Studio Planning

So this is the very dreary denuded winter garden soon to be home to a new studio. The studio will be about the size of a single garage 6m x 3.5m and will fit snugly up against the back right corner. The bees will have to move. As it's a bit elevated up there, there are quite nice views out to the hills. Not that I'll be looking at those of course when there's painting to be done.
I purchased some doors and a window second hand last week in readiness, although the builders can't start for some weeks yet. We've started levelling the site and will widen the walkway up the middle for wheelbarrow access.
I am nutting out dimensions and light sources - I need north windows for some warmth but not too much as sun on the canvas is tricky to work with. Also building materials: i'll have a timber based floor, much nicer than concrete when standing up all day, plus insulation, and eaves on the north side to inhibit summer sun. I'll collect runoff into a raintank which can then gravity feed the veges.

In search of a studio

Interior in Yellow (Corner of the kitchen)

So my sister offers me the use of a corrugated iron shed in her sunny back yard. Great, I say. The shed is 3m x 3m, but I quickly realise that after stuffing in all my paraphanalia there's no room for me and the easel. I paint in my kitchen surrounded by dog, homework books and washing piles, packing up at 3.30 each day as the kids arrive home from school. Dog walks over palette taking cadmium red footprints with her, canvases stack up in hallway/bedroom/kitchen. I follow up a few leads on spaces available, nothing less than $50/week, or not suitable in terms of size/light/accessibility. Then a painter friend suggests saving my weekly rent and extending my own backyard shed to accomodate me. It starts to grow. I'd always wanted a backyard yurt. I draw up plans for a small (dream) studio of my own, take them to a builder, get a quote, convince my husband, source funding and it's happening.