I'm building a retirement home at the lake. Started the project by building a 12 x 20 shed that is just a small garage package but with insulated barn doors rather than an overhead garage door.
You want to be able to handle a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood in a workshop. 12 x 20 is really a minimum practical size to be able to do this. Any smaller and you'll get door knobbed every time you bend over. Don't worry about the women. Build 16 x 24, tell her it's 10 x 12, she'll never know the difference.
I insulated the walls and door with R12, ceiling with R20. Put up vapor barrier, but have not covered the inside yet. I think I will cover the walls and ceiling with aspenite or plywood, drywall will probably just get wrecked in a few years.
I will eventually use the shed as a workshop but for now I live and sleep in the shed, over the weekends and holidays while I'm working on the house. Summer and winter in Manitoba, so I know what cold weather is. I heat the place with a 4800 watt
240V construction heater. Hit -40 deg. last winter.Me and the dogs were just fine. May not have smelled to good but who cares, there's no women out there to complain about a bit or dog hair or a few cases of empties. :) :)
Here's a few pictures of the house