There are lots of good thoughts here. Let me elaborate a little more on my design, and why it is, what it is. In the interest of brevity, I didn't tell all in my first post, and I should have. First, real estate is not a problem, the lot is small, ( 3 ac ) but should be fine for what I want to do. In essence, I am building a 16'x40' building and a 32'x40' building, with one of the 40' sides of each being a common wall.
The first proposed structure will be a 16' wide ( north & south ends ) by 40' deep ( west & east sides ) pole barn. ( 14' high door ) My objective is to store an antique fire truck in there, and it will be plenty large enough for that, but I am ( hoping to ) size it so that a RV or motor home would fit, hopefully to make things so that the next owner doesn't say "as long as he built it this big, why didn't he make it large enough for a RV?" This will be vehicle storage only, and at the onset, it will have a crushed stone floor, concrete here is a long time away.
Next to this, and abutting it, will be a 32' wide by 40' deep. The west 40' side of this is a common side with the east 40' of the previous structure. ( No wall here, but a row of posts. ) I am planning for three "bays" in this section. The section adjacent to the 16'x40' building will be for storage of vehicles, I am planning for a full size pickup and a Jeep, in here. The next section, or the "middle bay" of the 32'x40' building will be a working space, eventually with a lift. These two section are where I was shooting for the 9'w x 8'h doors. Again, I am envisioning nothing larger than pickups. The last section of this building will be workshop, no overhead doors, but an island workbench, and shelves or cabinets on the perimeter. If I remove something from a vehicle ( parked in the center bay ) I will bring it here to work on it.
I am planning to have attic trusses in the 32x40 section, giving me a 32' long space for storage of "stuff" to keep it out of the ground floor. Storage for summer stuff in the winter, and winter stuff in the summer. I want the trusses designed so I can use a chain fall to lift things, say a mower deck, or up to 500', on to the bench.
I do have a ( very ) rough drawing, done in SketchUp, which I can attach, with some help. When I first joined here, I was able to attach photo's, etc., but where ever I was placing them no longer works, and I've not figured out how to do it now. ( I am an novice to intermediately skilled computer guy, but moving down range, as technology advances faster than I am. )
I am trying for a structure which is 40' x 48' overall but doesn't look like someone plopped a big rectangular warehouse on the property, so the roof ridge of the 40x16 section will run the long way, while the ridge of the 40x32 section will be perpendicular to the first part. The ridges will form a "T". I am aware of the problem of having a roof slope so the drip edge is on the same wall as the overhead doors, but hope to minimize this by offsetting the ridge toward the side with the doors, making it shorter, but steeper. Less snow, but with a steep pitch, to will slide off quickly. The long, and more gradual slope, to the back, will dump most of the snow where it will be of no concern.
I think I'll quit now, before I bore you all into giving up on me! For those of you who stuck with me on this, I really thank you, and appreciate your time!
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Those of you who see all the Dodge trucks with the dumbo ears out will get that joke. I would highly recommend 12' wide by 10' tall doors minimum.
I don't know if you are going to DIY the build or just write checks but I think on either pathway simplicity would be easier.