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[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

> The bank barn seems to me a great idea.  Apparently
> that idea did not cross the Mississippi, as the only
> ones I have seen or read about were the "western
> barn".

Our Wisconsin barn had three levels, utilizing the slope of a  
hillside. Bottom level was where the cows were stanchioned, fed and  
milked, also a heifer wing for young stock, also the area for moving  
silage out of the silo and into the feed bins in front of the cows.  
The next level up could be driven into in the middle with a team or  
later a tractor and on that same level were the horse stalls. The  
haymow was the top level, filled from the high part of the hill via  
hay forks/tongs.
> After our discussion a few days ago I went to my wife
> and warn her that she may need to tell me not to
> design a "barn" with the dwelling in the hayloft and
> the basement workshop.  Don't know if I would actually
> want animals below the dwelling.

Think free heat. Many northern European barns were on one end of a  
structure, the human living quarters on the other end. In addition to  
heat, such an arrangement works very well when there is heavy snow  
outside.

>   Since I design things for pleasure, I'm now working
> on that design.
> When she agreed to leave Arizona, her emotional home,
> and move to Missouri, my emotional home, she did on
> the condition that she could select the house. (a
> cruel thing to do to a designer/architect)

Boy, you must have really been motivated to get to Missouri.