Dream Shop!

[texasjohn]

I have a rule for my shop.... EVERYTHING has wheels except the industrial rack shelving. This allows arrangement and rearrangement to meet ever changing needs.... no wheels, it won't move and always be in the way..no good.

I have drive thru doors from end to end of the shop... allows pulling in a crew cab and 32 ft gooseneck trailer and shutting the doors...driv out the other end. sufficient turn space to maneuver on both ends is needed before you hit a fence or other structures.

 

[mjncad]

Keith:

Isn't it fun to dream and I envy you being young enough to pull this off at some point in the relatively near future and have fun with it.

If you go radiant heat, make sure the concrete slab is at least 6" thick and use rebar for reinforcement. I'd insist on saw-cut control joints. There is nothing more frustrating than wheeling something around a shop than to have a caster get caught in a tooled control joint.

As others have said, a bathroom with shower. A shop sink along with a no frills washer/dryer to wash work clothes in. This keeps the greasy dirty clothes out of the wife's washer/dryer.

All man-doors are a minimum of 3' wide.

An eye-wash station and if you're really going whole hog, an eye-wash and emergency drench shower.

A dry-pipe fire sprinkler system.

A sound proof room for the air compressor.

An office.

Ceiling fans.

High or low bay lighting as seen in warehouses for general lighting. Far fewer bulbs to change. Save the fluorescent strip lights for task lighting.

Maybe an epoxy painted concrete floor.

Metal clear-span framing.

Lots of air drops and electrical receptacles.

As others have said, 14'+ sidewalls.

BIG garage doors.

Storage, storage, storage.

Although you are young, I'm assuming you intend for this 75 - 100 acres to be the last place you live at and that you'll leave in a pine box. With that in mind, you'll have plenty of land...make it a one story house as stairs suck, especially as you get older. One story homes are easier to heat and cool using traditional residential HVAC systems. Make it as ADA compliant as practical for a residence.

Keep us posted.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I posted this awhile back, and someone already mentioned it. Put one or two courses of CMU block down on your slab then start your framing on top of that. It increases your wall height by 8" per course, allows you to put water on the slab without affecting your walls. I put down one course of CMU and used 9 foot 2x4 for walls which allowed R19 in the walls for insulation which is plenty for Hot Springs Ark. area. Since my shop has a 30x30 concrete slab with 12' leanto type sheds on each side, I put in 2 insulated standard 8 foot tall garage doors with a 16 foot and 10' opening. I wanted to put in a back drive thru door but due to location of overhead power lines, I had to situate it too close to property line so the drive thru was out. I also added a 10x 12 bathroom on one side. This room is big enough to have additional storage or even a desk with computer if I decide to put them in. Right now it is just a comode and sink for daily use. Since my shop is over 200 feet from my house, I had to install an additional sewage tank, but the effulent overflow line ties into my house field lines. My shop uses 3/8 plywood for the interior walls and ceiling. This is more convenient when you want to put in a screw or nail to hang something on especially light weight stuff like a welding hood and faceshield for grinding. I put in 8 foot fluorescent lighting, but like another poster has stated, when it goes out, I will replace with alternate lighting. I also installed some adjustable 2 bulb spot lights on each entry wall by the doors that can be adjusted for lighting up a special project if the 6 - double bulb 8 foot fluorescents dont do the job.
The ceiling height is adequate for my current needs, but if I had to do again, I would add another CMU block course. The cost was $200 for the one course so it would be cheap for the extra height gained.
Since it is built on a slope, the north wing wall is about 3 feet higher than the south side so I am thinking of adding additional shed on that side for additional storage.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I forgot to mention, I also put in two outside double bulb spot lights on each corner of the building that are adjusted to light up at least 50 feet of area in front of the shop in case I need to work outside at night. Electrically, I had double outlet 110 v receptacles installed ever 8 feet all around the perimeter (except where doors are) In between the two garage doors, I installed a 50 amp circuit and plug for my welding machine and a 110 v plug for grinders etc. No matter what I am doing, I am not more than 4 feet from a plug. I put in 100 amp service which is plenty of power for my shop since I dont have HVAC system installed although I did stick in a 110volt window unit in the bathroom which will actually cool the whole garage if left running and all the doors closed.
I didnt need sleeping quarters, and have a standard gabled roof, but I had the center floored and a pull down staircase installed so I could store items that I seldom needed. It works out to about 8 wide x 30 deep with lighting.
The whole shop completed only set me back $25,000 turnkey. It is all wood construction and was built last year. At the time, I priced a steel building for the same size and just the materials not including slab, electrical, insulation or labor to install was quoted by one of the steel building manufacturers at $36000 and I had to be there to unload the material when drop shipped. I think steel building material has came down quiet a bit now though

 

[carpenter383]

gary fowler, sounds like a nice shop, did you use something other than fiberglass insulation in your walls? I'm asking cause I've never heard of anything more than r-15 in a 2x4 wall. 2x6 walls are r-19 if using fiberglass.

 

[claridon]

Don't forget to run telephone and cable lines when you run your electric, even if you don't plan to use them now.

 

[brin]

and run water line and remember to run a line with it that has some metal...even if you had to buy a plastic coted metal clothes line at a big box store...that way at some future time when you forget exactly where your water line is you can find it with a metal detector and while you are at it run an empty 1 inch or larger PVC or other pipe so when you decide to add something else your run is already in place and trust me you will decide to run something else from the house to the shop.

 

[keith2210]

guys thanks for the great ideas! you have come up with some stuff that i had not thought of and thanks everyone for the compliments. If anyone else has anything to add then please do!

 

[J_J]

keith2210,

Have you considered all these things with and without a family. With out a family, you could do the garage thing and be comfortable for several years until you develop the land for what you will be doing, and you never did say what your future ambitions are. cattle, crops, gentleman farmer, business farmer, etc.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Here's what I would add to what the others have suggested...

Consider peg board vs. OSB at least in certain parts of the shop. I put up three sheets of peg board in my garage and it's likely the best thing that has happened to the garage.

Lots of power. If you can get 480 volt 3-phase, do!! Not only is it the cheapest way to power electrical stuff, but there is a grundle of used industrial 3 phase machinery out there that can be had for cheap because most people can't run it.

I second office space. At a minimum have some place to keep documents. Your dream shop is going to have a bunch of dream equipment and it makes the most sense to keep the receipts, owner's manuals, etc. out in the shop where the equipment is used.

I also second the concrete or block on the lower section of the walls vs. the sheet metal to allow you to wash the floors.
Metal + water = rust
Concrete + Water = wet concrete

Run all the wire and pipe you can... Air, water, ethernet, Coax, Cat. 5, 110 V, 220 V, Hydraulic(?)

Install a good sound system with built in speakers throughout the shop. A little Roger Miller or Jonny Cash can inspire some really good workmanship.