Barn
to Workshop
An existing llama barn I gutted, re-planned in Rhino 3D, and rebuilt with my family into a working studio, now documented as a professional AutoCAD construction set. Every dimension traces back to a wall I helped raise.
The Project
Modeled first
The shell was an existing llama barn on our property. I modeled it in Rhino 3D and designed the conversion, testing the layout before a single wall went up.
Gutted and rewired
Replaced the termite-damaged support beam, framed a partition for the tool room, and ran all the electrical and low-voltage conduit with my dad. I know how this building goes together because I put it together.
Drafted for real
Now I translate the model into a coordinated AutoCAD set, one sheet at a time, as I complete each VDCI construction-documents course.
- Gutted the barn and cleared it to bare structure
- Replaced the termite-damaged main support beam
- Dug the trench for the service run to the house
- Ran all electrical, outlets, and lighting with my dad
- Framed the tool-room partition and hung the interior door
- Ran smurf tube conduit for future low-voltage wiring
- Installed ventilation fans for fume control
- Painted throughout
- Concrete floor poured by a contractor
- Main electrical service to the house run by an electrician
- Drywall and ceiling by a finisher, tools we did not own
- New window installed by the same finisher
Sheet Index
The Drawing Set
The AutoCAD set is being drafted now, starting with the floor plan and existing conditions, then the elevations and the power and lighting plan. Each sheet posts here as it is plotted, tracked in the sheet index above. The design intent and the build are shown throughout this page.
Coordinated CD Set
- Building sections and wall sections
- General notes and keynote legend
- Referenced files across a multi-sheet set
- Model and layout space, plotted to scale
Architectural Details
- Tool-room partition wall assembly
- Low-voltage conduit rough-in detail
- Ventilation fan mounting detail
- Details I can draw because I built them
BIM Model
- The workshop rebuilt as a parametric model
- Plans, sections, elevations from one model
- A door or window schedule
Process Story
- Rhino renders paired with as-built photos
- Model measurement vs. field measurement
- The full concept-to-construction arc