Jpatter, you say the house is an old Queen Anne so I’m assuming the attic is a third level and likely accessed through either narrow and/or winding stairs? When the wife and I were first married we rented a house where I set up a workshop in an attic. That workshop was fine for the times but would be a no can do now with all the equipment I own now, not to mention taking my birds up and down two sets of stairs every time. If my assumptions about your house are correct, personally I would put that money into a garage shop.

However if your determined to use the attic space it sure would make for a sweet one. I suggest starting with paper and pencil and doing various layouts like kitchen designers do. Then go into the attic space with masking tape and put your favorite design on the floor to get a full-scale feel for what you want. Just remember once the walls go up it will feel much smaller.