Technical So, if you could build the dream shop what would you incorporate

So, I am in the process of trying to close a deal on 2.5 acres in a nearby town. 500 feet outside of any city limit, so that means I am county only. No permits, no hassles.

I have been meeting with folks about a pad, building etc.
The idea is to build the retirement shop and get it all paid for before I retire.

Right now I am waiting on a quote back from the building company for a 50'x100'x16'. I think we will wire it and plumb it for a travel trailer hookup for now. I'll sell the house and should come out debt free at this point.

That will give me a bit to sit back and relax and decide how to lay out the insides. My mind is racing, trying to decide what I need and what is frivolous. I mean, I can really get stupid if left unattended......

I have posted over at the Garage Journal, but there are more car guys here. So right now I have it laid out with 3 -16'x12' roll up doors on the long side. There will be a 50'x15' lean to/porch on the gable end. I'll use this for place to hang out in the shade when I get frustrated.

So anything that should be a "must have" ?

Thanks
Root

 

that sure sounds like more than 50 years ago to a norcal man!!-wow...

 

Lucky ass If the ground would dry up I'm building a 30x64 post frame. Well I'm not building it. I'm just gonna wire, plumb and insulate.

 

Drive thru bay with lift . I am thinking of buying some land outside of town also. Shop size would be 50 wide by 40 deep 12 ft ceiling. Wall divides shop from car lift, welder, air ,etc. That part would be 20 wide by 40 deep 12ft tall. Drive thru doors at each end. Shop would be 30 by 40 with 9 ft ceiling. storage above ceiling.

 

I went 16' sidewalls so I could add a second story or mezzanine if I wanted. If not, I'll just have a beast to try and heat.

 

Paved approach and outside parking areas
High windows or skylights

 

Good thinking . Heat and cooling would be a must have. Of course thats what i do.

 

Toilet and sink. Drain in the center so u can wash floor or cars. Insulate it for sure. I know I'll think of more soon.

 

When I had my 32' X 48' shop built I divided it into 22' and 26' wide sections the 32' depth. I didn't want to heat the whole thing and use the smaller side for "storage". I put piping in the floor in my "workshop" side for hot water heat. A 30 Gal residential water heater with a circulation pump feeding 2 separate loops heats my shop and I circulate the water at 90-F or less. Also, for welding there's never a draft to blow away shielding gas for MIG and TIG. I LOVE IT! If I had it to do over though, I'd put down a 2" or so base of foam insulation and pour the slab over it. I think I lose a lot of heat by the concrete being poured right on the gravel base. In any case, having warm feet, and not being 2" off a cold floor under a car on a creeper is wonderful. If there's a downside to floor heat it's that I'd never dare to drill into the floor to anchor anything for fear of hitting one of the hot water loops.

As far as ceiling height, mine is 10'. Occasionally I wish it were maybe 12', especially on my "storage" side where I eventually put in a old 4-post lift, but I personally wouldn't see a need to go taller than 12'.

Lynn

 

Sounds like a nice shop you have planned.
I would add a full bathroom..I have one in my shop, the convenience is great.

 

AC...Security.. "" I personally wouldn't see a need to go taller than 12'."" Put a Pick Up truck on there and 14' would be great..

 

Lots of lights- like the surface of the sun.
And white walls and light colored floors to reflect/scatter the light underneath the cars.

 

Shower/parts washer/pressure washer station...get nakid wash ur parts.and other parts

 

A wash bay with a floor drain. A lift, drive through would be great. Insulate hell out of it and install a dual fuel heat pump. 200 amp electrical service. LED lighting. Hot and cold water with at least a half bath and a mop sink. Internet service and a bi-directional amplifier for cell service. (Metal buildings are horrible for cell service.)

Those are the things off the top of my head. Check with Morton Buildings. They do a great job.

 

SKYLIGHTS & HIGH WINDOWS like Peter Nowak said , can't get too much light , Insulation is a must .

 

Yes,,,go with the added height,,,you will be glad later.

I assume this will be a stick building,,, ?
Why not make it with concrete,,,solid walls and floor ?
You already live in Oklahoma,,,,anywhere near tornado alley ?
Since you are already gonna be pouring the floor,,concrete the walls too.
When you subtract the amount of concrete for the doors and windows,,,it is very feasible price wise .
And when you are done,,,,all that is needed is the ceiling trusses and the roof,,,then wiring,,plumbing,,,doors and windows.
And concrete is self insulated,,,,subtract that cost as well.
You probably don’t like this,,,but it is something to think about.

Tommy

 

1. Full bathroom with shower and stand up pisser.
2. In floor heat
3. 12,000 lbs drive on lift with sliding trolley jacks
4. 16 foot doors and at least two of them
5. Dedicated wash bay with drain and water for my pressure washer
6. Kitchen
7. LED lighting
8. Harbor Freight 1 ton gantry with 1 ton chain fall
9. I don’t paint very often, but a makeshift “paint booth”
10. Office to keep books, manuals, computer, parts books, etc
11. 75’x100’ should be big enough
Don’t forget, no matter how big you build it, it’s never big enough!

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Build it with a way to close off an area for “dirty” work. I’m always amazed how much of a mess I make when I’m grinding and sanding stuff. In a perfect world when I build my “forever” shop I want to have a “clean side” and a “dirty side”. I’d like to be able to do all my teardown and fabrication work on one side of the shop and all my engine building and final assembly stuff on the other side.

 

Insulate under the slab,for sure,put the heat pipes in now,just in case you get a boiler later (if you can't get it right now.)

 

Single story 40' wide 1080 sq/ft

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Lots of good advice here, especially the drive-through doors, I wish I had been able to have them, also put some thought into the shops' placement on lot based on direction of the sun and extra insulation.
Figure storage space in from the start and TRY to keep non automotive items out of shop like mowers, tillers, bikes, etc. building a seperate garden/utility shed was one of my best decisions.
Some sort of enclosure behind shop for air compressor, wish I had, they're noisy.
Breaker box with enough capacity to allow any add-ons and plenty of electric wall outlets.
Put an extra 220 receptacle near big door for outdoor welding.

 

I've been calling myself "retired" the past couple years. I don't work on stuff for other people any more. That means I really only need to be able to work on one project, and occasionally maintain/repair my other cars. Keeping down to one project at a time is something I finally learned that I really need to do.

I also don't want to have to park "finished" cars, in my shop. They get a parking garage, near the house. Each one has it's own garage door (or a double door for two), so no jockeying is needed to go for a drive in any car at any time.

Keeping the size of the shop in the 1000-1500 sq ft range, means I have enough room for the equipment I need, but not enough room to store crap, so I have to store crap somewhere else, or better yet, get rid of it.

I've been pondering moving a little closer to town, so all this has been on my mind a lot.

I'm also cleaning up the house, and figuring out just how big the house really needs to be. It looks like about 1500 sq ft would do, for two people and an occasional guest or two.

 

For me, if I had the time and money to do it again, along with the basics like a toilet, I would have an engine lathe and a milling machine. You could save so much time and money building cars with those tools.

 

I won't get into specifics of what you need to put into your shop but I will offer some advice (free). Suppose a Dollar General Store gets built on the other side of you and the city wants that tax revenue. That 500' buffer will disappear with a public hearing and a stroke of the pen. If possible, build everything (especially "permit required" changes) that you think you will ever need, NOW.

 

Heated floors

 

Do you paint? Decide were the booth will go, low traffic area would be best. Bob

 

We're weeks away from breaking ground on our "last" garage. Ingound drains for washing indoors, a 14' 2 post lift, 7'x16' sectional door for the cars and a 10'x14' sectional so the toyhauler can be parked inside. 2,016 sqft with a 310 sqft loft (34'x60'), full bath downstairs with "dirty" (fab) and "clean" (assembly) rooms. Stairs from the loft to the roof observation deck. A bit tall at 23' high, but the roof will afford a great view of the river. A lot of 110 and 220 outlets, and a separate 200 amp service from the pole.
All the cars will fit inside, but seems we're out of room already unless the trailer stays outside. Good news is the wife told me we have to put a 85" flatscreen up on the loft wall. If she says so.......

 

One of my neighbors just built a big shop, big enough to get his semi truck and trailer in, so I'd say at least 70 or 75 feet wide. Not sure how long it is, but he has two bays, one is a drive through, and he built his house inside the other half of the shop, two stories! He and his wife now live in it full time.

 

Vents in the roof to let the heat out in the summer...........(suffering heat stroke here today).

 

When I sold my business in 2004 I spent several months building a new garage and I wanted it to match the style of our house, my space to build was limited so a 30" x 40" garage with 10" ceiling, 4 - 8 foot garage doors, 3 on the front and a personal door and one 8 foot garage door on the back of the garage to drive through if needed,

I poured 120 yards of concrete so I don't have any problem with mud

The shop is fully insulated as is the doors and I have 5 large insulated windows, sheet rock throughout and painted white, the ceiling is also sheet rocked and insulated to the max.

15 - 4 foot LED lights and a drain in the floor, I also installed water lines and they are capped off and a bathroom is in the future, I have heat & air, and compressed air line all down the back of the shop, with a air dryer, the one thing I didn't do that I wish I had was to install a lift, at 54 I didn't think it was all that necessary, at 69 it's getting harder to crawl around under the cars now. HRP

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