Our barn/home - per requests

[scott_vt]

Mornin JK,
Very interesting place you have there, and also thanks for taking the time to post all those great pictures !

A real interesting concept for sure. I like the idea of never getting cold or wet on the way to the shop !

I guess at 55 Im somewhere in between Bird and yourself, Im still able to get up the steps pretty easily, but on occassion I have noticed that I dont pop up off the floor when working on my knees like I used to But heck, with all that hall rental income you should be able to install escalators by the time your in your seventies

 

[TomKioti]

Jk,

Very cool concept. My first employer when i was 17 owned a sound company and he also partitioned his building off but it was not as nice as your place. I own two businesses a music production studio and a mini-mall/strip mall. I live in a 3 story beach home on the Chesapeake Bay and the whole first floor is the studio... so in a way I can relate to never leaving home or work. To combat the stairs issue I have a home elevator that works like a charm, especially when my legs are tired.

Some may ask, Tom why do you have a tractor if you live on the Bay? The answer is... part of my retail business has gravel parking in the back and about 2 acres of yet undeveloped lot area that by law I must maintain. It's about 4 acre total and the wheelhorse just takes FOREVER.

I LOVE your place Jk unfortunately my wife is spoiled and would never let me have a place that cool.
It would make way too much sense. And save too much money if you follow my drift.

I attached some pics to give you an idea of what I described above. Enjoy!
Also I apologize if the pics are too big. I'm new at this and am still getting the hang of it.
One last thing... if you look close at the Bay shot you can see the Bay Bridge Tunnel on the right.
Thought you land locked folks might enjoy that.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

My daughter has that same table/chair toy. She loves it. There was an issue with them though as a child could get their head stuck between the seat and the table on them. The company made a plastic piece that went between them to prevent this. I am not sure if yours has this piece or not but figure I would mention it just in case. If you do need the information on it let me know and I will dig it up for you.

Your place looks great. I would love to be able to build a large building and rent out part of it to just help offset the overall cost. My problem is that I don't have enough room as it is and the more room I have the more I use so the hall will always have stuff in it that I would have to move out any time it is rented :-(

 

[WhyNot]

Tom where are the boat pics? You are living my dream. Some might call me crazy but I would sell my house in a heart beat if I could find an affordable house on the Delaware river or bay. You are one lucky dude.

 

[jk96]

I would love to be able to build a large building and rent out part of it to just help offset the overall cost. My problem is that I don't have enough room as it is and the more room I have the more I use so the hall will always have stuff in it that I would have to move out any time it is rented :-(

Robert, funny you would say this. I've just recently started pricing materials for a large lean to out back. I've got so many firework tubes and racks now that my shop is used mainly for storage now. I've got to get them somewhere so I can reclaim it. As for the hall, can't help but keep it open. I couldn't afford the payments without it.

Tom - thanks for the comments. You've got an awesome place. I'd love to live on the water. We have a small lake in our town, some of the locals have nicknamed it turd lake. I wouldn't even fish in it, let alone go for a swim or jetski. By the way, my wife was against the idea of the house inside the building at first. I had to promise her a walk-in closet and a whirlpool tub to sell the deal. Once we moved in she loved it. Niether one of us would change a thing.

Jeremy

 

[TomKioti]

Tom where are the boat pics? You are living my dream. Some might call me crazy but I would sell my house in a heart beat if I could find an affordable house on the Delaware river or bay. You are one lucky dude.

Thanks Why Not I am lucky AND very blessed although the 14 hour days might have something to do with it It's 1:32 am and i started today at 8:00 am. Gotta take work in the music biz when u can get it. Feast to famine is the norm. Gotta maintain the commercial stuff too Thanks again.

Tom K

Oh.. i have many friends with boats and I like it that way...much cheaper and less hassle
And if you really like the house it's for sale. PM me with all inquiries

 

[DUMBDOG]

Hey Bird,

thanks for the comments. I'll turn 29 in a few days so right now the stairs aren't much of a concern for us. Hopefully by the time they become a problem I'll have my log cabin on a secluded lake I've always dreamed of. One thing about the upper level is that we have a great view from the living room and deck. One of the hardest parts of building is the fact that you only have two walls for windows. With the floor layout, it worked out pretty good. The only rooms that don't have a window is our daughters room and the bathrooms. I'd like to add a skylight to her room this summer.

jk

The part of now window in the daughters room would scare the stuffing out of me. Have you thought of what you would do in a fire situation and could not get to her by way of the door?

Even though the one bedroom apartment in our shop is not legal as we did not get the permit for it and the foundation would not allow us to get a permit as it does not meet the code requirements for heating it, the whole building including the apartment would meet our local code if inspected.

 

[jk96]

The part of now window in the daughters room would scare the stuffing out of me. Have you thought of what you would do in a fire situation and could not get to her by way of the door?

Dumbdog,

We've got a wall cabinet that connects her room to her brothers bedroom closet, which has a window. I'll just have to make sure I stay skinner or I'll have to get out the sawzaw and put in a door Pics attached.

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q263/jk96/cabinet2.jpg

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q263/jk96/cabinet1.jpg

jk

 

[TomKioti]

Jk,

I keep going back to your pics. There addictive. Theres a place near me for sale that has an 8000sf detached out building. Told my wife about it and got the stink eye I'm still bent on a hobby farm, i've lived near or on water most my life and I fancy your set up Like anything if you see it everyday and roll through some serious storms you'll appreciate being inland at times, especially during hurricanes. It's still nice even though.

Tom K

 

[jk96]

Tom,

Its kinda funny when people come over to see the place the first time. Every single person stops when they walk inside the living room, pauses for a second, then exclaim, "Oh, this is really nice" It's the "Oh" part that makes me think people just don't picture a regular house when you tell them you built inside a metal barn. By the way, I envy the water and the view but not the hurricanes. I'll have to admit, every time I see the news with the poor reporters who got stuck outside giving the usually hurricane report, as if people don't know its really windy and rainy, I'm glad I'm here in the midwest.