Building a shed in your rural farm is essential to your agricultural use the land, but it usually requires a significant cost outlay. Therefore, it is important to carefully think through the design of the outbuilding before embarking on the construction process. Here are a number of critical contemplations for rural farm owners when they are coming up with the design of their new shed.

Materials selection

For the longest time, wood has been the go-to material for shed construction. This is because wood was the most readily available construction material. Initially, everything from the cutting to assembling of the wood was done at the construction site. But with the advent of pre-building, precut manufactured parts (called members) can now be delivered onsite ready for assembly. This leads to much faster assembly at the farm. 

In recent times, rural farm owners can build shed from metal materials like steel. Prefabricated galvanised steel sheds, for example, are built strong to outlast wood sheds in most environments, but they come with a higher price tag. Many people still go for wooden sheds because they are cheaper and offer an unparalleled rustic appeal. Some prefer a taste of both worlds by building their shed with both wood and steel, for example, a wooden shed that has a galvanised steel roof.

Keep in mind that site-specific factors, such as local climatic conditions and proneness to insect attacks, will also have a big say in your choice of construction materials for your new shed. So you will have to strike a balance between what you want and what you really need. 

Intended use

You can use the shed as storage space for your farm produce, animal feed or farm equipment; as housing, feeding or birthing area for farm animals; as a workshop for performing farm-related tasks, such as hay cutting; or for virtually any other agricultural purpose you may deem fit. What you intend to use your new rural farm shed for will impact its design. For example, a shed that is going to be used as a storage area for fertilisers, seeds, hay, grain, tractors and other farm tools, equipment and supplies cannot be built the same way as that intended for animal birthing.

While a shed being built primarily for storage purposes on the farm may require an open design that provides natural ventilation, the one intended for birthing will need to be partitioned into smaller insulated rooms equipped with HVAC systems to help maintain favourable temperatures for newly-born animals.