# Kicking Off This Forum...



## HMF (Dec 12, 2016)

I don't know how I could have been so thoughtless. Not everyone here is a builder or electrician. Not all are carpenters.

It's very helpful to see how others put together their shops. ALL kinds of shops. In the basement. In the shed. In a dedicated outbuilding.

Let's see how YOU do it, PLEASE!
We can only learn from this.


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## GA Gyro (Dec 12, 2016)

Good idea Nels....


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## Cheeseking (Dec 12, 2016)

I would also be interested to see by the numbers as to where our members set up shops.  Basement, attached garage, detached garage, shed, outbuilding, rented space, industrial condo, etc.   I think theres even one or two that set up in a bedroom


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## T Bredehoft (Dec 12, 2016)

I'll start. My shop is in the lower level of what realtors seem to call a raised ranch, the house is one level, Upstairs entrance at grade, but built on a hillside with a garage on one end and the rest of the lower level finished. It's our true living area, computers, TV, phones, recliners, couch, research files (eight legal sized four drawer file cabinets) and my shop, 13' by 16' furnace room. Its crowded, but everything is within a couple of steps. As someone else said, "cozy."

_Edit:_ exchange 'raised' for 'split.'


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## dlane (Dec 13, 2016)

Be headed to this one for metal work shortly, Sheetrocked insulated , boat deep , 220 v ,shelves 
And this one for wood shop


Should close on the place this week, behind storage shed 50yrds is a large lake no rear neighbors
Most of 1/3 ac is paved, no more living on tractor/lawnmower cutting grass, going to take a while to get moved and set up, but it should workout ok , no mortgage
Gonna need a boat.


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## FLguy (Dec 13, 2016)

Cheeseking said:


> I would also be interested to see by the numbers as to where our members set up shops.  Basement, attached garage, detached garage, shed, outbuilding, rented space, industrial condo, etc.   I think theres even one or two that set up in a bedroom


Yup, my shop is a bedroom. Very nice to have the A/c and Heat. I wish for more space but....


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## RandyM (Dec 13, 2016)

Cheeseking said:


> I would also be interested to see by the numbers as to where our members set up shops.  Basement, attached garage, detached garage, shed, outbuilding, rented space, industrial condo, etc.   I think theres even one or two that set up in a bedroom



OK, let's have some fun. I will set it up as a poll, please vote.


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## Cheeseking (Dec 13, 2016)

I hear you FLguy.  You do what works.  Mine is in basement.  20' x 30' area.   It was the best option for what I had to work with.  My third garage bay 12 x 35 houses our boat year round.  If I put the shop there then I'd have to pay for storage.   
Moving days in/out are tough for sure but being cool and dry in summer with no mosquito bites and warm in winter at 2:00 am sure is nice!     
Luckily theres 9' clear under the floor joists and a concrete staircase access via the garage +1ton gantry to make it managable.   My someday dream shop would be a seperate, ground level building with heat, AC and a little mini kitchen, bathroom and mancave sleeping cot AND seperate room to park toys like boats etc.   Maybe in retirement....


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## ptomli (Dec 14, 2016)

In the new year I will be starting construction of a new workshop, part of a detached building incorporating a "granny flat" and single garage. The garage, 3m x 6.6m, will become the workshop, and I may be able to use the attached flat as a "clean space" when it's not occupied.

It is going to be a fairly slow process getting the building complete as it's being done on a bit of a budget, but I now have some time since I'll be working from home, so I can keep plugging away at it.

The plan is to DIY as much as I can and since I'm no bricklayer it'll likely be built using Stumbelbloc [http://stumbelbloc.com/], an interesting diversion all on its own.

At the moment I'm just site clearing, removing trees and whatever.


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## MonkMan (Dec 14, 2016)

I purpose built a separate garage/workshop building next to the house and connected with a breezeway. The structure is 26' wide x 40' deep and provides about 1000 S.F. of usable shop / garage area at ground level, with an additional 14' x 39' x 8' high space on the 2nd floor. The ground level area is 11' high and is fully insulated, heated and air conditioned. A 200 amp panel was installed on a separate metered service.


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## RandyM (Dec 14, 2016)

Here is my outbuilding set up.


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## FOMOGO (Dec 14, 2016)

Nice place Randy. What does your street sign say? Mike


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## RandyM (Dec 14, 2016)

FOMOGO said:


> Nice place Randy. *What does your street sign say*? Mike



Thanks Mike. It says "Chevy Country".


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## CluelessNewB (Dec 14, 2016)

My current shop is detached 2 car garage with only one garage door.  It's about 24x24 with 7'8" ceilings.  The roof has a rather shallow pitch so storage space above is limited.  If I was building new I would do a gambrel roof, but this is what was there when we purchased the property.  I have 100 Amp 220 service.  I do not have running water.  I have a Modine "Hot Dawg" propane heater which keeps it toasty but I do not heat it all the time.  It is insulated.   The interior walls and ceiling are 1x6 V match white pine (a local product).   The pine was a low grade and was very inexpensive but did require pruning out lots of defects.   It was varnished but after a few years has become significantly darker.  I like the look but if I had to do it again I might choose white paint.  The 1x6 interior is great because I can hang stuff anywhere.

You can't have enough electric outlets and lighting!   I have two ceiling mounted retractable power cord reels that I use all the time.  I have 4  220V 20amp outlets but now I have 7 machines so currently I plug and unplug.  Someday I plan to add a few more.  I have a mixture of fluorescent and incandescent lights.  The fluorescent fixtures don't like real cold weather.  The incandescent bulbs are being replaced with LED's a bit at a time.  I'm waiting for some BR30's to go on sale.  All of the "A" style bulbs have been replaced already.  When the old fluorescent fixtures die they will get replaced with LED fixtures also.   The building is built on a slab so the downstairs stays relatively cool in the summer, the unheated, un-insulated upstairs is freezing in the winter and like an oven in the summer.    

If I had it to do all over again knowing what I know now:
  1) I would paint the floor white.
  2) I would consider removing the roof and changing it to a gambrel roof.
  3) More 220V outlets
  4) White paint on the ceiling and maybe the walls. 

If I was building from scratch  
  1) all of the above
  2) 9 or 10ft ceilings
  3) 2x6 exterior walls (current are 2x4)
  4) maybe running water?
  5) maybe wood stove for heat?


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## FOMOGO (Dec 14, 2016)

RandyM said:


> Thanks Mike. It says "Chevy Country".



  I come from a different country, but very nice none the less.  Cheers, Mike


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## eugene13 (Dec 18, 2016)

Here's a picture of my shop before we poured the floor, coal fired hot water heat is the way to go in this country, the heat stabilizes the sub strata and prevents frost heave.  I've recently expanded the system to our house across the street, we've been having some sub zero temps but the house and shop are toasty.  We also heat our domestic water with the system, it's a guilt free hot shower. I have to re-fuel my boiler every three days when it's this cold, (700 lbs) but it's good exercise.  We're zoned single family residence so in order to stay within the intent of the rules I had to build a 12' X 30'  guest house with a bath and bedroom.


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## GA Gyro (Dec 18, 2016)

T Bredehoft said:


> I'll start. My shop is in the lower level of what realtors seem to call a raised ranch, the house is one level, Upstairs entrance at grade, but built on a hillside with a garage on one end and the rest of the lower level finished. It's our true living area, computers, TV, phones, recliners, couch, research files (eight legal sized four drawer file cabinets) and my shop, 13' by 16' furnace room. Its crowded, but everything is within a couple of steps. As someone else said, "cozy."
> 
> _Edit:_ exchange 'raised' for 'split.'



Currently, I live in a 4 level split level... I would like to move to what you have:  A Ranch (or L Ranch) with a full high ceiling basement... would be a lot more convenient...


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## Cheeseking (Dec 18, 2016)

eugene13 said:


> Here's a picture of my shop before we poured the floor, coal fired hot water heat is the way to go in this country, the heat stabilizes the sub strata and prevents frost heave.



Thats awesome setup.   Using the whole slab as a radiator is a great way to go.   If I ever have the luxury of building again it will have in floor radiant for sure.


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## Cheeseking (Dec 18, 2016)

Well with temps well below zero here I'm not presently complaining being toasty warm down here in the basement .  

9' ceilings are nice.   For anyone planning to build, the incremental cost to dig extra foot and concrete is well worth it.  Not just for workshops but for finishing in general.     
Just enough clearance for assembing BP and pcnc1100


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## FOMOGO (Dec 18, 2016)

Cheeseking said:


> Well with temps well below zero here I'm not presently complaining being toasty warm down here in the basement .
> 
> 9' ceilings are nice.   For anyone planning to build, the incremental cost to dig extra foot and concrete is well worth it.  Not just for workshops but for finishing in general.
> Just enough clearance for assembing BP and pcnc1100


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## seasicksteve (Dec 18, 2016)

eugene13 said:


> Here's a picture of my shop before we poured the floor, coal fired hot water heat is the way to go in this country, the heat stabilizes the sub strata and prevents frost heave.



I set up my shop just like you did. I sized the boiler large enough that I can use it to heat the house as well, just piped the hot water across the yard to the house and run it through the existing furnace via a heat exchange coil. I have to check the boiler every other day to refill and empty the ash. It works out nicely keeping the dust and ash out of the house. Eugene do you use anthracite coal? What is the brand of boiler you use?


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## eugene13 (Dec 18, 2016)

We have low sulfur sub-bituminous coal here, note the name of our town, my boiler is made by Coalman, in Winkler Manatoba, and it's not really a boiler as it operates at atmospheric pressure.  They were great people to work with, I sent them a simple drawing of my floor plan and they sent me back a schematic for the placement of the Pex tubing.  When we were pouring the floor I ran water through the tubing so it wouldn't float and we had a 15 degree temprature difference between inlet and outlet.  It is dirty, and a lot of work to maintain, but it's cheap and very reliable, I fueled and ashed Friday and will fuel and ash tomorrow morning.


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## ncwg2boatguy (Sep 26, 2017)

MonkMan said:


> I purpose built a separate garage/workshop building next to the house and connected with a breezeway. The structure is 26' wide x 40' deep and provides about 1000 S.F. of usable shop / garage area at ground level, with an additional 14' x 39' x 8' high space on the 2nd floor. The ground level area is 11' high and is fully insulated, heated and air conditioned. A 200 amp panel was installed on a separate metered service.
> View attachment 141315


Jealous. Very nice setup.


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## rzbill (Sep 26, 2017)

Similar to an earlier poster, my shop is the basement.  It is a house I designed with input from my better half.  Kinda' like a raised ranch. Solar, so my 'pipe organ' or 'still' if you prefer is along one wall of the shop. Radiant water heated floor since I was tired of flopping around on cold concrete of previous raised ranch houses. She gave me heck about designing the shop around the plan view of the experimental plane we built.  1400 sq ft shop with garage door on one end.


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## bfd (Sep 26, 2017)

I have a 30'x60' metal building in my back yard It is my wood and metal shop in the footprint of my building I have a 10'x15' office and bathroom combo and a 10'x15' covered storage area so my actual shop space if 30'x50' I had it built by a local company. I did the electrical and plumbing work inside myself. shop was built to county specs I was only allowed so big. its been a real good work space it filled up so easily but cleans up so hard bill


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## Flynth (Dec 30, 2017)

Starting a dedicated forum for hobby workshops is a great idea. I've recently built my workshop and I'm still looking for the best way to finish the inside, choose the final layout, what best kind of sink to use etc.

I recently moved to a property that allowed me to build pretty much anything I want as long as it is no bigger than 35 square meters or wider than 4.8m (that's around 370 square feet and no more than about 15 ft wide).

The building on the photo below is the result. It is 20m from my house and now that we're in a middle of winter I wish I thought about some sort of covered walkway like one of the posters above did 




It is still being built on the photo below. Currently the weather is quite bad (mist with the sun behind the building) that a photo would not come out properly. The size is 4.8x7m and it is so tall so I can have an upper floor over the front half of it. There is also large garage-style sliding door on the other side and 1.6m deck I'll build shelves for storing raw materials on the back. This is why the roof extends behind the back of the building. It is insulated and still not fully painted on the outside. 

If I could do things differently I would choose a contractor who knew what he was doing... As I ended up trusting a guy who was building it and I only started checking his construction techniques when it was too late. There are no dangerous issues with the construction, but one of the things that should be done differently is the way it was insulated.I now have water condensation issues due to inadequate venting between the outside membrane and the cladding so I'll be adding plastic vents etc. Also the bits of the wall at the very bottom were lacking a way to prevent water ingress there when it rains and there is high wind at the same time. Basically it is now over 3 months since it was "finished" and despite having to put in a lot of work I still have to deal with few small issues. 

Regardless of the above I enjoy it a lot. I have a 2ton WMW (Heckert) FW220 milling machine there and other smaller machines and tools I could never fit in my previous shed-shop you can see a bit of in the background (it is 3x4m).

I have 3 phase power here (40 amps each phase or 28kW as it is described by the electric company). Although I'm a programmer by trade I have a background in electrics so I wired it and built a panel myself. I have each 3 phase machine on own circuit breakers. Every 3 phase wire being 4sq mm or 11awg wire so no longer I have to deal with a voltage drop that would switch off a plasma cutter when cutting half inch plate (this its max). 

I have put in pipes for water, sewage and cooling water loop from my rainwater tank, but I had no time to hook them up yet. 

If people are interested in how I have it set up I'll post more photos. 

It is cool to be able to see other people's construction and compare.


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## PHPaul (Dec 30, 2017)

I have a split personality.    Mechanical work, welding and woodworking in the unheated garage.  24x48 and too dang small.  




Mini lathe, electronics, model building and reloading in the (heated) basement.


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## Brain Coral (Dec 31, 2017)

I built my house/shop 9 years ago. Technically, it is a house with attached garage.... All the lower level is my shop, 26' x 36' with 10' 6" ceilings. Upstairs is my living quarters with a very comfortable one bedroom house, with just a little less square footage than the shop. There is no 3 phase power running by on my road, so I make do with a couple of RPC's.

Here's a couple of pics...







I have to "thin the herd" ... 

Brian


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## alloy (Oct 13, 2018)

I bought a house in June and it has a 1700 square foot shop.   It only had 70 amps of power taken from the house and I just yesterday completed a 400 amp upgrade. The upgrade was so much more work that I'd anticipated. Apparently we do things differently than the nation code says.  I sent pics to the inspector and I'm glad I did.  Had to make a couple of changes but I passed with flying colors.  

Now both the house and shop have 200 amps each.  I'm going to install a mini split from Mr Cool.  It's a DYI installation unit.   I have no heat now at all and it's getting chilly in there.  My mini split came in yesterday and I'd like to start installing it, but I got a bunch of work in from some pesky customers of mine, and unfortunately work comes before play time with my new project


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## mike44 (Sep 10, 2020)

My shop is 20'x30'x8' ceiling. 10" pitch so I have a loft area. I am a retired carpenter so building a shop was easy. The floor is 12" engineered joists on 16" centers with 3/4" plywood sheathing for a subfloor. 1/4" luan plywood with vinyl tiles over subfloor. This crawl space construction with concrete Sono Tube piers. Ceiling joists are 10" engineered joists with 3/4" plywood sheathing. Blue flame natural gas heater, 30,000 BTU heats the shop comfortably.  Added a 10,000 BTU window air conditioner this year.
I wanted a 12,000 BTU AC but this one was brand new still in the box for $100.00. The fellow told me he decided to sell the house and did not want to ship the AC to Idaho from NJ. I sheathed the walls with 7/16" OSB, inside and outside. Inside I screwed the smooth face to the studs. I did not paint the walls, like the rustic look and have lots of double hung windows which I made. 
Only change I would make is eliminating the pull down attic door and installing exterior stairs. The shop started out as a wood shop, I started machining about 12/15 years ago. 
I recall spending $9000.00 on materials in 1997 ( not positive of the date). This did not include the heater or AC and vinyl tile.
I think I paid $6.00 or less for OSB sheathing. 1/2" plywood on the roof with asphalt shingles. 
mike


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