Educational Tool — Not an Engineering Determination

How Much Building Do I Need?

Tell us what goes inside the building — vehicles, aircraft, equipment, bays, storage, office space — and we'll suggest a rough footprint range to start your planning.

Reviewed by Josh Kingery · Sales & Lead Designer, Superstructures Inc. · Updated September 2025

What goes inside your building?

Primary Use

Vehicles & Equipment

Full-size pickup / SUV

Semi-truck (full)

RV / 5th wheel

Boat on trailer

ATV / snowmachine

Heavy equipment (excavator etc.)

Aircraft

Cessna 172 / similar (36' span)

Cessna 206 / 207 (36' span)

Piper Cherokee / Archer (35' span)

Twin-engine piston (40'–48' span)

PC-12 / Caravan / King Air (52'+ span)

Helicopter (rotor blades folded)

Working Bays / Workstations

bays (approx. 14\'×20\' each)

Additional Interior Space

Office area (~200 sq ft)Restroom (~80 sq ft)Break room / lounge (~150 sq ft)Parts / supply room (~200 sq ft)Mezzanine storage (~300 sq ft)

Clearance Around Equipment

Estimated Building Size Range

Recommended Eave Height

Closest Package(s)

Educational estimate only. This is a rough planning tool, not an engineering determination. Actual building requirements depend on your specific site, layout, workflow, and use. Talk to Josh for a real recommendation.

Get a Quote for This Size

Select a primary use and fill in the details to see your recommended building size.

How This Calculator Works

This tool uses approximate footprint dimensions for common vehicles and equipment, adds a clearance buffer based on your preference, and estimates square footage for any additional interior spaces. The result is a rough footprint range to guide your initial planning conversations.

This is not engineering. Real building design accounts for your workflow (can you back a truck straight in or do you need turn room?), door locations, code requirements, site orientation, and future use considerations. The calculator is a starting point — not a specification.

Josh Kingery at Superstructures (907-215-1927) has helped hundreds of Alaska customers work through exactly these questions. A 15-minute call typically gets you much further than any online tool.