Who lives in their shop?

I don't mean who is at their shop all the time, I mean who actually LIVES there?

I've known a couple guys with some pretty sweet living setups in their shops, and I've always said that if I was single, I'd be doing the same thing.

Share pics if you have them!!

 

I have in the past, I lived in an office at the shop, would go to the gym to take a shower. I was looking at buying a business and the girl and I were going to move into the shop, it had a shower and part of the deal of buying it was the owner of the building would've had to wire up so we could have a oven in the kitchen, but decided not to buy it.

We may be starting my welding business in an area out of state that looks like I'd have to build a shop, the girl will live in the shop her only stipulations is there has to be a bathroom and a kitchen and she doesn't want to have to walk through the shop to get to the apartment or to a bathroom or kitchen.

I had also looked at buying a shop before that an older couple was moving their business closer to the lake home they bought, they had a house moving business and did mobile home repair. They built the shop space big enough that they could park a mobile home in there and work on it, you could actually fit 2 in there, then on the back part of it they had a office on the first floor, then the second floor had a 2 bedroom, 2 bath, and large open living area with a kitchen. I had someone who was going to partner on the building with me and was going to start my business full time then but he backed away from the deal.

 

I will be soon if I don't come in from the garage and do a few household items on the "honey do" list!

 

We do, there are pictures of our place in an old thread. Basically we set out to build a shop with a guesthouse but ended up sticking so much into it that we live there. At some point we are adding on for more living space. We are at about 1400 shop and 1400 living right now. Two bedrooms, huge living room large kitchen,office, bath and a small laundry room. Bedrooms and livingroom about the shop, the rest is nestled off to the side of the shop on the ground floor.

 

Ahhhh, yes. I've had the "You spend more time with you car than you do with me" talk before.

 

I had plans done at one point to build a large shop and have living quarters above it. It would have been a great set-up but when I found property there was already a house there so I abandoned the idea. Maybe I can pull it off after the kids are raised.

 

I'd be perfectly happy with a nice garage and living in a loft over it. Not sure about the wife, though. We do like living in the sticks, and you don't see much in the way of shop space outside of the urban and suburban areas.

 

I have a 750 square foot apartment above my 1800 square foot shop. It is as awesome as you can imagine it would be, as I can go home and take a breather by walking a few steps. It was ideal as long as I was single, but I got married 5 years ago and my wife wants to build a house. The house will be on the same property as my shop, so my current apartment will now strictly be my man cave.

 

That's the way to do it!!

 

I do! The shop I bought 2 years ago had an attached office that I have been turning into a apartment. All the essentials (shower, kitchen sink, stove) had to be added since no one had previously lived there. Over all the building is just shy of 6,000 SQ/Ft. Roughly 1200 of that is the apartment. I don't have many good pictures of the apartment side since it is still in a construction stage. The last picture is a shot if the Island I made for the kitchen. It will hold a gas range and the top will be made from thick cherry wood. It has been power coated black since that picture.

Mike

 

You absolutely do not want to do this. Take a hard look at any serious welding shop and look at the film of black dirty stuff that gets over every inch of the shop, literally everywhere.

If you have living quarters in the same building where you are doing lots of welding,grinding and fabrication work, that same black stuff and the same dust will be everywhere, even in her underwear drawer. In the kitchen and everywhere else too.
No way around it.

The only way is a stand alone building for the "dirty work" welding grinding and painting etc etc.

You will regret living in an active shop no matter how much you think you can isolate the living from the working areas.

Edit: It can be made to work one way. The shop has to be totally isolated and sealed from the living area. The sure way to do that is to have the shop have no physical attachment to the living area through doorways stairs etc.
And no shared mechanical systems.
The shop and living areas should be seperate en***ies with seperate entrances etc.,that just happen to share the same building.

 

Some pictures

Shop in construction big mess



Half of the Back Bay



Loft before and after





Getting closer



Shot from up the hill, shop faces to the south

 

Looking good, Tman. Nice view!!

 

Pfffft!

It is nothing different than living in a house with an attached garage. Our biggest mess comes from our Pyrrenese when she has a hair blow out, damn dog hair infiltrates EVERY corner of the shop and gets drug inside. You just have to use common sense when welding and grinding. any heavy grinding gets done out front. I will builds a dirty bay out back for painting and really messy work as well as my blacksmiths forge.

Mr Sinister, go over to Ryans sister site www.garagejournal.com and you will find HOURS of reading and inspiration!

 

I wish....

 

I guess it depends on where you live too. Up here in winter I can't do the dirty stuff outside so I'm happy my garage is detached, otherwise the mess would be all over the house.

 

Cool,
what wood did you use in the ceiling ?

 

Bookmarked!! Thanks.

 

what kind of a low life piece of **** would live in a shop?


I figured it would cost too much to build everything I needed inside the building I rent so I bought a motorhome for the kitchen, shower and bed and built an 8 x 12 office for my computer and my "good" junk collection.

about 3 months after I moved in the city came in and cleared out about 7 shops with people living in them when they caught some kids on a mini bike riding around the complex and they told them they lived there. on inspection day I just parked the motorhome in the street.

the motorhome also comes in handy if I spray paint inside so I don't have to sleep breathing paint fumes.

my bro in law still gives me funny looks when he asks if I am still living in a "storage locker".

 

In that shot of my place form the hill the tan steel building with the green roof down the hill from my place is a machine shed with an apartment AND motorhome inside. It is a very neat place but sadly the owner just p***ed away and his widow is selling.

 

I like the Pine Beatle Kill Lumber

 

Thanks! Thats actually beetle killed Montana spruce. There is a cool piece in the closet that has some waning and you can see the tree went through a fire and got red slurry bombed!

 

I've got a friend who built an apartment in his barn that had a living room, bedroom and bathroom but backed a travel trailer in next to it and made a p***ageway between the living room and the trailer to be able to use the kitchen in the trailer and have a second bedroom. They lived in it for several years like that.

Some people think we are nuts but we have said for years that we want a big shop with an apartment on the side of it with very little lawn or outside area to take care of. The main reason is that we want to be able to lock it up and go without having to have someone to take care of the yard.

 

Hmmmmm... Any jobs out there?? Cariann would love to live in the country, and I always wanted to mooch a ride in an LSR car...

 

My buddy lives in his shop and a guy broke in his door......And my bud that is 71 had to shoot the guy dead....Still lives there..............

 

Last time was in the late '70s when I lived in the warehouse.

 

There might be something for you? Too bad, we just put the extra lot under contract, we could be neighbors!

 

In the 80's I lived in my shop for 6 years. It was the best years of my life. Got alot of work done and it cut back on fuel use. I had an old Dodge van I used to p/u materials and parts. Mostly rode one of my Harleys around. Had everything around the neighborhood. Didn't leave the place much except going to Fremont Drag Strip or Sears Point. Those were the good old days!!!!

 

Been in my shop for almost 17 years. Love it. Built a lot of stuff. Got the Big screen room etc and a clean B.R.. Hoist in the back with all the tools. Just watch out
for the Fire Dept etc. Been good here.

 

I would love too,live in my garage.My son is moving from Cal to here for work and ask if he could stay here awhile.After a grin from ear to ear was back to where i could talk i said,i got a better deal you can have it.I dont need a 6br 4 bath house,so if he wants it im adding on to my garage and moving in.Lots of sleepness nights i thought about going out there at night but always taked myself out of it.But if i lived there ye,ha,
cant wait...................YG