A bay is the space between two of the frames that hold your shed up. Count the bays along the length of the building and you have the number people mean when they talk about a 3 bay shed or a 4 bay shed. It is the quickest way to describe the size of a farm or machinery shed without getting into measurements, which is why so many of them get talked about that way.
Here is what a bay actually is, what changes when you add one, and how to work out the number you need.
What Is A Bay On A Shed?
Your shed is held up by a series of frames spaced along its length. The space between one frame and the next is a bay. Two frames give you one bay, four frames give you three, and so on down the building.
Add a bay and the shed gets longer. The width and the height do not change, because they are set by the frame itself.
The part that surprises people is that a bay is not a fixed measurement. How wide each bay is comes out of the engineering for your site and what you need to fit inside, so two sheds described as 3 bay sheds can be different lengths. That is worth knowing before you compare one quote against another.
How Big Is A 3 Bay Shed?
Honestly, it depends, and anyone who gives you a single number without asking a question first is guessing.
What decides it:
- What is going in it. A tractor, a header, a boat, a caravan and a ute all want different room
- How you get in and out. Turning circles and door openings eat more space than people expect
- How high it needs to be. Height often matters more than length
- The site itself. Slope, access and exposure all feed into the engineering
Every Aussie Made Shed is custom made to any size, so the bay count and the bay width are both decisions rather than a fixed catalogue. The quickest way to get a real number is to tell us what is going inside.
What Is An Open Bay Shed?
An open bay shed is one with one or more sides left open. No wall, no doors, just the frame and the roof over the top.
It is a common choice on farms because you can drive straight in without opening anything, park a machine wet and let it dry, and get air through the building. Open bay sheds sit in our rural range alongside farm sheds, workshops and horse arenas.
The same idea is why so many hay sheds are built open. Hay needs airflow, and getting a loaded truck in and out matters more than locking it up.
You do not have to choose one or the other. It is common to close in some bays and leave the rest open on the same shed.
Should You Choose A 3 Bay Shed Or A 4 Bay Shed?
Work through these before you decide:
- What do you own now, and what will you own in five years?
- What is currently sitting outside that should not be?
- Do you need a lockable section, or is the whole thing open?
- Do you want to work in there, or only store things?
- What is the biggest thing that will ever need to fit through the opening?
That last one catches people out. It is usually the height and the door opening that limit a shed, not the number of bays.
It is also worth checking what your block allows before you settle on a size. Most councils will allow a storage shed of up to 20sqm without council approval, but every council in Australia does things differently, so check with your local council first to find out what is allowed on your block. We have been doing council applications for our customers for over 20 years, so ask us if you are not sure.
Can You Add A Workshop Or An Awning?
Yes to both, and it is one of the most common things people ask for.
Closing in one bay gives you a lockable workshop at one end while the rest stays open for machinery. A lean-to down one side adds covered space for a carport, a BBQ area or somewhere to keep the mower out of the weather, without adding another bay to the main building.
Our barns take this further again. The centre bay can be purpose built as a breezeway, or take a mezzanine floor for a second storey.
Getting The Right Number Of Bays
Whether you end up with a 3 bay shed, a 4 bay shed or something else entirely, the number of bays is only ever a shorthand. What matters is that the building fits what you put in it, opens the way you need it to, and is engineered for the ground it stands on.
Every shed we build uses 100% Australian BlueScope Colorbond Steel, comes with Site Specific Engineering and a 25 year warranty, and is ShedSafe accredited. Tell us what you need to fit in and we will work the size out with you.
Request a free quote, or call an Aussie Made Shed specialist on 1300 732 588.