No, not in the “it was filled with junk and I cleaned it out” kinda way – I found the one I want to build! I’ve put hours and hours of thought into what I want in a garage, going through revision after revision. Each time I’d try to find something online that’s close to what I wanted. I’ve finally found something that’s almost perfect:
24x30ft, large enough for room at the back for a vehicle turned sideways, gambrel roof, and a shed dormer on one side. The only modifications I’d want to make are:
- Fill the dormer wall with windows
- Move the man door to the left corner, which will place it in front of the stairs to the loft
- Remove the upper floor cargo door
- Remove the right hand garage door
- Move the left garage door to the right about two feet
- Add short windows high up on the long wall that the man door is on
- Dump the cupola. Not a fan of those.
Put a 2-car parking pad in front with a one-car carport on the right side and it’d be perfect. The long side with the dormer will be the south facing wall. The lower wall will have solar air heaters similar to this one: http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/SpaceHeating/solar_barn_project.htm
The bay in front of the lone car door will have a flush-mounted BendPak P-6F lift. I was thinking I’d get a two-post lift, but after thinking it through decided that the lower lift height of the P-6F would suit my needs just fine. It also doesn’t require a huge ceiling height, which will make the garage less expensive to build.
The lower floor will obviously be shop space for my wood, metal, and automotive work. There will be no normal windows on the bottom floor, just some short windows high up on the south wall for good natural light. Having uninterrupted wall space will maximize bench & tool layout possibilities, and be more secure as well. The upper floor will serve multiple purposes – extra storage, a home gym, relaxing space, and one end of the dormer will be partitioned off for an office.
Here’s the website where I found this plan: http://www.coolhouseplans.com/details.html?pid=chp-43119&FoundID=2&sid=chp1
I’m thinking barn red with a white standing seam metal roof and matching white trim.
