Replies

1. 
   BilljustBill | Oct 30, 2006 03:56am | #1

        RD,

      I have experience with four things for you to consider.

       1.  Keep at least a 9' ceiling.  You'll need the height for simply rotating a 4X8 sheet of plywood.  Also keep an area near an outside wall where you can have at least a 12' height for your future dust collection cyclone or big bag collector.

      2.  Plan for a 4/12 or steeper roof, so you can have some attic storage.  You'll also need to think about walkthoughs in your trusses so you can get from one end of the attic to the other, and/or add at least 2 pull-down stair systems with a 2-way switch for lights up in there.  If you can't see to store your stuff, you can't see to organize it, or see what and where you've placed it up there....

      3.  With copper so expensive now, the shorter the runs of the bigger guages of wire, the better.  To help keep these 20-30-50 amp, 220v circuit branches as short as possible, I placed my main electrical box in the middle of the longest wall. In a 30'X40' area, the longest length was about 18' because I have 4 floor plugs I put in before the slab was poured. (Also it a good time to add a vertical pipe section for your heavy duty vise.)  Also, if you can afford it, running your shop through your home's electrical meter will save you an extra meter reading charge each month.  I pay $15 each month, no matter what the number Kilowatt Hours the shop uses....and I kick myself each month when I remember that only 3 years ago I could have purchased a 1,000 reel of 3/0 copper for $365.....now the SAME wire is $1,465....

      4. Insulate, Insulate, Insulate.  The more you spend now, the more you are going to save when heating and/or cooling your workshop.  One fellow I know had a steel building.  In the roof he had those tinted green plastic panels installed to let more light in.  The floor space below each panel became useless.  Here in North Central Texas, it can get humid and it can get cold.  In the winter, even though his roof was insulated, those single layer light green panels dripped with condensation almost continuously.  

       Bill

   
   

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   Edited 10/29/2006 9:03 pm ET by BilljustBill

1. 
   daryl | Oct 30, 2006 07:09pm | #2

   The one thing I wish I could put in my (garage) shop is a wood floor.

2. 
   notatexan | Oct 30, 2006 07:47pm | #3

   My shop is a 40x60 metal building with 12 foot walls.  Unfurtunately I now have less than 1/4 of it for myself.  We lived in half of it for many years (now filled up with lifes junk) and my son and I share what's left of the floor space.  The attic space above the "barn appartment" is great.  I'm also in north Texas and my building has virtually no insulation.  It's $%*#&$ hot in the shop in the summer. 

   One tip is to have two large doors on opposite sides that allow the prevaling wind to flow through.  On windy days I like to blow out the dust with a shop vac. 

   I would like to have a studio apartment type set-up in the shop with heat and AC, hot plate, fridge, TV,....... so I don't have to go in the house for days. 

   Beware of the "gas" effect - the bigger the space, the more junk there is to fill it up.  I have this problem BAD.

   I also have two electric meters.  The first one was the shop.  It was there when we bought the property.  When we built the house we added the second.  It does cost extra each month but it would be expensive to correct. 

3. 
   Piccioni | Oct 31, 2006 08:40pm | #4

   My advice: advoid 'quonset huts'

   They are leaky, impossible to keep cool/warm, and a major PITA with respect to wiring, etc., etc.. I put one up a few years ago ("two men can assemble in 3 days" and my brother and I struggled for a week, then I hired a the company's crew of 8 who took 5 days and did a shoddy job).

   I since built a barn (metal roof and sheathing) of the same size footprint, with higher *useable* walls, similar ceiling space, plus an attic for storage, for the same cost (uninsulated) as the quonset hut. Now I'm planning to sell the quonset hut 'on-site' and rebuild it after the style of my barn.

   What a mistake