Thanks!
The overall room is 13'x9'. My "work area", the part of the floor that drains and I actually stand in, is 9'x9'. The non-draining, raised part of the floor is to the left when walking in the door, and is 4'x9'. That's included in the 13'x9' overall. That area holds my conical, swamp reservoir, grain mill, and keg etc. storage.
I thought it was going to be a little cramped, but it's turned out to be just right. Everything is very organized, and the size of the space means everything is only a few steps away when I need it, which is great. I commonly have an extra person or two in the room on brew days as well, and it's not a problem. It's not as tight as one would think. When I bottle, I move the leftmost kettle off the bench, and use the bench as my bottling area.
For me, the size is perfect. There are a few things that make that true for me though, which you should consider.
- I only keep ingredients (other than hops) on hand for at most 2 beers in advance, so I don't need a lot of grain sotrage space
- I have another room for my conditioning keezer and serving fridge
- I don't store finished beer in the brewery, that's all elsewhere
- My conical is temp controlled with an immersion coil, so it's a lot smaller footprint than a conical in a refrigerator
My brewery is literally just that, my brewery. It contains all of the stuff I need to brew and ferment beer, without leaving the room. When the beer leaves the conical, it also leaves the room. So if you have similar options for storage and conditioning (elsewhere), you'd be in good shape. But if you have to cram your entire process including conditioning and serving into the same room, you'll definitely need more space. At least 2x long term. If you do go for one big room, keep it narrow and long. Square rooms waste space, and prevent you from organizing things into linear steps.
My only regret is I wish I had the space for a 2-basin sink + the drain board. What I have is great, but I wish for a second basin often. Also, get the sprayer!! Best choice I made in the build. I use it constantly.
Edit: I should take updated pictures. It has evolved and settled in a lot.