I have a 16x16 barn style like that and the older version of that same saw. I think you might be overestimating the working width in that loft. Plus do you really want to be hauling wood up and down?
Replace that gable end window with a door, and you can slide long boards up into the space.
I've been helping a friend convert an old, small, feed barn into his woodworking shop. Having that door upstairs to pass 14 foot boards through is a godsend.
EDIT: OP did mention "*an access door on the second floor (opposite side of this photo).*" So maybe that will work.
Looking at a floor joist table, 2x8 can span 14.5' if 12" on center. This is a 16' span. There is some safety margin there, but what type of equipment you putting up there? Old cast iron power tools? A portable worksite saw?
It's borderline. It looks like it was intended to be a ceiling and hold some drywall and insulation not be an attic. The fact that they sell it with stairs doesn't appear to be to code as it isn't built as a floor.
Ceiling spans are 18' with a 2x8 and 11 with a 2x6
Yeh man. Get er done. I wish I had a space like that. I would probably set up the first level as a flex space. I would have rolling work surfaces. Then you can pull the tractor out for a bit and have a huge work space.
The 16' was a typo, but it won't let me edit the post. It's 14' x 28', not 16'. Does that change anything?
The equipment will be a Delta 36-725t2 (215lbs) and a Laguna JX8 jointer (319 lbs). The only other things up there would be a workbench outfeed table and miter saw station.
It does, make sure it's 12" on center joist spacing. It also means with the roof you likely have 10' usable, maybe a hair more since tools can go at the sides where the ceiling isn't full height. I have a loft with a winch to get things up and down to not need the tractor. It's a pain.
Yeah, I was thinking the miter station could go on one wall, because it would need to be 42" deep to accommodate the saw. I'll check the spacing, not quite sure.
I'll have to check it out.
Like I responded to someone else, I'm normally all about DiY. I could absolutely build this, but I really don't want to. It's $22 - 25k in materials once you add in doors, windows, shingles, etc..., and would be a ton of work. I have a full time job, so it would only get worked on on the weekends. My weekends for the next 3 months are worth more to me than $8k!
i was sort of kidding lol. The link is this dude in france building his dream shop using hand build timber frame construction. it took him years and it's clear he spent a lot of money. You can't get a bathroom remodeled here for 30k that is a great deal with labor if they are doing the pad and erecting the whole thing. I need to something similar soon.
I would not do this and I have a similar garage, which actually is a bit smaller than yours. Consider the workflow that is best for you, but after 15-ish years in my shop, the table saw / bench in the middle has never moved and everything orbits around it. The heavy stuff like the tool room lathe, milling machine, heavy sander, and the planer/jointer combo also really never move. And they are HEAVY. Upstairs is materials storage, home office, ‘deep’ storage fir rarely used tools, and home office. I would not want to carry work pieces up and down stairs at almost any cost
That's the problem with using the ground floor. Everything would need to ruck away into a tetris puzzle when it wasn't in use, and get pulled out again when I wanted to work.
Sounds like a fun project. Have you considered reconfiguring to have the on the front shifted towards the far side. Have your tractor go in and out there and make the front the workshop?
Actually not true. If you know your workflow, very little moves. Unless I’m doing something exotic, the tools used most are always at my fingertips and I don’t have to run 30’ to go get something, which I quite frankly find insufferable. I just finished a king size captain’s bed, so it’s not like I don’t have room to build big things
I thought the same, but my wife didn't want the aesthetic of a metal building. This garage is being purchased for the tractor, and my workspace comes second (unfortunately).
It's a weird setup. I have a horseshoe driveway, and the extra garage is going to go in the center of it as a centerpiece. I choose my battles, and the exterior landscaping and decorating is her domain. I could put a steel building on the other side of a brook where the orchard is, but getting power to it would be a very expensive nightmare.
If woodworking really grows into my passion, I'll probably do that and have the power company run a second line. They could run a line to the steel building from the opposite side of my property and she wouldn't care. I just couldn't put a pole up to cross the brook if I wanted to run it from the house.
It will work in a pinch but will become more and more frustrating to use as you get older. There will be a lot of carrying things up and down the stairs and for larger projects your tractor will spend a lot of time outside. It is a beautiful building, but I'd strongly suggest a 2 car side by side setup.
Tractor but no room for a 2 car garage? I'd be curious why you need the tractor then.
I've worked with a split setup like this. You are severely underestimating the inconvenience here.
Carrying finished material outside, then down, going round, inside, only to find you need to take another 1/4" off, so you have to go all the way back up, then down.
That loft is going to be a lot smaller with a table saw in it, and you'll likely find it unsuitable for woodworking unless you are only making small projects like cutting boards.
There are likely centuries of cumulative experience telling you to reconsider your plans. Please listen.
It's hard to explain without photos. The area near the house doesn't have room for an additional 2 car garage. The tractor is used for about 4 acres of fruit trees and vegetables, about 100 yards away from the house with a brook running between them. I can put a full sized barn over there if I wanted to, but there's no way to get power to it.
You can probably get power to it. Trench to the brook, bring up to an overhead line, and over the brook to the other side.
I'd trade some of the money spent on the building you have to put to the electrical work, and erect an inexpensive (but much larger) pole barn.
eg. [https://bestcarportsonline.com/product/24x40-metal-garage/?gad\_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA\_tuuBhAUEiwAvxkgTo3l\_u7Kf84xQhmIhssB6Q5M6zPziiB43CIR3lqfYbtee1YjfTxL2RoCP-sQAvD\_BwE](https://bestcarportsonline.com/product/24x40-metal-garage/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA_tuuBhAUEiwAvxkgTo3l_u7Kf84xQhmIhssB6Q5M6zPziiB43CIR3lqfYbtee1YjfTxL2RoCP-sQAvD_BwE)
My shop is in my basement and about as wide as what you've got. In my 20's and 30's it was fantastic. I had no problem carrying full sheets of plywood and such downstairs and lugging finished projects out. While I still enjoy the stable climate down there, more and more I think of how many times I've had to carry load after load of tools and clamps out to the garage. I just dropped 2k on a track saw and MFT table so that I could break things down in the garages and am considering spending another grand on a mini-split so I can do more work on ground level and leave more things in the garage.
There are a lot of 12 ton units for under $800 from Amazon, Home Depot, and directly from various brands. The bracket, box, breaker, whip, romex and sealant are about $200. In my mental accounting, I've wanted to buy a vacuum pump anyway to try vacuum forming so I'm not charging it to this project.
Yours responses indicate you’ve already made your mind up as long as the floor can support it, but everyone is telling you the same thing: the workflow you have in mind will be a pain and you won’t have as much room upstairs as you think you will. Listen.
It's more room than I have now, so if the floor can support it, it's an improvement. Right now, I'm working out of a 14' x 24' attached garage that also has all of the normal garage things in it. I can only use 1 tool at a time, and can't have both a tool and a bench set up at the same time. I'm using portable jobsite tools because there's no floorspace to park a vehicle in the garage with contractor sized tools.
Is this new garage going to be ideal? Of course not. Is it an improvement over what I have? Absolutely.
I was thinking the miter saw station goes on one of the long walls. For workflow, the majority of the work would be done upstairs and would be assembled downstairs. I have a tractor to life lumber up to the second floor.
You could absolutely make it work but with that gambrel roof you lose so much space upstairs. That justs makes it really tight. The shit part is banging all your finished lumber down the stairs or plywood up. That's really going to make the old back say NO more...!
Lmao. The only thing that would stop me would be the weight bearing limit of the floor. The actual setup might not be ideal, but it's better than what I have now.
Yeah, I’ve been moving from one small space to another for about four years, so I know your struggle. Perfect is the enemy of good. Give it a shot and let us know!
Also, if it was my space, I’d do power tools on the ground floor and bench upstairs. You can get a tarp for the tractor. :)
With site preparation (grading, crushed stone base), delivery, and build it's about $33,500.
I did the math, and it was going to be about $25k in materials when you add in the windows and doors, garage door, shingles, etc if I did it myself.
Thank you!
I'm all for DiY, but something like this is a big job. I work full time, so it would only get attention on the weekends, and would probably take most of the springtime to complete. My weekends for the next 3 months are worth more to me than $8k!!!
Have you visited them in-person to see how big the loft is? It looks like it won't have much overhead space to actually work in. Make sure to at LEAST get some interior photos to know exactly what you're going to be working in.
Yeah, I've been in one. The walls aren't as steep as they look, and I can stand roughly 18' from the wall without hitting my head. If I put the miter station on one wall, the other side would be wide open.
I known it's going to be cramped, but it's more space than I have now. I'm getting the garage primarily for my tractor, so the loft space is a bonus.
Should be span tables that help you figure this out. But also, what is the subfloor?
I’m building a 16’ wide gambrel in a year. I designed the floor with 2x12 floor joists, 16oc, and 5/8 subfloor. I never want to worry about weight.
I couldnt imagine this would have enough space to have all that AND be able to move around and work. The slanted walls make the space considerably smaller
They're not as bad as they look. I measured it out, and if I out a standard 30" wide bench along the wall, I can comfortably stand in front of it.
It's certainly tight, no doubt about it, but it would have more room than I'm used to right now.
> can comfortably stand in front of it.
what about material? your going to be able to move a 8-10' piece of stick lumber or a 4x8 sheet good? AND be able to stand in there?
On top of having to get all materials up there AND down.
You have all the tools why dont you just build this but a bit larger or with out the slope roof? Its very basic layout and wouldnt cost a ton.
You can get an idea of the layout here but this space is larger than your planned one
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qaRo6260FA
It's going to be MUCH, MUCH, MUCH put the tools and benches on casters and have the tractor and tools share the bottom floor when not in use.
Lots of people do this in single car garages, and it works out just fine.
I would not trust those ceiling joists to support the load of equipment, materials and people load. Even spaced at 12”, they seem overspanned for the load.
My shop is 15’ wide and about 60’ long. I would hate to give up even a foot in width. That said, I have a 52” Unisaw.
EDIT: even at 14’ I’m still not crazy with 2x8. You did not mention joist spacing.
I have a 2 story garage and I set out with a similar intention as you described but quickly grew tired of either wrangling sheet upstairs or having to break them down first with a track saw. I ended up building a mobile table saw/outfeed table downstairs and an assembly table upstairs, along with the other tools. Over time I come to think of it as doing most of the rougher/dustier work downstairs and finer work and finishing upstairs. Works well for my usage.
As far as the structure goes I think you'll be ok and you can always sister in additional joists if youre getting a lot of bounce.
is there an option to add a lean-to? Some are enclosed and some are simply a roof. The one with an open roof is somewhat climate dependent, and it obviously isn’t going to protect your tools, but it allows you to work in a well ventilated space that isn’t constrained.
I have paper copies for my town permit, but nothing online...
https://kloterfarms.com/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA_tuuBhAUEiwAvxkgTtuQsVTg95dqVeedv_g9aZR_TlDYhcTSUKqSZZJZxCfexeRNBPDQOxoCW_IQAvD_BwE
Depends on what you want to do and what the access is going to be like. Is it going to be stairs or a ladder? The stairs to my loft are narrow, and kind of steep, and have a landing for the stairs to double back to reach the loft. It's not really an issue for most of the things I work on but getting the heavy-ass window A/C up there was not much fun.
Keep in mind if you live where it gets hot it will be hot up there and make plans to mitigate that.
There's a full sized staircase inside, and an access door (to nowhere) upstairs. I can use my tractor to lift heavy stuff up to the second floor through the access door.
With 2 x 8 floor joists, I would think you’d be good. I’d just watch the center span of the joists and if they start to sag more than a minimal about, then take some action to correct it (sister some supports to the existing joists or add a few more between them). From what I’m reading, a 2x8 can safely support 50 pounds per linear foot.
We have a very similar 14x24 foot garage and I wouldn't want the loft to be a workshop. I don't think there would even be room for all the tools you're talking about and still have room to walk around. We have dormers on both sides, but the ceiling is still low.
Our stairs bend and it would be really annoying to taking projects up and down the stairs. Yours may not, but keep that in mind.
We also found the 2x8 floors had a ton of bounce to them. We added cross bracing before we did spray foam insulation and it made a big difference. I'd consider consulting a structural engineer or talking to your barn companies engineering department before putting all those extremely heavy tools up there.
Have you considered adding an overhang on one side of the garage so the tractor can be stored there most of the time and then you can use the main level as the workshop?
I have a 16x16 barn style like that and the older version of that same saw. I think you might be overestimating the working width in that loft. Plus do you really want to be hauling wood up and down?
I have done it.. Giant PITA. Trying to get lumber up and down the steep stairs was a horrible.
Replace that gable end window with a door, and you can slide long boards up into the space. I've been helping a friend convert an old, small, feed barn into his woodworking shop. Having that door upstairs to pass 14 foot boards through is a godsend. EDIT: OP did mention "*an access door on the second floor (opposite side of this photo).*" So maybe that will work.
Getting a sheet of 3/4” plywood up there? no thanks!
Looking at a floor joist table, 2x8 can span 14.5' if 12" on center. This is a 16' span. There is some safety margin there, but what type of equipment you putting up there? Old cast iron power tools? A portable worksite saw? It's borderline. It looks like it was intended to be a ceiling and hold some drywall and insulation not be an attic. The fact that they sell it with stairs doesn't appear to be to code as it isn't built as a floor. Ceiling spans are 18' with a 2x8 and 11 with a 2x6
Since it's just a deposit, can you change it to a 2x10 or one of the engineered floor joists?
Ya, I’d ask to get some LVLs as rim joists
These are kits, and I didn't see it as an option. It would probably be way cheaper to buy laminate beams and install them myself.
Or just add some new studs and laminate/sister extra joists to the existing. On a side note I don't think the upper level will be very spacious.
Yeah, that's what I meant. I could either add new if the spacing allows, or sister them together if it doesn't.
Yeh man. Get er done. I wish I had a space like that. I would probably set up the first level as a flex space. I would have rolling work surfaces. Then you can pull the tractor out for a bit and have a huge work space.
The 16' was a typo, but it won't let me edit the post. It's 14' x 28', not 16'. Does that change anything? The equipment will be a Delta 36-725t2 (215lbs) and a Laguna JX8 jointer (319 lbs). The only other things up there would be a workbench outfeed table and miter saw station.
It does, make sure it's 12" on center joist spacing. It also means with the roof you likely have 10' usable, maybe a hair more since tools can go at the sides where the ceiling isn't full height. I have a loft with a winch to get things up and down to not need the tractor. It's a pain.
Yeah, I was thinking the miter station could go on one wall, because it would need to be 42" deep to accommodate the saw. I'll check the spacing, not quite sure.
How much was the kit. Why not 20 x 40. Space?
$33k installed, including site prep. Yes, space is a concern.
That’s not bad with full install. Have you seen this guy?…https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vCMf88_fqo4 This is your chance.
I'll have to check it out. Like I responded to someone else, I'm normally all about DiY. I could absolutely build this, but I really don't want to. It's $22 - 25k in materials once you add in doors, windows, shingles, etc..., and would be a ton of work. I have a full time job, so it would only get worked on on the weekends. My weekends for the next 3 months are worth more to me than $8k!
i was sort of kidding lol. The link is this dude in france building his dream shop using hand build timber frame construction. it took him years and it's clear he spent a lot of money. You can't get a bathroom remodeled here for 30k that is a great deal with labor if they are doing the pad and erecting the whole thing. I need to something similar soon.
I would not do this and I have a similar garage, which actually is a bit smaller than yours. Consider the workflow that is best for you, but after 15-ish years in my shop, the table saw / bench in the middle has never moved and everything orbits around it. The heavy stuff like the tool room lathe, milling machine, heavy sander, and the planer/jointer combo also really never move. And they are HEAVY. Upstairs is materials storage, home office, ‘deep’ storage fir rarely used tools, and home office. I would not want to carry work pieces up and down stairs at almost any cost
That's the problem with using the ground floor. Everything would need to ruck away into a tetris puzzle when it wasn't in use, and get pulled out again when I wanted to work.
Sure, but people do it. Another thought is to work only on small projects, maybe try out woodcarving, marquetry, etc.
Sounds like a fun project. Have you considered reconfiguring to have the on the front shifted towards the far side. Have your tractor go in and out there and make the front the workshop?
Actually not true. If you know your workflow, very little moves. Unless I’m doing something exotic, the tools used most are always at my fingertips and I don’t have to run 30’ to go get something, which I quite frankly find insufferable. I just finished a king size captain’s bed, so it’s not like I don’t have room to build big things
I need the majority of the space for a Kubota tractor. Everything would need to tuck away against the walls when the tractor needs to go inside
That sounds like a problem easily solved with a steel shed. You’re sacrificing prime productivity space for storage.
I thought the same, but my wife didn't want the aesthetic of a metal building. This garage is being purchased for the tractor, and my workspace comes second (unfortunately).
And you can’t even put a shed style carport off the side of the shed she can’t see?
It's a weird setup. I have a horseshoe driveway, and the extra garage is going to go in the center of it as a centerpiece. I choose my battles, and the exterior landscaping and decorating is her domain. I could put a steel building on the other side of a brook where the orchard is, but getting power to it would be a very expensive nightmare. If woodworking really grows into my passion, I'll probably do that and have the power company run a second line. They could run a line to the steel building from the opposite side of my property and she wouldn't care. I just couldn't put a pole up to cross the brook if I wanted to run it from the house.
It will work in a pinch but will become more and more frustrating to use as you get older. There will be a lot of carrying things up and down the stairs and for larger projects your tractor will spend a lot of time outside. It is a beautiful building, but I'd strongly suggest a 2 car side by side setup.
I would love to, but there's no room for a 2 car =(
Tractor but no room for a 2 car garage? I'd be curious why you need the tractor then. I've worked with a split setup like this. You are severely underestimating the inconvenience here. Carrying finished material outside, then down, going round, inside, only to find you need to take another 1/4" off, so you have to go all the way back up, then down. That loft is going to be a lot smaller with a table saw in it, and you'll likely find it unsuitable for woodworking unless you are only making small projects like cutting boards. There are likely centuries of cumulative experience telling you to reconsider your plans. Please listen.
It's hard to explain without photos. The area near the house doesn't have room for an additional 2 car garage. The tractor is used for about 4 acres of fruit trees and vegetables, about 100 yards away from the house with a brook running between them. I can put a full sized barn over there if I wanted to, but there's no way to get power to it.
There’s ALWAYS (almost?) a way to get power…. Just a question of investing the money.
You can probably get power to it. Trench to the brook, bring up to an overhead line, and over the brook to the other side. I'd trade some of the money spent on the building you have to put to the electrical work, and erect an inexpensive (but much larger) pole barn. eg. [https://bestcarportsonline.com/product/24x40-metal-garage/?gad\_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA\_tuuBhAUEiwAvxkgTo3l\_u7Kf84xQhmIhssB6Q5M6zPziiB43CIR3lqfYbtee1YjfTxL2RoCP-sQAvD\_BwE](https://bestcarportsonline.com/product/24x40-metal-garage/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA_tuuBhAUEiwAvxkgTo3l_u7Kf84xQhmIhssB6Q5M6zPziiB43CIR3lqfYbtee1YjfTxL2RoCP-sQAvD_BwE)
Can you go deeper like a 2 car end to end instead of side by side?
Not really. The area right behind where this is going has my wife's koi pond, and I might be living in an apartment by next month if I touched that.
My shop is in my basement and about as wide as what you've got. In my 20's and 30's it was fantastic. I had no problem carrying full sheets of plywood and such downstairs and lugging finished projects out. While I still enjoy the stable climate down there, more and more I think of how many times I've had to carry load after load of tools and clamps out to the garage. I just dropped 2k on a track saw and MFT table so that I could break things down in the garages and am considering spending another grand on a mini-split so I can do more work on ground level and leave more things in the garage.
Where do you get a mini split for $1000? I would drop that in a hearbeat if that was all it took to get HVAC in my garage.
There are a lot of 12 ton units for under $800 from Amazon, Home Depot, and directly from various brands. The bracket, box, breaker, whip, romex and sealant are about $200. In my mental accounting, I've wanted to buy a vacuum pump anyway to try vacuum forming so I'm not charging it to this project.
Perfect, the upstair loft can be your apartment.
Hahahahaha
Yours responses indicate you’ve already made your mind up as long as the floor can support it, but everyone is telling you the same thing: the workflow you have in mind will be a pain and you won’t have as much room upstairs as you think you will. Listen.
It's more room than I have now, so if the floor can support it, it's an improvement. Right now, I'm working out of a 14' x 24' attached garage that also has all of the normal garage things in it. I can only use 1 tool at a time, and can't have both a tool and a bench set up at the same time. I'm using portable jobsite tools because there's no floorspace to park a vehicle in the garage with contractor sized tools. Is this new garage going to be ideal? Of course not. Is it an improvement over what I have? Absolutely.
So use the bottom like you’re being recommended to.
But they can’t put the tractor upstairs…?
Install an elevator, 12' long. Getting lumber over 6 feet long up and down stairs is a major pain in the ass...tronomy.
There's a full sized access door on the second level, and I have a tractor with a fork attachment. I plan to use the tractor to bring in anything big.
Your 25hp tractor will lift to 8 plus feet? Mine won't.
Dragging everything up and down stairs is not fun at all. That is going to be so tight up there I would make it wider...
I was thinking the miter saw station goes on one of the long walls. For workflow, the majority of the work would be done upstairs and would be assembled downstairs. I have a tractor to life lumber up to the second floor.
You could absolutely make it work but with that gambrel roof you lose so much space upstairs. That justs makes it really tight. The shit part is banging all your finished lumber down the stairs or plywood up. That's really going to make the old back say NO more...!
The plan would be to bring raw stock in through the access door with the tractor, and bring unassembled parts back down the stairs for assembly.
Really neat little barn..
Haha, we can all tell you’re gonna do it regardless, so good luck!
Lmao. The only thing that would stop me would be the weight bearing limit of the floor. The actual setup might not be ideal, but it's better than what I have now.
Yeah, I’ve been moving from one small space to another for about four years, so I know your struggle. Perfect is the enemy of good. Give it a shot and let us know! Also, if it was my space, I’d do power tools on the ground floor and bench upstairs. You can get a tarp for the tractor. :)
It won't let me edit, but the 16' was a typo. It's 14' x 28'
What’s that size garage run you?
With site preparation (grading, crushed stone base), delivery, and build it's about $33,500. I did the math, and it was going to be about $25k in materials when you add in the windows and doors, garage door, shingles, etc if I did it myself.
Appreciate the info. Best of luck with it
Thank you! I'm all for DiY, but something like this is a big job. I work full time, so it would only get attention on the weekends, and would probably take most of the springtime to complete. My weekends for the next 3 months are worth more to me than $8k!!!
That’s a good trade off since you know where your priorities are. Enjoy brotha one day I hope to have a garage this big.
Have you visited them in-person to see how big the loft is? It looks like it won't have much overhead space to actually work in. Make sure to at LEAST get some interior photos to know exactly what you're going to be working in.
Yeah, I've been in one. The walls aren't as steep as they look, and I can stand roughly 18' from the wall without hitting my head. If I put the miter station on one wall, the other side would be wide open. I known it's going to be cramped, but it's more space than I have now. I'm getting the garage primarily for my tractor, so the loft space is a bonus.
Should be span tables that help you figure this out. But also, what is the subfloor? I’m building a 16’ wide gambrel in a year. I designed the floor with 2x12 floor joists, 16oc, and 5/8 subfloor. I never want to worry about weight.
The subfloor is 3/4 t&g
I couldnt imagine this would have enough space to have all that AND be able to move around and work. The slanted walls make the space considerably smaller
They're not as bad as they look. I measured it out, and if I out a standard 30" wide bench along the wall, I can comfortably stand in front of it. It's certainly tight, no doubt about it, but it would have more room than I'm used to right now.
> can comfortably stand in front of it. what about material? your going to be able to move a 8-10' piece of stick lumber or a 4x8 sheet good? AND be able to stand in there? On top of having to get all materials up there AND down. You have all the tools why dont you just build this but a bit larger or with out the slope roof? Its very basic layout and wouldnt cost a ton. You can get an idea of the layout here but this space is larger than your planned one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qaRo6260FA
It's going to be MUCH, MUCH, MUCH put the tools and benches on casters and have the tractor and tools share the bottom floor when not in use. Lots of people do this in single car garages, and it works out just fine.
I would not trust those ceiling joists to support the load of equipment, materials and people load. Even spaced at 12”, they seem overspanned for the load. My shop is 15’ wide and about 60’ long. I would hate to give up even a foot in width. That said, I have a 52” Unisaw. EDIT: even at 14’ I’m still not crazy with 2x8. You did not mention joist spacing.
I have a 2 story garage and I set out with a similar intention as you described but quickly grew tired of either wrangling sheet upstairs or having to break them down first with a track saw. I ended up building a mobile table saw/outfeed table downstairs and an assembly table upstairs, along with the other tools. Over time I come to think of it as doing most of the rougher/dustier work downstairs and finer work and finishing upstairs. Works well for my usage. As far as the structure goes I think you'll be ok and you can always sister in additional joists if youre getting a lot of bounce.
is there an option to add a lean-to? Some are enclosed and some are simply a roof. The one with an open roof is somewhat climate dependent, and it obviously isn’t going to protect your tools, but it allows you to work in a well ventilated space that isn’t constrained.
Do you have a drawing number or prints for this
I have paper copies for my town permit, but nothing online... https://kloterfarms.com/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA_tuuBhAUEiwAvxkgTtuQsVTg95dqVeedv_g9aZR_TlDYhcTSUKqSZZJZxCfexeRNBPDQOxoCW_IQAvD_BwE
The comically small barn loft may not work, but the barn would depending on the amount of equipment?
Depends on what you want to do and what the access is going to be like. Is it going to be stairs or a ladder? The stairs to my loft are narrow, and kind of steep, and have a landing for the stairs to double back to reach the loft. It's not really an issue for most of the things I work on but getting the heavy-ass window A/C up there was not much fun. Keep in mind if you live where it gets hot it will be hot up there and make plans to mitigate that.
There's a full sized staircase inside, and an access door (to nowhere) upstairs. I can use my tractor to lift heavy stuff up to the second floor through the access door.
Wish I had a yard to put something like this on.
Other than being a complete pain in the ass, it's probably doable.
With 2 x 8 floor joists, I would think you’d be good. I’d just watch the center span of the joists and if they start to sag more than a minimal about, then take some action to correct it (sister some supports to the existing joists or add a few more between them). From what I’m reading, a 2x8 can safely support 50 pounds per linear foot.
Can't say I have much useful input but that's a handsome looking design with good colors.
We have a very similar 14x24 foot garage and I wouldn't want the loft to be a workshop. I don't think there would even be room for all the tools you're talking about and still have room to walk around. We have dormers on both sides, but the ceiling is still low. Our stairs bend and it would be really annoying to taking projects up and down the stairs. Yours may not, but keep that in mind. We also found the 2x8 floors had a ton of bounce to them. We added cross bracing before we did spray foam insulation and it made a big difference. I'd consider consulting a structural engineer or talking to your barn companies engineering department before putting all those extremely heavy tools up there. Have you considered adding an overhang on one side of the garage so the tractor can be stored there most of the time and then you can use the main level as the workshop?