Toy Boxes for Boats, ATVs, and Snowmobiles
Prioritize Your Toys (Even Over Your Kids' Toys)
Don’t tell the PTA moms of the world, but we’re actually telling you to put your toys over those of your children. Think about it. Your toys cost a lot more than theirs do. Plus, even if you take the time to invest in a really cool toy box for your kids, they’re just going to leave their toys all over the house anyway. If you’ve ever stepped on a Lego at three in the morning on your way to get something out of the fridge, you get it. Anyways, we’re talking about putting your toys over those of your kids’ toys. You have spent a lot on the toys that you like to play with. Heck, you may have more photos of you and your toys on Facebook than you do of your kids. Hey, we’re not judging. We get it. When it comes to boats, ATVs, snowmobiles, and other toys that you have, you have to think about where you’re going to store them. You’re investing too much money to leave them outside, especially in the harsh winters that we face up here in Northern Minnesota. If you’ve ever left a bottle of water outside overnight, you know that the engine of your ATV doesn’t stand a chance.
That’s why it’s time to look at a toy box for adults. A pole barn is one of the best inventions and Sherman Pole Buildings can be the one to build it for you. It ensures that you get to have your toys while also protecting them. Not sure you actually need a pole barn for your toys? Not sure you believe the whole idea of putting your toys above those of your kids? Let us explain why this is so important.
The Weather is Harsh
Kids toys are tough. They’re durable. And even if they’re not, they’re easily replaceable. Now, your boats ATVs snowmobiles, and other toys are tough and durable, too. However, manufacturers also expect you to use reasonable levels of care when caring for your toys because you’re not three. Northern Minnesota weather is the exception to every rule. No one expects it to be this cold out, but, surprise, it’s really cold. If you’ve ever run outside to get one thing without properly bundling up, you know that. Just look outside your window. That white stuff you see covering everything should be a pretty good indication that Mother Nature isn’t messing around.
-60 degrees on some days and 100 feet of annual snow is a lot to be dealing with. That means that when you look at a way to store your toys, you have to keep all of that in mind. People with toys in other parts of the country can use a plastic storage shed. However, those are the same people who can check their mail in flip-flops in the middle of January. You have to acknowledge where you live and prepare for it. Residential storage barns can be built with a higher level of insulation. They can be ready to face the extreme cold that you’re used to facing. This way, when you park your ATV inside until the summer months or set aside your snowmobile until your next weekend adventure, it’s properly cared for. Sherman Pole Buildings has over 40 years of experience with building structures of all sizes, so we’re ready to help you with a barn that is capable of dealing with the cold.
Your Toys are Expensive
What kind of toy do you have? Do you have many toys? They’re likely expensive. Anything with an engine usually is. Whether you bought them new or used, they’re worth a lot of money. They’re not like the toys that your kids leave scattered about. If a few Legos get sucked up inside the vacuum, you’re only out a few dollars. If something happens to your boat while it’s out in the driveway, you could be out thousands of dollars, even if you have insurance. After all, they make toy insurance for that very reason: to protect your expensive toys. Since we’ve established that your toys are more expensive than those of your kids, you truly deserve a place to put them all. If they get a box for their toys, then you should, too. And, since you plan on actually using your box, it’s all the more reason to get one.
Leaving Your Toys on the Front Lawn is Not an Option
It’s fine if your kids leave a basketball in the front yard. If you have little girls, it’s only a matter of time before a doll gets left in the grass, face down, with only one shoe. Those are perfectly acceptable forms of toy abuse. While it’s not right, it’s acceptable. Anyone with kids knows that it’s going to happen. No matter how many times you ask your kids to put their toys away or threaten to throw the toys in the trash, leaving the toys out is inevitable.
Here’s what’s not okay. You cannot leave your toys on the front lawn. No one wants to see your boat out on the front lawn. While you may want to flaunt it to the neighbors that you have a sporty fishing boat and they don’t, this is not the way to go. If your ATV doesn’t have a home, the next best parking spot is not next to the garden where you have worked hard to plant flowers. Your toys don’t add to the curb appeal of your home. Your toys are big, expensive, and can be easily damaged by the weather. Don’t even let us get started on the fact that your toys can be stolen if they’re in plain sight. If you’re going to be a toy owner (and we fully support you for owning toys regardless of what your age may be), you have to be a responsible one. That means looking at a pole barn that will serve as a place for you to park your toys when they’re not in use. Jump to top
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About the Author
Glen Blamstead
Glen Blamstead here. I've been building pole barns in central Minnesota for going on fifty years, which means I have a bad knee, a strong opinion about column depth, and a truck that looks like a raccoon has been using it as a storage locker.
I live in Mora, where the coffee is strong, never quite hot enough, and mostly forgotten on whatever surface I set it down on three hours ago. My wardrobe is flannel, more flannel, and one "nice" shirt I wear when my wife tells me I have to. She also reads everything I write over my shoulder and has opinions. She is usually right. I will not be saying that again.
I've spent five decades talking to lumber, negotiating with frozen ground, and waking up at 2:14 in the morning to mentally re-measure a post hole that was already correct. I have an inferiority complex, but it's not a very good one. Experience hasn't made me confident — it's just given me a longer list of things to worry about, which I choose to call thoroughness.
When I'm not on a jobsite, I'm probably at the Mora Farmers' Market arguing with a stubborn goose, watching a golden retriever lean against a stranger like a furry recliner, or trying to carry all the groceries in one trip because I am a man of ambition and poor planning.
I write about pole buildings, life, waffles, dead fish, snow angels in places you shouldn't make them, and whatever else wanders into my head while the coffee goes cold. My philosophy is simple: measure twice, check it again, and if someone is crouching behind a flatbed truck, find out why before you open the door.
I've been repeating the same mistakes for so long now I call them traditions. But nothing has fallen down yet. So we press on.
Still building. Still checking. Still mildly suspicious of everything, including myself.