We split time between Nola for work and family acreage in MS, only being there part time has made me pretty good at this game while daydreaming at work about giving them the finger and heading there full time.

Things that I have now and couldn’t live without;

60x30 open shop/barn on a slab with tool room/workshop on one side, outdoor kitchen on the other, and drive through in the middle. The kitchen is pretty basic but has a full size fridge/freezer, 4x10 island with sink, and allows for the green egg to sit close. Outdoor fridge is one of those things that once you have it you’ll never go without, it’s awesome to be able to prep/smoke meat out there and have a case of white cans handy. Gives me a place to process my deer and not have to rely on icechests entirely or hear about how the inside fridge is full of sausage tubs.

Basic 8x10 shed for yard tools with lean-toos off both sides for firewood and zero turn. Wouldn’t change a thing.

Potting shed with half poly roof facing south for starting seeds, keeping garden shite. Works great for the size it is.

What I wish I had and plan to build at some point;

Modern steel shop with roll up doors, 240V, and with at least a wall fan if not full A/C, dedicated to woodwork and fixing motorized shite with a climate controlled bow/gun/reloading room in a corner, lean-too for tractor and implements.

Larger greenhouse with solar power for heat and powering drip irrigation.

Pole barn open style covered lumber storage with a solar kiln off one end, and eventually a mill.

What I’ve learned;

The problem with the big barn is it is the place to do prettymuch anything, so it attracts all the clutter from everything. Once a few saws and a drill press made it into the tool room there was no place to work, so I drag that stuff out into the drive-thru portion to use it, then have to put it back. With a larger dedicated shop the tool room would become a mud room for hunting stuff and fishing tackle. If the budget allowed I would have standing structures for each thing that needed doing: cooking/entertaining, processing deer, working on mechanical shite, woodworking, gardening/planting, etc. Spend the money on weatherizing/pressure treated lumber up front, it is an absolute pain in the dick to have to replace things that were built less than 10 years ago, and to chase plumbing leaks every time it freezes.