Converting a Cinderblock Barn Into a Woodshop

[Karl Juelch]

Last September I asked for some advice about converting a dilapidated old barn into a woodshop. I received a lot of good advice, lots of food for thought (thanks again to all those who responded!). Here is a link to the original thread:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...ht=Karl+Juelch

A good part of the winter was spent weighing pros & cons, drawing up plans, and trying to get the building and electrical permits approved. We were finally able to start work on the barn a few weeks ago. Here are some pictures showing the progress so far:

The interior was gutted and all the vinyl siding was stripped off the exterior. We also got rid of all the stall doors and their framing:





Collar ties were then installed 1/3 of the way up the roof rafters, then the hay loft decking, floor joists and support columns were removed:



Then the masons came. They excavated the earth floor, laid down gravel, vapor barrier, rigid foam and steel mesh, and blocked up all the stall doors:







Then the concrete floor was poured:



With the collar ties and the poured floor, floor to ceiling height is about 10 and a half feet.

Next step: framing the interior walls, wiring, insulation, etc, etc. Still a long way to go and lots to do, but I am thrilled with the progress so far and am looking forward to getting my dream shop operational. Stay tuned for further developments.

[Martin Wasner]

Good call on concrete floor. The original looked like horse-crap.

Hat, coat, door....

[Karl Juelch]

Good call on concrete floor. The original looked like horse-crap.

Hat, coat, door....

LOL!! You've got good eye for crap!

[Scott Hearn]

Man that last pic is just screaming for when the concrete sets up good get in there with an airless sprayer and get jiggy with it. A fresh coat of paint will lighten it up considerably. Then I'd roll on a thick coat of epoxy on that pretty new slab.

Edit: I just read that you are going to frame new interior walls. But perhaps you could spray on a foam insulation to help with your sound deadening beforehand? But still do the epoxy floor!

[Lee Schierer]

I think I would have put a couple of windows in those doorways that were blocked up.

[Martin Wasner]

I think I would have put a couple of windows in those doorways that were blocked up.

I agree

Pretty easy at this point if he wanted to add some skylites. Putting holes in a roof isn't one of my favorite ideas, but it'd give you nice natural light. I'd put them in the north facing slope if at all possible, just to keep direct sunlight from beaming in.

[Karl Juelch]

Thanks for your comments.

I thought a lot about windows and/or skylights. I decided against because they would have complicated the sound proofing I am looking for (VERY quiet neighborhood, no desire on my part to PO the neighbors). The other reason that helped me decide against windows/skylights--all the shops I have ever had have been in basements--no view outside, no sunlight. I haven't missed that for all those years, so it isn't something I am going to be missing in the new shop.

Re epoxy on the floors: I am planning to put in a wood subfloor.

[Jim Andrew]

I like natural light as well. Just a couple weeks ago replaced a fixed south window with a pair of tall single hung windows, so I can get some breeze through the shop. Don't need ac when the temperature is moderate and you can get some air flow.

[Phil Thien]

Looks great, this is going to be a fun thread to watch!

[Scott Hearn]

Re epoxy on the floors: I am planning to put in a wood subfloor.

Nice! That's a shop I would kill for. Almost.

As it is I'm working in my 2 car garage and can only get 1 car in it....Some of the time!

Anyway, looking good. Keep us updated so we can drool.

[Mike Wilkins]

A great beginning to a fine work space. Please keep us posted. Us Creekers love shop shots. Have to agree with the call for windows or skylights. Nothing like natural light (not the kind you drink) making for a great workspace. Helps with stain/dye matching and color selection. Don't forget good lighting.

[Karl Juelch]

Here's an update on my barn-to-shop conversion project.

Most of the framing is done. This first photo shows the rough frame for the double doors. I decided to go with oversized double man doors rather than an overhead garage door for better weather proofing, sound proofing and thermal insulation. The large loft door has been ripped out, and the lower half framed and covered. Because the height from the top of the collar ties to the peak of the rafters is just over 4 feet, code says that is a "habitable space", therefor I have to have an access door. The access door (still to be fabricated) will also incorporate a louvered vent.



Furring strips have been added to the newly walled over parts of the exterior. Some strips also had to be replaced because of rot, mostly at the rear of the barn, which was a fenced in area that had piled high with manure and weeds. Considering the barn was built almost 45 years ago, I was pleasantly surprised to see how little rot there was. Had the barn been mostly wood, I imagine the buildup of animal waste, weeds and resulting moisture would have caused at least some serious structural damage by now--so hooray for their decision to build the barn with cement block!





Here's 2 photos of the interior framing. Note the studs are stood off from the block wall by about an inch--that is to provide an "acoustic break" to help with soundproofing. Soundproofing was a major factor in the design decisions I had to make, such as having no windows.





Next up--roughing in the electric!

[Jim Andrew]

Think I'd cram some styrofoam in that gap between the wall and the block.

[Karl Juelch]

Think I'd cram some styrofoam in that gap between the wall and the block.

We're going to use spray foam insulation.

[Mike Heidrick]

Looks awesome. You have done a lot of work. Here's to your accomplishments so far!