Tool, etc. storage closet

[os1kne]

My wife and I are moving into a new home in a month or so. The home that we are buying has an unfinished basement, and my wife has agreed to allow me to use part of this as a wood shop. I've never been crazy about the idea of a basement shop - but the home, location, etc. are just about perfect for our family. While the shop size will likely only be around 12x15, I think that I can figure out a way to make it work well. In addition to the ~ 12x15 area, there is another "nook" that my wife suggested would work well as a closet for storing small tools, hardware, etc. This would help the shop area to be used for working and not storing all of the "stuff" that we use. The house also has a 2 car garage, that we intend to park in. I'm planning to keep my automotive tools, lawn tools, and compressor there (with an air line to the basement shop, I will probably run wiring for an outlet connected to 3-way switches to power on/off the compressor from either location.)

I haven't measured it, but I'd estimate the nook to be 2-3 feet deep by 8-10 feet wide. Over the years, I've seen some photos and maybe some plans of tool, etc. storage units that had been constructed with closet style doors (sliding bypass I believe). I never paid much attention when I saw them at the time, but now I find myself in a position where I'd like to build something similar and can't find anything to plan from. I have small children, so I'd want to have some way to lock it up for safety but it doesn't need to be super secure. (Sliding doors would appear to be more desireable, hinged doors would intrude upon the walkway to/from the stairs.

We don't close on the house for another 6 weeks, and I probably can't take measurements until then. Getting the shop started is planned to be one of the first projects. Does anyone have a link or pics of something similar to the "tool storage closet" that I described? Thanks for your help.

[LCHIEN]

put the compressor in the garage, not the shop... Keep the noise in a room where its got a big door that can be opened to the outside!
Don't use valuable shop space and with the enclosed space it'll resonate like a banshee.

[os1kne]

Yes, that was the idea - keep the compressor in the garage and run an air line and a switch for the electrical outlet that the compressor is plugged into to the basement shop to cut down noise and save space.

It doesn't look like the HF clone of the Rapidair system is still available, but if it is I'd likely pick up 2 kits.

[pelligrini]

Congratulations on the new digs!

12x15 isn't spacious, but you could make it a decent space, especially with that storage area. With some efficient planning you could pack it full and still have easy access. My first thoughts would be to forget the sliding doors. They can be a pain. Three closets in our house used to have bypass doors, all have been removed.

Efficient use of a 3' deep closet isn't easy. I have one that houses a large part of my computer stuff and aquarium stuff. Filling it full and providing quick access is a challenge, especially with the walls on the ends framing the 5' door opening to a 8' wide closet.

I think some rolling cabinets that would fill the void of the area in front of shelves on all the walls could make a very dense use of the space. Maybe some plywood 2'x4' rolling cabinets say 5' tall could house a lot off stuff. The back wall up high could be a lumber rack. Once upon a time I put a lot of thought into turning a bedroom with the above deep closet into my shop.

[os1kne]

Thank you! I probably should have explained a bit more about the reasoning behind sliding closet doors. I'm not a big fan of them either, but they're probably the best choice for the space for cost and appearance reasons. We will be finishing part of the basement and the closet will be at the end of the area that I expect to receive the most use.

A wall of cabinets would look good, but I want to be able to lock 1 or 2 doors and not a bunch of drawers and doors.

[mpc]

Would bi-fold doors work/fit in the space rather than full sized hinged doors? You'd still be able to lock them together padlock-style.

The suggestion of roll-around carts stored in the closet area is a good one. My first idea was similar: a series of roll-around cabinets with flat tops that could serve as work surfaces too. Or at least as supports for a larger flat top (think 2 roll-around cabinets being used as sawhorses). Make them two different heights: some cabinets at a height that lines up with your table saw or other big tools for infeed/outfeed duty and other cabinets at a height usable as a workbench. Then put shelves on the upper part of the cabinet walls. Leave half a foot or so between the cabinet tops and the lowest shelf so you can leave in-progress projects piled on the cabinets at the end of each work shift.

What kind of airflow options do you have? Basement shops are notorious for dust issues... don't make the family regret giving you the basement for a shop by having sawdust (or noise) floating up the stairs into the rest of the house whenever you work. You might consider a roll-up plastic sheet to make a "door" keeping dust contained better - like the ideas on these forums for masking areas off for paint booths.

Also, what types of projects do you plan to build? Building big things and then having to haul them up a set of stairs sucks. As does lugging sheet goods down the stairs at the start of a project. Is the staircase straight through or will you have to make sharp turns with big objects? Any chance of making an outdoor access door from the basement so you don't have to drag fresh lumber supplies through the house... it'd suck to smack holes in walls, or knock over lamps, as you try to maneuver boards through the house to the stairs.

mpc

[vaking]

I have installed a pocket door in one of my bedrooms, works well. I think pocket door is close to what you describe as sliding door. Pocket means that the door slides inside the wall pocket and you don't see there is a door when it is open. My door was bigger then most - 40" wide. You may want to look for pocket door hanging kit as a start. Locks for pocket doors typically are not very secure but for little kids will probably suffice.

MPC brings up several good points about basement shops. Nevertheless - it is doable. I have a basement shop with a narrow winding staircase going down. I cannot bring a full 4'x8' sheet into the basement. I always carefully plan and make the first cut in the store, so I can get sheet down in pieces. Most of my projects are not very big, although I did make some bookcases and got them up the staircase. How high is your basement? My biggest problem is that my basement is barely over 6' high.
Most of my basement is also finished. Drop ceiling tiles help keep the noise from getting out of basement. I have a small dust collector - rolling type that I connect to one machine at a time. Home-made ambient air filter to keep dust under control. I do not keep woodworking tools in the garage and I don't have a compressor because I don't want noise.

Make sure your basement never gets flooded - a flood in the workshop gets expensive. I have seen almost every house on my block flooded at one time or another - except mine. My secret - french drain around the basement and 2 sump pumps in diagonal corners connected to separate power circuits. Even one working pump is enough to save house from flood, having 2 is a safety precaution.

[os1kne]

Thanks for the tips. After I'm able to take measurements to get a better idea of what I'm dealing with, I'll have a better handle on the best way to go. (I'm excited to get started!)

The image that I had in my mind was something like this -http://www.familyhandyman.com/DIY-Projects/Home-Organization/Garage-Storage/giant-diy-garage-cabinet/View-All I knew a man several years ago that had something similar in his garage. With the doors closed, there was no indication of any sort of workshop.

I don't plan on being quite that elaborate! The "nook" is a recess in the cement wall, so pocket doors probably aren't an option unless I expand the depth a bit (which may be an option - don't have measurements to determine).

I do like the idea of wall mounted cabinets starting at 54" or so from the floor with roll-around cabinets underneath and I may try to do this. The boss has said that she wants it to look like a closet when the doors are closed. Bi-fold doors may also be a possibility

A recent WW magazine did an article on basement shops with tips to eliminate dust migration to the rest of the home. I plan on having plywood walls, insulating the stud bays to reduce the noise and using a pre-hung exterior door for the weatherstripping etc. The basement is a walk-out. I'll be able to drive sheet goods to be reasonably close and carry them in. I'll get a lot of practice with the plywood/drywall for the walls when the basement gets finished.

The house does have french drains with a pump.

[woodturner]

In addition to the ~ 12x15 area, there is another "nook" that my wife suggested would work well as a closet for storing small tools, hardware, etc.

I see from your profile you are in Pittsburgh. Is the "nook" under the front porch? What is the age of the house?

The basement "nooks" under the front porch are common in the Pittsburgh area, and are notorious for being damp and leaking water. If that is the "nook" you are talking about, I would make sure it stays dry before storing tools there.

[pelligrini]

I do like the idea of wall mounted cabinets starting at 54" or so from the floor with roll-around cabinets underneath and I may try to do this. The boss has said that she wants it to look like a closet when the doors are closed. Bi-fold doors may also be a possibility.

I was thinking that the roll around cabinets would have doors or drawers or maybe even a closed back, which would face out and when rolled into place would look like a finished front to the closet. They could also be secured when in place fairly easily.

I saw one big tool cabinet that had doors/shelves that would swing open. They were on casters and deep enough for routers, saws, clamps, etc. It was a huge amount of stuff packed into a relatively small space.

Another option might be something like the pull out pantry cabinets with shelves on both sides. A 3'x8' space filled with 4 2'x3' cabinets/carts would give you 24 linear feet of however tall shelving.

Remember, that with regular pocket doors you'll need a pocket at least just as wide as the door and unless you fur the wall out or use big studs, switches and electrical outlets can be problematic.

[os1kne]

I see from your profile you are in Pittsburgh. Is the "nook" under the front porch? What is the age of the house?

The basement "nooks" under the front porch are common in the Pittsburgh area, and are notorious for being damp and leaking water. If that is the "nook" you are talking about, I would make sure it stays dry before storing tools there.

I neglected to mention that we're relocating to GA, but I do recall some homes from my childhood in PA that had similar areas under the front porch.

I didn't pay attention to the relationship of the nook to the front porch, but you may be onto something - they are on the same side of the house and would be vertically close, but the porch would be ~ twice as deep, width about the same.

I'll pay attention to that - thanks!