Hi everyone. I am going to probably violate forum etiquette here by posting a bit of a dissertation on my first post, but I will give a bit of background first and maybe you won't hate me too much.

I am what I would consider a "traditional woodworker," my focus being on using old hand tools. I don't build anything spectacular (part of the joy of having young kids and hobbies - something's gotta give). I do enjoy my hobby when I can make time though.

At our old house, I have the detached one-car garage entirely to myself. It was insulated and heated with a wood floor and made a very nice woodshop. Since I don't have a tablesaw or jointer or anything like that, the 13x19 space was adequate.

Now, at the new house, there is a two-car attached garage that is being used *gasp* for parking! I have been given permission from SWMBO to build a shop in the back yard. I have been hemming and hawing over this since before we even moved into the house. The only thing I know for sure at this point is that it will be around 12x16 since anything under 200 sq ft requires neither a permit or a permanent foundation in our town. A member of my woodworking club works for the railroad and has said I can have all the creosoted RR ties I like (12.5' or 16.5' - erfect for my layout). So my shop will sit on RR tie skids.

The "neanderthal" faction of my woodworking club, which consists of about 4 guys who meet monthly for anything related to handtools and traditional methods, let me know that we would be building a timber framed shop for me (gotta love good friends who help you on your way like this).

One of these guys teaches classes at Tiller's International and knows the fellow there who teaches timber framing. He has agreed to do a timber frame class for us to build my shop at their site, and then do a raising at my house. We have a handful of people willing to do the class. Basically I have to pay for materials and a class fee (~$200) and I have a timber frame. All I have ot supply is a sketch of what I want to build.

And there lies the conundrum. Outside of the 12x16 footprint, I am not sure what I want to build. If I lived in a colonial or something like that, I would just go with the traditional 12/12 pitch roof shed design found in so many timber frame books. However, we live in a mid-century quad level with a low, 4/12 pitched roof, and I (read: my wife) would like something that "goes with the house." I am all for it. Despite my anachronistic tendencies, I actually really like mid-century modern stuff. The inside of the shop can be rustic/cozy/whatever, but from the outside, it needs to fit in with the neighborhood.

To get an idea, here is the house:



Something in this format, won't work so well:



That would be ideal from a practical standpoint. I would love to have the loft space for storage, but the roof would be visible from the front of the house, and that won't fly.

Something on the modern side, like this:



would be the right look, but I give up a lot from the standpoint of that loft storage.

I was wondering if anyone here had run into anything similar or might be able to point me in the direction of some designs that would fit from a style standpoint while suiting the functional needs. Also, I just need some designs to show my wife for a buyoff. To her, timber frame means rustic/barn/grazing cattle/etc. I have been trying to find good TF examples of modern structures. Essentially, I need something that fits in a 200 sq. ft. footprint and can reasonably be built (the main joinery, at least) in a a 3-day class.

Anyway, if anyone has any feedback, I would love to hear it. This appears to be a great resource. Also, if you are in SE Michigan, I would love to hear about it.

Thanks in advance!

-Jamey

welcome aboard Jamey, sounds like this will be a great project, hope you'll keep sharing your experience with us...
one great design comes to mind for a small low pitch building from one of our own here:
http://www.tfguild.org/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=24598&page=1

you might have to work on the missus to get over the whole horse shelter thing..lol but with a few windows and a door this can turn into a great little shed..

Hello,
It's not the exact time frame you mention but the arts and craft movement did use large dimension timber in house architecture in combination with a 20th century mindset if I can put it that way. Low pitched roof line, Lots of glass that sort of thing.

How do you handle rafters in a roof that doesn't meet at a right angle? I suspect this takes some creative truss work? One thing I am considering is a longer overhand on the front edge of the roof and actually angling bracing out to have full-height windows that lean out 10-15 degrees or so. This is reminiscent of my late father-in-law's Art Deco house in Lansing. I think the extra space afforded without increasing floor space would be nice. Running a shelf along the windows at about counter height that doesn't intrude into the room would be a neat feature, I think, and quite useful in a shop environment.

I'll try to work up a concept and post a picture.

I would suggest looking at craftsman style or Japanese timber frames. Both of these often use low sloping roofs like you want to. The exterior can be designed to look however you like so don't get hung up on the aesthetics of those styles, just look at the forms and frames. Good luck.

Perhaps like this wood shed I built 10 years ago.
I had no idea what I was doing but it turned out pretty good.
This building is 8x20 and is made from 4x4/6 soft maple timbers.

Jamey,
Look in the Guild's book "14 Small Timber Frames". There are a number of small, low roof pitch designs in there.

Hi Will. Duly noted and ordered. Thanks!

I have been messing around with a new design that is inspired by the modern house my father-in-law lived in. It was sort of a mid-century design with the front bank of floor-to-ceiling windows leaning out at an angle. I have tried to mimic this here. I kept the 12x16 footprint. The roof is at a 15 degree angle. I should revise it to a 3/12 or whatever would be close to that. I know I need to revise the frame at the roof peak to accommodate the pitch, but this is for a general design sense.

I would be interested in hearing about any concerns or ideas about this design. I also revised all the timbers to 6x6, which I would suspect is sufficient for this scale. Rafters are 4x6.

I managed to leave enough space above for a small storage loft. Not a lot of headroom, but I wanted to keep the profile of the building fairly low.

You are probably looking for feedback on the timber frame, but I'll throw out one other item. Many roofing manufacturers will not warranty their product on slopes less than 4/12. If they will, they often have special requirements for underlayment/flashing,etc. This may not be a concern for you since this is not a house, but keep it in mind when thinking about the roofing.