As with all dreams I’ve had a lot of incarnations of my dream shop, and lots of ideas to mull over in my head. What tools would I want to put in it? How would I use a Roubo type bench? How much space do I really need? With all this new space maybe I’ll take up blacksmithing as well! I’ll need a welder! Wow– I need more power! Windows! I want lots of natural light! But most barns don’t have a lot of windows. Hmmm. We don’t have a garage now, but we now we need a three car garage (in order to house the dream sports car and dream pickup truck)! Dust collection in the floor of course (thank you Vic). So many things to consider.
This barn seems about the right size and general shape.
I’ve spent hours over the years staring at spots in the yard- sighting and plotting out ideal locations for a barn. I believe I’ve landed on the perfect spot:
Potential Barn Sight
So many things to dream about! It can keep you up at night! This one I can conceived one night in bed:
The Concept Shop!
Before that I had a friend help me with some basic design ideas I had and figured that would get my juices flowing, without my sketch-up skills slowing me down. Here are some of the designs he helped me create:
Barn Frame 1
Barn Frame 2
Barn Frame 3
These certainly gave me a model to play with and be able to consider space. Probably the thing I gained the most from this exercise was to realize I don’t want or need a full second floor. The third garage door makes the building a littler grander than I would like. And while I like a modern spin on traditional design, I would most likely go with a more traditional design.
What do you think? What version do you like? Leave a comment below.
The Lighthearted Woodworker 
I like the idea of the traditional barn look. also I would not dismiss the idea of the second floor. It would be a great place to store all those templets, and models and other things I attract. The second level may need a floor hatch to lift things up & down. How about a desk area with a great view from that dormer? It would be a nice “clean” room. Good luck, looks like a great project.
Lou
Thanks Lou. I hear you on the second level ad space to stash the templates and such that accumulate. I have an idea for such space under the roof line that you’ll see in my next post.
Sloped roof on number 3 just looks wrong, at least in outline form. Sloped roof may be worth exploring, but it needs some work to appear more than a slipped T-square happening.
You may not want full second floor, but seems going up does not add greatly to the cost and allows for uses you are not able to foresee at this time. I like the car bays on the “in-slope” section.
thanks Tom!
I don’t like the sloped roof at all. I would go with the first choice. a full sized second floor will not cost that much more and you will use it.
Sounds like I am similar to the rest of the comments in regard to liking #1. I live in a area of ice and snow so I wouldn’t have the drive right along the side at that much of a slope. How are you going to get material in and where are you going to store it? I also think you should provide for some sort of lifting to the second floor. How about a cupola for drawing through the breeze in the Summer? Question? Why do you want to be so far from the house? At my age bathroom breaks, snacks and checking in every once in a while are required procedure……;0) Don
thanks for your feedback Don. I’ve considered the bathroom breaks! 😉 we have a funny piece of property, that is quite sloped and this is really the best unused spot. I think you’ll see in my next post I’ll have pretty good drive up access. As far as lifting I would definitely add a chain motor for heavy lifting.
Wife Reject (#1?) was off your own dream list. Or, collage. Definitely sleep-walk stuff. Maybe, it was real dream stuff.
Now, the Esherick piece (#3?) needs leaning walls and those battlement things defending knights drop boulders through. One could be oversized for dumping scraps and pulling logs into the attic. Other things, too.
Finally, I know stairs are a pain to design, but they really don’t need a full car-bay width or look like an Escher-esk reincarnation. They need to separate usable space and in your case be usable for dragging big items over. Keep them simple.
The sloped roof on 3 looks complicated to build without much benefit. the one thing I think is most important going by my own experience is to have a taller knee wall than the one shown. I had a shed built a couple of years ago with a second floor storage area with three foot knee walls. I bump my head every time I need to go near the knee walls to get at things stored there.