So what would you have done different with your new shop?

[woodlandfarms]

Wondering what people would do differently now that they have a shop up.

I am working through plumbing and wiring, and as it is all in a slab, wondering what I should do. Do I throw in some pex for future heating (we are pretty temperate, seldom below freezing in the winter but cold concrete is cold concrete).

I am mulling over drains in the shop floor. But I do not have the money to slope any concrete.

I am taking a third of the shop for a woodshop. I am thinking of putting a vaccume system in the concrete as well as the walls. Something to sweep into or placed under the table saw and the wood turner.

What else? LED lights in the floor? Different kind of windows?

 

[sixdogs]

Vapor barrier and foam under the concrete to keep it warm and prevent concrete sweating in cold or damp. Roll up doors.

 

[mapper]

Dust collection is a must for a wood shop. Before I installed mine an afternoon of sanding would result in nosebleeds from the dust irritation. With dust collection on all machinery and a down draft sanding station I rarely have to even brush off my clothes before going into the house after a day in the shop. Much better for your health, wood dust can be toxic and carcinogenic.
Try to isolate the blower in a different room to cut down on the noise, same with a stationary compressor.

 

[mrmikey]

Vapor barrier and foam under the concrete to keep it warm and prevent concrete sweating in cold or damp.

yup, wish I had.
My garage is only 8'high, wish now I had gone 10' high, I've got a 7' x 9' roll up door, should have gone 1' wider. One thing I did do that I was glad I did was put receptacles in the ceiling for lighting rather than hard wire them in. That way I could move them around to get the best light. Use 4' LED tubes, I recently converted all mine to LED, wish I had done it years ago.
I also went with 12ga wiring so I've got 20A plugs instead of the conventional 15A.............Mike

 

[sixdogs]

Also, double the size you plan on and if you have to, leave that half unfinished for a while. You don't think that's necessary and won't until you build smaller and wait five years to need the space. Ask around.

 

[plowhog]

Not sure of your design, but I stubbed out utilities (power, water, sewer, phone) to the exterior of the slab. So if I want any of that outside the building it is already there.

 

[grsthegreat]

I would have gone higher and larger. 30 x 40 and only 11 foot tall turned out to be too small. I also wish i went with plywood roof sheeting and didnt use the crappy insulated vapor barrier. That stuff is falling apart. The last thing is i wish i insulated walls BEFORE i built my shelves and filled shop

 

[flingwing1969]

I would have gone higher and larger. 30 x 40 and only 11 foot tall turned out to be too small. I also wish i went with plywood roof sheeting and didnt use the crappy insulated vapor barrier. That stuff is falling apart. The last thing is i wish i insulated walls BEFORE i built my shelves and filled shop

Always go UP when you can - it adds very little to the cost vs adding square footage and you can put in 2nd floor storage. Also ALWAYS put in ceiling insulation on a metal sheathed building - even if you don't intend to heat it, the original owner of the shop I have did not and I pay the price with condensation drips. I will be insulating but the cost of post-construction insulating is many times that of doing it before the roofing goes on.

 

[mopardude318]

I wish I didn't dig out so much dirt when I was prepping the site for my 26x30. I ended up needing about 80 yards of base rock, which was an extra $2000.. and it took me 2 extra days of rental time for the jumping jack and plate vibrator ($500) and another days labor from a friend of mine. I gave him a $100 bucks.

 

[Rustyiron]

I The last thing is i wish i insulated walls BEFORE i built my shelves and filled shop

I was going to add; finish the interior wall/ceiling to the extent you plan to PRIOR to moving in all your chit! :thumbsup:

I now have 16' ceilings & walls that need to be finished, the foam is in the walls but now "closing" the interior wall's & ceiling is much easier than dealing with all of my crap that now is in the way.

 

[mpham]

I wish I would have used plywood on the interior instead of drywall. The drywall is getting damaged from no heat and moisture. Plus with plywood you can hang things anywhere.

 

[flingwing1969]

I was going to add; finish the interior wall/ceiling to the extent you plan to PRIOR to moving in all your chit! :thumbsup:

I now have 16' ceilings & walls that need to be finished, the foam is in the walls but now "closing" the interior wall's & ceiling is much easier than dealing with all of my crap that now is in the way.

Another good one. I will have to empty my shop to put in my mezzanine storage. We are blessed with 4 or 5 months free of precipitation so I can just stack the crap outside while I do the build and probably bring in a lift to insulate the ceiling first.

 

[flingwing1969]

I wish I would have used plywood on the interior instead of drywall. The drywall is getting damaged from no heat and moisture. Plus with plywood you can hang things anywhere.

Great idea there - even OSB would work and might be a tad less expensive?

 

[KennyG]

OSB on the walls, metal on the ceiling. I actually have T-11 as a wainscot and then 8 feet OSB to ceiling. Looks better than all OSB. What I wish I had done differently is surface mount all the electrical in conduit rather than run through the walls and above the ceiling. Would make insulation and wall/ceiling finish easier and allow easy mods later if necessary.

 

[flingwing1969]

OSB on the walls, metal on the ceiling. I actually have T-11 as a wainscot and then 8 feet OSB to ceiling. Looks better than all OSB. What I wish I had done differently is surface mount all the electrical in conduit rather than run through the walls and above the ceiling. Would make insulation and wall/ceiling finish easier and allow easy mods later if necessary.

Good point on the electrical. It would also make it easier to add to it later if you wanted.

 

[flingwing1969]

I was going to add; finish the interior wall/ceiling to the extent you plan to PRIOR to moving in all your chit! :thumbsup:

I now have 16' ceilings & walls that need to be finished, the foam is in the walls but now "closing" the interior wall's & ceiling is much easier than dealing with all of my crap that now is in the way.

A bit off posting (my apologies for that) When you say "foam" did you have it sprayed or are you talking about ridged sheets? Closed-cell-Foaming is one thing I have considered for retro-insulating my ceiling and I'd be interested in other's experience.

 

[Redlands Okie]

Vapor barrier and foam under the floor is cheap.
Bigger amperage and more slots for breakers than you think you need.
Insulate walls and ceiling before you fill up the shop.

Plumbing you might want someday.
Frame up for windows or doors of any kind you might want later. Cover with tin for now.
Rebar in the floor is good.

 

[MossRoad]

- PEX in the floor and heat it with a water heater.
- Any thoughts to storage above the ceiling, like attic or 2nd floor?
- Air lines all the way around, and down the center of the ceiling for retractable hose reels.
- Small, quiet room for the air compressor to live in.
- If you ever do mitre saw work, its nice to have a long wall with a table the full length of the shop AND be able to run any long stock out the door on support stands. For example, my garage is only 20' deep. I have a miter saw on the wall in the middle of the wall. I can cut 12' lengths to the left, but infinite to the right, as the overhead door opens to my right. I should have put the miter saw table closer to the door for longer thenghts to the left. Don't need it often, but when I do, I do. For some stock, it's just a matter of reversing the angle and turning the workpiece around, but sometime that's not possible. Anyhow, something to think about.

 

[Xfaxman]

Skylights in the wall that the sun is shining on in the picture and a wider shed.

 

[EddieWalker]

What I did right and will do again.

Concrete floors
OSB on the walls
Outlets every four feet
Two work benches at the same height with a chop saw bench in between them
Lots of overhead lighting
Tons of open shelves without doors so I can see what's there
Hand tools hanging on the wall so I can see all of them and know if any are missing
Sink with hot and cold water
12 foot tall walls

What I did wrong

No ceiling with insulation. It's just a metal roof and the heat can get crazy bad in summer, freezing cold in winter and impossible to warm up
Ten foot wide roll up door should be 12 foot wide or wider.
Allowed my wife to store stuff in there!!!! Get a lock on it and never give your wife the key!!!!!