24x40 cabin/shop

[jbos333]

Hi all. I've been lurking/posting on here for a while now. I value your opinions/ideas. I really want to go into the new year with a definite plan for my project so I can pull permits, etc. and get started in the spring! I have done lots of research and gotten some estimates on site work, foundation work, etc. I still am going to get one more poured foundation estimate for the "house" (red on my layout). As much as I would love to go for that initially, it looks like it's going to add 15k to the project. And this is pay as I go, so I have to watch the budget.

So I was thinking of doing a pole building 24x40 initially (blue on my layout) with insulated slab floor, maybe a 1/2 loft. I would do 12 ft sidewalls so later on when I hit the lottery lol, I can call it a "shop" with a bathroom. And build the "real" house where the red rectangle is.

I would have the services in place-  drilled well, septic placed so the field could be utilized for the house later, and electric-ugh. The electric is a thorn in my side because I hate to run another meter, but my existing service is too far away to extend. Unless someone has any ideas about it on here!

Also any comments about orientation would be appreciated- I do want to take advantage of solar gain, so I have them facing S-SW. Is this correct- I am in Western New York state.

[Barry Broome]

Well I'm assuming you're not in a hurry to get the house built. It can be a sizable expense to get the shop up, and that's money that could be going towards the house. I'm sure you've thought of that. On the service to the meter, I know the meter needs to be pretty close to a transformer to be safe. Will the power company cover the costs of getting the power to your meter?

[jbos333]

Weasel- thanks for the reply. That is a valid point about spending money on the shop/cabin first before the "real" house. The existing building in the lower potion of the photo is a 24x24 pole barn with a concrete floor. I could consider that a shop already, it has a 200a service to it that I put in maybe 5 years ago. It is actually set up to feed thru to a dwelling subpanel. It is a little on the small side for what I would want if I was there full time, but it is a great start. I had planned on putting a cabin/small house in that vicinity, but I have changed my mind due to the lay of the land, proximity to neighbors, and soil conditions- clay soil near pole barn, gravelly well-drained soil kinda "high and dry" on the north side of that pond.

In regard to electric, I can catch a pole right across the road from proposed new driveway, the power co. covers at least 100' to the transformer, from there I should be able to have the same guy who did my other elec install do buried 4/0 the rest of the way- about 350 feet. It should cost me no more than $3000.00. I know that's really cheap compared to what some on here have been quoted. The monthly min. for my pole barn meter is around $18.00. It just bugs me to pay on 2 meters, but what are you gonna do......