A barn with office space will allow you to consolidate many of the business functions of your farm in one location, eliminating many unnecessary trips to your house. With a little planning, your office can be an essentially integrated part of your barn space.
Instructions
1. Decide where you want the office space to be in your barn. Plan on the amount of equipment, like desks, file cabinets, etc., you will have in the office space so that you have sufficient space available.
2. Lay the floor joists for your office. You'll want the office to be slightly raised from the barn floor to prevent water damage. Lay 2x4 boards edgewise at a 12" interval to cover the flooring area you've decided upon. Secure the 2x4 boards to the existing barn floor with 2-1/2" wood screws sunk at an angle. Then lay 3/4" plywood over the joists and attach it to the 2x4 boards with woodscrews.
3. Frame the room with 2x4 boards. Place the 2x4 boards vertically, with a 16" space between each. As you frame the room, leave sufficient space for doors or windows. In effect you're simply building a small building within the barn at this point. Use the existing barn wall as your wall for at least one of the walls -- this gives you something to attach the framing onto and makes the structure more secure. Add a ceiling to your room by running several 2x4 boards across the top of the framing. You'll add a drop ceiling to this later, so make sure that it's high enough up to give you sufficient head clearance.
4. Run wiring and add receptacles to the framing. You'll want electricity of course, and probably also telephone jacks and wiring -- maybe even ethernet cabling. Drill holes in the 2x4 framing and run your wiring through them, then place your power and other receptacles onto the framing studs. With the main power shut off, attach the circuits to the main circuit breaker box, after adding a new circuit. Test your wiring.
5. Finish the inside of your office with paneling or drywall, then add the drop ceiling by suspending the drop ceiling grid from the 2x4 boards that complete the top of the office. Insulate the walls if you wish, then panel the outside walls of the office with 1x12 planking boards. Hang your door, move in your furniture and office equipment and get to work!
