Living In The Barn?

[Golfgar4]

Now that would be cool /w3tcompact/icons/cool.gif! Bird - Are you willing to come to Wisconsin when you get homesick for your Kubota/w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif?

 

[billfires]

Golfgar4, my brother-in-law's boss started his plumbing business in exactly that way, built a 2 story garage with 3 room apt. above. He lived their for approx 3 years and then built a conventional house out back. This garage had 10' high doors so the stairway was higher than a standard second floor. After moving into yhe house he used the upstairs as his office.

Bill C

 

[Golfgar4]

<font color=blue>He lived their for approx 3 years and then built a conventional house out back.</font color=blue>

Yup, that sounds like what we're planning. We will have to figure out a way to include a dumbwaiter type of contraption to get all the groceries, packages, etc. (Thanks Billbobtlh!) up to the living quarters. Maybe I'll just have one of those small elevators installed so I can still "carry" the groceries up stairs/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif.

 

[Mark_in_NH]

golfgar4,
A man here in my town (many years ago) took the lift assembly and controls from an old fork lift and built it into his house as an elevator, I used it many times when I was doing some wiring at his house. It worked great, and would make one heck of a dumb waiter

 

[Golfgar4]

My wife would probably say that I make the best dumb waiter /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif, but we may have to go with a commercial brand, just because of codes. It might work in just a barn, but I bet "Da Inspectors" wouldn't like it in people spaces.

 

[cedarranch]

A feller I worked with tried to get a permit to do that. He said he wanted to build a garage/workshop with an apartment living area above. They started with all these codes, etc. It looked impossible to get it approved. A few weeks later he passed by a newly built one just as he wanted. He stopped and asked them how they got it approved. The guy said he showed them plans for a 900sf house over a two car garage! He bought the same plans and had is wife take them for approval. Just goes to show you how careful you need to be when explaining what you want to do!!!

 

[Golfgar4]

<font color=blue>Just goes to show you how careful you need to be when explaining what you want to do!!!</font color=blue>

I'll remember that - it's all in the presentation! /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[ewoss3]

Gary my father in-law made an elevator a couple of years ago that was really simple. He used 2" angle iron and expanded metal to create a cage(3'x3'x7.5'), then incased the cage inside a much taller cage that rose to their second floor. He used a small electric winch from northern tool to power it with the controller zip-tied to the top of the cage. I think he spent around $500 for the complete setup which is strong enough for 3-4 people. cage weight 275lbs plus 800lbs cargo, winch capacity is 1500lbs in single line mode we have larger cable and have it configured as double line pull. The whole project took him about two day of puttering around the shop then he and I used the old ford 601 FEL to lift it upright and in place. it would be great for a shop after you moved out you could still transport cargo for storage to the second floor....good luck

 

[ewoss3]

also I'm not advocating this but a lot of stuff gets added after a project is complete and the city has gone away. I have seen barns or steel buildings go up then later become temporary households. Would plan on building the basic frame and quarters then add things like a lift at a later date.

 

[MarkV]

Garry, My wife and I have a plan in mind like yours when/if we can make a move from the city in a few years. My thinking is that unless you have a planned need for the upper level area of the barn, after you have the house, it would be a lot cheaper to do like Alan has done. Regardless of how large of barn you want to end up with it would not be hard to partition off a section for living even if the partition were to be removed in the future. A two story barn is going to raise the construction cost considerably and most likely some of the code issues will become more involved. Your plumbing needs would be at ground level and could be positioned to leave a bath in the barn if the living space is returned to barn space in the future. I am sure things differ by region, but I know I could build a one story pole barn cheaper than a two story barn of the same square footage in our area.

MarkV