Alpine Buildings | Kitset shed blog

Building the best caravan storage shed | Alpine Buildings

Written by Alpine Buildings | March 26 2024

Are you the proud owner of a caravan or camper? Having a reliable shelter for your camper ensures it is safe, secure, and out of the weather, reducing wear and tear.  

In this article, we discuss 5 factors to take into account when designing your caravan storage shed.  

Design considerations for caravan shelters

Height

Your storage shed must be tall enough to accommodate the height of the caravan and any accessories on the roof, such as aerials and sky dishes. When designing your storage shed, measure the highest point of the caravan and make sure the daylight opening of any door has sufficient clearance. 

We recommend putting some thought into what the future uses of the shed could be. If you intend to upgrade your caravan or use the shed to store something taller in the future, then you will need to plan ahead and allow for additional height now.  

Span

The span of your shed will be determined by the caravan length. If your caravan is 8.0m long, then the span of your shed will need to be at least 9.0m to allow for the wall framing. If you choose to include a workshop bench or pallet racking behind the caravan, you will need to add at least another metre or two. 

Roller doors

Roller doors are most commonly used in all types of sheds around New Zealand as they are cost-effective and can achieve a large daylight opening. Caravans can get up to 3.6m high while a larger house bus can be around 4.3m high. When choosing your roller door heights, always allow an additional 100-200mm as 75mm of the curtain will hang down below the door lintel. For example, a 3.0m high roller door will have a daylight opening of 2.925m.

Power supply

Having power inside your shed is always nice to have, especially when cleaning your caravan at night. The reality is that adding power will cost several thousand dollars and may not be needed immediately. Adding power to a shed can easily be done at a later date by drilling a small hole in the wall cladding and running wiring into the shed. If you don't intend to have power and lighting, we would highly recommend adding clearlight to the roof to allow daylight in. 

Water supply

When maintaining your caravan, having access to running water nearby is very helpful. We recommend considering this when building your caravan shed and installing a tap as close as possible. That way, you have running water to wash your caravan and fill the tanks when needed.

Download the full Mancave Brochure to find out more about your options. Alternatively, contact us today to discuss your next project.