New shop in the works

Fuelie74

Fuelie74

Well-known member
Joined
May 7, 2008
Messages
767
Location
Monroe, WI
After our move earlier this year I am finally in the process of building a new hobby shop and thought I would show it off as its being built and get some suggestions in the process. It is going to be a 45'x56'x16' with three overhead doors on one of the 45' ends. Well it is getting framed for three doors but one is not getting installed in the beginning because of expense. The door opening are 10'x10',12'x12',10'x10'. It will be set up for in floor heat. I got the area leveled out and ready for the builders. The materials are being dropped off tomorrow and the builders are supposed to start on Monday. The little garage in front of the building will be getting moved after the shop is built.
000_0027.jpg
So far here is what I have for a floor plan. I am going to loft the room section in the upper left with an 8' ceiling so the upper area will have a 7' ceiling. The room in the corner will be climate controlled and used primarily as a machine shop. The area above it will be mostly used as an office and man cave. The area in front of it will be used as a wash bay and will eventually get a paint both curtain divider and ventilation. I will be putting a 10,000 lb hoist in front of the lower 10' door. Right now I am trying to decide where I want to put the bathroom and mechanical room. I am leaning on putting the mechanical room up in the loft but, can decide if I want to put the bathroom up in the loft or in the the machine shop room. I would love any input, advice or opinions.
buildingfloor.jpg
 
it looks like an excellent plan. Nice size, tall ceilings, heated spaces within the shop, dust free spaces.... bathroom on the ground floor, trust me on this :)
 
Nice building.
Seriously consider putting at least one overhead door in the rear of the building as well, for flow thru ventilation,as well as airborne debris, giving you the "canopy" effect. Worth it's weight in gold down here in the heat. Makes it easy to use a large floor fan (whichever way the wind is blowing), or a backpack blower to clean up. After having both, would never have it any other way.

Another nice touch, if you do body work or wood work or other messy stuff, is to have a completely separate room with nothing but electric and air outlets and lights with waterproof walls so it can be hosed out, again with doors on both ends for ventilation. All tools are rolled in and out. Can double as a poor man's paint booth or wash area when needed. The main area and stored items then remain relatively clean, especially after many years.
 
One of the slickest tricks I've seen is in a friends garage. He poured the slab with a four inch riser around the perimeter so he can hose down in there easily.

WISH I'd done that...:chinese:
 
GT6Steve said:
One of the slickest tricks I've seen is in a friends garage. He poured the slab with a four inch riser around the perimeter so he can hose down in there easily.

WISH I'd done that...:chinese:
Click to expand...

Looked like the OP is in Wisconsin, not to be washing down frozen winter slabs.....not more than ONCE, anyway.....:gurney::pprrtt:
 
mrvette said:
GT6Steve said:
One of the slickest tricks I've seen is in a friends garage. He poured the slab with a four inch riser around the perimeter so he can hose down in there easily.

WISH I'd done that...:chinese:
Click to expand...

Looked like the OP is in Wisconsin, not to be washing down frozen winter slabs.....not more than ONCE, anyway.....:gurney::pprrtt:
Click to expand...

they do like hockey up in those parts.... maybe he's combining his two hobbies - hockey and auto repair? :suspicious:
 
SuperBuickGuy said:
mrvette said:
GT6Steve said:
One of the slickest tricks I've seen is in a friends garage. He poured the slab with a four inch riser around the perimeter so he can hose down in there easily.

WISH I'd done that...:chinese:
Click to expand...

Looked like the OP is in Wisconsin, not to be washing down frozen winter slabs.....not more than ONCE, anyway.....:gurney::pprrtt:
Click to expand...

they do like hockey up in those parts.... maybe he's combining his two hobbies - hockey and auto repair? :suspicious:
Click to expand...

:clap::clap::D:friends:
 
Hey now. Just because I am in WI doesn't mean my shop has to be freezing. I am setting it up for in floor heat so hopefully by next winter the main part will be 55 and the back room will be 70 all winter.

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk 2
 
just say no to floor heat.... you said you want a lift, how will you drill the holes for the lift with tubes in the floor? granted, the tubes will be easy to find once you lift something heavy on your lift, you have nice long cracks down your floor where your zip strip acting heating tubes are located. Also, you won't have to worry about plumbing the floor to get water on it.... that said, it would be interesting in the I'm-glad-it's-not-my-shop way to see what a shop floor looks like after a hard freeze/melt when you put water under the floor.

Plus, having a cool floor is actually quite nice :)
 
Last edited:
Rather then 3 doors why not just one 12 x12 so you can drive into and park the cars?

220/440 3 phase power?

Can you put in a floor drain or do you have EPA concerns?

Big the machine shop larger because you will end up adding more machines to it- Bridgeport, small & Lg Lathe, surface grinder, press, blast cabinet, welder, roll aways.

Install the bathroom on the first floor where you will be able to clean up and use your office/PC, no sense walking from one end to other to wash up.

Leave room for carts to get around the machines, you will end up using them as portable tables going from one machine to another.

Get some metal cabinets to store parts and tooling. It will keep them organized,inventoried,and clean.

Good luck with it, looks like it will be very nice.
 
SuperBuickGuy said:
just say no to floor heat.... you said you want a lift, how will you drill the holes for the lift with tubes in the floor? granted, the tubes will be easy to find once you lift something heavy on your lift, you have nice long cracks down your floor where your zip strip acting heating tubes are located. Also, you won't have to worry about plumbing the floor to get water on it.... that said, it would be interesting in the I'm-glad-it's-not-my-shop way to see what a shop floor looks like after a hard freeze/melt when you put water under the floor.

Plus, having a cool floor is actually quite nice :)
Click to expand...
Funny you say that. I have been a little worried about the long term of in floor heat but, have never heard anyone I know with problems. The plan on the floor was 2" of high density foam, 5" of 4500 psi concrete, rebar 2' apart and 1/2" pex tubes on 1' centers in the floor everywhere but, the four areas that could have a hoist. Those four areas will have no tubes and thicker concrete. You do have me a little worried now and thinking about the in floor heat.

GTR1999 said:
Rather then 3 doors why not just one 12 x12 so you can drive into and park the cars?

220/440 3 phase power?

Can you put in a floor drain or do you have EPA concerns?

Big the machine shop larger because you will end up adding more machines to it- Bridgeport, small & Lg Lathe, surface grinder, press, blast cabinet, welder, roll aways.

Install the bathroom on the first floor where you will be able to clean up and use your office/PC, no sense walking from one end to other to wash up.

Leave room for carts to get around the machines, you will end up using them as portable tables going from one machine to another.

Get some metal cabinets to store parts and tooling. It will keep them organized,inventoried,and clean.

Good luck with it, looks like it will be very nice.
Click to expand...
I decided on the layout I did because it was the most workable room I could get with the money I have to work with. One requirement was a dedicated wash bay because my wife wouldn't move somewhere warm and I really get upset about salt covered vehicles. The other big requirement was several workable sized bays. I work on cars for a living and do a large amount of side work and am trying to get enough business built up to go full time on my own. So as it sits I have a wash bay and four workable bays. To get the same out of a single door like I would of liked I would have needed to go much bigger and way out of budget.

Right now I only have 100 amp single phase going to the house. So I need to set up a meeting with the power company to talk about upgrading and see what my options are.Three phase is on the street though so I am hoping for 240 three phase.

I plan to put one floor drain in the machine shop area, one in the center of my four workable bays and have them both drain into a 2'x2' trench drain that will double as an oil separator.

I would like to make the machine shop area bigger but, it isn't much of an option right now. I did set the building up so I could add another 60' out the back and add a porch/lean on either side down the road if needed. Right now I have a Bridgeport mill, Harding collet lath, and a liquid cooled standup/lay down band saw sitting in mothballs. I have hopes to add a surface grinder in the future along with a homemade barrel rifling machine. Welders and blast cabinet will be out in the regular shop area.

turtlevette said:
GTR1999 said:
220/440 3 phase power?

.
Click to expand...

looks like he's in the boonies. The 3 phase main feeder is probably miles away.
Click to expand...
I am only about a mile or two out of city limits. We have cable tv and internet available here. Besides this is farm country. Many many farms out in the sticks have and use three phase.
 
I have no idea the requirements in Wisconsin for drains in shops; but they are nearly impossible in Washington (where I live). Do check with whoever gives permits for drainage, and ask about what's required. Worst case scenario is you have an underground tank that has to be pumped out every time it fills.... or have a filtration system (big big big bucks). The good old days of cess pools and skimmers is long gone.
 
Not sure if you want to install lifts in there right away, but if not, just in case plan where you would put in and make the concrete pads right away.

If you dont buy and install a lift right away, these concrete pads will be much less expensive if you decide to install one later

Plus since you plan to have a heated floor, might as well plan for lift pads and route the piping or wiring for the floor around the pads where the lift will be ankored.

On the inside garage walls, I would put plywood all around this will give you good solid wood to install any cabinets anywhere.

doesnt have to be from floor to ceiling, but about the height where we usualy hang cabinets or any other things on the wall.
 
Last edited:
Well day one of the building construction was today. I am very excited after getting home and seeing the progress.
035.jpg
 
SuperBuickGuy said:
what do you work on? I have a 9k rotary lift, and the 3" slab (IIRC 5500 lb mix) was more than enough for the lift....
Click to expand...

I try not to work on anything bigger than a 1 ton.

Basically no one in this area pores less than 4" thick and 5" thick is to give the extra piece of mind and reduce on cracking in the future. Every reputable concrete contractor in the area says pushes for 5" thick over 4" thick.

The four extra thick pads for mounting the hoist will only cost an extra $200 so, why not have the extra piece of mind when you have a contractor truck or van on the hoist that is extremely rear heavy.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top