Family Handyman "Dream Workshop"

**Parkingmeter** · 01-22-2008, 05:10 PM

Hi Steve,
Could you provide a link to the article?

Also, just as a warning of sorts, a question such as this will get you 100 different answers as soon as 100 people reply to your post. So to start things off, start looking at what you want in a shop, compare your needs to the many woodworkers who show off their shops online, and sift through those many ideas to fit your needs.

Have fun with your new shop when you get it built, I'm sure you will have it dialed in when it is done.

**ssmith1627** · 01-22-2008, 05:20 PM

They have some add'l info here but it's not the article itself. I can't see anything on the web for the article -- you'd have to have the issue in front of you. Others may subscribe -- hopefully someone else has seen it.

http://www.rd.com/familyhandyman/content/51246/

I agree, lots to consider and lots of opinions I'm sure. I like the one example in a different magazine in the past month. The idea for re-sale of having a detached 2-car garage instead of a dedicated woodworking workshop. Makes a lot of sense. But obviously a higher dollar value associated with building that kind of structure. I also like the idea of mother-in-law quarters above but doesn't really sound like the best idea when it's a workshop I will only be in on weekends and evenings. Who'd want to live above that ? lol

For now I'm taking over the 2-car garage as my shop. I think it's a bit bigger than the garage I have as my shop now. So this topic is simply to kick around ideas. It may very well be 2-3 years before I have the funds to build a separate workshop. This $225,000 house/property and the associated mortgage is enough to keep me busy in the short term.

Steve

JR · 01-22-2008, 05:22 PM

Originally posted by ssmith1627

Interesting way to let in a lot of light -- not sure what that would do to the heating / cooling of it though.

I got my annual Shops and Tools mag from FWW this week. One of the articles shows a guy measuring the angle of the light at noon on June 21 on his property. The idea was to make sure no direct light came in during the summer, but lots came in during winter.

In another of the articles, about a ground-up new building, the guy used a motel-type HVAC unit. Claimed it was efficient as his home unit.

$10K for that building sounds acheivable, if just for the structure. Of course, the devil's in the details. As you point out there's the foundation, electric, HVAC, plumbing, etc. to worry about.

**footprintsinconc** · 01-22-2008, 06:21 PM

looks like a neat idea. i would just keep looking for more ideas like this one that show shop setups, etc. there will always be certain things that you like of each one. then you can take all of those things that you like, try to combine them or as many of the ideas possible.

in the mean time, i would try to do a layout of where i want my tools, how far they should be placed, storage, boxes, bins, etc. and see what size better suits you, rather than living with the size that you find published.

as for concrete. yes it is going to be expensive, but i think that may be your biggest cost, possibly. its better to get the extra slab in the design now than have to do an addition later. that could be a possibility - you only build out to so many feet, then continue to build further out at a later date. i think concrete under 4 cu yds here in phoenix goes for like $175 delivered. but where you are at, you will have to find the local prices.

i think i saw a show on pbs in which norm showed how he heated and cooled his shop. i believe he used hot water in the slab to heat the floor and it radiated to heat up the shop in the winter. but cant remember how he cooled it in the summer time.

i hope you guys enjoy your new house and have fun planning out the shop!

**ironhat** · 01-23-2008, 12:38 PM

Congrats on the new house and *lots* of room to spread out and let the dogs and the kids play. They will love that (yea, I'm making assumptions). Anyway, you stated that you thought this shop plan was bigger than the two car garage that you managed to wrestle the cars out of. Have you measured your shop? The reason I'm asking is that my two car unit is 24x24 and I stole half + two feet of the other bay (yes, she noticed) and I have 14x 24. Depending on your forseeable needs the 16' measurement doesn't sound very wide. Just a thought. Have fun with the planning and don't let yourself get crazy. Get your expectations down on paper and glue that to the inside cover of the notebook or file folder where you are storing your ideas, reading it often. I'm envious!

**ssmith1627** · 01-23-2008, 12:46 PM

Here are a few pics of the new place, although that's a bit off topic for this area of the forum:

http://ssmith1627.myphotoalbum.com/v...umName=album05

Above ground pool, a pond stocked with fish and a nice size flowing creek moving through the back edge of the property. As I've mentioned over in the coffee pot forum, my wife and I are currently fostering and trying to adopt a two year old boy named Tyler. What else could he want in a place to live ?? haha I think it'd be a great place for him with the wide open side yard to throw the ball as well. We have high hopes.

As for the garage -- absolutely. The space I have now is about 24' X 20'. I lose a little because there's a room in there designed to hold a washer and dryer. Beyond the square footage that takes up is the lost long wall space to give clearance around various tools. But it's been workable. The new house will have a standard two car garage. I'm waiting for the sellers to move out so I can get a real measurement there, input that into that Grizzly shop layout webiste and play with ideas of where I want to position things. Clearly this other 16 X 24' shop is a smaller space.

My main point in posting this thread was to talk about the type of construction they had proposed in that article. Very basic design and a roofing system without real "trusses", just a slope from front to back and the way they allowed for extra light to spill into the building. I would have to extend it out 16' X 30' to end up with the same basic square footage I have right now (prior to the move). Just wanted to discuss the whole concept with everyone here and see where it led. No better place to get ideas and opinions than right here !

Steve

JR · 01-23-2008, 12:50 PM

Steve, have you ever checked out Wood Mag's Idea Shop series? There are five different layouts, for different size shops. It might give you a few ideas.
http://www.woodmagazine.com/wood/cat...Shop_Tours.xml

Family Handyman "Dream Workshop"

Family Handyman "Dream Workshop"

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