My workshop is a....

[dbhost]

The closest option to describe mine was

E.) Dedicated small outbuilding (12x16 or less, please explain).

But that doesn't properly describe it.

My shop is exactly 12 x 16, it IS a dedicated shop, and it IS an outbuilding... but it isn't "stand-alone" like a little shed.

Instead I built it as an "ell" or "wing" addition off the side of the existing 20'w x 24'd two car garage (I could wish the garage itself were just a few feet wider, deeper and taller, but the fact that it had 9'h walls at least allowed be to do the same in the shop. And by NOT doing a truss roof on the shop area -- instead a semi-cathedral ceiling with just the two "beams" at 30% of the chord -- I gained an extra few feet of clearance in the shop center, where it is most useful).

At just 12 x 16 the "shop" per se is on the smallish side (I could have afforded the cost of going larger, but the location of the garage vs the lot line meant I couldn't -- if I went wider than 16 I would have had to go less than 12 deep, and vice versa -- and I could only add on on THAT side of the garage, the other sides were restricted by the house, the septic tank, and the drain field).

But with the 60" wide shop/garage opening I can basically use the full two-car garage as shop space as well (for long ripping, panel cutting, and as "temporary" workspace for bigger projects) plus the workshop shares the garage heater in the winter. And of course the wide garage door makes unloading lumber easy (plus panel storage and cutting are normally done in the garage area anyway).

Photos below are various stages of construction. I've since added a ceiling fan, and a LOT more shelves -- short lumber storage on the 12' wall, and high long-lumber storage on the 16' long walls above the cabinets and on the opposite side above the shop/garage opening.

With that 9' wall and high ceiling, 12x16 looks at least from your pics to be absolutely cavernous! Nice space!

[dbhost]

This thread just keeps popping up, nearly on a daily basis. Not sure why but it is kind of cool to see...

The folks here have a lot of really nice shops, with a bunch of great ideas for shop fixtures, layouts, and organization, not to mention equipment... I really hope folks found this thread useful and informative...

[docrowan]

Not sure, but I think it's from people who find the thread and take the poll. I think even if they don't post it still moves the thread date up.

[PhilofKayDu]

I voted shared 2 garage also. But mine is a dedicated 10' x 23' area [and spilling over] of a 3 stahl garage. Back in 2006 before the economy took a nose dive; I designed and helped build my 24' D x 32' W detached garage. I originally had enough space for my tools ;plus some. It seams funny that for years I have been looking for certain tools. Now I have a dedicated wood shop; and I need more space for the tools I have recently acquired. Alot of nice size shops out there! Good question dbhost! Phil N.

[sparkeyjames]

I have a 20x20 foot garage that is intended to be a workshop. However the remodeling work I was doing on my house came to a screeching halt due to lack of available funding. I also had some digestive system problems that ate some of the available funds and a lot of my time in being sick as a dog. So some of the tools have not made it out of the house and into the garage yet. They are piled and stored neatly in 1/3 of the large 10x20 living room and the 10x10 dining room. The inside of the garage is piled up with odd possibly recyclable refuse from the remodeling, furniture, misc personal possessions and yard work machinery and tools. One good weekend next spring I am going to rearrange everything and set things up.

[affyx]

My workshop is a....

MESS!

(and a 10x18' portion of garage)

[smorris]

Mine is a mess right now as I have 2 projects going on and a stack of Ash for another sitting in the wings. That said, here is my one car garage shop. Most of the stuff piled against the garage door is destined for a trip to the dump, probably tomorrow.

[natausch]

Standard shared 2 car garage.

Right now I'm taping and mudding. Not the easiest to do since it takes about half an hour to heat up after the door opens.

[Iansaws]

Dedicated yet shared

I built a 16 x 24 ft 2 story barn with a 8 x 24 ft porcha couple of years ago and I am still in the process of turning it into my ideal shop. So far I have thoughorly wired the inside with lights, over head and outside recepticles and 3-way switches, completly insulated, put up OSB for walls, ran 100 amp service underground from the house, along with cable TV service and CAT-5 cable for the internet, and piped underground water. Recently the LOML gave me a 1.5 hp Delta DC for Christmas ( or was it Santa). I think I am at last through buying tools now. Once I pipe the DC and finish the upper cabinets, my shop should be all but finished.

I say this is a shared space because the upstairs is used for storage and will someday have a work/craft area for the LOML as well.

[GregL]

Dedicated Outbuilding

My shop is a dedicated outbuilding barn workshop 24 x 40 and two stories tall. I built it 2 years ago and figured I would build my dream shop. You only live once ...so go for it.

[pelligrini]

My shop is a dedicated outbuilding barn workshop 24 x 40 and two stories tall. I built it 2 years ago and figured I would build my dream shop. You only live once ...so go for it.

Wow! a palace! You really ought to post a thread on your layout. I work out of a 10x12 shed with a 5x12 storage add-on on the side. I could hardly imagine having something like that.

[JLaw246]

B.) Shared garage ( two car)

B.) Shared garage ( two car)

[Kavoom]

Dedicated basement

One of the reasons I got my house was the 10 X 21 (and 3 X 4 space)unfinished separate space at the bottom of my stairs. It has a 36 in wide door and is less than 10 feet from my walkout. And did I mention the wide doors... It is on a back wall that is framed for a window and would easily accept cut outs for dust vac exhaust etc. or even another door. No, I'm not fixated on doors...

My saws (miter and jobsite type) are both on portable stands so when folded up they have a small footprint. I"m still putting it together but got a nice workbench from Sams Club at Xmas. This space is separated from the finished part of the basement and the other unfinished part ready for a bath and bed addition...

I asked about the space and the builder said he put up the wider doors, cause it looked like a good work room down there...

[Jack Bench]

I am very lucky. We built our house about 10 years ago and I designated just under 400 sq ft for a shop.

I put a sink in there, two 220v circuits, two 120v circuits, piped the air compressor into the garage, and the whole basement has in floor radiant heat.

The stairs are wide enough, but I do wish the basement was a walk out. Other than that I wish it was bigger, of course, and that I had more time to work in there!

Charlie

[Steve Callis]

I selected other because even though it is separate from the house and dedicated as a shop it is not a building. I converted an old 28 foot long construction office trailer into a shop. The interior width is 7'-6" no matter how you cut it so I have learned to think in a linear way when dealing with work flow.

Russell: I have taken an old 60 ft mobile home and cut it down to 48 feet, it is 13 1/2 feet wide, stripped down to the main frame and rebuilding it. I'm still working on it. hope to post pics when it is farther along.
Steve