Home » Plants & Animals » Farming » Farm Shops

Farm Shops

© Don De Beyer

The farm shop is an important structure on any farm. An all weather maintenance shop will provide a place to repair, service, assemble and modify a wide variety of equipment on the farm. Most farmers will try to fix equipment themselves rather than incurring expensive outside expenses. This means a well equipped and well planned shop will not only save the farmer money in repairs, but also encourage preventative maintenance of equipment.

Many farmers even in the northern climates suffer thru the winter in a poorly heated workspace. A well insulated, ventilated and comfortable shop even in the dead of winter will be much appreciated. Some farmers build a separate shop from their equipment shed while others wall off one end of the shed to act like a separate room. The farm shop can also be further subdivided to allow space for an office and even a washroom.

The first decision you may have is whether to remodel an existing building or building completely new shop. Remodeling an existing building tends to appeal more to small/part time farmers with limited equipment and sporadic repair needs. These buildings are usually small and once the equipment is brought in space becomes very limited. Large farms tend to build a new building with lots of room for equipment and an assortment of tools.

The location of the shop is very important. It is likely it will be one of your most visited buildings on the farm. Therefore close proximately to your house, machinery shed and main traffic route on the farm will be a priority. The shop should have easy to maintain year round access routes inside and large/high doors appropriate for any sized equipment you will likely have on your farm.

There are many different layouts of shops and an equal number of combinations. Ultimately you must decide the activities likely to occur. You will need to set aside an area for workbenches and a space for hand/power tools. Most farms have a welder that will take up part of the shop space. Repairs will need parts, and part storage must also be factored in. One or more large service areas will take up most of the floor space and generally more is better.

Building size will depend on your equipment. If you want to completely drive equipment into the shop for repairs a length of greater than 50 feet may be necessary. In most cases the width of the building is at least twice the width of the entry doors. The doors should also be at least 12 feet high with heights approaching 20 feet might be needed on some farms. It is usually a good strategy to incorporate a smaller man door to your shop. This will allow access without the need to open the larger equipment doors and help maintain any heat/cool air inside the building.

The copyright of the article Farm Shops in Farming is owned by . Permission to republish Farm Shops in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.