There are plenty of reasons why building with Greenspan is better – but one of the biggest is the freedom to create something truly unique – inside and out!
To spark your imagination, here are eight real-life examples of how our customers have configured their barn accommodation spaces – from compact and cosy to large and lofty.
In this article:
- Can you design your own floorplan with Greenspan?
- How do these 8 floorplans compare?
- #1 – Small but perfectly formed: how much home fits in 27m²?
- #2 – Boutique barns at Sun Ranch: how do you lay out a two-bedroom holiday barn?
- #3 – A family’s fun beachside barn: how much extra space can two lofts add?
- #4 – Two become one: can you join two Cedarspan barns together?
- #5 – The Woolshed Cottage: can a working shed be converted into a home?
- #6 – A barn with family at its heart: how a machinery shed became a cottage
- #7 – Pretty Beach Barn: what are the benefits of a loft?
- #8 – Shed first, home second: how do you build a two-barn homestead?
- How do you design your own Cedarspan floorplan?
- Designed by you, for you
Can you design your own floorplan with Greenspan?
Yes, the layout is yours to decide. While many prefab or traditional builders lock you into standard designs with fixed layouts, we do things differently. At Greenspan, we provide the expertly crafted shell – personalised, of course, to be exactly how you’d like it – then leave the interior entirely in your hands. That means no cookie-cutter designs, no wasted space, no forced floorplans, and no compromises. Just a beautifully built, flexible blank canvas, ready to be configured and finished exactly how you want it.
As part of the design process, we’ll even help you bring your floorplan ideas to life – ensuring your windows and doors are perfectly positioned to suit your space and how you plan to use it. That way, you’ll have everything you need to hit the ground running.
How do these 8 floorplans compare?
Before we get into it, here are the key specs at a glance so you can see how each Cedarspan compares.
| Project | Design | Size (W x L) | Approx. Area | Loft(s) | Layout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Johan’s off-grid barn | Cedarspan 2040 | 3.8m x 7.2m | 27m² | 3.6m x 3.6m | Open plan + loft |
| 2. Sun Ranch | Cedarspan 4050 | 7.4m x 9.0m | 67m² | None | 2 bed, 1 bath |
| 3. Meg’s Carrickalinga barn | Cedarspan 3070 | 5.6m x 12.6m | 71m² | 2.4m x 5.4m + 4.2m x 5.4m | 2 bed + 2 lofts |
| 4. Two become one pool house | Cedarspan 2020 + Cedarspan 2040 | 3.8m x 3.6m + 3.8m x 7.2m, joined | 44m² | Yes (2020) | 1 bed + living wing, L-shape |
| 5. The Woolshed Cottage | Cedarspan 3060 | 5.6m x 10.8m | 60m² | 2 x 3.6m x 5.4m | 2 lofts + shearing shed |
| 6. A barn with family at its heart | Cedarspan 4040 | 7.4m x 7.2m | 53m² | 3.6m x 7.2m | 1 bed + sofa-bed room |
| 7. Pretty Beach Barn | Cedarspan 3090 | 5.6m x 16.2m | 91m² | 5.4m x 5.4m | 2 bed, master ensuite |
| 8. Two-barn homestead | Cedarspan 3060 + Cedarspan 3090 | 5.6m x 10.8m + 5.6m x 16.2m | 151m² | 3.6m x 5.4m + 5.4m x 5.4m | Garage/office + 2 bed home |
1.
Small but perfectly formed: how much home fits in 27m²?
Let’s start with Johan’s permanent home, which is small in size but cleverly designed. As a Cedarspan 2040 measuring just 3.8m x 7.2m it may be a compact 27m², but it packs a lot in thanks to its well-considered floorplan.
Entry is gained via each gable end. One side features a pedestrian door opening into the kitchen and dining area, neatly positioned beneath a 3.6m x 3.6m loft that adds almost 13m² of additional space. A central timber staircase provides access to the loft and also functions as a subtle room divider.
Beyond this lies the lounge area, set under the Cedarspan’s signature clearspan roof. Cosy yet surprisingly spacious, this living area extends via double barn doors onto a decked area that provides an additional 7m² of indoor-outdoor living.
Paired with a decorative grid that offers partial interior screening, the two ends of the building are subtly yet successfully defined while allowing light and space to flow freely throughout.
| Design | Cedarspan 2040 |
| Size | 3.8m x 7.2m |
| Loft | 3.6m x 3.6m loft |
| Use | Permanent off-grid home |
| Location | Northern Rivers NSW |
All measurements are approximate.
Buildings are supplied ready for installation to lock-up stage.
Painting, fixtures, and finishes, including the internal layout,
arranged by the customer.
2.
Boutique barns at Sun Ranch: how do you lay out a two-bedroom holiday barn?
Next, we head to the Byron Bay hinterland, where six identical Cedarspan barns form the heart of boutique retreat Sun Ranch, a laid-back former cattle ranch where 70s California nostalgia meets off-grid living. Each of its six Cedarspan 4050 barns measures 7.4m x 9m and sleeps up to four guests, all on one level.
The layout is beautifully balanced. The two bedrooms anchor opposite ends of the barn, each opening through double doors onto its own private decked verandah. Between them sits a central bathroom, brightened by a skylight. Up front, open-plan living makes the most of the full cathedral ceiling, with the kitchen to one side, the lounge to the other, and central double doors opening onto a custom decked alpine porch.
As a Series 4, the 4050 is our widest Cedarspan, and that generous 7.4m width gives every part of this layout room to breathe, with space for a bedroom at each end, a full bathroom between them and the whole front of the barn free for living.
Privacy for every guest when it’s needed, and plenty of room for everyone to come together when they want.
| Design | Cedarspan 4050 |
| Size | 7.4m x 9.0m |
| Loft | None |
| Add-ons | Custom decked alpine porch and decked verandahs |
| Use | Holiday accommodation |
| Location | Byron Bay hinterland |
All measurements are approximate.
Buildings are supplied ready for installation to lock-up stage.
Painting, fixtures, and finishes, including the internal layout,
arranged by the customer.
3.
A family’s fun beachside barn: how much extra space can two lofts add?
Next, we head to Meg’s backyard in coastal Carrickalinga – the setting for one of our all-time favourite floorplans.
With two dogs, two teenagers and a growing crowd of friends in tow, the one-bedroom property this family purchased in their cherished holiday hotspot needed a serious space upgrade. Enter a Cedarspan 3070.
Measuring 5.6m x 12.6m, this model offers a generous 70m² footprint. With a loft at each end, the family gained a further 35m² – a layout that couldn’t be more perfect for their needs.
Upon entry, you’re greeted by a large, central living space – the ultimate hangout zone for multiple teens. At one end, internal walls create two spacious bedrooms set side by side, with a balconied loft above, accessed via inset ladder stairs.
At the opposite end are a generous bathroom, a handy second toilet and vanity, and a practical storage room tucked between the two. Above sits a second loft – a clever mirror of the opposite end… with heaps of storage.
The layout is a winner. Holidays by the sea often come with surfboards, wetsuits and sandy gear… and for this family, a bunch of energetic teens! This Cedarspan handles it all with ease.
| Design | Cedarspan 3070 |
| Size | 5.6m x 12.6m |
| Lofts | 2.4m x 5.4m and 4.2m x 5.4m |
| Use | Family holiday space |
| Location | Carrickalinga SA |
All measurements are approximate.
Buildings are supplied ready for installation to lock-up stage.
Painting, fixtures, and finishes, including the internal layout,
arranged by the customer.
4.
Two become one: can you join two Cedarspan barns together?
Now for something a little bit different. Maren and David’s Southern Highlands property came with a cute and compact 1990s Cedarspan 2020 beside the pool, measuring 3.6m x 3.8m. They wanted self-contained accommodation for visiting family and friends, so rather than start again, they added a matching Cedarspan 2040 and connected the two with a joining module, creating an L-shaped guest retreat.
“We wanted to copy that and add it on,” says Maren.
The joining module doubles as the entrance annexe. The original cabin became the sleeping wing, with a double bedroom, an ensuite and a ladder-access loft that doubles its footprint. The new 2040 addition is the living wing, complete with a kitchenette, cathedral ceiling and a custom bay window seat at the gable end to capture the sensational surrounding views. Decking wraps both buildings and flows right around the pool, making it the perfect spot for lazy summer days. It’s a place that visitors would never want to leave!
Old meets new, sleeping meets living – and it’s all joined into one seamlessly flowing floorplan by the front door.
| Design | Cedarspan 2020 + Cedarspan 2040 |
| Size | 3.6m x 3.8m + 3.8m x 7.2m |
| Loft | Ladder-access loft (2020) |
| Add-on | 1.8m x 1.8m joining module |
| Use | Guest house and pool house |
| Location | Southern Highlands NSW |
All measurements are approximate.
Buildings are supplied ready for installation to lock-up stage.
Painting, fixtures, and finishes, including the internal layout,
arranged by the customer.
5.
The Woolshed Cottage: can a working shed be converted into a home?
Here’s a story we love. Sheep farmer, Scott, built his Cedarspan 3060 in southern Tasmania in 2016 as a shearing shed. Ten years on, it’s become his home – yet it’s still a shearing shed too.
So, how is that possible? Every Cedarspan starts with the same PreCrafted structure, with no internal load-bearing walls to work around. When Scott ordered his 5.6m x 10.8m barn, the awnings at each end and the two internal lofts were simply practical choices for shearing. But they also gave the building plenty of room to evolve.
Downstairs, there’s a kitchen, dining area and a partly enclosed lounge, with storage and a laundry tucked into the semi-enclosed awning end. At the other end, the shearing pen still does its job. A spiral staircase leads up to the two 3.6m x 5.4m lofts, which local builders enclosed and joined across the centre with a mezzanine walkway, while dormer windows bring in light and extra headroom.
Sliding doors now frame the views across the D’Entrecasteaux Channel. And none of it needed the building to get any bigger. “It’s the same original space and footprint,” Scott confirms.
Scott had planned to rent it out as a farm stay, but by the time it was finished, he liked it too much. So, he moved into the barn, and the farmhouse became the rental instead.
The barn didn’t grow. It just became more
| Design | Cedarspan 3060 |
| Size | 5.6m x 10.8m |
| Loft | 2 x 3.6m x 5.4m |
| Add-ons | 2 x 3.1m x 5.6m awnings |
| Use | Home and working shearing shed |
| Location | Southern Tasmania |
All measurements are approximate.
Buildings are supplied ready for installation to lock-up stage.
Painting, fixtures, and finishes, including the internal layout,
arranged by the customer.
6.
A barn with family at its heart: how a machinery shed became a cottage
And another conversion. Because so many Cedarspans start as a practical working building before becoming something more.
Bruce’s Cedarspan 4040 started life in 2015 as a machinery shed on his farm. Today, it’s a cosy cottage for his daughter. The first step? Enclosing the 2.7m x 7.2m verandah in matching cedar weatherboards to extend the footprint.
There was just one condition. “My wife said there’s no way you’re doing an extension unless it matches perfectly.” The cedar took ages to source during COVID, but the enclosed verandah now looks like it was always part of the barn.
At its heart is an L-shaped open-plan living area. The lounge sits partly beneath the loft before opening out under the cathedral ceiling, with the kitchen and dining island on the other side. A bedroom is tucked under the other half of the loft. The enclosed verandah holds a laundry/mud room and bathroom at one end, and a sunny overflow living space with a sofa bed at the other.
Where there was once a concrete floor and raw framing, it’s now lined throughout, and some of the original barn doors have even been rehung inside.
His son helped him do it all and now his daughter’s living in it while saving for a house. So, while Bruce may have built it as his domain, family was at its heart all along.
| Design | Cedarspan 4040 |
| Size | 7.2m x 7.4m |
| Loft | 3.6m x 7.2m |
| Add-on | 2.7m x 7.2m verandah (later enclosed) |
| Use | Family cottage (originally a machinery shed) |
| Location | Northern Rivers NSW |
All measurements are approximate.
Buildings are supplied ready for installation to lock-up stage.
Painting, fixtures, and finishes, including the internal layout,
arranged by the customer.
7.
Pretty Beach Barn: what are the benefits of a loft?
Sita’s family wanted a design-led beach house on the NSW South Coast that they could enjoy but that would also pay its way. Their Cedarspan 3090 at Kioloa does both, beautifully.
Set just 500m from the ocean, it’s all white outside, a striking contrast against the bush of Murramarang National Park.
Open-plan living, dining and kitchen sit beneath the full cathedral ceiling, with two sets of stacking doors opening onto a wide deck. Beside the kitchen, a breezeway leads to the laundry, main bathroom and second bedroom. The square loft sits above these rooms, overlooking the living area through a frameless glass balustrade and reached by a fold-away staircase. That leaves the master suite at the far end free to enjoy the full height of the pitched roof, with its own ensuite and outdoor access.
There’s more to that loft than meets the eye, too. It overhangs the kitchen to neatly conceal the ducting and services, giving the open-plan living area a clean, uncluttered ceiling.
Clever loft placement means the living area and the master suite both get the full sweep of the roof, while other spaces are clearly defined by a lower ceiling.
Want to stay? Greenspan customers get 20% off direct bookings with the code PRETTY20 through Mollymook Milton Holidays.
| Design | Cedarspan 3090 |
| Size | 5.6m x 16.2m |
| Loft | 5.4m x 5.4m |
| Use | Holiday home and rental |
| Location | Kioloa NSW |
All measurements are approximate.
Buildings are supplied ready for installation to lock-up stage.
Painting, fixtures, and finishes, including the internal layout,
arranged by the customer.
8.
Shed first, home second: how do you build a two-barn homestead?
We’ll finish with a two-barn homestead in Stroud, NSW. Michael and Margaret-Anne built their garage first, so they could live on site while they finished their home as owner-builders.
And it all began with a flyer Michael nearly threw away! The building on the front was a Cedarspan, and before long the couple had plans for a barn-style shed and a barn-style home.
In the Cedarspan 3060, a bathroom/laundry, home office and kitchenette sit beneath the loft, beside the garage space. Next door, the Cedarspan 3090 is their full-time home. The master suite takes one end under the full roofline, with its ensuite alongside, while the open-plan living area sits in the middle, with sliding doors on both sides opening onto two verandahs. The kitchen sits under the end of the loft, followed by the main bathroom, the second bedroom and a laundry/boot room entry. A pull-down ladder from the second bedroom leads up to the 5.4m x 5.4m loft, which adds valuable storage.
With solar panels and rainwater tanks in place, the couple simply parked their camper trailer in the garage and lived on site, finishing their home at their own pace.
Their first barn was home while they built the second – and it’s still earning its keep as a garage and office.
| Use | Garage | Home |
| Design | Cedarspan 3060 | Cedarspan 3090 |
| Size | 5.6m x 10.8m | 5.6m x 16.3m |
| Loft | 3.6m x 5.4m | 5.4m x 5.4m |
| Add-ons | 1.8m x 10.8m verandah | 1.8m x 7.2m verandah 2.4m x 7.2m verandah |
| Location | Stroud NSW |
All measurements are approximate.
Buildings are supplied ready for installation to lock-up stage.
Painting, fixtures, and finishes, including the internal layout,
arranged by the customer.
How do you design your own Cedarspan floorplan?
A Cedarspan isn’t chosen from a catalogue of fixed models. It’s designed from the ground up, for you, your property and your purpose, and the floorplan is a big part of that. Because the frame carries the structural load, there are no internal load-bearing walls to work around, so the inside really is a blank canvas.
Here’s how it comes together, and what our customers’ floorplans can teach you along the way.
- Start with how you’ll use it. A permanent home, a holiday rental, guest quarters, a working shed, or a bit of everything. Johan needed a compact permanent home. Sun Ranch needed private space for paying guests. Meg’s family needed room for teens, dogs and sandy surf gear. The use shapes every decision that follows.
- Choose your width. Cedarspans are 2, 3 or 4 panels wide, with each panel 1800mm, and the width also sets the roof pitch. A Series 2, like Johan’s 3.8m-wide 2040, suits a compact, cosy layout, while a Series 3 or 4 gives you more room to play with when arranging bedrooms, bathrooms and living spaces.
- Set your length. Keep adding 1800mm panels until you reach the floor size you need. Length is what lets you zone a floorplan. Meg’s 12.6m-long 3070 has bedrooms at one end, the bathroom and storage at the other, and living in the middle. Pretty Beach Barn’s 16.2m-long 3090 puts the master suite at the far end, well away from the living area.
- Decide on wall height and if you want a loft. Walls are 2.4m as standard, or you can upgrade to 3m (that will also be necessary if you want to add a loft). Lofts are added in 1.8m increments and span the width of the building. Whatever sits below a loft gets a lower ceiling, while everything else keeps the full cathedral roof. So, put the loft over the kitchen, bathroom or second bedroom and they’re cosy and defined while your living area stays wonderfully lofty, just like Pretty Beach Barn and the Stroud homestead.
- Take it outside. Verandahs, elevated decks, alpine porches and awnings all extend your floorplan outdoors. Sun Ranch’s alpine porch and private bedroom verandahs, and the Woolshed’s awnings, are all add-ons. Think about where your double doors, sliders and stackers will open, and how each room connects to the space outside.
- Think bigger, or build in stages. As long as they have 3m wall heights, our joining modules can connect two or more Cedarspans into one seamless building, just like the L-shaped pool house. Or do what Michael and Margaret-Anne did: build one barn first, live in it, then build the next.
- Plan for later. With no internal load-bearing walls, a layout can be reconfigured as your needs change. The Woolshed Cottage and Bruce’s barn both became homes inside their original footprint, years after they were built as working sheds.
Your Design Solutioneer uses 3D design technology, so you can see your building take shape before the first panel is even crafted. As part of the design process, we’ll help position your windows and doors to suit your floorplan, so your Cedarspan is ready for the layout you have in mind. And if you don’t know where to start, our Design Solutioneers will help you map it all out.
Designed by you, for you
These are just eight customers. And these are just eight examples of incredible layouts. We have plenty more. Check out our Project Gallery for more inspiration.
Because really, almost anything is possible.
Whether you’re creating a permanent residence, a holiday retreat, or something in between, the freedom to shape your space around how you’ll use it sets a Greenspan building apart.
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach with us – just beautifully crafted spaces, custom-designed to suit your vision, your land, and your lifestyle.
If these examples have sparked ideas of your own, we’d love to hear them. With our team beside you, designing your dream layout is not only possible – it’s all part of the fun.
Can I see one in person?
Cedarspan barns can be viewed by appointment at our Drummoyne Display Centre in Sydney and our Black Forest Display Centre in Adelaide. For those in other areas, we can offer virtual tours or alternative options for viewing. If you’d like to book a time to visit us, please call our team.
You can also get inspiration and hear the stories of other Greenspan customers who have built loft barns for a variety of purposes on our Project Gallery.
Alternatively, head to our Instagram or Facebook pages for further inspiration.
Ready to start designing your loft barn?
Download our Design Price Guide and see what’s possible.
Already downloaded our Design Price Guide and ready to take the next step?
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