Sketchup of how I am trying to lay out my shop

[dbhost]

The details are a little off... But you get the idea.

The major tools are where they ought to be, by type of course not specifics...

I am still working on the skp file, to do the clamp racks and other such stuff, and those plastic storage racks are going away when I put a shed in... The right bay of the garage is mostly consumed with storage stuff that needs a shed home.

Everything major tool wise will be mounted on wheels...

[LarryG]

Looks like a good start. Do keep us posted with updated screen caps, and consider posting some from different angles as well.

You may have said, but I forget ... do you need to be able to get a car (or cars) into the garage along with your tools?

Also, thinking back to your shop vac plumbing thread ... is there room for the shop vac at the left end of the bench, between the bench and the door? If so, why not put it there? Or even put it on the lower shelf of the bench, maybe? Either location would place it at the center of a Y-shaped run, rather than at a far end, and should improve performance.

[dbhost]

Car parking in this garage is a no go. My wife is driving my Saturn work car which forgot what paint was supposed to be... And my pickup won't fit even if the garage were empty...

The shop vac cubby method works for me for now... I used the only shop vac model I could find on Sketchup. It is honestly way too small... There isn't space between the bench at the door, the door gets used too much to put the vac in front of the door, and the bench is too short... But the angles and lengths I am running have not been a problem yet... I DID have to use PVC based electrical tape on the pipe ends to get a snug seal between the pipes and the fittings while keeping the ability to disassemble the system.

I am working on a design for a modification to Suwats clamp rack for my shop, I may have to scrub the cabinets off the left wall, or put the clamp rack in the cubby above the shop vac, which would be hard to get to...

The existing bench may have to go as well, so that front wall might just end up completely redesigned, as would the left wall. I am banging ideas out here...

[jackellis]

I have many of my clamps in racks that are attached to the beams that support the garage door track. If your garage does not have a finished ceiling, it's worth thinking about.

Right now I have all of my large tools clustered in the middle of the garage and I have about 8 feet of cabinets along one wall to store hand tools that's totally inadequate and even more inconvenient, so no clamp racks on the wall. Putting the clamps overhead keeps them out of the way (helps that I'm not too tall)
.

[dbhost]

Fortunately and not, my garage has finished walls and ceilings... The sheet rock is pretty cobbled up, and had experienced some damage from a burst water pipe at one time prior to me owning the house.

I was thinking about re-rocking the ceilings, and stuffing them with insulation, yanking the rock off the exterior walls, packing insulation in, and going over that with peg board instead of sheet rock. Not sure if that is a stupid idea or not though...

Pre finished peg board is WAY cheaper than sheet rock around here these days...

[LarryG]

I was thinking about re-rocking the ceilings, and stuffing them with insulation, yanking the rock off the exterior walls, packing insulation in, and going over that with peg board instead of sheet rock. Not sure if that is a stupid idea or not though...

I have a strong dislike for peg board, but setting that aside ... the building codes in your area may come into play. If the garage is attached to the house, usually the common walls and ceiling, at minimum, must be fire-rated gypsum board. If the garage is detached, this requirement would depend on its proximity to other buildings and property lines.

Adding insulation is always a good idea, of course. Another approach would be to put up new gypsum board and leave it unfinished. Over time, as your budget allows, you could cover this with pegboard or, better yet, plywood or OSB. The advantage of the last two is that can you hang stuff on the walls pretty much anywhere, without having to locate studs. (Full-size wall cabinets should still be anchored to studs unless you cover the walls with OSB or plywood that's at least 3/4" thick; and if the cabinets will be heavily loaded, it's back to finding the studs.)

[dbhost]

Yeah, the garage is attached, and yeah, the thought of building codes does come into play. The common wall and the ceiling do have to be gypsum board. The thought is to leave the common wall alone, and peg board the two side walls, re rock the ceiling, and the little stub of space between the garage dors...

The peg board would offer the advantage of added storage capacity as long as it is anchored to the studs, and it would certainly give a unique look to space which I have never seen except in a shed based shop before... It MIGHT just end up as a selling point for the house. I need to talk to my SIL who is in that business to know for sure...

I still need to re-work my drawing. The tools aren't right at all... I need to add that storage tower for benchtop tools, draw my own benchtop jointer, and my AP1301 (no ready made models for those), This sketchup drawing does not do justice for how cramped it is in there since the giant smoker, weber kettle, lawnmower, bicycles, garbage cans etc... are not in the drawing.... I would totally LOVE a dedicated space. And while my wife and I work on getting the house redone for sale, the next house is going to have land... And I am figuring on adding a 20x30 loft barn for workshop and storage space...

[MikeMcCoy]

The seller of my previous house did the insulation covered by peg board and it was a ghastly mess. He only did some very minor wood working and even at that the insulation was full of saw dust. After about 6 months I tore everything out and redid everything. Aside from the sawdust, there was no slowing down the Florida insects with a couple of million holes to dart in.

[dbhost]

Good consideration. I might just have to try to salvage the rock that is in place and see how to insulate the walls as is...

[pelligrini]

I don't know how bad the existing wall sheetrock is, but if it just looks bad you won't be able to see it under the pegboard.

I would still cover the walls with gypsum though. It would certainly help in case there was a fire, maybe possibly giving enough time for firefighters to get to it before the structure would be too damaged.

[dbhost]

I don't know how bad the existing wall sheetrock is, but if it just looks bad you won't be able to see it under the pegboard.

I would still cover the walls with gypsum though. It would certainly help in case there was a fire, maybe possibly giving enough time for firefighters to get to it before the structure would be too damaged.

The ceiling needs to be replaced due to the burst pipe, The prior owner replaced one panel, but the surrounding panels have sagged. I have them drywall screwed back up into place, but it droops still, and the left wall has a mess of 10d nail holes from myself, and the prior owner reconfiguring various hooks, hangers, and other junk. The right wall is nearly perfect but is effectively hidden by the wall full of storage shelves.

The shelves will be taken out and put into a shed once I either get one, or build one. Honestly from time sake, and the fact I don't have the space to build a backyard workshop, I am planning on an 8x12 modular plastic shed from Lowes.... I am looking at shed plans online for anything that looks like it will work with my space contstraints that I can build with lumber, just to make it more secure. Those plastic sheds look like they are too easy to get into...

[twistsol]

I've been looking at shed plans and kits the last few days. Home Depot has shed kits (search for shed online) with everything precut that they'll deliver, as do these people.

http://www.ezupsheds.com/

If you're as strapped for time as I am, the kit should get the job done a little more quickly without putting the plastic shed in the yard. I've finally realized that the 40 x 30 garage / shop I was planning is going to be a long time coming.

[dbhost]

I have been thinking about doing a shed kit like that... But the ones my neighbors have done have been nothing more than pre cut lumber kits. The time they spend sorting through the boxes and having to re-make pieces that get broken in shipping, is time I would spend cutting lumber to size, the rest of the assembly is the same...

If they came with the walls pre-built, floor pre built, trusses pre built etc.. Just tilt and nail walls and roof into place, hang doors and siding and be done, I would jump on that right now...

I got a neighbor that is giving me a plan for an 8x12 that looks like the "Aspen" from that shed kit place you linked... He built it with a couple of friends in a weekend once the tamped gravel bed was in place...

BTW. I love the sig...

"An ethical man knows the right thing to do.
A moral man does it. "

[twistsol]

That's good to know about the time spent sorting out parts and broken pieces. I really hadn't thought of that. I was on the fence about how much time it would save in the long run. For me, it's the 40 mile drive that will kill me if I forget something and though having everything delivered all at once would be worthwhile.

[dbhost]

A neighbor a block over from me ordered a shed kit from somewhere online, and the kit had twisted lumber, broken or miscut 2x4s, the several truss braces were busted etc... Once he got them to ship the replacement pieces it all went up, but he still had to fix some of the cuts...

Maybe some kits are better than others. Most likely. But this thing was junk...

Anyway, once it was all up, it looks pretty decent. But it sure didn't save him any time or headaches...

If I knew of a good kit maker, I would be WAY more prone to ordering one of those... The time is an important factor...