Shop Location - What Would You Do?

[Douglas Robinson]

Well, we're moving next week to a bigger house. I have two options for the location of my shop. The first is in the third bay of a three car garage. The second is in the basement.

If I use the garage I will have to build a dividing wall and install a heat pump to control the summer and winter climate. I will have easy access through the garage door.

If I use part of the basement, I will have more room with the climate controlled by the built in HVAC. The basement is presently completely unfinished. I will have to frame it have it inspected, have it wired walled and insulated (especially the shop the prevent the noise from traveling throughout the house). The basement has at least 9 foot ceilings and has a walk-up exit to the back yard. The shop would not connect directly with the walk-up exit and would require bringing materials/tools through the main room.

What would you do?

[Larry Browning]

Basement, More trouble at first, but it sounds way better for the long run.

[Steven Wilson]

If the walk up exit is via double wide doors and isn't real steep then I would choose the basement. If the walk up exit is a single wide door, or is very steep and/or long then I would either consider a remodel or plan on not obtaining very heavy tools.

[Jason Tuinstra]

Another vote for the basement!

[Jim Becker]

Yea, the tradeoff is space versus access. If you can deal with the access and know you can handle material, tools and projects out your basement access, choose the basement and make the shop as large as you can...or are allowed to.

[Chris Padilla]

Douglas,

Interesting situation you have...I hope to have that very same situation in a couple of years. You see, I don't have a basement...but I want one. Apparently they don't put basements in California homes...go figure.

My thought process was to put wide stairs from my garage into the basement and put my shop down there. In fact, the most logical place to start the tunneling under my house is through the concrete garage floor.

Since I don't have a basement, the laundry and HVAC equipment is all in the garage and takes up the whole smalle outcropping I have there. I thought to move that crap into the basement to free up the space. Then I thought about all that space in the basement for a shop! Then I thought about hauling large stuff into/out of the basement! Then I was thinking...how about some not-too-steep, wide stairs into the basement...from the garage!! Brilliant!

We'll see what happends...it is a ways away from happening. If you see Cisco stock solidly in the 30s, just know that I'm cashing in and will set the ball rolling on a basement install!

[Jerry Olexa]

My situation was almost identical to you a few years ago in my present home. Consider that I live in a northern climate (Illinois) so temp control was an issue. I opted for the 3rd stall of garage (primarily for access) and installed a garage heater. After 3 years of actual use, I find myself switching almost 80% to the basement . Consider: gluing operations (the garage heater is good but hard to be 100% effective in cold Chicago winters and somewhat expensive/ineffective w 12 tf ceilings) as well as the precision router table set/up operations and the easy in-place(stable) temp control for the operator (you). So after 3 years I vote BASEMENT but I still keep my Delta table saw (mostly for sheet goods and ripping)and a small workbench in the garage plus at times, its just more FUN to work in the garage on a rainy summer day!! In Effect, I'm saying Basement for your major workshop (you even have access) but keep a small working area/bench/saw in the 3rd stall. Let us know what you decide! The good news is you have the luxury of space to make the decision. Enjoy it either way. Jerry

[Kelly C. Hanna]

Unless you can directly access the basement through a normal door, I'd choose the garage and mobile bases on everything. I can't imagine having to take lumber and tools through the house everytime you want to work in the shop.

I also wouldn't advise the wall. If you have ever gone into a walk in fridge in a restaurant, you'll know that they make plastic flaps to keep the cooling in the walk in....this is what I would use between the garage stalls. It would allow you to expand the shop into the entire garage when necessary. A good window unit can cool the garage fine (even in mine and I live in Texas) and you can pipe in heat via a forced air gas unit.

[Michael Barry]

What's a basement? Come to think of it what's an SWMBO?

[Mike Kelley]

I recommend space over convenience, i.e., the basement. I have one bay of a 3-car garage and it is not enough room. If you go for a garage, I suggest no wall. I am always backing the cars out and taking over the whole garage when I work.

[Dan Mages]

I also cast a vote for the basement. it will be a pain moving things up and down, but the space is important. I dont have any basement space to use and I have a 1.5 car garage.

Dan

[Tim Morton]

I wonder why noone would suggest having two smaller shops? Use the 3rd bay for sheetgoods anf rough cutting...maybe even jointing. Then build your shop in the basement. it would cut WAY down on sawdust in the house, and save you from having to drag large pieces of wood through what i assume witll be the entertainment room.

[Tyler Howell]

Advantages of the garage is access, spreading out and seperation from the main living quarters. The devider can open into the other bays of your garage for major activities like Jason's sky scraper dovetails. Then have your comfort controlled third bay for every day activies.
Access is major in my book. Ain't nothing like bending sheet goods around corners and down stairs to mill it up. Living with the bye products of your hobby is a challenge. I've learned to live with the smells and dust of having the shop in the house, grows on you.There's a lot you can do to minimize the dust. But it's there.

[Rob Russell]

Douglas,

It sounds like the space you'd get in your basement is significantly larger than your 1 car garage stall. My workshop area has always been in the basement and that's what I'd probably recommend for you too. Here are some pros and cons of a basement shop and some things to think about if you decide to work in the garage.

Basement Pros

• Space - it sounds as if you would get "significantly" more space by putting your shop in the basement. This, to me, is the most important reason for becoming a cellar dweller vs. the garage.
• Space #2 - it leaves that 3rd bay open for your Plum Crazy Hemi 'Cuda Convertible. We have a 3rd car (not counting the truck) that's in a storage unit because we only have a 2 car garage. I'd never consider giving up a garage bay for shop space unless that were truly my absolutely, only, got-no-other option.
• Ceiling height - for me this has been an issue. For you, with 9' ceilings, the basement shop shop be fine. You're going to lose some height due to insulation (heat and sound) and lighting, but you'll have 8'+ clear height. Man, what I would I give for that. The height to the bottom of the floor trusses in my new shop is 78". That's a low ceiling.
• Dust control - it's a lot easier to keep wood dust in a confined area like a basement instead of an open garage. I say open because, if you did go with the garage, I'd say you were crazy to wall off a bay. More on that later.
• Security - It's a lot easier to hide expensive toys in your basement than in the garage.
• Spread factor - sometimes, when you're in the middle of a project - you have to leave stuff spread out all over the place. The advantage of a basement shop is that you can do that and it's not an issue to park your car(s) that night. There is something to be said about a shop where you are forced to pick stuff up very night - forces a sort of order. YMMV.

Basement Cons

• Moisture - I run a dehumidifier in our basement all spring and summer long. This summer I'll be painting the walls in the new shop with Drylock to act as a vapor barrier (at least it will slow the vapor transfer down). That may not be an issue for you.
• Ventilation - I have 3 of those smallish windows plus the cut-through from the old basement. That's it. If I want to work with stuff down there that's not nice to breath, a fan forced system is a must. With a garage, you may also want a fan but opening the garage door gives you a big hole to get fumes out of. BTW, this has never been a big problem.
• Light - similarly to ventilation, you will be primarily dependent on artifical light in a basement shop. A garage shop would also need lighting, but you don't have that "open the door for lots of light" ability. Again, has never been a big problem for me.
• Access - ahhhh - now we get to the biggie. It is a nuisance to shlep all my lumber down to the basement. Having the tools down there isn't a big deal, because that's where you use them. For the few tools I use in the garage, I have duplicates. Garage-only tools (hydraulic jack or impact wrench, for example) are stored out there. I have an air line from my compressor in the shop piped up to the garage, so compressed air is available in both locations. Having said that it's a nuisance, it's not impossible. It sounds like you have reasonable access with your stairs. Just to prove that you can get just about anything down the stairs into the basement, I've attached a pic of a machine going down our stairs. I'll pretty much guarantee that this is larger than most machines you're likely to see in a home shop. If I could get this (1500 lbs, 33"Wx30+"Hx7+') into the basement, you can get pretty much anything you want into the basement.

Garage Pros

• Flexible Space - as long as you don't wall off the bay for your workshop, you have the ability to expand into the other bays if you are working on a project that requires the space.
• Delivery Access - there is no question that it's easier to get stuff from a truck in the driveway into your garage workshop than to anywhere else.

Good luck on your decision.

Rob

[Dan Mages]

Douglas,

[*]Space #2 - it leaves that 3rd bay open for your Plum Crazy Hemi 'Cuda Convertible. We have a 3rd car (not counting the truck) that's in a storage unit because we only have a 2 car garage. I'd never consider giving up a garage bay for shop space unless that were truly my absolutely, only, got-no-other option.Good luck on your decision.

Rob

Although it is slightly off topic. The Hemi 'Cuda did not come in Plum Crazy. Plum Crazy was the Dodge name for the colour. The Plymouth name is In-Violet Metallic

Dan