In a city that averages around 100 inches of snow a winter, a lot of Erie equipment works hardest when the weather is worst. Plow trucks, loaders and salt spreaders have to start in the cold and get out the door quickly. Out in the county, vineyards and grain farms rely on tractors, sprayers and harvesters that sit for months between seasons. Either way, machinery lasts longer under a roof.
Our equipment storage buildings for Erie-area owners start with the machines: the tallest load, the widest attachment and the way you need to drive in and out. Clear-span trusses keep the floor open, and doors are sized with room to spare. The roof has to carry the snow load your municipality specifies, and the City of Erie's 40 psf ground snow figure is higher than the 30 psf Cleveland uses, so we settle the engineering numbers before door headers and truss spans are locked in.
What to know before building in Erie
Wide doors need serious headers
A large overhead or sliding door creates a long header that carries the roof trusses above it. Under Erie's snow loads, a wide opening needs an engineered header and properly sized posts on each side. Tell us the widest machine you own today and the one you might buy in five years, since enlarging an opening later is far harder than building it right.
Frost depth and heavy floors
The City of Erie lists a 48-inch frost depth, and post embedment and any perimeter footings must reach below it. A slab meant for loaders or loaded trucks needs more thickness and a well-compacted base than a garage floor. Frost heave at a doorway can bind an overhead door, so we pay close attention to drainage and grade at every opening.
Salt, meltwater and condensation
Equipment that comes in coated with road salt and melting snow puts a lot of moisture into a steel building. A sloped slab, drainage where local rules allow it, ventilation and a condensation-control liner under the roof steel all help limit corrosion and dripping. If you plan to wash equipment indoors, tell us early, because it affects drainage approvals.
Check the land use, not just the building
Storing business equipment is a land use. In the city, that means checking your district against the zoning use matrix. In Millcreek, the ordinance says a use in an accessory structure cannot violate the uses permitted in the district. A contractor building on a residential lot may not be allowed, so we confirm with the zoning office before design.
Common equipment storage facilities projects around Erie
- Plow truck and salt spreader storage for snow-removal contractors
- Drive-through bays for excavators, loaders and dump trucks
- Vineyard equipment barns for tractors, sprayers and grape harvesters
- Combine and grain equipment storage for corn and soybean farms
- Fleet storage with an attached maintenance bay
Equipment Storage Facilities FAQs for Erie
How tall should the doors be on an equipment storage building?
Measure your tallest machine with its cab, exhaust stack or raised attachment, then add working clearance so nobody has to creep through the opening. The door also sets the minimum wall height, and in Erie the header above it has to carry a heavy snow load. We work out door height, eave height and truss design together.
Can I keep my business equipment in a pole barn at my house in Millcreek?
Possibly not. Millcreek's zoning ordinance says no use in an accessory structure may violate the permitted uses of the district where the main building sits, and its residential districts cap accessory structure height at 20 feet. A home-based contractor yard may need a different district or a zoning approval. Ask the township zoning office before buying materials.
Should an equipment building in Erie be insulated?
If you store machines with batteries, hydraulics or fluids through an Erie winter, or plan to work on equipment inside, insulation and a heat source make a real difference. At a minimum, a condensation barrier under the roof steel keeps water from dripping on machines when temperatures swing. We will walk through the options and tradeoffs when we prepare your quote.
About our equipment storage facilities
Clear-span storage buildings for trucks, tractors and heavy equipment, with doors and sidewalls sized to the machines you park inside.
Sizes, materials and options