Monitor Barn Garage Design

[DeadheadNM]

I completely agree the stairs eat up a bunch of space. I've wonder if a partially folding/mobile segment could be incorporated that would swing the lower stairs away for more clearance. Outside stairs would be nice especially with a porch that could shelter some additional storage for say kayaks or canoes. Depending on where this goes that might be the route I take.

The center bay ceiling would be largely open to let light inside. The mezzanine could potentially be extended forward more. I'd love to have plumbing but not sure that's in the cards given whet I imagine to be the hassle of connecting to the septic tank and plumbing a supply line from the house. I should probably plan for drains in the floor though.

Any suggestions on finishing the inside walls? Sheetrock would be the default but are there other options? Old barnwood is plentiful here and would make a nice accent.

[JJH Jimmy]

This is the exact same style barn i am hoping to build someday. I have a antique spiral stair case i was going to use for the loft and then add 2 - 4' french doors for the loft on the back of the barn for hoisting large objects into the loft.

[biketopia]

Originally Posted by DeadheadNM

I completely agree the stairs eat up a bunch of space. I've wonder if a partially folding/mobile segment could be incorporated that would swing the lower stairs away for more clearance. Outside stairs would be nice especially with a porch that could shelter some additional storage for say kayaks or canoes. Depending on where this goes that might be the route I take.

The center bay ceiling would be largely open to let light inside. The mezzanine could potentially be extended forward more. I'd love to have plumbing but not sure that's in the cards given whet I imagine to be the hassle of connecting to the septic tank and plumbing a supply line from the house. I should probably plan for drains in the floor though.

Any suggestions on finishing the inside walls? Sheetrock would be the default but are there other options? Old barnwood is plentiful here and would make a nice accent.

I would 100% have some floor drains in there, at least at the garage doors. How far from your house will this be and how "in the sticks" are you? Could always put some conduit in before the slab is poured for "future additions" and run a water line after final inspections. This is what my buddy did. His garage was only 20-25 yards from the corner of the house so his builder put in a piece of conduit to run flexible water line in and PVC in the corner for a bathroom. He capped it and had it just below finished floor level wrapped in Styrofoam to easily break up. During inspections there was always material and tools in that corner anyways. Him and I trenched across the driveway one Sunday afternoon and laid PVC and conduit and into the crawl space where he made all his septic and water hook ups.

Having water out there would be nice if you plan to work on stuff, just for a slop sink and a hose if nothing else. My pull in barn has water and it's easily a 150-175 yards or more from the well tank in the house and I have plenty of flow to run the garden hose. You could also easily do a small homemade septic system for a single toilet, even just a 55 gallon barrel and some gravel would be enough in most cases. But that also depends on if your neighbors or the county is going to come snooping around. The outside storage and a nice deck would also be a plus, I always like a good deck, a hangout space etc.

As far as finish for the walls, you could do metal cladding drywall. Barn wood would be sweet, but you'll need A LOT, and a good way to attach it as it'll probably be a little on the thicker side, would make a really cool accent wall in the shop though. Definitely do some sort of insulation, even if you're not going to run true HVAC, it will make it more manageable to regulate with fans and a wood stove if needed.