--- title: Giving the Space Its Shape | Redbird Workshop Build description: Building a workshop from the ground up, focusing on framing, roofing, and creating a functional space that embodies support, structure, and identity. image: https://www.madebyredbird.com/hubfs/IMG_8243.jpg --- [Go Back Up](https://www.madebyredbird.com/journal/giving-the-space-its-shape#top) [Skip to Content](https://www.madebyredbird.com/journal/giving-the-space-its-shape#body) [![Redbird Furniture](https://www.madebyredbird.com/hubfs/Redbird%20Logos%20v4.svg "Redbird Furniture")](https://www.madebyredbird.com/) Toggle Menu - [Custom Commission](https://www.madebyredbird.com/custom-furniture-commission) - [Signature Series](https://www.madebyredbird.com/signature-series) - [Walnut Dining Tables](https://www.madebyredbird.com/walnut-dining-tables-metal-base) - [The Journal](https://www.madebyredbird.com/journal) - [About Redbird](https://www.madebyredbird.com/about-redbird) - [Contact Us](https://www.madebyredbird.com/contact-us) # Giving the Space Its Shape Written by: Kevin ![](https://www.madebyredbird.com/hubfs/IMG_8243.jpg) Share article [mailto:?subject=Giving%20the%20Space%20Its%20Shape%20%7C%20Redbird%20Workshop%20Build&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.madebyredbird.com%2Fjournal%2Fgiving-the-space-its-shape](mailto:?subject=Giving%20the%20Space%20Its%20Shape%20%7C%20Redbird%20Workshop%20Build&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.madebyredbird.com%2Fjournal%2Fgiving-the-space-its-shape) The slab was finished, but the space still felt abstract. Until the walls go up, everything exists at ground level. Measurements live on paper. Possibility floats above the concrete. Framing is the moment where intention starts to occupy volume. This phase was about giving the workshop its shape, its height, and eventually its sense of identity. ### Translating plans into structure We started with plans, but like most things in this build, they were adapted as we went. The goal was not perfection on paper. It was a space that worked, felt right, and was built with care. I framed the structure myself. Stud by stud, wall by wall. What surprised me most was how quickly it started to feel real. The moment the first walls stood, the workshop stopped being an idea and became a place. Every time I stepped inside, the scale felt right. ![IMG\_9D6AC01F-B4FC-4A9F-AB07-CA376FCC9227](https://www.madebyredbird.com/hs-fs/hubfs/IMG_9D6AC01F-B4FC-4A9F-AB07-CA376FCC9227.jpg?width=1140&height=855&name=IMG_9D6AC01F-B4FC-4A9F-AB07-CA376FCC9227.jpg) ### Volume, height, and working room One of the few things I cared deeply about going in was ceiling height. Ten foot ceilings were important, not for show, but for how the space would function. Air, light, movement. Room to work without feeling compressed. As the walls rose, those decisions revealed themselves. You can feel proportion before you can explain it. This space never felt too big or too small. It felt supportive. ![IMG\_8364](https://www.madebyredbird.com/hs-fs/hubfs/IMG_8364.jpg?width=1140&height=855&name=IMG_8364.jpg) ### The roof and the long push to enclosure Roofing was the hardest part. Sheathing the roof solo was slow, physical work. There was a lot of learning along the way. Progress came in inches rather than feet. The weather did not help. October and November brought relentless rain, and we were racing the calendar. Snow arrived before we were ready for it. Still, when the roof finally went on, everything changed. That was the milestone. The moment the structure stopped feeling vulnerable. ![IMG\_8396](https://www.madebyredbird.com/hs-fs/hubfs/IMG_8396.jpg?width=1140&height=855&name=IMG_8396.jpg) ### Relief, pride, and something enclosed Once the roof was on, the workshop held itself differently. It was still very much a construction site, but it was enclosed. Protected. I had a space I could call my own. There was relief in that, but also pride. Not because it was finished, but because it was done properly. This structure was not just about walls and a roof. It was about support. About building something that could carry the kind of work I want to do inside it. ![IMG\_8601](https://www.madebyredbird.com/hs-fs/hubfs/IMG_8601.jpg?width=1140&height=855&name=IMG_8601.jpg) ### Support, structure, identity If the first phase was about beginnings, this one was about support. Support for the work ahead. Structure for the process. A space that reflects the same care I expect of the furniture that will come out of it. It still feels like a construction project. That part is not over. But somewhere between the walls going up and the roof closing in, this place found its identity. ### Ready to Bring a Redbird Piece Into Your Home? [Explore The Collection](https://www.madebyredbird.com) ![](https://www.madebyredbird.com/hubfs/Kevin-Author-Picture.jpg) [mailto:](mailto:) ###### Kevin Kevin is the maker behind Redbird Furniture. After years spent building companies, he turned his focus toward working with his hands and creating objects with purpose. He builds furniture with intention, with care for materials, proportion, and longevity. The Redbird Journal documents the space, process, and thinking behind the work. You May Like These ## More Stories from the Journal. ![](https://www.madebyredbird.com/hs-fs/hubfs/How-Thick-Should-a-Dining-Table-Top-Be.jpg?width=700&name=How-Thick-Should-a-Dining-Table-Top-Be.jpg) ### [How Thick Should a Dining Table Top Be?](https://www.madebyredbird.com/journal/dining-table-top-thickness) --- How thick should a dining table top be? Thickness is a proportion choice tied to the base and edge, not a quality score, plus what a solid walnut top weighs. ![](https://www.madebyredbird.com/hs-fs/hubfs/What-Winter-Does-to-Solid-Wood-Furniture.jpg?width=700&name=What-Winter-Does-to-Solid-Wood-Furniture.jpg) ### [What Winter Does to Solid Wood Furniture in Ontario Homes](https://www.madebyredbird.com/journal/solid-wood-furniture-winter) --- Why solid wood furniture shrinks and shows small gaps in winter, what is normal in an Ontario home, and the few things worth doing to care for it. ![](https://www.madebyredbird.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Walnut-vs-White-Oak-Dining-Tables.jpg?width=700&name=Walnut-vs-White-Oak-Dining-Tables.jpg) ### [Walnut vs White Oak Dining Tables: Which Wood to Choose](https://www.madebyredbird.com/journal/walnut-vs-oak-dining-table) --- Walnut vs white oak dining table: how the two woods differ in colour, hardness, grain, and finish, and how to choose the right one for your room. 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