Our farm shop design blog series, written by Dan Nyberg, the Sales Training Manager at Morton Buildings, focuses on a variety of farm shop design ideas to help you in planning your next agricultural building.
Today's shops are the farm's entertainment center, control center and recreation hall. Some even include living quarters for guests. Many shops now have pool, foosball and ping-pong tables, plus exercise equipment. Some farm families have chosen to create the space for the regular family dinners at Thanksgiving and Christmas that no longer really fit in the house. Since most shops have high ceilings, nearly 90 percent have a basketball hoop with backboard for those cold winter days.
Give some special thought to interests the next generation has and how space can be allocated for those. Whether it is a sports interest or a specific hobby that requires some specialize equipment including space for the younger folks can be a key to maintaining their involvement in the family farm.
When designing farm shops, don't forget the more conventional options such as pits, hoists, cranes, work benches, compressors, oil dispensers, tire changers and pressure washers.
In addition, it is critical to determine the space needed for an office, meeting room, kitchen or eating area, rest room with a shower, and a washer and dryer area so field clothes can stay outside the house.
Below is a sample shop floor plan that details this:
Browse more completed farm shop projects!
About Dan Nyberg, Sales Training Manager, Morton Buildings
Dan Nyberg has been employed with Morton Buildings for 28 years, where he held a variety of positions such as sales consultant, regional manager, and director of sales. He has also served as a board member of the National Frame Building Association for nine years. Dan has been involved with farming most of his life, from living on a dairy farm as a child, moving back to a mixed livestock and grain farm in high school, to managing a personal farm in Colorado focused on horse-drawn events. He has experience with beef cattle, dairy cattle, bison, pigs, sheep, chickens, ducks, geese, horses and mules. Dan currently farms 72 acres with a herd of 23 Devon/Hereford cattle and owns three Morton buildings.
