So we’ve decided to keep the old metal building and with some imagination and creativity, turn it into an office space with a modern industrial feel. Admittedly, it’s a big challenge for both me and the architect. Together, we decided the best plan of action was to focus on the use of the building first. We had faith in the old theory that form always follows function.
My current rental space is a simple one. Essentially, it’s two main areas – a small warehouse and an even smaller office space divided by a bathroom and a kitchen area. All together it’s about 800 to 900 square feet. My office space features two tanker desks and a whole lot of computer equipment. I use it as you would imagine – I sit on my *** all day and type away. The warehouse serves double duty. I typically store an old hot rod in part of the space and that leaves just enough room for a small shipping and receiving center.
This setup has worked great for the past two years, but I am beginning to run out of room. Quite frequently, the old farts of the area like to drop by and talk shop, old cars, hot rods, customs, etc… As it stands, they have to wedge themselves in between server racks and stacks of t-shirts to carry on a conversation. I’d like to be more accommodating to my pals and still have enough room to carry about with my business. All of this in mind, we came up with a list of requirements to consider:
1. The building needs a main work area obviously. This is where I put my machine and park my *** for hours on end.
2. The building needs a library. I work with a lot of historical documents and old magazines. I need space to locate this stuff and keep it accessible.
3. A more realistic shipping and receiving area is needed – shelving for product, storage for shipping supplies, a work bench for packing, etc…
4. I need a social area – A place were my pals can sit and talk like the dignitaries they are.
5. I also have some stuff that needs stored (printing supplies, file cabinets, etc…
that just aren’t fun to look at. Some sort of a closed off storage area would be ideal.
6. Of course, I also need a proper bathroom and a kitchen/eating area for lunch.
7. Finally, hot rods inspire me… I really want to have room for a hot rod in my work environment.
All of the sudden, 1200 square feet doesn’t seem all that big anymore – right? We knew we had to be thoughtful of the space and use, so we spent a lot of time considering all of these aspects. In the end, we came up with this:
As you can see, we minimized the use of walls to keep the space open. In fact, we only used them where we needed privacy – the bathroom and ugly storage. Other than those two areas, the space is completely wide open. We hope this will create the kind of a modern loft/vintage garage feel that we are after for the interior. The details such as lighting, finishes, and doors will just further push the look. I’ll get into those at a later date.
As for the exterior, we are limited by the low pitched roof and the general look of a metal building. Still, we wanted to do something striking. Sometime in the future, I plan to build a house on this property. As such, I will be moving my work shop to the location as well. The plan is to attach a vintage galvanized steel barn (with a classically high pitched roof) to this very metal building. In doing so, we will create an interesting contrast with a large old barn holding up what appears to be a very modern lean too – the metal building.
That said, we attacked the exterior with creativity. The most striking feature is a 3′ by 8′ hand fabricated and cantilevered metal window that graces the front of the building. This lets in a ton of light and does an amazing job of tricking the eye into thinking this isn’t just a run-of-the-mill metal outfit. From there, we added another bank of windows high along the front of the building and started looking for the perfectly modern front door. A few little tricks like this, some tasteful lighting, and a coat of white paint is all its gonna take. The building is transformed.
On my next project update, I’ll to post photography of some of this work as it is completed. We are getting closer and closer and I’m really excited to show you guys how it is turning out. Until then, stay tuned!
And, of course, a special thanks to this project’s sponsors:
