My garage is to small and I almost have the wife conviced to let me build a detached shop I am thinking 28x32 anyone have any plans laying around the want to get rid of.
[OP]
Member
My garage is to small and I almost have the wife conviced to let me build a detached shop I am thinking 28x32 anyone have any plans laying around the want to get rid of.
Member
I think if you do a SEARCH on this thread section, there are many pics and layouts worth looking at. That would be a great size! I only get about a 1/3 of my garage (24x30) for my shop, but it works!
http://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=129684
There many threads on the buildings, electrical, Lighting, Vac systems, etc....just scroll thru the topics.
Last edited by Dave Wagner; 01-22-2010 at 8:14 AM.
Dave W. -
Restoring an 1890 Victorian
Cuba, NY
Member
When you do the design make sure to consider headroom. IMHO 10ft is absolute minimum.
Wood'N'Scout
Member
I'm not sure of the reason for this thread? To the OP, if you simply want building plans, which it seems to me, it's a pretty silly place to start. Pretty easy to "plan" a stick framed 28x32 shop. You really wouldn't need a plan at all. Neither would a builder. Of course the devil is in the details, and all those are specific to your individual wants, needs, site, location, and budget. The odds that someone's "plan" would meet all your criteria is...like winning Powerball.
Gotta run. Need to bulldoze my 24x36 shop with 8' ceilings
Last edited by George Bregar; 01-22-2010 at 6:34 PM.
Contributor
Before calling a contractor, visit your local library or bookstore and get some reading material. Planning now instead of later will pay off big later. And forget about building the 'perfect' workshop; it does not exist. One thing that is a constant, is that shops are always changing & evolving, either to suit the machinery/tools you have, or you simply want to change the layout.
About those 10' ceilings; there are lots of folks that visit this site, including me, that get along fine without that much ceiling height.
Good luck and share your completed shop later.
Contributor
Tony, I built a new shop(24x36) last year. I got a garage builder to put up my basic building and I finished the interior myself. I got 9 ft ceiling ht. I used 1/2" osb for my interior walls. I also ran surface mounted electrical. This makes it easy change wiring runs, which I have already done on several circuits. As someone has already stated, a shop is never completed. Good luck and lots of pictures.
Member
Why would you go to the expense of surface mounted electrical with OSB walls? I just unscrew the OSB, run the new wiring, screw it back up.Originally Posted by Joe Bradshaw
Member
Don't forget to search online booksellers -- including the used books. I found a couple of used books that cover shop set-up from soup to nuts -- layout, size, machine placement, electrical, heat/air-con, DC plumbing, lighting, etc., etc.
I may have paid something like six bucks, each, plus half that for shipping.
If you get ONE good idea ... before you pour a slab ... money well spent!
Member
Sorry guys I really apologize if I insulted anyone with my suggestion of 10 foot ceilings. It just seemed that if someone was building a shop from scratch he might like high ceilings to hang his lights from, air lines from, ductwork from, heaters from, air filter from, and maybe power from.
Why limit yourself at the start.
BTW, my shop has 11 1/2 foot ceilings. I have spent a lot of time on ladders or scaffolding putting all that stuff up there. And I don't regret it much when it come time to move material around the shop.
Wood'N'Scout
Member
Good evening,
This past summer I lead the building of a 24x28 shop. He picked out the plans form a local lumbar yard. He purchased the "kit" which included plans. He had a monolithic slab poured with 8" termite blocks to set the walls on. We built stick built the garage in a series of 6 Saturdays. We built the walls at 10' pluss the termite blocks. I can tell you that puts the cieling way up in the air. We played hell trying to get up to the top of the wall. We only had 1 12' step ladder......
When I build my shop this summer or next I won't even think about 11' walls. I would stick with 9' or so.
Member
You didn't insult, just seemed an odd comment with no reason (you've added it here). As far as your reasons, all those things can be done on an 8' ceiling. Is more headroon nice...sure. Is it more expensive? Yes. Does it cost more to heat and cool? Yes. I converted an existing garage, so didn't have a lot of choice. But I would rather have a larger footprint with 8' ceilings if that was the trad-off. I will defer back to my original point...there are many factors that go into a shop building design.
Member
Personally i think you are right on with the 10' ceilings. In my new show the ceilings are 10' and i absolutely love it. The extra cost was minimal when building. I wouldnt even consider shorter if i ever build again.
Member
I had a 16x24 shop at my last house. My father and I built it in a couple of weekends. I used a home construction book I picked up at a big box store a few years back just to get span and load-bearing information from it. They also tell you how to lay out rafters and other framing members. Here are a few suggestions:
1) Concrete is hard on knees and back, so if you can do a wood floor, do it. If you plan on heavy equipment, just move up in joist size or reduce the spacing. If you do concrete, be sure to buy a lot of good anti-fatique mats. I purchased mine from newpig.com. I bought it by the foot and cut to length myself. It was worth every penny!
2) My shop just used the rafters as the ceiling (insulated with batting and 1/2" insulator board on that). That gave be a decent amount of height down to the outside walls. If, like me, you ever decide to weld, you will want that extra ceiling height as the smoke and fumes fill it up in a hurry, even with exaust.
3) I put lofts at each end of the shop. One reason was for overhead storage, the other to keep the walls from "spreading". This also allowed me to put anti-racking bracing in for the roof.
4) I put an I-beam with a trolly on it across the 16' width. That thing was priceless when it came to lifting equipment, materials, etc.
5) I found it cheaper to contract out the vinyl and roofing (shingles). I couldn't buy the materials for what I could get it done.
6) If you can do the wiring yourself, do it. Most electricians charge $10-$25 per outlet/fixture these days.
7) Put lots and lots of lighting in. You could get a suntan in my shop, but you could see very well everywhere also.
I'm relegated to two bays of a 3-car garage now. I really miss my shop. What we give up for our kids....
Just my 0.02 cents....
Member
Further detail on my 11 1/2 foot ceilings. My shop is an addition to my existing garage and visible from the street. That left me with little flexibility to increase the height of the building. The existing garage, and therefore the addition had a rafter height of 9 feet. At no extra cost I had the addition ceiling rafters moved up the maximum possible on the roof rafters. Per code this was 1/3 of the total height.
The result is a ceiling that is a tray ceiling on the sides, but 11 1/2 foot for the center of the shop.
Wood'N'Scout
Member
Always check your local codes to see what is or is not required.
My local codes were 15' peak height (Without a variance, didn't want to go thru the hassle of notifing all the neightbors, wait for the zoning board, drawings, etc..), so I kept it within all the max. limits of height and size (720 sq. ft), etc....the only thing they really required was a certified "SLAB" on grade drawing, calcs on the trusses for snow load, and any laminated beams used (Above the garage door)". everything else went perfectly (Other than not putting in radiant floor heat?, but didn't have a boiler system at the time...oh well)..
Dave W. -
Restoring an 1890 Victorian
Cuba, NY
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