The front deck project is proceeding very well. A few days delay due to weather issues, but as of this morning, I only have to finish the railing on the side by the garage, put a handrail on the front steps, get the flag pole in, and finish some minor trim & cosmetic work. Hope to be done for the most part by the weekend.

So the time has come to start planning Phase II.

Imagine a room, approximately 12 feet wide and 22 1/4 feet long. Current opening is along side a driveway, 12 feet long, about 3 feet in from the edge (so there's an overhang), made out of painted particle board & home-made doors. Common wall with the basement has an I-Beam at the ceiling level, supported on several positions on cinder blocks. Inside area has an uneven dirt floor. No power at present, but that's available on the other side of the wall shared with the basement. No windows.

Challenge: To divide this space into three areas:

A front section that will serve as the equivalent of a garden shed or mini-barn, with space left for general tools and such.

A (probably) center section that will be used as general storage. Some shelving, possibly a small cedar-lined closet.

A (probably) back section that will be the new ham shack. It will have at least 2 operating positions, a space for my desk, possibly a small repair bench. Bookshelves and display/storage shelves will take up some of the wall space, as will areas for photos and certificates etc.

How would you lay the area out? Seriously. I have a few options in mind, but nothing is set in stone yet.

A few other comments:

-- at some point, a doorway into the basement will be cut. A friend has the right tools for the job & can't wait to take out his aggressions (he has a teenage son... no, I am not introducing his son to my daughter... besides, they've already met. but let's not digress)

-- I can build the "new" front in a couple of ways. One big door or double doors, or two separate ones - one for the 'shed' area (and isolate it), one for (eventually) egress to the house via the basement & the shack. And I will put in a window or some other way for air to circulate.

-- Obviously I can 'flip' the positions of the storage area & the shack, if desired. If I put storage in the back, though, that means that access to it goes through the shack -- if I put up another wall, that limits shack area. Not neccesarily bad, but it's going to be cozy as it is, so I don't want to make it TOO tight.

-- depending on exactly where the basement door is cut, I may be able to extend the existing HVAC ducts into the area. If I can't, then I'll have to figure out a heat source for winter. Not an big problem, I've done this before.

-- and I have to figure out what to do for a floor. $10 K to have a concrete slab pored is out of the question; no shekels. I'm considering laying down bricks, and then lay some tile or other flooring material (Hardibacker under tile or carpet?) in the shack itself & maybe the entrance corridor. Again, not an insolveable problem.

This is going to be the fall/winter project. With any luck, by the time the ARRL DX contests roll around, I hope to have the new shack functional & pretty much everything done. Famous last words...

So any positive suggestions appreciated.