My wife has been teaching practical life skills classes to youngsters that are not taught today. She has been doing so at our farm and local parks working around weather and her other limitations to see how well she would do and if the market an demand was there.

She has done ok and the growth potential is there. She also is refining her classes. For example 6 week outdoor skills classes. Making a weekly program with lessons, crafts, activities. Basically easy to follow lesson plans by age. So next year she only need to get out the plans and supply putting the lessons together are all ready done. She is also planing on selling the programs on line for other homeschooling groups and moms to follow. Encouraging more people to get the kids outdoors and create a potential additional stream of revenue.


So now that the initial market testing is done I decided she need her own building to use so she can stay organized and hold classes in cool and raining weather. Also when its on the farm behind our fence there is no concern about cars or other people in parks.


The plan has always been to have a farm produced store on the farm and this will be a multi use building. eventually. Part will be a comercial kitchen eventually for honey processing for example.

But im debt adverse and dont want to jump in with large expensive building and the payments to go with it right off. And thats why nothing has gotten done. So I was thinking maybe start off small with the plans and expand on later as the business grows and become more successful(hopefully) But the plan is in place and won't look like the Weasley house on Harry Potter with hoge poge unplaned look with the additions later.

It will be right up by the road and face of the farm so visual appearance is important. Im having trouble figuring out sizes. But im thinking I like this BUT $$$$$

So I was thinking maybe I could build something small like one of theses And have it where the grage is in the first one and build the front part later. Its all depends on avaliable cash flow and if my MS gets and stays under control or if I end up disabled and broke. So starting small Is absolutely necessary to test things out. But getin alternative income generation is necessary for piece of mind with my health issues.





The small ones both look nice stand alone one has a grage door in the side making it easier for multi use. Thes were taken from farm house plans so I would also have the ability to put in interior walls and turn them into a house for one of the kids or a rental if things fell through and its as far as it got.

I was thinking max insulation and radiant heat floor and eventually solar to off set or cover electrical. Will be a good tax deduction, make life more convenient, and open up more income generation.

Any advice From those about building, picking room sizes set up, regrets. Im still in the brain storming stage so nothing is going to happen tomorrow. I did talk to the bank and touch base, need to talk to the tax lady and see if i should get something started before the first of the year.or wait

Can't decide if steel or post framing.

Anyway enough rambling. what does the hive think. And yes its a good thing my wife is an English major and handels that aspect of the schooling. Kids would be in bad shape if that were up to me for sure.

I no next to nothing about actually building stuff, it's taken me years to get my 12×18 fur shed somewhat complete.

That said I can't imagine the middle picture cost significantly more than the bottom and it looks fantastic.

how did the heated barn for your daughter's activities turn out?

My best advice is NEVER add a valley in a roof that you don't absolutely need , if it is just for looks it is just for leaks.

Life skills, that is super important. You know how many kids grow up knowing next to nothing about any basic life skills. Its crazy. My kids are in public school, but I know a hone school co-op that half the day is text book.. the other half is life on the farm, working animals, gardening, basic farm chores. I loved that idea!

more like the bottom building , keep the shape simple , add the lean to to both sides for more useable space you can screen one in for summer kitchen type stuff maybe even 3 sides , leave the one side for the double or overhead door that you will want and you many want a sliding door to cover the overhead door from weather

use the height it is not that much more cost and you can put a loft at one end or even over most of it


my cousins have and are working on selling their country store building , it has a loft in the gabled roof , that has been handy for people to live in while running the store and as a revenue after it was changed to just a rental commercial kitchen for small producers to process their , pop corn , candies , maple syrup goods , honey and baked goods.

the big covered porch areas make great storage and shelter with out costing that much more

Design so you can tear down one gable end and make the building longer as you need space

its in use But needs some finishing touches. Its not hard wired into the house yet still on temporary set up. I have outlets wired up but need to add wiring for lighting. But I was un decided on if basic plug in the outlet led would be the right route to avoid getin.shadows over work area like would happen if the lights wer overhead in the center of the building. Just finished up a 2nd shelf for her last week for her expansion.

Putting in apartment spaces was definitely something I was wanting to do when I started thinking about this. But again with cost. The hours I have been putting in are unsustainable without MS adding unknow complications and trying to balance the cost/ payments with the uncertainty of If this MS stuff and what my earning potential my fall to in the future is a balancing act.
Everything I see says I need a constant sceduald, good sleep and diet and exercise. None I get working my current sceduald even if I was not working OT on top of it.

It would be nice to have the plan and space available so apartments could be added in and finished out at a later time as the financial picture become more clear for sure if the cost was not to much more.

she might want to look at grants , teaching life skills and outdoor skills classes there might be some matching grants around for something like that.

there are people out there with money they want to put at such endeavors through grants

worth looking into any way.

Matt, with what you have already, including the good family help, you should be able to make a decent living off of your farm. I would definitely look into grants like Greencountypete suggested. If you need any advice on what you can raise and sell and how to set it up, please feel free to ask.

Keith

The closer to square a building is the more square feet you get per liner foot of wall. 10x10=100Sqf 40 liner foot of wall. 5x15=75 sqf and 40 liner foot of wall

Bottom pic design looks good. Easy to add on if needed

number 2 with post frame ,

Have it to rent for wedding receptions... so big enough for that... open enough for that... think weddings, grad parties, etc... I'd have a kitchen area for cooking for parties. Have a store. Have a school. Whatever you want. The trick is to think of it all and build it around that with a plan.

If I was building a new building...
I'd have a container under it, shelter / cellar.
I'd picture all the holes you need in the floor before you pour concrete and through $5 conduit fittings in the right place for later. (main elect, water, cold and hot, data, phone, tv, coax, compress air, natural gas)
Say if I was building a barn and could run all that between the house and the barn I would.... conduit before concrete is cheap, you can pull whatever it is later.
I wish I would have thought to make some of my barn lights three way switches and ran the traveler through the conduit so the barn lights would work from my bedroom window.
I wish I would have set a couple 55 gallon drums in spots and just left gravel there instead of concrete to say dig a well or frost hydrant or something.
If I was doing it today I'd have a hot and cold frost hydrant in the barn fed from the house.
My barn has feeds my house in the event of a power outage so my gen is the barn and easy to take care of. Dry, no wind, lights.
I like emergency lighting that kicks in the dark spots you need to be light when power is out.
I'd put the largest electrical panel with the most breakers in... lots of room to grow.

Jus some thoughts. Trying to figure anything specific out?

40x60x14 pole barn with concrete was $50k five years ago.
I'd have a lean to down the whole one side. At least 12' deep. Any doors sliding or other wise would be under it and it would go the whole length.
You may bury poly tanks to run the gutters to.
I'd think about heating the floors.
Make all the doors 36" and no steps so you have a place to live and wheel around in when you are old.
I'd have a double french door so moving things in and out is a cinch.
I'd figure out a loading dock UPS can back up to for dropping a skid on the front porch somehow.

Just some more ideas.

Is the insurance expensive to have classes, etc. on your property?

Those are some great ideas. Ohio boy's other ideas are too.

Keith

Liability wavers cover a lot.


Yes a lot of good ideas and things to keep in mind. Thinks guys keep it coming.


Planing on the pumpkin patch corn maze thing. Possibly hosting events, like weddings . But to get a building that big right off is going to be much more expensive than im wanting to get.

if I had unlimited funding the place would be on a poored foundation with full basement that has 9' ceilings. I can do it built enough stuff when I was ironworking and have the experience . Just dont have deep enough pockets to get it how I would want it.

my neighbor built one that size with full leant to across the back. I think he said it was about 60. K wonder how much more it would have ben to make it tall enough to be 2 stories. So a loft could be added. But wind shear may make that more complicated than it looks at face value.