Starting a basement workshop

[daniel lane]

Well, it looks like LOML has finally freed me from projects enough that I can start on the workshop! So I'm going to ask for a little advice and see what you guys think.

We moved into this house a little over a year ago, and the unfinished basement space has become a combination temporary workshop and storage for all things unwanted. This is a perfect excuse to clean it out and start from scratch.

First, the space itself: It's roughly 11'x25' with 8' ceilings. The east wall is against earth and the north wall is against earth/concrete (garage slab), but the ground slopes downward to the west so the western wall is entirely above ground (walkout basement). Currently the unfinished space includes the water heater and HVAC system, but I plan to wall that area off and have not included it in the measurements above. I've included two photos, a sketchup file, and a JPG of the sketchup file to help clarify the layout. The space to the right of the red wall is utility (the red wall represents the partition wall I will build). Note that in the photos you will see a lot of junk and boxes and stuff - sorry 'bout that, I decided to post here before cleaning up. Oh, by the way, as far as electrical goes, if you look at the west-facing photo, you will see that I had a 60A sub-panel dropped in for the workshop when we had the main 200A panel replaced. There are currently no breakers in it, so I can set it up however I wish.

Alright, second is the request: How shall I go about "building" the workshop? I've seen enough photos and have a book or two that may help, so I'm not so much asking for layout help as I am construction advice. We do not have a particularly damp basement, and doing the whole "paint, insulate, frame, drywall" thing seems like overkill to me, but maybe it's a good idea for the workshop. I plan on insulating for noise, as the space above is kitchen/dining area.

Maybe it would be easier if I listed my questions.

1. Is there a good reason to insulate the concrete walls? We're in a temperate enough area that it's never been unpleasantly hot or cold in the basement.
2. Do I need to worry about dust getting into the utility space? I was thinking that I'd drywall (or wood panel) the shop side, and staple heavy plastic to the other side of the partition wall.
3. I've read several posts about sound insulation, and plan on insulating the ceiling and around the ductwork. If I'm going to wall off the utility space, should I plan on a standard 2x4 wall, or make it a 6" wall with staggered studs and extra insulation?
   • Sub-question: Should I consider tearing out the shelves against the stairs and building an insulated wall there, too? The other side of the stairs is finished, but rarely used.
4. Dust control is a major issue for me, since I'm in the house, but I'm worried about noise. I don't really have the money to spend on a giant 4-cyclone beast with twin turbocharged, water-cooled, 30hp motors, so I don't think noise will be too excessive, but I'm still worried. For space reasons, I'm thinking about building a small DC closet that I could heavily insulate into the utility space, but because of the proximity of the HVAC, I'd completely seal it from the utility space and vent it back into the workshop. Anyone see a problem with this?
5. What am I not considering?

I would greatly appreciate anyone's advice here - I'm on a limited budget, but really want to do this right the first time.


Thanks in advance,

daniel