people in Eldorado do not buy a shed too big. They buy one too small, and then two years later they are stacking totes on top of the mower again. Here is how to size it right the first time.
Start with the mower, not the tote pile
The mower sets the floor plan. A push mower needs about 2×4 feet of parked footprint. A 42 inch riding mower needs roughly 6 feet long by 4 feet wide, and you need room to back it out without scraping the door frame. A zero-turn with the deck at full width can eat 5 feet of width all by itself. Whatever your machine is, measure it, then add three feet of walking room on the side you will use most.
The sizes that actually get used in Eldorado
An 8×12 is the honest minimum for a house with a riding mower. It parks the mower, a trimmer, a blower and a shelf of yard chemicals, and nothing else. A 10×16 is the size most families land on and stay happy with: mower on one side, a real workbench on the other, and a wall for long tools. A 12×20 is where you stop calling it a shed. That is a shop with a mower in it, and it is the right call if you work on small engines, weld, or store a side-by-side.
Our smallest building is a 6×8 and our largest is a 16×60, so there is a lot of room between those two if none of the standard sizes is quite right.
Where it can legally sit
Saline County and the City of Eldorado both have setback rules, and they are not the same. Most residential setbacks want the building a few feet off the side and rear property lines, and some subdivisions add their own restrictions on top. Before you pick a spot, call the city and ask two questions: what is the rear and side setback for an accessory structure, and does a portable building on skids need a permit at all. It takes five minutes and it can save you moving a 10×16.
Also look up before you look down. Overhead lines, a big silver maple, and a low gutter run are the three things that stop a delivery in Eldorado. We need roughly 13 feet of overhead clearance and about two feet wider than the building along the whole path.
Gravel beats grass, concrete beats gravel
You do not need a concrete pad. A level gravel pad is what we recommend for almost everybody: it drains, it keeps the skids out of standing water, and it costs a fraction of concrete. Set the pad about a foot larger than the building on all sides. Concrete is the ultimate base and the most expensive, and it makes sense if you are pulling a vehicle in or planning to finish the inside out.
What it costs
Buildings start at $1,900 for a 6×8 C+ Utility and $2,762 for a Cardinal Utility 8×8. Rent-to-own runs 24 to 60 months with no credit check, from $75.44 a month, with your first two months as the deposit and no fee if you pay it off early. Every building carries our 10 year guarantee against storm damage, settling and workmanship.
Get Started on Your Eldorado 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 Eldorado.
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.
Close to home: our main shop, office and display lot are in Harrisburg — see hours, directions and local sales contact on our Harrisburg, IL location page, or call Whitney directly at 618-499-1161.
