Building a new shop

this is sort of like wish book shop buying.

oh, if I had the money for this, for that, the space for this or that.

basically, since weve both seen larrys shop, I think a setup similar to his would suit 95% of people.

The only changes I would make to larrys shop, is take away the small office room, and put a shower stall into the bathroom.

Id no longer track any dust, dirt into my home on my clothes or body.
 
One other thing to consider about the whole bigger thing. The bigger it is the more dollars it is going to cost to heat and cool.
 
youre going to have to find the right size to fit your needs perfectly, that will also fit into your budget.(Im 105% sure you don't need someone with my experience telling you this)
 
Jim if your windows are open holes you have the wrong windows. They can be quite good for air conditioning and blinds or shades can help with the rest... I worked for two long when I was 1/2 mile from the nearest window. Give me sun...
Garry
 
Garry, I have to admit that my heating/cooling models in physics class were way before double and triple pane windows.

Inside of my house, the multi-pane windows don't have draperies, curtains, or blinds---they are as bare as and as clean as a babies posterior (well during the babies "clean" cycle). I really enjoy beauty and I really enjoy the view out of the back of my house to the point that I stand there and look out when I dental floss, brush my teeth, heat coffee in the microwave, sit down and eat, etc. The front of the house view is fine; the back view is great.

In spite of my enjoying the outside view I do not want windows in my shop (I had not thought of putting them in the doors however). I want the walls for cabinets, "reach for" tools, electric outlets, etc. Also, if I was going to enjoy the windows, they would have to have a tremendous amount of cleaning compared to a painted wall. They would have to be where someone could NOT come up to them and see inside (there went the view). I guess that reason also keeps the doors from having windows (that just saved me some money).

Enjoy,
JimB

I would REALLY love to start a shop over with a clean slate. It would be a real mess to try and do it now since it is full of tools and I'll be danged if I am going to move for any reason---let alone to get a fresh start on a shop. This is a great house for me and all of the neighbors are jewels!

Here are pics of the front, out the dining room window, the kitchen window, my office window.
 

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I'm with Jim about not having windows in the shop. I prefer the storage the open wall space provides. I also like the fact that no one can see in my shop unless I'm in there with the door open.

As for size, Mine is 24' x 24' with 9' walls and 12' at the peak. If I only did wood working out of it it would be perfect but I also work on peoples vehicles so I need to leave half the shop space open to be able to pull cars in. This would be the only reason to wish I had gone with a 24' x 36' shop.
 
Chuck brings up an interesting point. Just how much heating and cooling is Carol going to need? I'm thinking that the focus of insulation might just be sound control rather than hot or cold...seems like a pretty balmy climate...

A lot of homes in that part of SoCal have no air conditioning, and relatively meager heating.
 
Great stuff, guys. I have copied it all and am sorting into categories in terms of priorities when building. Keep'em coming. Hind sight can be such a wonderful thing. :thumb:

I do not yet know how much space I will have available. The lot is small and the septic system is the very first consideration. Then we will see what's left over.

It would be good if escrow closed first, though. Maybe tomorrow. Sighhhh...... Agents can be such a pain the patootie! :doh:
 
Carol said agents can be such a pain in the patootie and I agree with her. However, as I found out recently, they can be such a tremendous help. Just like woodworkers, dentists and taxi drivers---some are good and earn you a lot more than they cost; some should be disbarred, excommunicated, and/or dropped off of a cliff.

The worst I have had was OK. The best were wonderful.

Enjoy,
JimB
 
This shop I'm working on will be my third.

Here the temperatures swings can be extreme, sometimes in the same day. In the last week we have seen highs in the 80's lows in the teens and more snow coming tomorrow, after seeing 79 on Saturday. Because of that and trying to deal with heating and cooling. I've increased the wall size from 2x4 to 2x6's. Cost was less than $200 increase, and only 4 inches of shop space from either direction, but i could go with thicker insulation which will make the heat pump on the shop work 1/2 as hard. I like the idea of natural light but also do not want to give up wall space for windows, so I'm putting in solar tubes on the back side of the shop in the roof. (more sunlight there in the summer). Done during construction makes it less likely Ill have to deal with leaks, then trying to add it in later.
 
I would put a roof and walls over mine. The size is approximately 10' x 20', but I can extend it by moving farther down the driveway. A locking door would help too. The natural light is excellent.
 
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wire in conduit, 10ft ceiling, hot water and cold water, copper air lines outside the walls, never know when something is going to break.. and taking apart the interior sheathing to find a leak doesnt make sence to me. carts with large casters to roll over the mats better rather than roll them up..
 
Likes in my current shop:

  • Lots of built-in storage cabinets and drawers...almost no open shelves to collect dust
  • Much bigger compressor than I really need...it's a good thing
  • Exposed plumbing on walls and ceiling for air lines
  • Overhead power drop with 30' long 20A cord reel

Would like to change in my next shop:

  • More floor space
  • Outside (adjacent) enclosed space for DC and compressor
  • Hot and cold running water with toilet. Shower would be handy, too
  • More natural light (although I tend to do a lot of my woodworking after dark...WAY after dark) ;)
  • One or two more overhead power cord reels
  • Exposed ductwork for DC on walls and ceiling
  • Better heating and cooling
  • A true workbench, table saw outfeed table, and assembly table, preferably as separate units
 
Some of my thoughts:

12 foot ceiling with overhead fan(s) and shop lights suspended below the blades so it doesn't create endless flashes.

Ceiling covered in drywall and finished nice like inside house. Painted white.

Alarm system and bars on outside window, plus silver tint on glass and a vinyl rolldown privacy shade.

Window A/C unit built in to wall with bars on outside to prevent someone pushing it in and crawling in.

Small awning over the entry door for those rainy days when you want the door open.

Steel entry door in a steel frame with a good lock in addition to the one in the door handle.

Compressor housed in outside closet (noise) with extra storage space because it comes in handy.

As many wire shelves as possible (vs. wood) to cut down on dust hiding places.

Enough amperage and outlets (subjective)

Runing water and a cast iron/enamle sink

Some nice music.
 
Looking forward following along on this build!

About all I wish for in my shop (besides a big bandsaw and Lathe) is more power, insulation and heater/AC. Also if I could get rid of all the other junk/stuff that is stored inside there it would help, but I'm thinking you don't have much unneeded stuff though since you downsized to a RV and trailors.
 
From a heating/cooling stand point with a 1200SF, 10' ceilings.

Walls - 2x4 with R-13, all the cavities are sealed with no electrical run in the exterior walls, so no outlet box penetrations.
Roof - Truss with R-38 (two layers of R-19)

For heating - wall mounted electrical unit heater - 5 kw
For cooling - window A/C 24,000 btuh

In the winter the temperature never drops below 60 degrees with the heater set on 2 (range is 0-10)
In the summer the temperature stays between 68-70 degrees.

Rob
 
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