Shop size... and why? Recommendations

[Dadnatron]

I will be building a workshop for our farm. I envision somewhere I can bring in equipment in order to get out of the rain while I work on it, as well as a place for fabrication should I so choose.

Slab floor, insulated, water, bathroom, electrical service for welding etc. I will put shed dormer on at least one side under which I'll store farm equipment. I want at least 2 separate (walled off) rooms in the back for storage of 'stuff'. Work bench etc.

Needs to be tall enough for a 11' tractor cab at a minimum, so I am thinking 14' walls for work clearance. I will NOT be using it a ton, but not having a place to get out of the weather has cost me a lot of time, trying to get things done.

I'm half tempted to put in some sort of lift and an overhead crane lift is tempting as well, however, they wouldn't be used often, that is for sure.

I know no one complains about a shop being 'too big', but my wallet still needs to function. What size would you recommend and why? I'm half tempted to put a loft 'room' above the storage rooms for my shoe making shop and equipment (hobby).

 

[mddorange]

You are right about it never being "to big" as you will always fill it no matter how big it is.

I have pretty much filled my 37' x 100' x 16' barn. I have a loft above half of the barn and have found that it is very handy.

 

[mikester]

Skip the crane and buy an outdoor forklift with side shift. Buy HD pallet racking for storing your implements vertically instead of taking up floor space.

If you have enough head room you can add a mezzanine later.

Keep in mind heating a lot of empty space gets expensive. If I did it again I would super insulate the floors, walls and ceiling. What I originally saved in construction costs I've paid out in heating bills over the past 20 years and could have built a second barn.

 

[RNeumann]

The biggest you can with your budget. Remember to add in for electrical, insulation and possibly heating (depending on location).

I personally went round and round with regards to construction type and ended up with conventional framing. It cost more up front but by the time I added framing to “hold” electrical, insulation and drywall it was nearly a wash. Plus I can convert part of it into living quarters at some point.....if needed.

 

[Budweiser John]

My shop is 32 X 80 the first 40 of length is 8 high (much to low) the second 40 is 16 high with a i beam and trolly running side to side capable of a one tone point load for servicing equipment.
The shorter head room is used for wood working and the taller portion for equipment maintenance and metal fabrication. What eats up shop space is storing all the stuff needed to make the shop productive such as bolt bins, shelving, lumber and steel storage, and projects waiting for time or parts.
I like your idea of an attached leanto and would in a future build, include that feature. Depending on your budget, I think you値l get more square footage for the least amount of lineal feet of exterior wall by building more square than oblong.
In any event, a pencil and graph paper or, if your really teckey, a computer aided design program and an inventory of your current and future equipment is a great place to start.
A few things I consider essential to a great working shop: good insulation, hot and cold water, a large sink, 200 amp electrical service 3 phase if possible, plenty of compressed air capacity, first class lighting, adequate heat, and an alcove or dedicated office with a file for equipment and inventory records.
Of course, the pesky budget will dictate the end result but any shop is better than working outside and no shop is ever big enough.
B. John

 

[dannoGT]

I have a buddy that put radiant heating in floor of shop and hooked it up to a woodstove with a water jacket on it. It is amazing that when your feet are warm the whole rest of your body feels warm! I am definitely putting the in floor heating in the next shop I build!

 

[Deere Dude]

16' sidewalls. I put 14 foot side walls and my camper was to tall because the doors could only be 12'. I know/think sooner or later you will get something taller especially running a farm.

With minimum 16' walls you can put a deck on a section if needed and both upper and lower will have 8' ceilings.

 

[MMalabama]

Mine is 30x40. Filled it up in 4 months, that was all i could afford though, but I wish I had a 60x100 LOL! As big and as insulated as you can afford is the best advice I can give.

 

[BLSXJ]

since this sounds like a large, single bay work shop with two small rooms at the back. I would think your biggest machine/ project might be 12' wide and lets same 30' long (12 foot wide farm implement, 30 foot long trailer/wagon etc) add 6 feet around three sides, then add 8 feet of extra building length for your storage rooms and bathroom.

width = 12'+6'+6' = 24' wide
length= 30'+6'+8 = 44' long(deep)
height= 14'

 

[EddieWalker]

My plan is to go as wide as I can get trusses. I'm thinking 40 feet wide. Then building it as long as I can afford, but making sure the land behind it is cleared, or at least with some more clearing, buildable so I can expand if I need to.

I want my walls tall enough to allow me to have lean to's off both sides, so the land will also have to be cleared for that. Currently I have a 12 foot lean to with 12 foot walls that allow my 4:12 pitch roof to be 8 feet up at 12 feet from the wall, and that's just too small. 16 would be better, and 20 feet would be even better!!! I like the look of a Monitor style barn and would run gutters off of the main roof, and then have the lean to roof start a few feet down the wall. Ideally, I'd have windows for light on that part of the wall above the lean to roof. The taller the walls, the farther out I can go with my lean to's and maintain my pitch.

Then the area around the lean to would have to be cleared so no trees would drop leaves or branches on it.

If there was no way to clear enough land to have space all around the building, I would make the building smaller, but still as big as I could with the hope of being able to build on to it down the road.

When deciding on square footage, you have to figure out how much space you have to work with, and if you will be able to make it bigger when you need more space, or have more money. Seems like most of the time, people build in a location that limits this, so they have to build another building in another location.

 

[joeu235]

Mine is 40 x 60 with 14 walls. I would make it 16 foot walls if I did it again. If i need more space in the future, i plan on adding a lean to roof on the back side

 

[Barnbuilder]

Structure and floor I would figure about $25 sqft. I just priced out 60' wood trusses at $300ea.

 

[dstig1]

I did 32x80', 13' walls. 4/12 pitch, simple gable on the 32' end. The reason for 13' was i wanted to make sure I could fit a car lift in there. I have no RVs nor any desire to ever own one, and no need for any equipment larger than my L-series Kubota, so there are 2 doors on the gable end, 10x10' I went with the high lift door tracks so they aren't in my way (that lift again). i have a man door around the corner and one more garage door on the side way towards the back for occasional access to the rear shop. I divided it roughly 30' in front and 50' in back, with the front part being the "garage" where i park the tractor and truck and do car and metal work. Rear section is the wood shop. Slab is nominally 5" thick, but is thicker in spots as I was not the best grader... I did a frost protected foundation for the slab so there is insulation around the perimeter. I also insulated below the slab with R20 (2" XPS foam x2) as I put radiant tubing in the floor for heat, ran off a small on-demand water heater. Fully insulated and sheetrocked, painted white, truss roof with blown in insulation. As Eddie noted, I am boxed in from expanding as I am very limited on buildable sites on our land. The house got one, the shop got another and there is theoretically one more area you could build, but it is a lousy location, and that's all there is. I did what i could but could not go any bigger really. So far it has been fine, but organization has been critical - lots of shelves and some pallet racks. 200 A service and I did run water to it for a hose, but there was no way to reach the septic from the shop so no bathroom at all. That is my one huge regret. A toilet and sink would make it perfect, but there is no real way to make it happen. Wider would also be nicer but I do Ok with the width.

My $0.02

 

[marchanna]

You put up a fabric building with steel frame. That will cut down on the cost a lot and give you as much space as you need. Later on you can alway foam insulate the inside to give it permanent stability and reduce heating cost or sell it and build a conventional structure. I’m kinda in the same boat right now, I want an additional storage building/shop but I don’t want to spend the money. Fabric buildings are very cost effective.

 

[ustmd]

It doesn't matter how big you built it, next year it will be too small.

 

[rustyshakelford]

Mine is 40x60x15. Total under roof with lean-to and awning extension is 52x84. It gets full quick but I keep nearly everything tractor related in it. Used to keep the box blade and bucket or forks but the they are outside now. It痴 nice keeping everything out of the sun.

Brett

 

[finn1]

I built a 32’x54’ garage near the house a number of years ago. It has 13.5’ ceilings in the 24’x32’ area dedicated as shop space and 10’6” ceilings in the parking area.

I outgrew it so I bought a building down the road with a 48’x75’ footprint and 16’ ceilings. Part of the footprint included a 16’x60’lean to.

You guessed it; I outgrew it so I added a 12’x10’ door to the lean to last year, making it usable space.

Advice: Consider the ceiling height carefully. The 16’ ceilings are great, but I built my original garage / shop with the stepped ceiling and roof height in minimize heating requirements in spaces used only for parking.

Consider hvac requirements. Both of my buildings are set up for in floor heat, although only the larger one has the system installed. In floor heat is very expensive to run, based on my experience in a cold climate and well insulated building. The issue is that it is a 24/7 system, with slow response not well suited to setback strategies.

Comfortable, but inflexible.

Consider door location if you are in snow country. Gable end doors are preferred, especially with steel roofs.

Add plumbing for a bathroom, and consider a shower if you have messy hobbies. Allocate an area for a small kitchen and break area, which can be sealed from the shop with a door.

 

[mcfarmall]

16' sidewalls. I put 14 foot side walls and my camper was to tall because the doors could only be 12'. I know/think sooner or later you will get something taller especially running a farm.

With minimum 16' walls you can put a deck on a section if needed and both upper and lower will have 8' ceilings.

What Deere Dude said!! 16 foot sidewalls.

 

[ultrarunner]

My perfect shop is 40x96 with multiple roll-up doors... too bad it is not mine.

Picture 40x72 for equipment and a 40x24 for metal working and repair area... the large gable end door allows for a center isle which can be a real time saver in that any piece of equipment should be easy to get out with minimal effort and 40 wide is about the minimum to do this right.