OT. Shop build
- Thread starter Ernest T
- Start date
Put twice as many electrical outlets in there as you initially plan for. If you're doing a new slab, I suggest putting outlets in the slab floor for 220/110. That's really a nice feature.
Spray in insulation is a very nice feature if you can afford it. I built a 24x40 shop last year and two window units keep my shop 70 degrees.
Spray in insulation is a very nice feature if you can afford it. I built a 24x40 shop last year and two window units keep my shop 70 degrees.
A louvered exhaust fan in the gable opposite your door. It will suck out any fumes, plus it pulls out any hot air from the ceiling. Best thing I added to mine.
If building it yourself, plan it so you have to do as little cutting and waste as little lumber as possible. I built a shop and made the walls 9 ft high, well OSB comes in 4x8 sheets, so had to rip a bunch of them to get that extra foot, same on the length and width, it you want it 30 feet wide it, make it 32 feet and so on.
I'll probably do a "pole barn" type build or commercial metal building on my next one.
Other than that, make a secret entrance opposite side from the house in case a hot single mom moves near by so you can shuttle her in and out discreetly.
I'll probably do a "pole barn" type build or commercial metal building on my next one.
Other than that, make a secret entrance opposite side from the house in case a hot single mom moves near by so you can shuttle her in and out discreetly.
Great advice.
I once built a deck that was 33’x varying depths out to 17’. First big thing I ever built. So much wasted wood.
Free advice for folks who look at this thread and consider following suit. Make damn sure you know whether local regulations could be triggered. There are potentially municipal or county regulations that may require zoning action, permitting requirements, set backs, and code enforcement. Find out before you invest. If you are an unfortunate soul that lives within a platted subdivision, make damn sure you know whether there are restrictive covenants that could sneak up and bite your ***.
My cousin, who is a dumbass, built a mother in law cottage on his property. The city, only on final inspection, caught that he was zoned for only a single structure. So he had to connect the two in this massive architectural monstrosity of a house.
Use horizontal windows (instead of vertical or portrait) placed up high to allow light in and still use for ventilation and help keep the crack heads from breaking in and stealing your stuff. Also put a touchpad lock on the entry door so you don't have to go get keys every time you're outside and need 1 little thing from inside shop. We discussed in a thread mini splits last week for heat and air, do it. I put garage door openers in both bays. They both use my home wifi to text me and let me know when the doors go up as long as I have cell service. They will also remind me at night if the doors are up and I can check from anywhere their status. Add lots of LED's overhead, no heat and high lumens at low costs.
Mini splits are nice and I have one upstairs, but if I can put a window unit on the backside of shop, I'd go that route. A 12000 BTU window unit will run less than $500 and it is easy to install and to replace when it stops working. A 12000 BTU mini split is $3k ish plus installation and make sure whoever installs it knows what he is doing, because if not perfectly level and drained, it will leak inside the building. Mini splits heat also, but in a shop in MS I don't worry about heat (would use a space heater if i needed it). Obviously if the OP is in a colder climate, he will need to worry more about heat.
Not just air lines, but 3-4” schedule 40 (with a happy amount of blue glue) inside walls or ceiling for added air storage. Then neck it down to standard air fittings with pressure gauges, regulators and cutoffs on outside of wall or recessed in wall.
Recessed anchor points in concrete slab with metal covers is always a nice add. Never know when you will use it to anchor something down and use hoist or lift to pull or straighten something.
Use 2x6 for studs on one section of inner wall. Instead of covering with sheet rock or plywood, make shelves on one side.
Recessed anchor points in concrete slab with metal covers is always a nice add. Never know when you will use it to anchor something down and use hoist or lift to pull or straighten something.
Use 2x6 for studs on one section of inner wall. Instead of covering with sheet rock or plywood, make shelves on one side.
- Bathroom and shower ( shower is actually on the back wall. It is nice when I come in nasty and want to shower off.
- Build bigger and taller than you think you would need
- Put double the amount of electrical outlets that you think you will need
- Spray foam insulation
- I put some of the opaque plastic tin on the top 5 or so feet. About 4 on each side. They let in a lot of light.
- Also have 4 windows. One has a a/c unit but like the idea of them being up top.
- Run air all around the shop and get a reel for the top
- Drop electrical cords from the ceiling. I have about 8. Use them 10x as often as the walls
- I have a lean-to off the side and am going to be putting one on the other side to put all my implements out of the weather.
- I have a covered awning out front ~24'. Wouldn't trade it for anything. Sometimes I am working on multiple projects and it is nice to have a place out of the weather/sun. Also nice to have a place to back a trailer if you don't want to unload something.
- I built a platform in the back that is tall enough to park my SxS, zero turn, 4-wheeler, etc... I use the top for all of my wife's storage. I would put a door beside the stairs so I don't have to carry everything past my junk.
- I have a lift that I built I can roll around but would rather have one in the ceiling.
- Friend has a hole in the floor for him to change oil on tractors and what not. Wish I had that.
- Fridge
- LED lights up high in shop and over lean-to and awning.
- Good Lights over your work area.
Will add more as I think of it.
- Build bigger and taller than you think you would need
- Put double the amount of electrical outlets that you think you will need
- Spray foam insulation
- I put some of the opaque plastic tin on the top 5 or so feet. About 4 on each side. They let in a lot of light.
- Also have 4 windows. One has a a/c unit but like the idea of them being up top.
- Run air all around the shop and get a reel for the top
- Drop electrical cords from the ceiling. I have about 8. Use them 10x as often as the walls
- I have a lean-to off the side and am going to be putting one on the other side to put all my implements out of the weather.
- I have a covered awning out front ~24'. Wouldn't trade it for anything. Sometimes I am working on multiple projects and it is nice to have a place out of the weather/sun. Also nice to have a place to back a trailer if you don't want to unload something.
- I built a platform in the back that is tall enough to park my SxS, zero turn, 4-wheeler, etc... I use the top for all of my wife's storage. I would put a door beside the stairs so I don't have to carry everything past my junk.
- I have a lift that I built I can roll around but would rather have one in the ceiling.
- Friend has a hole in the floor for him to change oil on tractors and what not. Wish I had that.
- Fridge
- LED lights up high in shop and over lean-to and awning.
- Good Lights over your work area.
Will add more as I think of it.
Thanks for the ideas. I plan to use the shop for maintenance of equipment a little woodworking and a small meat processing area for deer.
Storage of equipment will be under a lean to. I am planning a 12’ lean to on one side.
I was planning a 10’ covered awning on the front
I am wanting a place to wash equipment. I was thinking have the lean to go out to the end of the awning for this area.
Storage of equipment will be under a lean to. I am planning a 12’ lean to on one side.
I was planning a 10’ covered awning on the front
I am wanting a place to wash equipment. I was thinking have the lean to go out to the end of the awning for this area.
Woodworking: make room for a central sawdust collector and run hoses to all of your saws with a shutoff valve for each section (e.g. close valves to tablesaw and planer when using mitre saw). This will reduce dust substantially. Also, central compressed air with air lines/drops at least on both ends. If possible locate vacuum and air compressor under lean to so that the noise isn't an issue. Get remote controls for the power to the compressor and vacuum so you can just press a button inside the shop to turn them on.
General Rule: Make it bigger than you think you need. Mine is 20x30 and I could easily use 30x40 or bigger.
General Rule: Make it bigger than you think you need. Mine is 20x30 and I could easily use 30x40 or bigger.
Mine's a wood shop. I ended up building a finishing booth kind of thing for my HVLP spraying of woodworking projects, would have been nice to make it part of the plan. Someone earlier suggested central dust collector - they can be a bit noisy so if you plan that out right and build yourself an isolated cabinet/closet it can really help with that.
Biggest thing for me was putting in a more resilient floor. Woodworking is a lot of standing around and concrete will eat up your knees and dropped tools. I put a
plywood floor on top of a DMX liner in the section where I do woodworking and it made a tremendous difference in comfort, saved tools, and keeps my feet noticeably warmer in the winter.
Biggest thing for me was putting in a more resilient floor. Woodworking is a lot of standing around and concrete will eat up your knees and dropped tools. I put a
plywood floor on top of a DMX liner in the section where I do woodworking and it made a tremendous difference in comfort, saved tools, and keeps my feet noticeably warmer in the winter.
1. The top thing on this list should be to build as large as possible. Anything else is a far distant second. Most other things can be added later. So, make provisions for them even if you don't have the budget to finish them right now. I ran through my budget going 50x50 and made provisions for a full bath. The bathroom still isn't finished and the walls are still bare studs. But I still have my 4 wide 2 deep Garage Mahal.
2. Do what you can to not draw the wife's attention as to how large your shop is.
2.a- Make the overall height of the roof slightly less than your house. Smaller will reduce the usable upstairs space, but more will draw attention.
2.b- Use materials that will blend in with the house as much as possible - brick, shingle, soffit... I also connected the shop to the house with a breezeway. If you do this, make sure the breezeway is at least 15 feet wide from gutter to gutter. I wish that had been spelled out specifically in the contract with my builder but it wasn't. Now I think bad thoughts about my contractor every time it comes a blowing rain storm.
3. Have a drain in the floor for washing vehicles in the winter or hosing down the floor after processing deer.
4. Outlets, Outlets and more Outlets.
2. Do what you can to not draw the wife's attention as to how large your shop is.
2.a- Make the overall height of the roof slightly less than your house. Smaller will reduce the usable upstairs space, but more will draw attention.
2.b- Use materials that will blend in with the house as much as possible - brick, shingle, soffit... I also connected the shop to the house with a breezeway. If you do this, make sure the breezeway is at least 15 feet wide from gutter to gutter. I wish that had been spelled out specifically in the contract with my builder but it wasn't. Now I think bad thoughts about my contractor every time it comes a blowing rain storm.
3. Have a drain in the floor for washing vehicles in the winter or hosing down the floor after processing deer.
4. Outlets, Outlets and more Outlets.
You guys are making me my place back in Starkville and my 30x40 shop with foundation, water, and bathroom. No insulation but a big *** gas powered heater that would blow the place warm an toasty in minutes. Fridge, freezer, two long work benches, and tons of shelves.
Wish I could have brought it to Texas with me.
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