During an admittedly weak moment about a year ago, I promised my daughter I’d turn our half-finished basement into a teen center. The idea was to provide her and her friends an alternative to hanging out at the mall or communicating exclusively electronically, which seems to be the preferred mode of interpersonal relationships these days.
Problem is my shop’s down in that basement, as is all my wood, so I’ve been exploring alternatives for its location. The best idea would be to build a garage before the teen center and move the shop into that, but my daughter recently reminded me that she’s only going to be a teenager for four more years . . .
So plan B might be to build or buy some kind of freestanding shed, run electricity out to it, and turn it into a shop out back. Who among you has successfully done this? Would such a shed be spacious enough & solid enough & warm enough here in Mass.? Where do you store your wood? Do you have photos, or specific advice about what to do and what not to do? Specific shed models to recommend?
Thanks,
Norman
Edited 1/27/2009 10:57 am ET by nboucher
Replies
What do you do in woodworking and how well can you do it in a confined space? My best buddy built a 14' x 16' shed which served well for his hobby of making smallish shelves and lawn ornaments (Santas and Easter bunnies, etc. that his wife would paint). He has a contractor's ts centered in the shed with shelves which serve as storage or work surfaces all around. He wired but elected not to try to heat or cool the building so it sits idle when it is too hot or too cold to comfortably work in.
His is definitely a "one man shop" as only one person could reasonably maneuver around in there at a time, but it serves his purpose. If you do or hope to do larger projects, or if you have or hope to have very much equipment, you would obviously need more room.
I don't recall whether it was here or another source, but someone suggested that the ideal size for a shop is 24' x 32', but that really kind of depends on your specific needs. (My own shop is a very small room in the basement).
Let us know how you resolve your situation!
I'm a hobbyist and build mostly furniture and casework. I will say that my shop space now is very very small. I share the laundry room with the washer, the dryer, the furnace, and the oil tank. But I make the space work and have learned to contort my body to move around the space without acquiring too many bruises. I have a sizable workbench in there, along with a hybrid ts, a 14-inch bs, a Norm-inspired router table, and some shelves. I use a lot of hand tools, flatten and joint stock with planes, resaw it on the bandsaw to approximate thickness, then finish it off with more hand-plane work. I really enjoy working that way, and as a nonpro, I don't mind that it's slower.So that's the basic setup I would have in a shed; I don't have a need to buy anymore power equipment, though I wouldn't mind adding an outfeed table on the TS and an assembly table. I could probably turn my existing space in the laundry room into a finishing station.Norman
Edited 1/27/2009 12:03 pm ET by nboucher
It sounds like you may be in great shape for moving to a shed! Another friend (retired a couple of years ago in West Virginia) has a slightly larger free standing shop than what I described earlier, but his is very well insulated and heated as necessary with a kerosene heater. PLUS he had the presence of mind to install double metal doors at one end. Opening both doors adds more than enough room for maneuvering stock as well as finished pieces.
This guy prefers to have his power tools (good size contractor's ts, small bs, drill press, small jointer, small planer, RAS, scroll saw) stored against two walls until he needs them. The third (opposite the double doors) wall is comprised of cabinets for his hand tools and supplies.
Both of the sheds that I have described are freestanding structures that sit on concrete blocks (no foundation) which counts for a tax break in certain parts of the country because they are not considered to be permanent. (Not too sure how insurance companies view them).
There are many publications on "small shops" that you may want to review for effective tool placement and work flow. You probably feel great relief at the prospect of not having to dodge the obstacles in your present shop any longer.
Edited 1/27/2009 1:01 pm ET by heartwould
Build your own shed. Can be as big as you can afford. Cheaper and better built. Built one couple years back. Solid as a rock, but its at the house we rent out. Put doors at end of roof to store wood on rafters. Ceiling only 8', next time 10 - 12'. Piers -> concrete in 5 gal. buckets. Basic house framing. Fun, fast, easy.
Edited 1/27/2009 12:38 pm ET by habilis
Build a shed,call it a teen center.
mike
Brilliant, Mike. Wonder if my daughter will be the sharpest tool in the shed. . . .
If it were me, I'd buy a shed to store the tools and machinery while prepping your "Teen Center". After you've finished fulfilling your promise to your daughter, I'd build a garage or separate structure to house your woodshop, then use the shed to store all your lumber. Of course, finances will determine the feasability of this plan. As well, you'll have two additional structures on your property, which you may not want, or may not be allowed depending on your local ordinances. YMMV.
Excellent suggestion, an option I'd not thought of. A shed would be much cheaper than a garage, but a garage would give me a much bigger workshop and would add to the value of the house, whereas a shed would not. And I know a lot of contractors who are hungry for work right now. . . I guess I'll have to take a lot at finances. Oh, why does it always come down to finances??Thanks,
Norman
nboucher,Personally, I'd do the garage or similar because of its value, utility to you and your wife and who knows where the teen center will be in four years. I've always fought to keep our garage for the cars, its a wonderful luxury up here in MA. when un-loading groceries. Many years ago I started to plan a garage on our Hingham property and used an architect. He actually designed a breeze way, looked like a garage but wasn't and saved many bucks in code compliance with town. We ended up moving to Michigan before the thing was built.We currently have the garage down under in our hip roof colonial but I've been thinking about building a 'breeze way' out over the driveway for the cars and utilizing the garage space for more shop space. No, the CFO does not know about these plans...
Makes sense. I do think consulting an architect is a good idea. I need to check with the town as well. Here in Sharon, they're pretty restrictive, and my house borders a wetland—you couldn't get permission to build on this spot today. You need a building permit here for any shed that's more than 120 sq. ft.Norman
Years ago, my Dad bought two of the typical 10'x12' metal sheds and constructed them together, end-to-end, on a concrete slab with concrete-block risers around the perimeter. Although tight, space-wise, it worked well for him, and the risers gave him a bit more head room. He added a secondary porch roof at one end to keep the rain off the entry door, and to provide a shady spot to sit and have a "beverage" at the end of the day. Creativity is key to making small spaces work, I think.
Congratulations on your idea of a Teen Center for your daughter.
You are a great father!
Frosty
"I sometimes think we consider the good fortune of the early bird and overlook the bad fortune of the early worm." FDR - 1922
Thanks, Frosty, but you should check with her about my flaws. I think she keeps a list.Seriously, I can't believe how much harder it is being a teen now than it was when I was that age. Seems as if all I had to worry about was acne. Now the distractions (temptations) and pressures (they're always having to take tests at school to prove teachers are doing their jobs) are so much worse . Anything I can do to keep good, clean fun (I hope) in their lives . . .Norman
I converted a shed to a workshop about 10 years ago. It was 12' x 16'. I insulated the floor, walls and ceiling. I added a large 4'x4' double pane window on the east wall and changed out 3'-0" door on the south side to double French doors. I installed a 100 amp sub panel. I also had a 12' x12' patio on the south side. It was wall insulated and I had an oil filled electric heater set to come on if it got to cold. The shop was quit conferrable because of the solar heat gain from the east and south glass. Although it was small on a nice winter day I could spill out to the south facing patio. It wasn’t bad. On a cold winter day the little heater would warm up the space quit nicely. I’ve moved and built a larger shop 30’ x 40’ shop but I have very found memories of the little place.
As a father of 3, now grown up and moving on with their lives, I can tell you from personal experience that you will not regret having a place in your home for teens to hang out. It was one of the greatest decisions I ever made. My house has always been "the place to hang". I had a movie theater/surround sound down there, with Foosball, billiards, and ping pong. We also have a pool outside for the summer months. All my kids friends wanted to hang here, and it was easy to keep a wary eye on the shenanigans that kids like to pull. I've always felt that it was better to have them around then wondering what the heck they were doing somewhere else.
Move the shop to a new space. The teen center will give you memories for the rest of your life.
Jeff proud papa of 3 pretty darned good young adults.
I hear ya, Jeff. I'll bet your food bill was through the roof . . .Your profile says you're 41—certainly too young to have 3 "young adults"!Norman
n, Jeff started very early , he had step children in the 5th grade .
He has also spoken some wise words here.
regards d
It's been a while since I've updated that profile. I'm 45 now. My kids are 26, 20, and 19.
Food bills are much cheaper, and easier to deal with, then re-hab bills. I'm certain you'll agree.
Have fun building your new shop.
Jeff
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