Building Backyard Shop Without the Eyesore

[Bob Haskett]

The Tablesaw, with an appropriate tablecloth, will look just fine as the dinner table, may need to get some wing extensions. Add a nice Jointer buffet and a Drill Press mixer at the bar and there you have it -- Dual purpose room. I would suggest a very good dust collector err built in vacuum.

Definately and idea for someone, but not possible for me. My wife does interior decorating on the side, so she is all about making the inside look the best she can.

I will snap some pics of the exterior of the house and back yard and garage area to see if anyone can offer anything I have overlooked.

[Bob Haskett]

If putting the workshop in an existing pull-down style attic, what are your options for getting the machines up there? When you buy these machines are they broken down to something manageable?

Or even better, if we could find a way to keep the temperature of the attic down (outdoor temp is into the 100s in the summer, which translates to about a 140 degree attic for me) some of the stuff we are storing in the insulated garage could be moved to the attic thus freeing up some space.

[Dan Friedrichs]

In that case, think down.. How's the water table in your area? Can dig out the crawl space by 5' and end up with an 8' ceiling in the newfangled basement.

+1. Dig out the crawlspace, pour new foundation walls and floor, and you have a full basement shop.

[Bob Haskett]

+1. Dig out the crawlspace, pour new foundation walls and floor, and you have a full basement shop.

Sounds expensive. Anyone have any first hand experience with what that sets you back? I would guess about $50 a sq. foot for the digging but I really have no clue.

[Darius Ferlas]

+1. Dig out the crawlspace, pour new foundation walls and floor, and you have a full basement shop.

Cool idea.

As for the price, for the 10 by 15 space required, it's about 9 cy of concrete (16" footing, 8" stem wall, 5' tall with a 4" concrete slab). We're looking at $900 to 1500 for concrete alone.

Add some reinforcement rods for the foundation and floor slab drainage and sealing material and we're easilly looking at $2K+ and that does not include any labor costs, nor the cost of renting of concrete forms to pour the foundations. Then there is the actual excavation cost and the cost to remove the fill. If an excavator can get inside the backyard then I'd say at least $500 per day. If not... well, that's a lot of digging.

And that's when you're ready to start the framing.

[Bob Haskett]

Cool idea.

As for the price, for the 10 by 15 space required, it's about 9 cy of concrete (16" footing, 8" stem wall, 5' tall with a 4" concrete slab). We're looking at $900 to 1500 for concrete alone.

Add some reinforcement rods for the foundation and floor slab drainage and sealing material and we're easilly looking at $2K+ and that does not include any labor costs, nor the cost of renting of concrete forms to pour the foundations. Then there is the actual excavation cost and the cost to remove the fill. If an excavator can get inside the backyard then I'd say at least $500 per day. If not... well, that's a lot of digging.

And that's when you're ready to start the framing.

Not an option then. The "hole" to get into the crawl space is about 3ftx3ft.

[Darius Ferlas]

Not an option then. The "hole" to get into the crawl space is about 3ftx3ft.

The hole may not even be such a huge issue if you're determined enough.

But I wouldn't start digging without some kind of engineer's opinion on site. It's not like you can safely just remove a few cubic yards of dirt from under your house and hope the existing footings stay intact.

[Art Mulder]

Regarding the crawlspace....

There are two options that I know of (have read of them in magazines)

One is to dig out and pour new footings that go under your current footings. This gives you the maximum space. The other is to just dig out the center area of the crawlspace and leave alone the main house footings. This results in a "wall" about 1' (or more) thick all the way around the edge of your new basement.

But the 3x3 "hole" is a problem also. You would need stairs, either outside or inside, to access this area.

And no, it is not cheap.


I'd take a closer look at the HOA and check over those rules for outdoor sheds. How do you define "eyesore" in a legal document? How do you define "not visible from the road" also? The six-ft height requirement doesn't make any sense to me at all -- naturally, I'm 6'3" tall. Do they mean that the total height can't exceed 6'? or do they just mean the height at the eaves can't exceed 6'?

I'd take another look at the garage. Just how big is it really? If you build a shed in the backyard, how much stuff can you move into the shed from the garage to free up shop space? Can you build a hanging loft/shelf over top of the garage door (assuming overhead doors) to have some seasonal storage up there? (that's what I did). How much space does your wife's car occupy? Can the motorcycle or freezer fit on that side of the garage?
Can the motorcycle be parked in the shed?

Or maybe just sell the motorcycle -- something that would make many wives very happy -- and put the proceeds in your tool budget.

Have fun, post photos.
...art

[Bob Haskett]

But the 3x3 "hole" is a problem also. You would need stairs, either outside or inside, to access this area.

I figured you could make a full door once you dug it out. My neighbors both have mini garage type doors on the back side of the house where they have storage under their house in their crawlspace. They are on slopes though and thats why they got it with the house originally and I didnt.

The six-ft height requirement doesn't make any sense to me at all -- naturally, I'm 6'3" tall. Do they mean that the total height can't exceed 6'? or do they just mean the height at the eaves can't exceed 6'?

That requirement came about because it cant be visible from the road, therefore, it cannot be above my fence which is 6 feet tall.

I'd take another look at the garage. Just how big is it really? If you build a shed in the backyard, how much stuff can you move into the shed from the garage to free up shop space? Can you build a hanging loft/shelf over top of the garage door (assuming overhead doors) to have some seasonal storage up there? (that's what I did). How much space does your wife's car occupy? Can the motorcycle or freezer fit on that side of the garage?
Can the motorcycle be parked in the shed?

I will post some pictures, hopefully someone can shed some light.

Or maybe just sell the motorcycle -- something that would make many wives very happy -- and put the proceeds in your tool budget.

NOT AN OPTION. LOL.

Have fun, post photos.

Will Do.

Pics to come

[Dan Friedrichs]

Regarding the crawlspace....

There are two options that I know of (have read of them in magazines)

One is to dig out and pour new footings...

I've researched this idea extensively, and basically came up with the same things you said.

Even if you can't get a skid steer in the crawlspace, rigging up a conveyor and doing it with a shovel might not be that bad. I calculated it would take me about 100hrs to dig my crawlspace out by hand. If your soil is sufficiently firm, you can leave about 1' of soil against the existing footing, and pour the concrete to form a ridge wall.

I'm planning on doing this myself, eventually. I have a good location to place stairs into the new space, and I also have a backyard that needs a few loads of soil to make it flat - so for a few hours of good exercise (digging) every night for a few months, and a few thousand dollars worth of concrete, I can have a basement shop.

If similar conditions exist for you, Bob, you should seriously consider this idea...

[Jerome Hanby]

What about building a workshop in the back yard that's mostly under ground? You could use the same technique as many underground houses and have the roof above grade (give it huge sections of skylights if you like natural lighting). You'd need a backhoe to dig out the initial hole, pour a slab, build up the walls with cinder blocks, fill the blocks with re-bar and concrete, then back fill. Not sure what the weather is like there, but it could double as a storm cellar. depending on the spot, drainage might be interesting.

[Jerome Hanby]

R
I'd take a closer look at the HOA and check over those rules for outdoor sheds. How do you define "eyesore" in a legal document? How do you define "not visible from the road" also? The six-ft height requirement doesn't make any sense to me at all -- naturally, I'm 6'3" tall. Do they mean that the total height can't exceed 6'? or do they just mean the height at the eaves can't exceed 6'?

That's a good suggestion. The city of Trussville has restrictions on what you are permitted to build, but if the building "matches" the house, meets the easement requirements, and has a foundation that is "tied down" then you're good to go.

[Rob Russell]

That requirement came about because it cant be visible from the road, therefore, it cannot be above my fence which is 6 feet tall.

Could you put in a taller fence?

[Wayne Sparkman]

For cramped space, I like the idea of a shop built around a bandsaw, a tracked circular saw, a jointer/planer combination, a good bench and two good sawhorses.

Beyond that, neanderthal on most everything else. Oh, and because your wife is an interior decorator, the bench and all the tools have to look really nice--Lie-Nielsen and Veritas all the way.

[Bob Haskett]

What about building a workshop in the back yard that's mostly under ground? You could use the same technique as many underground houses and have the roof above grade (give it huge sections of skylights if you like natural lighting). You'd need a backhoe to dig out the initial hole, pour a slab, build up the walls with cinder blocks, fill the blocks with re-bar and concrete, then back fill. Not sure what the weather is like there, but it could double as a storm cellar. depending on the spot, drainage might be interesting.

This is actually not a bad idea. On the back side of the house beside the deck, I have a run of brick wall about 15 feet wide. It is the only section I have that I could use. I could run that about 15ft long to match up with the end of the deck. That would leave me with a 15x15 foot shop. I could brick it with the same color as my house brick, put a roof on it, shingle it, and it just looks like a section of the house.