Written by: Kevin D'Arcy
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
