I think an addition would be more expensive than a shed; however, I think that's the best way to go. (1) You wouldn't have to go outside in bad weather. Aside from the convenience, it reduces the chances of a bad fall. We are all aging and, at a certain point, balance and reflexes are not as good as they used to be, increasing the chances of a bad fall. (2) It would increase the value of your house because it would add main floor square footage. A shed would probably not increase sale value of your house by much, and might even be a drawback for some buyers. If the cost is nearly the same, the addition would be the better value-for-money in terms of home equity. (3) You can put doors on the addition so you are still somewhat cut off from the rest of the house if/when you want to be alone in your quilting studio. On the other hand, you can open doors so you can easily tend to household tasks such as laundry and cooking.
I agree with looking into the possibility of adding an interior staircase for your current studio. Assuming it's feasible, I would think about making the staircase wide so that you can add an electric stair lift. This could be used as a seat for yourself, of course, but it could also serve as a safe way to get items up and down the stairs. A friend of mine has two neighbors, both of whom had accidents while carrying things down a staircase. They were both very serious accidents. In one case the woman was carrying a basket of laundry down the stairs, couldn't see the stairs, and missed the last step. The other was a woman with socks on who slipped coming down the stairs. These were both interior staircases.
My 32 cents worth of advice...... (taking into account inflation)
Last edited by Prism99; 10-20-2015 at 11:33 AM.