I'm in the planning stages for building a shop. I have lots of ideas floating around in my head but wanted to draw on the collective wisdom of our fine group.
The rough details for the plan are outlined below. Just looking for anything additional I need to consider.
What am I missing?
- Two story (upper story will be primarily for long term storage and possible guest room).
- Upper story accessible from exterior stairway.
- 32' x 72' foot print
- 10' ceilings on the first floor.
- Stick built on a concrete slab.
- 200 amp 3 phase service panel (possibly 400 amp depending on how the house is setup)
- Approximately 5 poles spaced 12' apart down the center of the shop for load bearing.
- One side will have two roll-up doors (12' wide) at opposite ends.
- Other side will have entry doors
- Oriented with long axis along EW line to take advantage of breezes typical for the area
- 8' x 10' isolated finishing room
- 4' x 10' room for dust collection, air compressor, electrical and lavatory
- Electrical drops will be waist high along exterior walls and overhead along center line of shop.
- I'm leaning towards overhead dust collection rather than in the slab.
- 10' lean-to on at least one side.
I'm in the planning stages for building a shop. I have lots of ideas floating around in my head but wanted to draw on the collective wisdom of our fine group.
The rough details for the plan are outlined below. Just looking for anything additional I need to consider.
What am I missing?
- Two story (upper story will be primarily for long term storage and possible guest room). If you think you will ever use it for a guest room, go ahead and put in the rough plumbing for a bath and kitchenette now.
- Upper story accessible from exterior stairway. Wish I had done this w/ mine, instead of the pull down stairs inside.
- 32' x 72' foot print
- 10' ceilings on the first floor. Mine are 10' and I'm very satisfied. I've got DC piping running along the ceiling, as well as air hoses, and haven't had any problems. I use sheet goods frequently, but haven't hit the ceiling, or ducts, yet. The only time I have to be careful is if I'm handling a 10', or greater, board. My main reason for going w/ 10' vs higher was heating and cooling cost.
- Stick built on a concrete slab. Have you considered a crawl space? That's probably the single best thing I did in mine. I have some DC pipes and electrical running under the floor to machines and benches that are away from the wall. I didn't want to be tripping over extension cords and DC hoses.
- 200 amp 3 phase service panel (possibly 400 amp depending on how the house is setup)
- Approximately 5 poles spaced 12' apart down the center of the shop for load bearing. Have you considered truss joist or engineered beams? I used truss joist for a 36' span and haven't had any problems w/ sagging. I use the attic space for storage, as well as the HVAC equip. Based on previous experience, post in the shop were more of an obstacle when handling sheet goods than a low ceiling was.
- One side will have two roll-up doors (12' wide) at opposite ends.
- Other side will have entry doors
- Oriented with long axis along EW line to take advantage of breezes typical for the area Will it have windows? I chose not to have windows, but that's a personal preference.
- 8' x 10' isolated finishing room Mine is 12'x12' and I wish I had made it bigger. Even 12'x14' would have been better. W/ a 12" counter against one wall, it get's a little tight when I have a large piece of furniture in there. Also, make sure you have a door large enough to roll some of those pieces of equipment you work on in there. I used a double door approach, where one door is just right for me, and the other door can be opened when I have something large to roll it. Last, but certainly not least, ventilation is a whole other can of worms and probably deserves it's own thread. :eusa_thin
- 4' x 10' room for dust collection, air compressor, electrical and lavatory Be sure to insulate the wall between to keep the noise down. If your shop will be heated and cooled, you'll want to allow for return air from the DC to get back into the shop. Otherwise you lose your heated or cooled air, and that get's expensive. A DC also produces a lot of heat, which is nice in the winter, but not so nice in the summer.
- Electrical drops will be waist high along exterior walls and overhead along center line of shop. I put a dual receptacle every 4', but wish I had put a quad every 4'.
- I'm leaning towards overhead dust collection rather than in the slab.
- 10' lean-to on at least one side. Here I would go 14'. The extra 4' won't cost that much, and I think you'll be surprised how much stuff mysteriously finds it's way under there. :icon_scra