Shop Renovation: Ned's Shop gets a facelift: Relocation plans

Ned Bulken

Member
Messages
5,529
Location
Lakeport NY and/or the nearest hotel
Hi Gang: I'm sitting in a hotel down in Wytheville VA at the moment, so bear with me as I start a new thread about my shop up in NY. Lori, Patrick and I are going to be returning to NY next month. Long story... summation being that the house we're living in has to be sold to settle the estate and we can't afford it given how bad our jobs have been down here. SO we're going back North... i'll continue with Lifetouch until I can land a full time day job somewhere in the Syracuse/Utica area. This means that I'll be hauling all of my tools and lumber back up north to NY again, and putting it all back in the shop. Since I've got a relative blank slate to work with floorplan and shop wise, I'm going to take the opportunity to do a couple of upgrades to the building, things that I always 'meant to do' but never managed to get to. In no particular order:
  • Solar heat
  • DC bump out
  • better lumber storage
  • new door
  • better steps/deck
  • power
  • AC
as it stands now, the Solar heat is going to be done second... as I already have all of the materials on hand for that, or can get them for very little cash. Yes I realize that it is about to be summer... I know my building habits, if I start now, I Might get it done by the time I need it. LOLBetter lumber storage is going to be easy... and will be done first thing once we get all of the tools back up north. I've been thinking of how I had the shop laid out before the move to VA... and I'm going to be rearranging where things live. here's a view of the shop 'now'
full.jpg
the lumber racks are on the East/Right wall as one walks in the shop. All are up at least 4' from the ground, going all the way up to 10'. I've decided I'm going to move them so that they're all in the corner below the overhead sheet goods rack (which is at 7' high, plenty of room underneath it) This will free up the corner just inside the doorway for what I plan on being the 'Table saw' area. The racks I have are perfectly serviceable, I'm just going to relocate them to the lower section of wall in the corner. Another reason I'm planning this is that the new Solar heat will require a couple of holes for air flow, and the ingress would be right in the middle of the wood racks, probably not good for the lumber long term. The New door will replace the shop bulit ones which I've honestly had a hate/hate relationship with for a couple of years. I'm planning on getting a pre-hung exterior door from a local yard, locating it in the center of the current 6' wide opening. That will be the simplest and most secure way to fix an ongoing problem. It will also allow me to bring the solar further along the east wall, increasing my 'free' heat capabilities. DC bumpout: that will definitely have to wait for funding to build up awhile, In the meantime my little 3/4 hp Jet will just live near the TS and planer and Jointer. Power... going to trench a power line out to the shop and put in a sub panel. Again, funding allowing.New Steps/Deck. Allen and Mark can both attest that my steps are somewhat... rudimentary. Going to bite the bullet and build a proper set of steps and a deck on the East end of the shop... Lori won't like giving up more yard to the shop, but that's OK, I've always had that in my head, I'm just going to do it one weekend (OK, you can stop laughing now...), would you believe one Week? AC, nothing fancy, just a window rattler stuck through the wall. more as I think of it, and will post pics once the migration has happened.
 
Last edited:
Well, first off, sorry things in VA did not work out as hoped. I know you were looking forward to things taking off and it must be a huge disappointment for you both. On the upside, you're more likely to get a visit from me in NY than in VA. :rofl:

Also good that you still have a home in NY to go to! I'm looking forward to the shop build thread, but even more so, looking forward to you both getting settled back in and finding good employment. I'm pullin' for you.
 
Sorry things did not work out for you in VA, but at least you still have your place in NY. Best of luck with the shop reno....OH the one good thing is you now have your shop again:thumb:
 
Well, first off, sorry things in VA did not work out as hoped. I know you were looking forward to things taking off and it must be a huge disappointment for you both. On the upside, you're more likely to get a visit from me in NY than in VA. :rofl:

Also good that you still have a home in NY to go to! I'm looking forward to the shop build thread, but even more so, looking forward to you both getting settled back in and finding good employment. I'm pullin' for you.
Thanks Rennie, It has been a bit of an eye opener... however, Onward and upward. We do still have the house in NY, and we'll be putting some money into that when get back up north. New Roof, Kitchen, Driveway, etc...
Door is always open whenever you're in the neighborhood. HOpefully it will be when I'm not on the road for Lifetouch any longer.

Sorry things did not work out for you in VA, but at least you still have your place in NY. Best of luck with the shop reno....OH the one good thing is you now have your shop again:thumb:
Thanks Tom, it is just one of those things... as my wife put it the other day, we moved down to VA in far too much of a hurry, the jobs weren't what we thought they'd be, and now we're paying the price. We've got a new grand-daughter on the way any day now, and we're looking forward to settling back into our old house and helping out on that front as well.

And yes indeed, I Do have my Shop still. Going to do my best to make sure I enjoy it once I'm back up there!
 
That sounds like a good plan, moving the lumber below the other will open a good amount of wall space in one area rather than eating up the whole length. :thumb:

As big as my shop is, there was very little actual wall space with the previous layout. However, even with the new walls, it fills up quick. A well thought out plan taking all your tools into account will make a big difference in utilizing the space.

Here's to the future...:champagne:
 
Hi Gang:
New Steps/Deck. Allen and Mark can both attest that my steps are somewhat... rudimentary.
.


I was thinking more along the lines of invisible? missing? stolen?

Im sorry you have to head back to NY, sounded like you were thrilled to be leaving, hope things change quickly up here for you.
you can always stop by on your way back and forth if you want to hang.
 
Wow, this just sounds like it must have been a lot of ups and downs... And you guys just got that bathroom redone also! I hope that your work situation improves back home up north!

...art

ps: and might I just add this to your shop list? "Insulation!" best done when it's empty! Paint the walls white (or some light colour) at the same time and it'll brighten up. I know I know, it is easy to spend someone else's money and time!!! ;)
 
That sounds like a good plan, moving the lumber below the other will open a good amount of wall space in one area rather than eating up the whole length. :thumb:

As big as my shop is, there was very little actual wall space with the previous layout. However, even with the new walls, it fills up quick. A well thought out plan taking all your tools into account will make a big difference in utilizing the space.

Here's to the future...:champagne:
Thanks Darren! Salut!

I've got 240 SF to work in... so every inch is precious... I intend to maximize every bit I can, I am adding one 'large' footprint tool to the mix, the 6" craftsman jointer my father bought last year for me. I can't wait to get that home and in action.


Ned, best of luck with the move back to NY. Looking forward to following your shop renov project.

Thanks Mohammad! Pics will be plentiful, I promise.

I was thinking more along the lines of invisible? missing? stolen?

Im sorry you have to head back to NY, sounded like you were thrilled to be leaving, hope things change quickly up here for you.
you can always stop by on your way back and forth if you want to hang.

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

Thanks Allen, I'm hoping to keep the trips north/south to a minimum this time... we're getting a larger truck so we Should be able to make the migration in one trip. I'm sure I'll be making more frequent trips to visit my folks' place going forward, and perhaps I'll detour to the Island every now and again.


Wow, this just sounds like it must have been a lot of ups and downs... And you guys just got that bathroom redone also! I hope that your work situation improves back home up north!

...art

ps: and might I just add this to your shop list? "Insulation!" best done when it's empty! Paint the walls white (or some light colour) at the same time and it'll brighten up. I know I know, it is easy to spend someone else's money and time!!! ;)

Art,
More downs than ups, but we've got our health and family still. Next to my parents, I'm going to miss that bathroom most of all from the house on Broad St.
There will be a couple of renovation threads up north eventually.

Actually there is insulation on 2 walls, and I am planning on throwing up a quick pack of insulation along that Northeastern wall, as well as the Eastern one before I hang some more 1/2" OSB. I'll need about 7 sheets of OSB, cheap enough and as you say, much easier to do when the walls aren't covered with tools or lumber. Paint... might take a bit more doing...
 
So sorry things didn't work out in Va, but I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and that things always work out for the best. Looking forward to watching all the improvements to the shop and home.
 
So sorry things didn't work out in Va, but I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and that things always work out for the best. Looking forward to watching all the improvements to the shop and home.
Thanks Bob, I'm treating it as a 'life lesson', and moving on. Lori and I while not exactly happy at the moment, are still together, our kids are healthy and we'll be together back in NY in just a few weeks. I'm looking forward to shop time again, as well as getting back into Lodge activities.
 
Hi guys & gals,
My work schedule is very light right now, so I'm taking the opportunity to do a summer cleaning and upgrade... or as Don might say 'finally finish the darned shop...':rolleyes:

After the year long hiatus, and so forth, there was/is a ton of stuff just crammed into the shop space. This past weekend Lori and I did our best to put a dent in the 'other stuff' pile. shop-cleaning-proof.jpg

yes, that was After serious sorting out. I took yesterday off to see some friends I hadn't had the opportunity to hang out with for far too long. Today with some help from all three of my boys, I made a serious amount of progress.

First we moved the bins, boxes and baskets of 'stuff' out of the shop, freeing up room to move the tall green cabinet away from the wood rack. This allowed me to get up on the ladder and unload all of the long lumber. Most of the 'big' maple, butternut and a few wider cherry boards wound up on the highest rack, which is approximately 8' in the air. Naturally this involved my eldest son first catching and then handing back up the boards in question. Here is the result of that part of things:




that left me with this left over:



for now, that is how that pile is going to stay, I ran out of daylight and gumption about the same time this evening.

Before I quit though, I pulled down the lower two levels of wood rack, which left this nice view:



In the 'old' shop that was all wood storage, I've decided to rearrange things however, and the tall storage cabinet is going to wind up in that corner, with a rack to store my ladder behind it. It will be oriented 'narrow' side to the long wall eventually.
Looking the other way from near the door this is the Eastern wall:


I kept on cleaning, moving the drill press off of that low cabinet, and pulling out the insulation package. Ten short minutes netted this:


I need to go pick up a few sheets of either 1/2" ply or OSB (have to see what the budget allows), to cover that section up. I tucked it up just barely behind the upper wood rack, and before winter comes I'll be pulling that rack down as well, and finishing insulating all the way up to 10'. I've also got tentative plans to put in a 'drop' ceiling at the 10' level, but that's just a pipe dream right now.

here's the 'shorts' rack at the moment, overstacked just a tad. Amazingly though, it is all resting on just two 'arms'... the one nearest the camera isn't supporting any weight at all. :huh:
Tomorrow morning, I'm planning on emptying that rack as well, and then relocating the arms I pulled from the SE corner into the NE corner, here:




I will also be relocating the shorts rack arms, so I'll wind up with about 8' of linear storage, with just about 8' of vertical space. Plenty of room, considering that before I removed them, the two levels of storage were in just about 3.5' of wall space, albeit about the same width.

If I can get the lumber racks done tomorrow, and repopulated with the currently vertical wood, plus a bunch of about 5' long pieces which haven't made it on camera yet.
 
Moving right along :thumb: I luv re-organizing, always seem to find one or two forgotten 'treasures' :)
one or two?!?! I haven't even Begun to list the 'so that's where I put that' kind of stuff... I'm still at the 'get it all put back in the shop' phase. (my newfangled bench is out in the yard right now, no room for it until I get the lumber stowed and free up some floor space)
 
Top