The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest When I finally get a garage ...

It's going to be air conditioned and heated.
It's going to have a black and white checkerboard floor.
It's going to have 110 and 220, and air.
It's going to have a dust collection system built in.
It's going to have those exhaust pipe hooker uppers like the fire departments have so they can warm up their trucks with the exhausts vented through the roof.
It's going to have a sound system.
It's going to have a sink, fridge, coffee pot.
It's going to have a small office with broadband and television.
It's going to have an ash tray for cigars only.
It's going to have work tables and big old rollaway tool boxes.
It's going to have a dog bed so the dog can watch me in comfort.

Suggestions appreciated.

that sounds like heaven!!!

Don' forget the lathe, milling machine, large drill press, welder, torch, pedestal grinder, overhead hoist, air compressor, tire changer and all the hand tools known to man. Now the shop is full so you can add on to have room for the old bolt.

Mite want to think about three phase power input also so you can put any shop tool you like in it.
What size are you considering?
100 x 100 x 20 is a nice size
Could get by with 100 x 50 x 15 but it would be rather small.

What?!? No beer fridge??

AAAAHHH, I think I'd add a bathroom w/a shower to the list. It'll keep the better half happier...Joe

And a bed...

I would include plenty of compressed air drops throughout the shop, instead of running hoses everywhere.

Overhead retractable extension cords.

Possibly an eye wash station? They're not to expensive and easy to install. It will work alot better than sticking your head under the sink.

Plan how many lights you want/need then double that amount. Stinks having to work in a poorly lit shop.

How about 60X70, 8" Slab, three working bays, a rotary lift, low bay lights set at 15', fluorescent high output lights set at 10', 200 amp panel, separate wood shop completely stocked with tools and a dust collection system, 7 1/2 HP compressor with dryer in it's own room insulated for sound, air lines everywhere, electrical outlets everywhere, 220 volt outlets in strategic locations, shower room with toilet, laundry sink, outside kitchen/bbq area with refrigerator/stove/sink etc, beams to install engine hoist or crane, separate mechanical work area with drill presses, bead blasting cabinet, mill etc, R-40 Insulation on the walls and R-30 on the 32' ceiling, cable, phone, hose bibs all around the outside, outside lighting,lots of storage, office space/guest bdrm on 30X30 mezzanine with view. Priceless!

If you are going to build it Jim, make sure you get the larger width doors, one of the few changes I would make. Mine are 8' and are narrower than you think.

I would include this if you possibly can.....





A HEATED FLOOR, it'll be one of the best investments you'll ever make.

I totally agree on the size of the doors....12' wide, 12'tall so the truck and camper fits....also lets the heat out in the summer..
allows plenty of light in when open....

Equitment wise I'd add brake lathe, valve grinding machine...

Something like the MythBusters shop? Where everyone can be a comic strip character living in a science fiction world. I DO have the cigar lounge already in there.

JIM BOW: If you haven't started the project, take some time a think it out completely. I thought I had and then problems or quirks arose as we started building.

How will it face on the property? Think about the wind, rain and sun,

How do you plan on entering the shop? Provide service doors and use them instead of the roll up doors.

If you don't have a blueprint drawing, get some large paper and start drawing a floor plan. Make a couple, one for electrical, one for water, one for equipment layout etc. Have a couple that are just a open floor plan for making notes etc. After the slab is poured mark the floor with chalk for electrical, communication, switches, 3 ways, outlets, 220 etc. This will give you a visual of where things are going to be located.

Where are your utilities going to be located? Where are they now? are you going to have a bath room or laundry sink? If so make sure you have them located for the correct slope to your city sewer or septic system.

Where is your electrical panel going to be located? Remember shorter runs means less costs for material. Consider using aluminum for the service wires, especially if they are long runs. My preference is copper, but the price is high.

Place as much piping in the ground as possible. Figure out where your sub panel is going to be and run a minimum 1 1/2" " PVC conduit to that location. It's a good thing to run a pipe for your communications/cable in the same area. Run pipes to each door for three way lighting. If your going to have multiple panels (a good thing if you want to separate your wood shop from the main shop) run a 1 1/2" to that location too. Run a pipe to every break in the walls (columns, doors etc) this loop will provide you with the ability to run wires to multiple locations without retracing wire runs, especially if you are using romex. Use 3/4" PVC or larger. I like to run a separate pipe for 220 volts, use one inch for this. (you don't want to drag wires through a lot of loops, especially if they are with other wires.)

If your code juridiction allows PEX use it, it's an easy solution to run hose bibs and other water sources under the slab. Make sure you install hose bibs in areas where you may want to wash the truck or water a garden.

Consider making a separate insulated room for your compressor and dryer. Vent it to the outside so that the compressor won't over heat.

Consider using skylights or translucent panels to cut energy costs. Install roof venting, either static or mechanical.

Start buying romex and other materials when they are on sale. Use #12 wires for your receptacles and lighting. If you want to save some money, you can use #14 for the lighting. #10 for 30 amps, # 8 for 40 amps and #6 for 50 amps. Check with your local code juridiction first.

Lighting use F32 T-8 fluorescent Shop lights for lighting benches and storage areas. Use F96 T-12 high output fluorescence (HO) for main work areas. Consider using at least one emergency light near an exit in case of power outages.

Think about installing some sort of anchor in the floor for attaching a chain or cable when you are trying to work on a project. Great for trying to straighten a frame.

Contact your local school maintenance department and see if they have any old wood/metal shop lockers and work benches lying around. I have several that they were throwing out.

Good luck and have fun!

Remember room for the Pool table !

If you're really this serious, hire an architect with industrial design experience. Give him a list of what you want, a survey of the property and plan to spend a lot of time hashing out the details. Then hire him to supervise the construction.

Unless you are familiar with industrial construction, you are in WAY over your head and will regret not having professional design help and an on-site inspector under your payroll looking out for your interests.

Oh, and the General Contractor does not get his final draw until your inspector signs off on the job... PERIOD!

Don't ask me how I know this.

Don't forget a stage for the naked dancing girls.

Seperate tool room, seperate fabrication bay. Covered wash bay outside with steam cleaner. Haz mat storage / collection area. Overhead crane, at least 6 tons cap. Soda and snack machine for visitors so your fridge doesn't mysteriously empty.

I'm just glad that you didn't forget about Fido.

John

If you plan on using a lift you'll need a minium height of 12'. If you are using an overhead door in that bay install it following the roof line so you would hit the vehicle should some of your friends visit you while the truck in up... I did'nt do this and always used to lock the door on that bay. Nothing is worse then someone opening the door on your car and even worse, if you do it not thinking.

Dave

Half my shop has a loft over it for parts storage. It cuts down on the amount of space I need to heat/cool and gets the junk out of the shop. My air compressor is also up there so I can hear my stereo system or watch my cable TV, LOL,
Scott

All great ideas. I've got a lot of them in my shop (floor anchors, bathroom with shower, utility sink, tool room for compressor, cable TV, phone, loft for storage, lots of outlets (and put them about 4" up from the floor), heat and Air Conditioning, 220v outlets...only thing is, my shop is just too DANG SMALL. Dream garage must be bigger...

One more idea to add to the list--Security system...

And one more that is sort of optional, but my dream garage will have the above plus--water and power for a washer and dryer. For shop rags, so you don't get the little woman's Maytag all greased up.

Also I don't think any one has mentioned having one bay for a paint booth.

Which brings up ventilation and exhausting the place. I have a big industrial ceiling fan and big floor fan. I can open the doors and clear out the air in just a few minutes.

Finally, smoke and CO detectors aren't a bad idea, also plenty of fire extinguishers prominently displayed on the walls.

Ditto on the security system. I had one in my smaller garage where most of the expensive stuff was.

Dave

Ditto on the spray booth. I made one in the other garage just for sparying. Another was just for blasting so I could shovel up the sand , sift it and reuse.

Dave

Guess I was lucky, I had an oversize 2 car block garage and another 5 car block garage...and that wasn't enough room...lol


Dave

I've thought about putting in floor floresent's,with thick plexi over them,Waddaya think?

Well one can't have enough lights and floresent's are an excellent choice. I can't say that mounted in the floor would be good as I have never seen this. I have seen lights mounted in the walls of spray booth's though to produce even uniform lighting for painting. It may be a bit bright an overkill for everyday work.

Dave

You can never have enough lights! Spoken by a guy who has worked swing shift for the past 20 years. Lights in the floor is a great idea. One I've seen done with success. One strip right down the center of the bay should do it.

I figured someone must have tried it.Sealed well enough to keep out moisture and it should work.

I just turned on my slab after building the boiler system..I ran the hpex pipe in the slab years ago when I built my garage. With the electric boiler it is a pretty neat little package.

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h222/ecumsecumguy/IM003095.jpg

I highly recommend it fer yer dream garage for those northeners. Radiant heat is different but nice.

I like my coke machine that also has adult beverages! Where else can you get a cold one for 50 cents?

2 post truck lift

I like thinking about shop stuff almost as much as thinking about old truck projects. Been a member of this board for some time. Lots of good stuff there. http://www.garagejournal.com
Mongo

Five times as much space as you think you will need.

My building is forty' x eight four' with two working insulated bays twenty four x forty. The ceiling is thirteen foor high allowing for two twelve x twelve over head doors. The back unit is twenty four' x twnety four' for misc. storage & lots od shelving. The front part of the building has a twnety four' x forty' with a seven foot ceiling. This is finished off & insulated for storage of small tools, nuts & bolts, paint and all the rest of what ever. Two seven' x seven ' over doors & a ped. door for easy access in this part of the building.
I have several wall fans to kep the area cool in the summer in addition to several windows on the west side of thew building for a nice cross breeze in the summer.
All the over head doors are on the east side of the building helping to keep the wind off that area iin the winter. I have gas heat in the building now but expensive to heat in the below freezing weather. I would like to some day put in some king of wood stove or corn/pellet burner.
I also would like to add ceiling fans to circulate the heat in the winter and assist with cooling in the summer.
I alos would like a cement pad out front of the over head doors instead of working in the gravel if the job sits outside.
Remember to have plenty 100 volt service boxes and mabe electric over head door openers.
This building sounds elaberate but I used it for several years when I was self employed. I am blessed and take it sometimes for granted.

I built my shop/garage 10 years ago (I am a general contractor)and have only one complaint about it......it's too small (only 30' X 60'). 110 volt electric outlets every 8 ft. around the exterior walls, and one in the service pit. Four two tube 8' fluorescent lights in the storage part and four 4 tube 4' fixtures at the front. 10'X 16' rollup door at each end for flow through ventilation. Two air conditioners for real hot days and a big swamp cooler when it's mildly warm. A great big old natural gas heater for cold winter days. My antique rollup desk, my computer and a television (permanently tuned to the speed channnel) in the office along with a couch that makes a queen size bed and shelves from floor to ceiling holding my complete set of Hot Rod magazines and Street Rodder plus a lot of flying mag's. Two phone lines too. Work benches, about 110 ft. of metal shelving. Room for my two 1932 Chevrolets, 1954 GMC and daily driver 1992 GMC stepside, my 7 motorcycles and tons of spare parts and misc. junk.