Splitting the workshop

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redknife

Chris
Corporate Member
Background: We moved in August and I am still contemplating my shop setup. The other house remains on the market so I have time to plan. The new place has a 24x60 metal pole barn that was to be the singular shop. Now that I’ve gotten a better sense for the pole building and what $ it would take to make it a conditioned space, I am considering lower cost options. Currently I am in a finished basement room about 14x26. It’s tight but workable. Not great for spraying. Not much room for lumber and sheet goods. Can’t fit my shaper.

I am thinking about splitting the shop, using the current room for working wood and a different, remote spot for finishing. The remote spot options currently are:
Option 1: build an insulated box within a box in the metal pole barn as a finishing space; upgrade electric, install a PTAC unit for intermittent conditioning (mini split triggers code conditioned space compliance at which point I may as well redo the building as such). Probably stick the shaper out there. Downside is that the pole barn is about 300 ft away.
Option 2: build a stand-alone building near the house for finishing work. Room for maybe 16x20.

Q’s: For a remotely located finishing room:
How big?
One space or an area for sanding/drying and area for finishing?
What size electric feed (amps)?
Any associated equipment that I should plan on for the finish room (assume air compressor and ventilation)? Keep in mind that it could be 600 ft round trip so carrying back and forth is not ideal.
Any other ideas about splitting the workshop?

I appreciate any thoughts.
 

Bas

Recovering tool addict
Bas
Corporate Member
300ft is pretty far. Hauling projects out there and back is not ideal, and you definitely want an area for sanding. Otherwise you're doing a lot of moving things back and forth between coats. Some sort of small electric vehicle with a trailer might be in order. Will there be a walkway/ path, or is it a bumpy dirt road?

For power, you probably want at least 100 amps for heat/ cooling, compressor, lights etc. If you're going to run a shaper, you will need dust collection. If it's the only tool there, a stand-alone 1.5HP machine should do the trick, but now you're potentially running a shaper, DC, lights, and heat all at the same time. For longevity, you may want to upsize beyond the minimum, in case you (or a future owner) wants to add a welder or other heavy equipment. The incremental cost is small.

Do you have water in the pole barn? Finishing without water/ sink is difficult.

I'd price out both options, and see what the difference is. My gut feeling is that a stand-alone building nearby would be the more friendly option, but also the more expensive one. A finishing room doesn't need to be all that big. 12x20 would be plenty.
 

Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
Could you finish part of the barn now and add more of it as you can afford? I keep wishing I had more room and that 24x60 sounds like wide open space to me. With more planning you could make it work in a few years. If you build the smaller place close to the house you’ll be stuck with that from now on.
 

redknife

Chris
Corporate Member
300ft is pretty far. Hauling projects out there and back is not ideal, and you definitely want an area for sanding. Otherwise you're doing a lot of moving things back and forth between coats. Some sort of small electric vehicle with a trailer might be in order. Will there be a walkway/ path, or is it a bumpy dirt road?

For power, you probably want at least 100 amps for heat/ cooling, compressor, lights etc. If you're going to run a shaper, you will need dust collection. If it's the only tool there, a stand-alone 1.5HP machine should do the trick, but now you're potentially running a shaper, DC, lights, and heat all at the same time. For longevity, you may want to upsize beyond the minimum, in case you (or a future owner) wants to add a welder or other heavy equipment. The incremental cost is small.

Do you have water in the pole barn? Finishing without water/ sink is difficult.

I'd price out both options, and see what the difference is. My gut feeling is that a stand-alone building nearby would be the more friendly option, but also the more expensive one. A finishing room doesn't need to be all that big. 12x20 would be plenty.

Good thoughts, Bas.
I can imagine that the distance would be a factor spraying a finish with 3-4 coats in a day.
Electric for pole building would probably be a service run so 200 amp. Currently there is a poorly done 40amp line with lots of electrical hijinks in the barn. For a new close building I’d just run a two pole breaker off the house panel and that’s where I wasn’t sure about the capacity.
As far as water and sewer go, there is an outdoor cold water hose (freeze proof) outlet just outside the building. The building is maybe 30 feet below the existing septic and far away. Looked at it with a trusted plumber and he said to go with a new small septic and they’d jackhammer through the slab (3-5k). I guess you are right that a finishing room alone out there would be a pain without a sink.
 

redknife

Chris
Corporate Member
Could you finish part of the barn now and add more of it as you can afford? I keep wishing I had more room and that 24x60 sounds like wide open space to me. With more planning you could make it work in a few years. If you build the smaller place close to the house you’ll be stuck with that from now on.
These are also good points. Patience and planning might be worth it in the long haul. The overall process for full on shop in the pole barn would be
  • add door(s) and some window framing
  • resheath the metal (poorly installed, holes, etc)
  • electric service, panel and rough in
  • plumbing for small bathroom and sink, small septic
  • HVAC (mini splits vs small heat pump vs other)
  • Insulation to code
  • Trim all above
 

golfdad

Co-director of Outreach
Dirk
Corporate Member
Chris I built a finishing room (11 x 14) about 60 feet from the shop. Ran electric out there from the shop and put a small sub panel in it. Its fully insulated and is temp regulated. I use a small cart to get larger items there and back. Dont see why the barn idea would not work :thumbs_up
 

redknife

Chris
Corporate Member
Chris I built a finishing room (11 x 14) about 60 feet from the shop. Ran electric out there from the shop and put a small sub panel in it. Its fully insulated and is temp regulated. I use a small cart to get larger items there and back. Dont see why the barn idea would not work :thumbs_up
Dirk, what do you use for temp regulation?
 
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