BLUF: Looking for advice on where to seat my main electrical panel(s) for a new home build. Should I stick to one main panel in the garage or run a subpanel at the opposite end of the house to save on home runs?

The Layout:

- Location: Near Austin, TX (Slab on grade).

- Main House: 50' x 90' welded steel barndominium.

- Pole Barn: 40' x 60' (already built).

- Distances: 160' from the transformer to the pole barn; 100' from the pole barn to the house corner.

The Current Setup:

I’ve already run 400A underground to the pole barn. I have two 200A panels there: one powers the barn, and the other is currently empty. I plan to pull the feed for the house from that second 200A panel.

The Questions:

1. Where should the house panel go?

If I put it in the garage, I’m debating between:

- Option A: Placing it on the wall closest to the pole barn to save on the cost of the heavy feeder wire.

- Option B: Placing it closer to the home’s interior to reduce the length of all the individual home runs (I’m leaning toward this).

- Option C: If it’s on a shared wall between the garage and the interior, is it better to have the panel face into the garage or into the conditioned space?

2. Is a second panel worth it?

Since the house is 90 feet long, I’m considering putting a 100A subpanel on the far side. I tend to go a bit overboard with lighting and dedicated circuits when I’m doing my own work, and I’m starting to think that running dozens of long home runs across a 90-foot span is going to be a nightmare (and expensive).

Would it be smarter to just slug one big feeder to a subpanel on the far end and branch out from there?

I’d appreciate any insight from the pros or anyone who has tackled a similar footprint!

(Cross-posted to r/electrical)

Disclaimer: I wrote this post 100% myself and only used AI to help me with formatting (numbered list/bolding… which I then had to redo myself in an edit after posting anyway...

My HOM1 pen busted earlier this year- it started only writing when not in contact with the surface, even with calibration. I was in the middle of an INTENSE course, so I rushed a replacement nib for it to me. Well, that replacement also died about a month ago, so I ordered a HOM2 pen. It arrived and worked/felt GREAT.

It just died in the middle of a sentence of writing. It will no longer write at all. I have had it less than a month, and the only thing I am seeing is a $50 refill? I am going to have to move to another company if the pen is essentially a $50/month subscription.

I should note that I have never dropped or damaged my pens- I take very good care of them, but I do use them a lot.

Anyone know a solution to fixing the pens I already own? I don't want to buy a 3rd pen- these things are expensive!

Goal: create and sell fine guitars and basses (acoustic! … though I imagine my first instruments will likely be electric) as a business.

Current situation:

- retired. I make 7K a month in retirement payments

- home/property paid off. I currently work a 110K/yr job as extra income, but I have to quit soon (see “extra data” below for why)

- 150K Woodshop already GTG on property (25x40. Sawstop 3hp PCS, 8 inch helical jointer, onefinity CNC, Glowforge laser engraver, planer, etc on and on. It’s a pretty full shop. I make bookpresses and furniture currently. It’s just a hobby that brings in occasional windfalls of money.

- 80K audio production facility connected to the Woodshop. I used to record bands, then audiobooks, and I’m going to use YouTube as a marketing avenue, leveraging the recording studio for audio & video production.

- I have lots of woodworking experience, and my style is extreme precision (1,000% this is a fault. I’m hoping it’s less of a fault in fine instrument building)

My perceived gap:

- I am planning on attending Roberto Venn. While I have plenty of woodworking experience and equipment, I lack specialized experience in this niche.

- I don’t have anywhere to do finishing yet. I do have plenty of square footage in the pole barn to do something about that, but I have nothing yet.

- I don’t have a drum thickness sander yet (I imagine this will be a great help when building acoustics)

- I have some experience making YouTube content, which I feel turned out pretty slick – this is my first idea for helping to market my instruments: show people how I build them.

- Lastly, even though I feel like I have a really good headstart on this dream with what I currently have, I’m not entirely sure that making profit as a one person shop even feasible these days? This unknown makes me pretty nervous actually. If I’m going to do something, I need it to actually generate money instead of being a drain. I am fine with upfront investment (like the school and special tooling I might not yet have) but there needs to actually be a light at the tunnel with net profit.

I would appreciate everyone’s advice, as this is honestly a pretty big turning point in my life right now, and I am scared to pull the trigger. Even though I have a safety net and everything will be ok- once I leave my current “six figure” job I know I’ll never get it or anything like it ever again… which is scary. I can’t 100% explain why it scares me like it does, but it does.

Extra data:

- I have a wife and daughter who is 10

- I have extremely severe PTSD, and it keeps me from working a job with other people. Like, not an option. I don’t go out in public much anymore either, too risky I’ll freak out on somebody and end up talking to police :( I have no control over this at all yet, so working with others is NOT an option anymore. Unless it’s a dog, then GET THIS DOG A NAMETAG, ASAP! lol)

- I am in Texas, 1 hour outside Austin

- my wife is very successful, and she still works, though she too will retire in the next 5 years.

- my wife and I are 41.