posted
A while back Dan Sawatsky had a post which asked about living your dreams.
In some ways I think I am, but in other ways I would have to say I am not.
So this year I am going to try and realize some of my dreams.
I have been wanting to build a studio with living space for some time now so I took Dan's post to heart and started making some postive action towards this goal .
I have been searching the area for some land and found that it is fairly expensive these days. But I have made some contacts and hope to hear back about a piece soon. I have also asked my brother, who is a contractor to put together a material price list for this project.
I have drawn up plans for the studio and more recently finished a scale model of my design. I find that I can just "see" things better in 3D than on a flat plan view. So, I built the foamcore and balsa model you see below. It allows me to see what I like and dislike and make adjustments to the plan before we start pounding nails.
I'm really Looking forward to the upcoming year. I am making a concentrated effort to make my dreams reality. And I also want to try some new things professionally also.
Sometimes it helps to think small before going full scale!
Here's to your dreams coming true too!....take care
posted
Dale...that's incredible!! A beautiful design!! If the sign market falls out you can be an architect too!! . . .HEY do both! I bet when people see that they will want you to design for them!!
How many square feet is that total??
I assume the shop and showroom is the first floor area and the second floor is the living area??
I can put everything I ever accomplished on a stamp . . . but there's not enough paper and time to contain all the dreams and ideas I have . . .
Good on you for ACTION.
-------------------- Signs Sweet Home Alabama
oneshot on chat
"Look like a girl, act like a lady, think like a man, work like a dog" Posts: 5758 | From: "Sweet Home" Alabama | Registered: Mar 2003
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I love it when I hear of others who dare to dream big, and then start taking small steps towards their dream. GO DALE GO!
I look forward to following the progress of your dream!
-grampa dan
-------------------- Dan Sawatzky Imagination Corporation Yarrow, British Columbia dan@imaginationcorporation.com http://www.imaginationcorporation.com
Being a grampa is one of the the most wonderful things in the world!!! Posts: 8738 | From: Yarrow, B.C. Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
Nice work Dale! I'm living in my dream and everyday I think up something different that either ends up being worthwhile, or I demolish it and do soemthing else. I love it! Keep up the great ideas!
-------------------- Mike Meyer Sign Painter 189 1st Ave n P.O. Box 3 Mazeppa, Mn 55956
We are not selling, we are staying here in Mazeppa....we cannot re-create what we have here....not in another lifetime! SO Here we are!!!!!!!
posted
Here's a shot of both levels... I CNC machined the car, (scaled after a Pontiac Grand Am - 3/8 = 1' 0") a while back at a prototype shop I worked at. HDU finished with automotive paint.
Sheila, I think I am looking at around 1000 square feet per level.
I am planning on tearing down the barn (pictured below) this spring for some "distressed" building materials.
Like I said before, it should be an interesting year!
posted
I say that's a pretty distressed barn! Flying Buttresses and all!. Great stash of old wood there, too.
-------------------- John Lennig / Big Top Sign Arts 5668 Ewart Street, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada bigtopya@hotmail.com 604.451.0006 Posts: 2184 | From: Burnaby, British Columbia,Canada | Registered: Nov 2001
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-------------------- Dan Sawatzky Imagination Corporation Yarrow, British Columbia dan@imaginationcorporation.com http://www.imaginationcorporation.com
Being a grampa is one of the the most wonderful things in the world!!! Posts: 8738 | From: Yarrow, B.C. Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
Won't you need a support beam or pole of some sort in the middle of the bottom level?
looks like a long span with no support, hate to see it come crashing down!
:-D
-------------------- -------------------- Dave Cox C2 Media Services (Formerly That Sign Guy) dave@c2mediaservices.com -------------------- Full Color Printing Posts: 295 | From: Sacramento CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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posted
Nooooooooo, not the barn!! I could use it for photography.... Dale that is an awesome idea, very well layed on with your model. I have also thought of tearing down my garage in my backyard and build a two bedroom with a shop, maybe a 40'x 60' would be plenty for me. That's your seed, it will grow, go for it man, You can do it!!
-------------------- aka:Cisco the "Traveling Millennium Sign Artist" http://www.franciscovargas.com Fresno, CA 93703 559 252-0935 "to live life, is to love life, a sign of no life, is a sign of no love"...Cisco 12'98 Posts: 3576 | From: Fresno, Ca, the great USA | Registered: Dec 1998
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posted
Excellent model Dale, pretty nice dream too. Best of luck to you.
Dave, I'd guess thats about 28 x 36, if you look at the very first pic, he has a partition wall dividing up the first floor spans into around 17 ft. in the shop area where the car is parked & 11' or so for the studio. (am I close Dale?) Those spans aren't too much, I think maybe the foreshortening on the pic with the car had you forgeting about that wall in the first pic maybe?
posted
Well Dale, knowing you, you're likely to be doing a 20 ft mural somewhere. I think you need about a 16x40 ft wall to start with, with plenty of room to back up with a projector, and maybe some built in scaffolding. When you have that designed, build all that other stuff around it ! Actually, what you have so far looks very practical...it looks like the upstairs will be easier to heat, and you have the car indoors...did I hear correctly, that it was -54* yesterday up there? Yikes.
Anyway, my only comment is that it looks kinda boxy. I guess it would be cheaper to build that way though, and easier to heat.
CNC'd the car, eh ?I didn't realize you had the cnc in your arsenal of knowledge...that's terrific.
-------------------- Jeff Ogden 8727 NE 68 Terr. Gainesville FL, 32609 Posts: 2138 | From: 8827 NE 68 Terr Gainesville Fl 32609 | Registered: Aug 2002
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Yeah Doug you are pretty close, the divider on the lower level is about 20 feet in. The overall size is 32' X 36' wide. I will have my brother (the contractor) figure out the construction details.
And I know the shape is pretty boring but I just need more space to do creative work. Sleeping and eating are not all that important as long as I can get some work done! So until I can build something on the scale that Jeff is talking about this will have to do.
I am planning on having the in-floor heating system so the concrete slab should heat the whole place maybe with a gas "fireplace" on the second level. Or hot water radiators.
I was told yesterday that one of the Interior Design Professors here at the University would like to include an image of the model in her upcoming text book.
Jeff, perhaps I could locate one of the old drive-in movie theater backdrops they tear down quite often and use it as a mural painting rack...Hmmmmm
Thanks for all the comments guys....now it's off to another adventure!
posted
BTW Dale...what did you use to make the house/shop model?? Is that 1/8" foam-core board with oak veneer, or "wood-grain-look" vinyl??
PS . . .I asked that about the same time you posted this last pic I guess . . .I don't think the shape is boring at all . . .when I build my house it will be a 32'x48' box with 10'walls and overall 20' vaulted ceiling, completely open except with 1 BR and bath down stairs and huge open balconied loft above those two rooms...
Also, when you run you floor joist perpendicular across that center wall you will have enough support that won't sag....altho' ya might wanna tripple-up or use some solid 4 x 12 stuff.
Less roof lines and building funky shapes means optimal use of materials and less problems down the road with funky valleys.
You can always shoot a porch off anywhere very easily anytime later on . . .
You got my wheels spinnin' now to build this model because drawn floor plans still leave me trying to explain this to freinds and family . . .now I'll just SHOW 'em
The outside walls are constructed of 3/16" foamcore. At 3/8 inch equals 1' - 0" scale that would be close to a 6" thick wall.
The upper level walls are made of 1/8 inch foamcore to simulate the thinner interior wall.
The wood is actually 1/16 inch Balsa with a pecan color stain wiped on.
You can't see it in the photo's but there is very thin plexi in all the windows. And all the woodwork strips in the windows are individually cut from the stained balsa.
The toilet above is machined out of Butterboard, similar to REN shape only a finer grade, much nicer to work with. They were machined on a 4 axis VMC.
The roof and 2nd level do lift off so you can see all the way down to the lower level.
The secret here is to buy a very large pack of Xacto blades and change them often!
posted
Todd . . .I took that to be a recessed 'nook' or display case with a glass door...likely to have some sort of soft lighting.
I was more interested in the last pic....the little shadowy space in the hall-way behind the bathroom window....a secret-room/moving-wall entrance??
LOL!!! OR I just realized..it could be the second floor and the roof of the model set aside for this shot of the car, and the tiny, hand-made fixtures. . . It ain't a secret no more!!!
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