I live in a single wide manufactured home that was originally a hunting cabin. It did well during the hard freeze but it got me thinking about upgrades to make life more secure here on the ranch.
I have a number of older out buildings that are stuffed to the gills with assorted family junk. I also had a walk in cooler that was so old it had square head bolts. Age and mold did it in. Remember, this is an old hunting camp. Wiring and plumbing is more or less up to code, for the 1950s. I hauled it to the burn pile and cleared off the area it sat on. It had wiring running to the well pump and another building.
So wanting to have a place to store food, have a place for canning and not having it in the house I decided to buy a building and make it what I want.
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Old cooler. That is a FPE breaker panel, the kind that catch fire on occasion.

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Site prep with new breaker box.

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The new building arrives. They use a 2 wheel mule to drag it into position.

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In position.

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First thing is to wire it up. That's as far as I got on the first day. More in store as days go by.

This is a work in progress. I will add to this as work progresses.

Are you planning on putting it on a concrete pad?  Plumbing?

It is on concrete blocks. The driver misplaced it slightly. I will move it with my tractor.
I may put a sink on the outside. No plans for inside. It will also have a carport roof over the front. That is where my deer skinning rack used to be. That is where I plan to have the sink.
Eventually I will have a fridge and a couple freezers inside. I have an upright and a chest freezer.
First insulate and air condition the building or it will be too hot for any refrigeration.

Ok it's been awhile. I was waiting on the insulation kit to show up. Amazon isn't always the best price. This has been a learning experience. It is harder than it looks to lay the foam evenly and get good coverage. After I applied the insulation I scanned the walls and ceiling with a thermal camera. There were several spots with only minimal coating and a few bare spots. So I ordered another kit. This one filled the holes and put a thicker layer all around.
If you ever use one of these kits follow the instructions. Cover all exposed skin and use a respirator. Even in the small shed with the door and windows open the smell got to me.

FIrst attempt.
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It's hard to see but the foam didn't expand much. The pieces on the floor didn't adhere to the ceiling. It is as much art as technique to apply it right. The second coat did better but didn't always mix correctly. You can tell by the color of the foam and the bubbles on the surface.
Second coat.
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Overall a better job. This stuff gets hot as it reacts but cools off soon after. It felt like the sun beating down on the roof when I was applying up high. I still haven't got it right as some of the foam sagged when applied. Youtube videos will help but it takes practice.
There is a lot of cleanup to do. It sticks but isn't too hard to scrape off.

Next up is storage. Cabinets or shelves? I haven't decided yet but until I do I have some shelves I can borrow.

Nice work I wanna see how this turns out

Question, how are you going to use this?

Just have fridges in there with shelf for dry goods? What about pests?
Also what do you plan on doing about the change in temperature with thw different seasons?

Are you going to put up paneling or something to protect the foam and what not?  Not sure if needed but I could see the foam over time being damaged.

You have the studs right there.  Not hard to run shelves and put a lip on the shelf to keep things in place for a minor earth quake or someone being clumsy.

I am more careful now about building shelves to what I store, old tuna cans vs new ones are my example.  I did not make em adjustable cause I am lazy and not that great at construction.

Cabinets sound good but to some extent they can be a problem.  They can hinder air flow if you are trying to keep this building at a set temp.  If the doors are loose bugs or mice can squeeze in and even if they can't chew into the can their making a mess sucks.

My kitchen will always have cabinet doors cause that is just what I prefer.  A pantry, I like it open so I can see all my stuffs.  To some extent in the kitchen the doors keep the products protected while cooking and washing dishes and what not, keeps the cat out as well.

If just borrowing some of the free standing shelving like gorilla shelves you can mess around and see what works best for you.  I feel they waste some space with the 2 inch shelf supports and at the same time depending on how you load shelves they need that much support.

I have one fridge and at least two freezers going in here. The floor plan is still undecided so I'm going to use shelves at first. Cabinets would be nice as I could design counter space in as well. One I get the foam trimmed down and the studs cleaned off I plan on putting in 3/8 cdx for the interior walls. That will give the building even more strength.
Pests will have a hard time getting in. It will end up tight as a bank vault. The only weak point would be the door. I have to look at that to see how resistant it is to infiltration.
With the appliances generating heat I will have to cool it to keep the shelf stable foods from getting baked. A 6000 btu a/c should keep it cool enough. As long as I can keep it under 80 degrees or should be fine. It gets over 100 degrees in the summer. In have thermometers to keep track of the inside and outside conditions. The first year is all about testing.
I appreciate any input on design ideas. I suck at organization.

Yes on the paneling. I want dead air space between the studs and to protect the foam. Since I'm using plywood it will also strengthen the structure. I don't have earthquakes here but a rare tornado shows up.
I hope to make this a canning kitchen as well as a pantry. Some cabinets with counter space would be nice. Anything requiring heat like a canner will be done outside.
Shelves make inventory easier and things get lost in cabinets. It might be easier to put shelves on the walls and put a table in the middle for working on. This thing is 10x16 so I think there will be a lot of open space.

Just a note. Some of the foam didn't mix properly and left a sticky mess in spots. The foam didn't dry. These things are finicky.

I would consider making or buying used something that rolls.  If you can find 4 or 6 big wheels for a cart on discount you can make your own sort of moving dolley and build a table to it or attach wheels to a table or whatever.  Think somewhat of a rolling tool cabinet mechanics have, but might skip all the little drawers.

I look for the solid rubber wheels you can use on garden carts, I despise the air filled ones that age and leak so quickly.  Even if they don't match you can usually find some discounted ones and buy 1 at full price maybe.

You might also consider a mechanics cart as well.  Makes it easy to load things on cart and roll over to shelf where it will be stored.

I don't know what your real live floor space will be and this is something you have to see and work with to see what you think.

You can make library aisles for more storage.  You need space to get down the aisles and you want to make sure you don't create something you hate using.  For shelves like this you load from back and unload from front so always last in and first out if you do it right.

We did this in a room in my dad's basement.  He had a zillion old car mags he loved to read again and again and lots of other stuff.  So putting shelving coming out from the wall let us have more shelves in the room than normal if you just covered the walls only.  

We used totes so that basically he would finish a tote and it could go back down and I could just bring up the next tote.  If he wanted something specific we had somewhat inventoried it and could do that but taking a tote down and bringing a tote up was nice and easy.

For your setup I would attach these shelves to the ceiling and wall.  I agree on making things super duper sturdy.

You can read up on air changeover and what not, your air conditioner will probably do this on its own somewhat.

On the door I recomend looking at how folks up north seal doors.  You have a gasket on the framework usually the door will close against.  You can't just slam these doors shut, kinda gotta pull it shut slowly squishing the gasket as it forms to the door.  There are other options as well but I would use a sturdy insulated door and hinges and set it up with a serious gasket system.  

Should make tracking any bugs or mice easy if you have things set up really well and sealed and caulked shut.

Sorry for the delay.
I put up some expensive paneling. 3/8 CDX. It was close to $40/sheet.
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Paint was a little cheaper and brightened up the place. I got the shelves from Home Depot. Worth the $104 per unit. You can make either a tall shelving unit or two half height units. They also sell tempered hardboard that will fit with two notches on one end.
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I'm still putting it together but so far I have a fridge, chest freezer and throat three and a half shelving units installed.
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I haven't decided on whether to keep the gray shelf yet. I thought about a can rotator system but they seem to take up a lot of space.


ETA: misspelled word.

Looking good man

If you can keep an eye of the temperature year round. I would lobe to take notes and see what the difference is

I have a weather station that can have up to 8 extra sensors. I am going to put one in here to monitor it. I also have temperature probes for the freezers that are linked through the internet to my phone. That is the next phase I will be posting on here.

I would consider some window curtains for your windows, no need to advertise what is inside.

Looks great!  What are you planning for temp/humidity control in there?

I live on a ranch. The door isn't locked. The nearest people are cousins 2 miles up the road. Blocking heat would be a better goal.

I have a 6k btu window unit. A space heater for freezing weather.

Not sure where you're located, but a couple of ideas:

- dig a hole and build a root cellar, trap door access from inside
- ceiling vents w/ fan
- boards across rafters for storing more junk!

Got any dynamite?
There are vents on both eaves. I leave them open to let the heat out.
Not a lot of extra room but I've been thinking about it.

If you put a shelving unit on a wall like a library shelf unit, narrow end against wall and the shelving unit sticks out, and leave yourself room to access both sides you can make ones side in and other side out for the cans.  And thereby rotate em.

You have to watch weight and capability of shelf, dolley, and the floor but a shelving unit on wheels lets you spin it back and forth for loading and unloading and if you have several you can pack em tight and roll em out to get what you need.

Bump for coming updates.

Just a quick update. I installed gfi's on both circuits in the pantry. Bad idea for something with refrigeration. A thunderstorm came through and Knoxville knocked out both circuits at different times.
Telltales saved the day. One had the air conditioner on it and I heard that it wasn't running. I reset that one some time later the freezer alarm notified me that it was warming up. I was in town at the time. When I got home I checked and, sure enough, the other side had tripped. Since they are in a remote building I made sure to have a way to keep track of the frozen stuff.

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Bad idea.


ETA: fixing auto correct error.

It turns out that the size ratings for window a/c units doesn't take into account four exterior walls. While the insulation is sufficient for normal applications, there is too much heat gain. We have had a mild summer (few days in the high 90s low 100s) and the inside temps have gotten up to 90 degrees. I have a 6k window unit now but need a larger one. 8k may do it but any larger and I might as well go mini split and have heat for those bitter cold Texas winters. I don't want my pickle jars to break.

Gonna give this great thread a bump in the hopes for updated pics...

@shooter_gregg

At long last... an update.

Outside view. It's a good looking shed. I had thought of building my own but with the price of lumber this was a steal.
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It is getting a little crowded in here. The ugly chest freezer died of old age. I only had ice in it and was testing to see how well it ran. The Yolink temperature sensor alerted me to the failure and I had time to move the ice before it reached 30 degrees.
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The red shelve units are from Home Depot. When I bought them they were $104 each. They hold 5000 pounds each. I bought four to try out. They work really well and you can cannibalize a set for more shelves on each unit. This is useful for cans as otherwise there would be a lot of wasted space.
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There wasn't enough room for each shelf to have a two foot aisle between them. The two aisles on the right are about eighteen inches. I also had to reorient the light fixtures.

The two back to back units were a compromise as I didn't have enough room for another aisle. It worked out as a place for the 7cu.ft. freezer. The left aisle is two foot wide and the fridge kinda cramps space going in. I will probably move it to be like the upright freezer and put another chest freezer in. The jury is still out on that as I have a meat grinder on the way.
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This corner is a little bit of a problem. Originally this was going to be a work space, but this more a storage building and most food processing will be done outside or in another building. It is kind of a catchall for odds and ends. I don't know how much more freezer space I will need. I have room for two 15cuft. chest freezers. They will also add workspace if needed. Uprights would really cramp things in a hurry.
TBC

CONTINUED
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These shelving units at half height would be good tables with a plywood top.

Questions and comments welcome.

ETA: the 6k window unit would not be sufficient for a normal summer.  I'm thinking of putting in a 9k to 12k mini split.

Nice job.  The shelving looks great.

Thanks. I forgot to mention the shelf price now. $104 each when I bought them, $268 each now.

Nice job man

I would love to do something like this but it would have to be next year at least


What food besides frozen are you planning on storing in there?

Also what is the average temperature you have been getting in there?

I have a lot of canned veggies, beans, tomato sauces of various types, and fruit.
Cleaning supplies, paper products, supplies for my handicapped son, canning equipment and jars. Also a Cajun boil pot, fish fryer pot, oils, seasonings, canned tuna, canned chicken, and first aid supplies.
So far the temperatures have ranged from 60s on cool nights to 88-90 on the hottest days. I really want to keep the temps below 80-83. It had never been uncomfortable, but I rarely stay in there more than an hour unless rearranging shelves. The lower I can keep the temps the longer foods keep their value. I plan on putting a trellis on the side facing the afternoon sun, solar panels on the roof and a carport roof on the door side.
Cover over the doors will allow easier unloading in bad weather. I will also put up a couple pulleys for hanging deer.

More shelf pictures. These hold a lot.

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I have used some scrap wood to make a shelf ontop of the standard shelving shelf.

I always use plywood to replace the particle board shelf those come with, they eventually disintegrate if you don't replace em.  I have used the particle board to figure out shelving options.

Yes they make a good workbench to some extent, usually shown as an option on the box.

Solar panels spaced above the roof will provide an air gap to stop heat gain.  Trellis provides shade.  May work better than you think.  

I sometimes feel like turning the shelf supports over so that the cans sit down in that wasted space and vibrations like a minor earth quake everything would stay in place.  Have not examined it or tried it to see how mad or how well it might work.

These didn't come with shelf boards. Home Depot has quarter cut tempered boards. They may come apart eventually, but I didn't want to pay for plywood at the time. That was during the price hike on lumber.
I want to extend the carport over the shed and put solar panels on top of it. On the lattice I hope to grow Kiwis or another vining fruit.

Nice job!

Thanks for the update... look great.

Since you're looking to further reduce heat inside have you looked into any of the reflective roof paints?  It looks like your factory panels are dark.  I have not used any of the newer paints so can't really comment on them but even the old white stuff I rolled on my former neighbor's outbuilding for him seemed to help a bit- or at least he claimed it did  (the only times I went in it were to borrow his tiller).  

It's looking good now.

Build a pole barn over it. Like just 4 poles and an angled roof. That will keep the sun off and keep it cool. You could do it pretty cheap if you made a single slope roof and no sides.

That is the general idea. I just need to buy some oilfield pipe. It is further down the list of projects.