Fantasy Shop

[Chris Padilla]

Put the shop on a generous crawl space and you'll have access to change or add in the future.

Generous would be 8' ceilings in that "crawl" space. Some folks might even call it a basement!

[Steve Stube]

Personally I don't see the need for 12' and 14' ceiling heights in a home hobby shop. Every time I see that recommendation given, "I thinks I see another clumsy oaf that can't turn a 4'X8' sheet of ply without bumping into something". Second thought is, does the guy have any first hand experience with heating and cooling a shop with high ceilings. Third I think of all the high ceiling shops that I've seen where the owner enclosed an area within to ~ an 8' ceiling so he could afford/have an area of comfort - either heated or cooled. I think the whole shop should be comfortable to work in, not just a little room.

Skylights is another pet peeve of mine. In theory they are attractive. Someone wisely already mentioned the high maintenance aspect. Putting a weak insulator at a point where maximum insulation is desirable (either from cold or heat) is another way to spend extra money for those so inclined.

Radiant in floor heat is another of those recommendations so quickly and loosely tossed out like it is the best thing going. Without proper preplanning and foundation prep it can be the absolute worst choice for heating. Oh, and if you only plan to heat your shop occasionally when you are in it, this option looses a lot of luster. My floors are neither cold or hot (just right for Baby Bear) without any tubing in them. I did insulate my ground floor and foundation as if preparing for in floor heating.

But then I digress, and this isn't fantasy now.

[Tim Sproul]

Personally I don't see the need for 12' and 14' ceiling heights in a home hobby shop. Every time I see that recommendation given, "I thinks I see another clumsy oaf that can't turn a 4'X8' sheet of ply without bumping into something".

Being the "clumsy oaf" that I am....I sometimes wish I had taller than 10' ceilings when pulling out 10' - 16' long boards and trying to get them off the rack and onto horses or benches so I can lay out parts prior to cutting the boards into more manageable lengths.

I do suppose if you primarily are building sheetgood cabinetry, 10' ceiling is more than adequate. If you work with decent amounts of solid wood furniture, you're bound to have a healthy number of 10+' length boards stroll through the shop.

[Frank Pellow]

...
Skylights is another pet peeve of mine. In theory they are attractive. Someone wisely already mentioned the high maintenance aspect. Putting a weak insulator at a point where maximum insulation is desirable (either from cold or heat) is another way to spend extra money for those so inclined.
...

I grant you that skylights don't provide the desired insulation but, for me at least, the natural light that they provide is well worth the cost. If I got to build my shop over again, I would have at least one more skylight.

I believe that the skylights in my shop are the feature most appreciated and commented upon by my visitors.

[Jim Becker]

Ouch. I don't think I could even lie down in a shop that short .

Well, you know we men get inches and feet all mixed up sometimes....

[Bill Lewis]

...the natural light that they provide is well worth the cost....

You do have to be careful about the placement of skylights too. Like a good artists studio, the best light is northern light, indirect and not glaring. Putting clear, undifused, skylights on a south or southwest roof may provide a lot of the wrong kind of light. Who wants to work with the sun in their eyes?

[Chris Rosenberger]

[QUOTE=larry merlau]

Larry, you're evil!

well its in the blood, bill just ask those who have met me. as for your dream shop i am looking at a wooden floor very hard, i saw one a while back that swept me of my feet. i was amazed at what it was holding and the comfort it gave my old knees and feet/ i could have stayed there for a week and not regreted a min of it. in my existing shop i have the 1/2 foam floor mats to help out but they dont do it all.. i really like your picture you dropped in and wish i had the software to do that. i dont so i just do that in my little hardrive. thats real shinny on top i have seen the radiant heat aspect but i am wanting to stay away from concrete. thanks again for your input and all of the others who have voiced opinions

Larry you could have stayed a week. Feel free to to describe my shop. I would do it but I am on vacation until next week & I am on a motel computer & so I do not have much time. By the way my son is watching things while I am gone.

[Steve Ash]

Larry,
When you get ready to build that fantasy shop just give me a call, I'll be right over to lend a hand......or two!
I noticed someone mentioned building their own trusses...check your local building code office first, I used to build trusses for some of the buildings I built but it seems that some counties require an engineereed truss more often than not. The truss company will send along a spec sheet of where your backers and braces need to go as well as hurricane clip requirements....yep hurricane clips in Michigan

Steve

[mike lucas]

It has to have 10' walls, (I have 9'3" and it isn't tall enough.) maybe 11-12 would be even better. A coset for the air compressor, and dust collector, a light color and lots of light, one 12'x8' overhead door, a few windows for those days you spray finish, better yet, a 10'x12' finish room. (I'd like bigger, but you limited the shop size ) Locking outlets (115 and 230 volt ones) in the ceiling for the machines/tools in the middle of the shop. Don't want anything to trip on!

Ran out of space already. Mine is 32'x34' plus the air compressor and all finishing is in a different space, and it needs to be bigger!

[Joe Mioux]

In my branch store, I have both 14 foot tall ceilings, ALOT of good fluorescents fixtures and even more low and high voltage spot & flood lights.

Additionally: I have in-floor hot water heat.

Fourteen foot tall ceilings are a pain.

It is difficult to change the light bulbs

In-floor heat is wonderful. The high ceiling height is -- mostly --irrelevant with the infloor heat, because there is a temperature inversion in the room.

joe

[larry merlau]

Well, you know we men get inches and feet all mixed up sometimes....

well jim does it again he's the come back kid. gets you thinkin he's asllep or missed a lick and comes back to win the game

[larry merlau]

i have had not been here to read the latest, so today i got caught up on my readin. i like some of the input that has been added and have gotten some new ideas of where i might go when the ship comes in.. as for the crawl space crisPadilla, cant quite come up with enough grade or money for the full basement aspect but i can have around 4 to 5ft. thats better than none.. as for the duct collection in the floor idea sounds good have seen it done but is it the best for collection. does it make the collector work harder? most collectors will be on the top floor and there still having to draw the dust up and the postioning of tools had better be set in stone before hand. and we all know that never happens oh mr steve ash i had thought of having a shop raising. asking for everyone to bring a tool to pass and or lumber,as well as there labor, are you still interested and steve from midland i appreciate your objectivness. i am pretty much set on the 10 ft ceiling in my case and am liking to have a 8ft wall with a cap cod roof design with the other 2 ft coming from a raised bottom chord on the truss if i could get it engneerd that way.for the most part the ten ft area that is needed is in the center part of the room rather than the outside edge in my normal realm of things. and so once again thanks to those of yu that have replied and i hope that this has and will help others in there quest to there fantasy shop..