Good morning SMC!
After a lonnnnnnnnnng search for a property that would offer some enhancements that our family is seeking, we have decided that our existing property with some adjustments applied is the more feasible option.
One wish list item was to increase the workshop size. Here's our plan that would accomplish that in our existing location, and I am looking to gut check with the crew here who understands these things.
My shop is in my 2 story barn. The main portion of my shop consists of two connected sections... one side is machines, the other side is assembly/fasteners/small tools. The machine side is 12' wide x 20' long, and the assembly side is 8.5' wide x 17' long. Aside from these two spaces, there is a 13' x 14' room where I apply finishes, and 10' x 11' room that holds lumber.
The assembly area is where I feel the most "small shop pain" right now - running out of space on tasks ranging from staging parts through final assembly. My assembly table is 30" x 60" and must constantly be moved so that I can work around all sides, and is constantly just a little too small to hold whatever I'm working on. And the main culprit is that there's a set of stairs that take up a ton of room and squeezing the room.
So here's our idea...
- We have wanted to turn the finished 2nd story into an apartment for friends/family/airBNB etc.
- We have also wanted a shop bathroom and utility sink..
- We would add a set of stairs to the exterior of the building, thereby eliminating the interior stairs in my shop
- We would bring out water and sewer lines for full bath in the apartment, and toilet/utility sink in the shop
Net results
- Assembly area would now be 12' x 17' (instead of 8.5' x 17')
- Shop would gain toilet and utility sink
- A much bigger assembly table would now fit AND allow for me to walk/work around all 4 sides
- A 12 foot wall section would now be able to accept a counter top, cabinets below and storage above (vs. nothing today)
- The upstairs apartment would gain full bath
- We would look to use the underside of the new exterior stairs as a narrow shed to increase lumber storage options
What do you think? My gut reaction is that the combination of apartment (with dedicated access that doesn't interfere with workshop) + shop toilet and ON grid utility sink (vs. current off grid sink) + bigger assembly area + more counters/storage = nice upgrade... but of course, $$ is also involved.
edit: The "existing" layout pic should show "off grid utility sink" and the "new" layout should not (since a real sink will instead be installed)... mixed that up when I took the pics below.
existing barn floor plan 2020.JPGnew barn floor plan 2020.JPG
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