If you had about $30,000 for a shop

[Whitnel]

What kind of shop would you build? We are about to build a house and I am putting in a shop.
I want it to have a concrete floor. I have read really good things about the radiant heat systems that are put in the floors.
I am thinking about a 40' x 60', don't know if i would need bigger or not. Should I longer or wider? FIL has a 30' x 40' and it is too small.
I have learned that taller is better. At least 12' sides maybe 14' sides. I need to see how tall a duce and a half is. I don't have one but I want a bobbed one for some reason. I go jeep riding so pulling in a jeep while on a trailer is a must as well.
What I am most conflicted about is what type of building. Pole barn with trusses, metal building, concrete block with trusses. I do not want one of the arch style buildings. Have been one and the owner did not like it.
I want it to be insulated well so I can heat it and cool it when needed.
I want it to have a bathroom as well.

I have seen some really nice set ups on here or all styles so don't know which way to go with the design / dream at the moment.

 

[kiotiken]

Well, that sounds like a shop I'd love, but on a $30K budget, you may be hard pressed.

I'll be building a shop in the next 5 years. Being MUCH further north than you, I'm focusing on insulation as well. I'll be using ICF (concrete) blocks for the walls and include radiant heating in the floor. I will only heat my shop to 5-10C (40-50F) and use a wood stove to bring it up the rest when I'm in there. I'm also looking into adding what would look like a boxed chimney from the outside but is open and extends from the ceiling with a skylight at the top. This will allow natural light all year long and by opening the skylight in the summer during the day, provide natural cooling as the hot air will rise. I will also use large windows on the south wall and have a properly sized over hang above them. This will provide all the heating during sunny winter days but not in the summer when the sun is at a much stepper angle. There are plenty of online tools to calculate the overhang size as well as the window height. I'll also plant leafy trees on the south side to provide shade and cooling in the summer but not in the winter. By doing a bunch of stuff that is very low cost, I'm hoping to have a nice heated shop that's cool in the summer and doesn't cost much to operate.

The problem with ICF block construction is that you must finish the interior walls right away as it's a hazard in the event of a fire. That is building code here, not sure about elsewhere.

Adding a bathroom may be $30K on it's own if you have to add a septic system. A holding take works, but costs a lot to constantly pump it. Even if you can connect to the existing septic or sewer line, extra walls, finished floor and a basic bathroom (with shower?) is going to bite a few thousand out of your already very limited (for that size) budget.

 

[bigbull338]

building a shop on $30,000 is hard todo.but ill tell you right now the shop your thinking of will be well over $125,000 an maybe alot more.a 40 by 60 6in thick slab will cost almost $30,000.

 

[kf4uda]

I had a good experience with these guys. They are in Florence,AL not too far from you: Oakland Metal Buildings

I sat down with them and described what I wanted. They drew up a plan and provided me a quote for the building and installation. I had them to install the building and I done all of the plumbing,electrical,carpentry and such.

My building is 30x40 (I will probably wish it was larger). The walls are 14ft to accommodate 12x12 doors. I had a 12x12 door frame installed in each end but had them to cover one. This way I can easily open it up in the future to have "drive thru ability" if needed.

I wish I had looked into radiant floor heat. I think it would be a good idea. Not sure about the cost.

 

[LD1]

Post frame is probabally going to be the cheapest.

I personally dont like concrete or metal buildings. Because they are easy to build on your own, they arent easy to modify/add to, and every time you want to hang something up or make a shelf, it is a PITA.

With a post frame like mine, inside walls finished with white painted OSB, if I what to hang something, I just drive a nail:thumbsup:

And I know that taller us usually better, but also keep in mind that if you plan on heating and cooling a 40x60, any additional height is going to make it that much harder to heat. Because a 40x60 isnt going to be cheap to heat to start with.

 

[dusty3030]

Nashville - radiant heat would be a waste of money. You and I are in the same type of climate.
In my 20x30x10 steel building / fully insulated on a concrete slab I use a wall mounted ventless propane blue flame heater mounted on one endwall and have a wall mounted fan on the other end wall. In the summer, the fan is pointed down to keep me cool. In the winter, the fan is pointed up to stir the air, the blue flame heater if turned on high will have you sweating in it, run on lowest setting it is perfect. I have a 110volt window unit air conditioner on the same endwall as the heater. I mounted it up high to make it harder to steal or push through and have access to the inside of the shop. It won't freeze you out in the hottest of summer, but it will keep it plenty comfortable. This building was already on the property when I bought it. It is my workshop / man cave. Has 100 amp service / 240 welder outlet and welder area, 110 outlets all the way around the perimeter of the inside and have I have two air line hook ups in the inside and one on the outside on the concrete pad by the door. Unfortunately, no water was plumbed in when they built it. Smaller than you need, but give you an idea of it doesn't take much to heat one in our climate. Ideally I would want a package central unit and run a duct straight down the center of the peak, but I did my heating / cooling on the cheap.

Second building we built in the fall of 2010. It is 40x80x14. When you start getting quotes you'll find going taller doesnt add much more in dollars. So stay with your plan of going tall. This building is basically four 20 foot bays. One 20x40 bay is fully enclosed and insulated on a concrete slab. It has one entrance door and one 10x10 roll up door. The other 60 feet is fully open on the front wall and the side wall and fully enclosed on the back wall. It is sitting on concrete piers with 6" of crushed limestone as the floor. This building has a buried 100 amp service as well. Total cost of this project was $35,000. This included taking down overhead lines that were on the previouse barn and running new lines underground, moving electrical meter, dirt work and dirt hauled in to level, gravel hauled in and spread, all the lights and inside electrical installed - basically the turn key price. All we did was demo the old barn and cut down some trees, the contractor did the rest.
Here is a picture of the inside of the 40x60 open part.

 

[rrrkkk]

I have a 36' x 40' x 14' Glad the builder talked me into 14 instead of the 12 wall I was thinking. I built a loft on one side out 8' for storage I still have 8' ceiling height where I put my work bench and 6' above it for storage. It is a post frame, with 2 walk in doors and a 8 x 10 and a 12 x 12 garage door. I used a radiant tube NG heater hung from the ceiling. It has a dropped celing with a lot of insulation above it, the walls have 3/8 bubble foil backed insulation I can work out there in the coldest of weather. Might look at Graber Post building out of southern Indiana Don't forget to put pipeing and conduit in floor for air lines and electrical service before pouring concrete

 

[rmully]

Here are some of my thoughts ... I would put in in part crushed rock floor if you are going to store any tractors and implements saving on concrete. Can you put in a composting toilet in your area. I would consider heating with wood.

 

[Whitnel]

The shop will be built along with the house so the septic will be incorporated into that cost. And the bathroom will be a simple toliet and sink nothing fancy.
The idea of the back half being gravel is interesting.
Chopping the inside in half for a heated part and not heated part is also an idea. I have a friend that does HVAC for a living so I can get a unit at just above cost and get the install for the cost of beer.
I work for a grading and utility contractor so I have good contacts for concrete subs etc. I can get pretty good pricing on some of those items.
I have been told by the wife I can spend up to $50,000 if needed but I am cheap and don't want to if i can avoid it. We plan on staying at this location for a long time and I have been waiting for a shop for years and will be in it alot.

 

[Whitnel]

Nashville - radiant heat would be a waste of money. You and I are in the same type of climate. I was just thinking about how nice a warm floor would be, but you are right it does not get that cold for that long here. I have no idea how much this heating system would cost at the moment.

Second building we built in the fall of 2010. It is 40x80x14. The other 60 feet is fully open on the front wall and the side wall and fully enclosed on the back wall.I like how you did this, might look into 40 x 40 elcosed with the back 20' open like you did. It is sitting on concrete piers with 6" of crushed limestone as the floor. This building has a buried 100 amp service as well. Total cost of this project was $35,000.
.

Lots of new ideas.