Ballard County in January is wet, cold and muddy, and everything that comes back to the truck is soaked. A building set up for waterfowl season is not the same as a storage shed with a lock on it.
Wet gear needs somewhere to dry
This is the thing that ruins equipment: waders, blind bags, dog vests, coats and boots stuffed into a sealed building wet, then opened again next weekend. Mildew, rot, and a smell that never quite leaves.
Design for drying. Gable or ridge vents so moisture can leave. A hanging rail or hooks along one wall rather than shelves, so waders hang upside down and drain. And if you want to actually solve it, spray foam insulation plus electrical from one of our finish-out packages, which include electrical, flooring and wall coverings, so a small heater or fan can run and dry the room out between hunts.
Decoys eat volume, not floor
Bags of full-body and floater decoys are bulky and light, which makes them the perfect thing to put overhead. A lofted style building gives you real storage above without adding footprint, and it is the cheapest square footage in the catalog. Keep the floor for the boat, the blind and the sled.
Size for the boat
If a duck boat is going inside, measure the overall length including the motor and the trailer tongue and add four feet, then measure the widest point and add three. A 12×24 handles a small boat plus gear. A 14×28 handles a bigger rig with room to work. Order a 9 or 10 foot door minimum, and check the door height against a blind frame or a grass rack. We build up to 16×60.
Dog space
If dogs stay out there, they need a dry floor, no drafts at floor level, ventilation up high, and somewhere to put a crate that is not in the mud. Insulation matters more for a dog than for gear. Keep it separated from where fuel, chemicals and shells are stored.
Guns and shells
Do not store firearms in an outbuilding long term. Store shells dry and cool and away from anything that generates heat. Security is physical out here: heavy hasp bolted through with carriage bolts, shrouded padlock, non-removable hinge pins, no window in the door, and a motion light on the approach.
Mud and the pad
A building you approach in waders in January needs a pad that does not turn into a wallow. Level gravel about a foot larger than the building on all sides, standing several inches above the surrounding grade, and extra rock at the door and along the approach. That extra rock is the cheapest thing in this whole project and the one you will thank yourself for every single trip.
Delivery and coverage
We need roughly two feet of clearance past the building width along the whole path, about 13 feet of overhead, and firm ground for a loaded trailer. Deliveries run Monday through Friday; see the prep page. Every Cardinal building carries our 10 year guarantee against storm damage, settling and craftsmanship, plus a 50 year LP SmartSide siding warranty and a lifetime AdvanTech floor warranty, handled by us. Pricing starts 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 La Center 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 La Center.
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.
