Many of our customers at One Day Garage have had an interest in constructing a building purely for storage, and not necessarily for their cars. After all, who couldn’t use more room.
Many customers want to build a small storage building to “take back” their once-beloved empty garage that used to be able to store their two cars. The size range for these storage buildings is typically 8′ x 12′ to 16′ x 20′. The difference between 96 square feet and 320 is significant.
So, the question is, at what point does a large shed become a small garage? In the state of Ohio and Pennsylvania, the answer according to building code is 200 square feet. The means 12′ x 16′ or 10′ x 20′ is the largest shed you can build without adhering to the building and zoning codes mandated for garages, but structurally, what’s the difference?
The primary difference is the garages have footed foundations. Whether they be post footers or block, a garage foundation extends 36″-42″ below grade, so it is not subjected to heaving from the frost line. Sheds are typically built on skids or wooden platforms, sometimes even a 4″ pad of concrete. In either case, if you want value. It’s best to build large sheds and large garages; both are less expensive per foot.