Lucky me? We just bought a house in Waxhaw, NC (S of Charlotte) which has a 20’X22′ shed on the property. It has a dirt floor, corregated metal roof and 4″X4″ treated framing members. Siding is decorative outdoor grade plywood on 3 sides, the front is open. Roof supported by a scissors truss 10′ to 12′ over the floor. The goal is to put a this structure into a temperature and humidity controled building with a concrete floor, running water, and enough electricity to run the usual power tools and a dust collection system. Can you offered advice, experience and where there are sources of information to do this project.
William J. Powers
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William The first thing that comes to mind is (are) the local building codes. As an open storage shed, the town may have ignored it. Now that you want to make it into a 'real building', they may have a whole different oppinion on it. Is it within the 'building lines' of your property? Since you will be adding electricity and water and heat, plus a 'real' floor, they may want permits, inspections, fire code compliance etc.
Can the building be jacked up and a decent concrete floor be poured? Can the service ( phone, water, electric, burglar alarm) lines run underground or are they 'wired 'high'? You don't want a lumber trucks boom to hit any wires. I'm jealous. My property is so small that there isn't enough room to put up another building, and wife says that the garage is for the car, no matter what I try to tell her.
Everyone wants a different layout, depending on what they tend to produce. A cabinet shop setup needs a different setup from a small toy production shop. Be sure to leave enough room for materials storage unless you love to run to Home Despot or Lowes every day. Hope these Ideas help rather than discourage you. Make a layout on graph paper. Be sure to leave plenty of room for you to move around benches and machines. Look at the plan, set it aside and draw plan #2. Keep drawing plans until you have 5 or 6 of them. Then take the best ideas from each and try to combine them into plan #7. It's easier to rebuild on paper than it is to move walls and outlets after it is built.
SawdustSteve
Hi William -
In addition to the advice you've rec'd so far, I would ask - does this shed have a continuous concrete or block foundation wall around the three enclosed sides? Or do the posts rest on pier blocks? For a more or less permanent enclosed space you really need to make sure none of the framing extends down to or touches the ground. Preferably you want all wood 6" min above finished grade around the perimeter.
20 x 22 is about the max limit for pouring a concrete slab without expansion joints which help control shrinkage cracking. None the less, put at least 6x6 welded wire mesh in the slab so if you do get shrinkage, the mesh will retard or prevent differential settlement. During placement of the concrete, use a rake to pull the mesh up to the middle of the slab where it will do some good rather than lying on the ground.
If the ground isn't level under the slab, don't use dirt to level it. Use crushed rock or pea gravel. What shape is the dirt floor in? Does it need to be scraped out level and down to decent bearing? If it were my project, I would dig out at least 4" below the bottom of the slab an put in pea gravel anyway. This helps a good deal in preventing moisture vapor migration up through the slab in cold weather. Go one step further and take out another 2" of dirt and add 2" of closed cell polystyrene insulation to keep the slab a little warmer.
Does your existing house service have the capacity for a sub-feed panel to the shop? Do you plan on adding a separate service for the shop?
You need to make an inventory of the amperage draw of your variuos machines, tool, etc. and discuss the size of the shop panel with an electrician. Granted you don't use all your tools at the same time but if you have some machines wired for 220 you'll need a panel big enough how ever many you have - in my area you're not allowed to run more than one 220 device off a single breaker .... but that's if you're worried about an inspector being around (grin). I would suggest that you have at least one circuit for lighting and one, prefereably two for portable power tools. Any outlets near water (sink, etc.) should be GFIC (Ground Fault Interrupt Circuit) type for safety - inspector or no.
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WJ,
Congratulations and good luck. I've converted a 20 x 30 outbuilding this year and it's still a work in progress as budget allows. I can't get the grin off my face whenever I go in there, though.
A couple of resources: local building code as mentioned in another post is an excellent place to start. You gotta get this right or pay the price somewhere down the road either in fines or when you sell your house.
FWW on the Small Shop is a good pub made up of articles from early issues. I used it to help plan layout.
If you're going to do it yourself, the DIY books at the home centers can be invaluable for each area, wiring, plumbing, etc. If you're concerned about expertise, check for a local specialist that will work with you and allow you to labor and learn for a reduced rate. (This may take some work to find. Check for "handy men" ads in the classifieds for starters.)
This board appears to be full of people who want to help and share in your experience and share their own. Keep asking questions.
Kell
do you want to put this building inside another building as your post says, or was it a typo? I am guessing you want to make it into a workshop, not put it inside a temperature controlled building. You do have one thing going for you. You can put the heat in the floor when you pour it. It will be much more efficient that way.
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