I’m in the design phase of a new shop/garage that starts early spring 2024.
If you had choose one over the other would you rather have tall ceilings (9’ on the short side and 14’ on the high side. This will be a shed roof)
Or 9’ ceilings with attic storage of say 8’ wide x 30’ long with headroom of 7’. This would be a gable roof with attic trusses.
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I built a 30 x36 shop 20 years ago and one thing I regret is 8 foot ceilings. Yeah it saves some on the heating bill but by the time you add overhead ductwork for heating or dust collection and lighting it feels like you're working in the basement. Always banging a board on some low hanging object or ceiling. Definitely recommend 10 foot ceilings. Barn style trusses gave me a full head high second floor which my son used as a music studio for many years and later transformed into finish room.
I second dock16. I built my 24x16 shop with 10' ceilings in 1998. After dust collector ductwork, I can easily flip a piece of plywood. It's nice to be able to stand project lumber on end to sort for grain. I established a 1998 rule - it's a shop, no garden tools or other storage is allowed. This has served me well.
I agree on the it’s a shop and only a shop rule. I’ve got a little separate bump out along the back wall for garden tools, bikes etc with a separate door. I’m a firm believer cars belong outside.
I’ve been in a basement shop for years and I’m constantly hitting the ceiling.
Second option. I’m also in a basement shop and always knocking the lights around with long boards. I’d love a 10’ plus high ceiling with some attic storage.
Attic storage all day long.
I really like my 10' ceilings. Not so much the garden tools and equipment, bicycle repair/storage, etc. But can't complain. I did make the front doors too small for a car to drive thru, so my neighbors couldn't bring their cars in to work on them... Gasoline and woodworking don't mix well.
I don't think you gain much beyond 10' tall, so attic storage seems more valuable. Be sure to frame the ceiling/attic floor for the weight.
I would prefer attic storage. There are things in my shop I rarely use but don't want to get rid of. I'd prefer to not see it every day and an attic would provide that possibility.
I’m also with a sloped ceiling, 9 foot on the low end and 11 on the high side, I often use the high side to swing a long plank, would not consider a low ceiling.
Definitely 10' ceilings which I have. I regularly work with 6' boards and need to flip end to end. Not possible with 8' ceilings considering your workbench is 3' high. However it does depend upon what type of things you build.
I'd go for a bit over nine foot ceilings if you work with full (4x8) sheets of plywood and the like. It is really nice to have enough room to accommodate the diagonal of a full sheet (which is just under 9') with clearance for lights and enough room that the bottom corner doesn't have to be on the floor. Also you may want to factor in a bit of room for a floor mat...
I built a small shop a few years ago and am pretty happy with the results. It is 500sf with lots of windows for natural light. My workbench is on the northeast side which is great indirect natural light from 3 windows along the bench location. The roof is an 8/12 pitch and I split the roofing structure into two ceiling heights. One half of the shop has an 8ft ceiling with storage trusses above and an attic access ladder so I can put things up there. The other half of the shop has scissor trusses with the shop ceiling reaching 11 feet at the center peak. So there is storage and a very nice open feeling to the space. I hope this helps.
I was thinking a hybrid approach would give a nice feeling and some flexibility with storage
I built my shop about 5 years ago with a tremendous amount of input and guidance from the Wood Magazine forum (which no longer exists). I asked the question of the group "if you had to build your shop over again, what would you do different and what would you ensure you did again on the new shop". The feedback was amazing and has served me well. Ten foot ceilings was one of those tips and I am so glad I put them in. As for attic storage, I have some items stored in the attic, but it's such a pain to get things up and down from there I avoid it as much as I can. Good luck.
Great tip I might start another thread like that!
Years ago I built a shop with attic storage like you are considering. I've since moved and now have a shop in a pole building with 9' ceilings at the doors and 14' ceilings at the peak. I'll give you my perspective on each.
The shop I built was on a slab. I used 10' studs in the walls, so with the stem wall I had about 10'6'' of height. 10' ceilings are great. About 2/3rds of the shop width had a flat ceiling with 8' wide and 7' tall attic storage above. Access to the attic was with a pull-down stair assembly. I used the attic storage a lot but it always felt like a death defying act carrying items up and down those folding stairs. Built-in stairs take up a lot of valuable floor space and stairs with permits are expensive. I installed the light fixtures directly to the ceiling and I never smacked a single one. Changing the fluorescent lamps was a PITA in the vaulted area. Probably not an issue with LED fixtures.
The remaining width of the shop had scissor trusses which gave me about 13' of height at the peak which was useful for standing lumber on end and raising the popup camper that sits on my 2500 pickup. The shop was primarily for woodworking, but it occasionally did double duty. I made a large sliding barn door for that end of the shop. For the flat ceiling portion I had a conventional 10' tall overhead door installed.
Attic storage trusses require a steep pitch, 8/12 if I remember correctly, but even a 6/12 pitch is a bit much if you need to walk on your roof to clean gutters or remove leaves and needles. If you are going to do that I urge you to install anchors at the peak of the roof for a safety harness.
We moved and now I have a converted pole barn for a shop. The volume over 10' is not energy efficient, mostly unused except at the walls, or requires a tall step ladder to access, which feels more dangerous than a table saw.
If I build another shop I will not install attic trusses. My knees have reached a certain age that makes it impractical and I should be purging, not collecting. I will put that money toward shop plumbing. I would make the footprint as large as the situation allows and add a shed roof storage area if really needed. I might consider scissor trusses again in a portion of the shop because I still have the truck and popup camper. In that case a ceiling fan would be nice
Another thing I did in the first shop was to put the air compressor under an insulated and enclosed bench. It was quieter and saved some floor space. I could remove a panel to service the compressor. It was not an upright compressor.
Install a 200 amp panel.
Don't skimp on the circuits, both 115V and 220V.
Of course, your wants and wishes are probably much different than mine. Hope you find this somewhat helpful. Sorry, I deviated from your question.
Great feedback!! One floor plan I have in the works actually has a little storage area off the back that would be about 5’ deep by 20’ wide. I was thinking of putting the dust collector, compressor and other stuff that doesn’t belong in the shop.
I agree I used to have a shop with attic fold down stairs and I rarely went up there. And permanent stairs do take up a lot of space.
I actually like the vaulted ceiling I’d get with scissor trusses. But insulation is a little harder task unless I used spray foam. Common trusses with blown insulation is easier and cheaper.
200 amp panel is a good idea. I was thinking 100 amp minimum.
I rented scaffolding on wheels and installed batt insulation between the trusses. With a raised heel truss you won't loose any insulation depth at the walls. Also, you would have room for ventilation over the insulation, which is very important.