Shop build and heating in 2024

[miscjames]

I am in the planning stages of a shop build 30x40 12’ high side walls. Metal building on slab with 12x12’ door, One walkindoor and two 12”x12” window frame outs in the gables for fans. And i plan to insulate.

I live in East Tennessee and i am looking for suggestions on heating.

My first thought was to go radiant floor but foam board insulation prices suitable for under slab (20 psi or greater) is really souring this idea.

So what you got?

 

[EddieWalker]

That's a nice sized door.

What are the 12"x12" window frame outs with fans going to do?

How are you going to insulate the building?

My garage is about the same size as the shop you are building. So far it's just framed with a metal roof and house wrap on the exterior. My plan is to insulate the walls with R13 fiberglass, and then install metal siding for the ceiling, and blow in R60 Attic Cat insulation. I went with insulated panel doors because of the insulation. I've had Roll Up doors, but they leak too much air. I did the same thing for my parents garage and I've been amazed at how nice it is in there on the hottest or coldest days.

If I need to, I'll use a space heater to heat the area that I'm working, but for now, I'm not planning on doing anything else.

 

[thepumpguysc]

I’m in South Carolina.. not a huge need for heat, but when u need it, U NEED IT..
I work on a bench 99.9% of the time.. so no real need to heat the whole thing..

I have an electric space heater down low for my feet and legs..
A propane DUAL HEAD heater w a pedestal fan behind it, on low, to blow the hot air where I need it..instead of going straight up..
And a round kerosene heater, not the torpedo style, with a pedestal fan behind it..
The kerosene heater will warm the whole building but down here it’s 6.00 a gallon, so it’s a bit pricey to run..
It’ll run 8 hours on a full tank easy..
BUT HEY, it beats being cold..
Propane is much much cheaper to run and a small “grill tank” will last for days..

In Tenn u get cold and snow, so u might want something more permanent..??
Northern Tool sells the ones that bolt to the ceiling and are hard wired to the electrical panel..
Or u could go on FB market place and find a business that does it for a living that has a bunch of “take out” units.. with BOTH HEAT AND AIR..(cheap) but it’ll be depending on your electric box..
Good luck

 

[CliffordK]

I'm still in the planning stages for a new workshop here. I'm debating about under floor insulation and in slab PEX. I will probably go that way because I expect the shop to outlive me, and perhaps plans will change. Do it right the first time.

I want some brick in it. It will slow me down a lot, but that's what I'd like.

As far as roof insulation, I was originally interested in the fire resistance of rock wool. But I'm now learning more and more about closed cell spray foam that has excellent vapor barrier properties, and can also be reasonably fire resistant, especially when protected from oxygen exposure.

I think the spray foam can be applied directly to metal and will prevent condensation from forming at all in the back side of the metal.

I'm currently planning on wood heat. I have a fair amount of dead wood here every year, and think I can probably get a permit from the forest service to get wood out of clear cuts and slash piles.

 

[KennyG]

A few questions. Heated all the time or just kept above freezing and heated when working? Natural gas available? Electric supply?

Cheapest is probably gas furnace. Mini-splits may be a DIY option for you. For insulation, will you have a ceiling? That helps a lot on heating and makes a lot of insulation economical.

 

[newbury]

Determine your needs.
How "perfect" does it have to be?
What are you going to do in there? Will you be laying on the floor a lot? Or just walking on it?
I've a 40Wx60Lx12H in northeast Mississippi I bought in 2010 (along w/ other bldgs, a house and 73 acres). Gets cold in winter, warm in summer, only has a little insulation under the steel roof. But the climate and I sort of get along. I've a 20x12 section w/ A/C and beyond ducking in there on occasion during extreme heat it's rarely needed by me. I've a small salamander heater I've used on occasion in the winters (avg low in Jan 32 deg F).
But I'm from Vermont and to me it doesn't get REAL unworkable cold until water freezes inside, then I get out my pet salamander.
But it's mostly vehicle and "stuff" storage.

 

[Oaktree]

A few questions. Heated all the time or just kept above freezing and heated when working? Natural gas available? Electric supply?

Cheapest is probably gas furnace. Mini-splits may be a DIY option for you. For insulation, will you have a ceiling? That helps a lot on heating and makes a lot of insulation economical.

What are you going to do in there? Will you be laying on the floor a lot? Or just walking on it?

A couple good points. Is this shop something that will be used 'most every day in cold weather or only occasionally? If the latter, a woodstove might suffice.
Given that you're in the south, it would seem to me that A/C is at least as important as heat, if not more so. That would give an edge to mini-splits. Your winters are mild enough that a heat pump system might be the best solution, and would probably handle what's considered cold weather there.

 

[Ricn]

Live in the NW it gets cold here in winters. My shop is 60x40 with half being insulated and having 2 big 12 high doors so sealing them off from the cold is difficult. I installed foam pieced on the inside door panels, also installed a secondary ceiling that is insulated above ,with 12 inch batts, just high enough so to back my dump truck in when needed. Their are three heaters all electric that warms the back section being 24x12 with a stud wall and 8ft sliding door in the middle. I can shut this space off from the front section as this is my lathe, Mill and drill press area that I heat all the time. The second heater out front where my tractors are kept I use an 1000-5000w selectable electric heater that I mounted on a wood dolly so I can move it around, it uses a long piece of 10 gauge SO cord running on 230V and the heater has a good fan drive to blow heat where I need it when working on my equipment. I put power on both side walls to plug the heater into but dont use this hearter a lot, just when it gets to cold for me, about 35-40 these days. This area stays pretty warm being well insulated and with 51/2 inch concrete slab. I also have and use, two big rubber floor matts, the ones used for horse stalls that help keep my feet warmer when around the tractors and such. I just move them where needed and they are great for both walking and knealing when changing tires, oil etc.The last 12x40 section is also walled up and insulated and where I keep all my nand and power tools. It has a 8ft ceiling and is heated via a small electric wall heater with T-stat that keeps the room at 65 all the time same as the lathe room. Above this room is storage for all my junk but for many years was the hay loaf when our girls had horses. Both my Sons grew up in this shop learning lots about machinery, running the lathe, air tools, welding and such and now they are all grown have their own shops and heavy equipment repairing whatever needs it! While many dont need a shop like this one, I felt it justified for my needs and hobbies and it has turned out to work well for my needs.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

Plan for 36" gable fans. Heat and cool with a heat pump so you have summer AC and humidity control.

 

[westcliffe01]

photo credit Ed Fensholt Sr.

Im planning a 64x40 shop/home in Colorado at 9000ft. No need for AC, just open some windows. Its a high wind area, buildings need to be rated for 130mph wind. Im probably going to use 14ft off the 64' length for living space on the west end, the side facing the 14k high peaks of the Sangres. That should give me 560 sqft of living space, which for me is plenty. The balance of approximately 1960 sq ft will be shop space. Im hoping to build airplane engines from automotive engines. Huge demand in the <80hp segment since Rotax killed off their 2 stroke engines. I will have a car hoist and 12' ceilings. I am planning radiant heat for the slab. There is basically no way one is going to heat a concrete slab using air, especially if it was not insulated in the first place. It will be zoned so that one has the ability to lower some inactive zones compared to active ones but the mass of the slab will be slow to react so one cant expect to be turning the heat up and down on a daily basis. The radiant heat should make working on the floor under a vehicle a lot more pleasant than the past 20 years either roasting on asphalt in summer, while being bitten simultaneously by 20 mosquitos, or shivering while lying in a puddle or fresh snow the other half of the year....

Im going to have a separate dirt floor 2 container barn consisting of 2x 40ft high cube containers spaced 32ft apart and with lean to roofs over the containers and an additional 12ft on the south side for an area with solar gain (probably double wall polycarbonate panels to let through sunlight on the south side). The open area in between will have 32ft wide scissor trusses raised up about 3ft above the 9'6" of the containers. Pier footings for the containers with 1/2" steel plate on top for welding the containers onto. Im not going to be relying on weight alone to stop the containers moving.

The container barn will provide all the space I need to park my equipment out of the weather and out of sight and give me space to store building material out of the weather (in 2 containers and lean to) as I get ready to build the main residence. The building season is pretty short and I dont yet know the turnaround time with the county for permits and I do know that any trades people will be busy as hell all summer building multi million $ mansions for well heeled folks up on the ridges. Mostly summer cabins at that too... I believe that asking rate for builders is well north of $400/sqft so Im going to have to do just about everything myself. The concrete pour and finishing of the main slab is my biggest headache. If I have no alternatives I may just have to do it in multiple pours 40' wide x whatever dimension is needed to accept 10 yards since the concrete is already $211 per yard without partial load fees..... I have reached out to a few concrete contractors for labor to handle the pour and finishing, so far have not had anyone bite. I was going to do all site prep, vapor barrier, insulation, rebar, formwork myself and just ask for help with the pour itself. If the contractor comes to inspect the site the day prior they can get any issues addressed prior to the concrete showing up. But so far that plan has not yet borne any fruit.