One of the main differences between our side-lofted barns and our regular lofted barns is that the doors on the side-lofted barn are on the longer side wall and not the front wall of the building. While having the doors on the longer side wall may seem like only a subtle difference, it can actually be very beneficial to those who are using their building to store a riding lawn mower or ATV they frequently use and need access to.

To echo a similar conversation I’ve had before about the differences between our Utility Sheds and Garden Sheds, with the doors on the end wall you may find yourself constantly having to move items out of the way to access other items in the back of your building. With the doors on the side wall however, you can park your riding mower, garden tractor, or ATV in the building and still have room to walk around it and access your other times. Like I mentioned in a prior post, you don’t want to have to back your riding mower out on a snowy winter day to get your holiday decorations out of storage.

Another benefit to having the doors on the side wall is that the storage lofts are on your sides when you enter the building and not directly above your head. Since there is only 6’3” clearance under the lofts, if you are a taller person this layout may make more sense for you in the long run. The last thing I want is anyone cursing my name every time they bump their heads on the loft walking in their building.

Another difference between the side-lofted barns and regular lofted barns is that the former comes standard with two 2×3 windows (or possibly 1 window if it is an 8’ wide…more on that in a minute). It’s just a nice benefit to have natural light in your building during the day, plus the ability to open up a window and let in some fresh air while the doors are closed to keep out any bugs or critters.

Speaking of critters, some people don’t like the idea of having a window simply because it is just another access point for “2-legged critters.” Having had property stolen from me in the past, I totally understand that reasoning. If you are interested in having a lofted barn style building built with the doors on the longer side wall but without windows, no problem at all, we can build a custom building specifically for you. In fact, that’s what we want to do in the first place.

All of our 10×12 and larger side-lofted barns come standard with double doors and two 2×3 windows with screens. Any side lofted barn that is smaller than a 10×12 size (8×10, 8×12, 10×10, etc.) comes with your choice of two 2×3 windows and a single door or double doors and a single 2×3 window.

The decision really just boils down to whether you would prefer to have more light and air flow in your building, or whether you would prefer to have a wider door opening. If you have any type of riding lawn mower with a mower deck bigger than 44”, you will probably want to opt for the double doors since they would give you a larger 70” wide opening when both doors are open.

In the next post I will talk about my favorite lofted barn style of all, the Lofted Handyman Barn, which comes standard with many of the most popular customizations our customers have asked for in the past. If you are looking for lofted barn style that serves a multitude of different uses, you’ll definitely want to check it out.