Who lives in their shop?

I lived in my old shop once upon a time....

 

I fully intend to. We have a 2400 sq ft shop now that could have a loft fairly easy, but, I'd like to build another larger shop, and have a ground floor apartment in there. I'm also considering buying an old commercial/industrial location rather than a house.

 

I Do,My Dad,Uncle,Cousin,an occasional neighbor and I Built this 40' x 60' Building with 15' x 40' Apartment in 3 & 1/2 months during the very snowy,wet winter of 2006, funny it takes a couple years to build a Car and such a short time to do the building.I am single ,so it's perfect for Me,Shop has Skylights and spraybooth made of PVC Pipe,covered with plastic.works for me

 

that is one thing I worry about. I keep telling myself I am going to set up the door so it can't be opened from outside when I am inside but haven't done it yet. I'm sure with a big enough pry bar you could bend the metal door jamb enough to bypass the dead bolt.

one shop in my complex they actually unscrewed the metal panels that make up the building and stole a bunch of brand new compressors... or was it generators? something new and expensive anyways.

 

I'd live in mine,if there weren't so much damn junk in there!

 

"He's out with the girlfriend in garage" is what I always hear!

 

Nice straw bail construction.

 

when you are in a comercial area and have customer you do not have a life living in a shop, i had to get away from all the people, moved in with the girl friend and got out of my shop

 

Our home is along and above the shop. Its real luxury to live like this. It took a lot of thought to plan something that kept both my wife and me happy. She's not a car person so there isnt crap laying all around ouside the place. I used two heating systems- one for the shop part and another for the living area so that shop fumes and smells dont enter the house. We've been in it about a half year and we both love it. Its a real large but somehow attractive place and we get lots of positive comments.

 

I did, It's not as glamorous as it may seem.

 

T-Man... Your place looks AMAZING! Is it ALL straw bales?

 

Tell us about the Straw

 

Thanks, you are the only one today that caught that!

Oops, replied before seeing the last page on replies! DOH!

First floor is all strawbale. We went with huge overhangs and 7 foot sidewalls on the 1st floor. Second floor is smart framing 24"0c with 6 and 8" framing. Blown fiberglass in all stick built areas. I studied this method for 10+ years and still in the reasearch stage, as in house is not done and I got burnt out. Back on it now and having fun, Carla is on me every day!

 

I always get goose bumps when i think about having my own shop with a loft apartment.

 

And damn I thought the shop was crowded back then! I sold off almost alll of those bikes and then some. Damn place is so crowded today I cant see straight!

 

A friend of mine did it for years, no wonder he got divorced and married his then female apprentice painter

 

my uncle is building one in is barn about 20x50. hes is gona have all the essentials and storage above.

 

Grass is always greener. Right now, I wish I didn't own a home that lost all equity we had in it when the market crashed, and now can't afford to sell it.

 

I know this one family that lives in commercial space 2 doors down from my buddy's machine shop. They have a registered business of some sort so I guess they're legal and have passed the annual fire department checks.

Just an option in case my wife tosses me out. Build an office with a drop ceiling and I'd be good to go, park all the tools and machine shop equipment in the garage area.

Bob

 

Not that is an idea I could relate to.....Plus when going to swap meets, etc, just take your home with you !!
Cheers....

 

I hear that, been there done it and after a few years I was more than willing to do anything to get away for a while. I need separation from a constant. I don't like working an assembly line which is about what it becomes when you work and sleep at the shop. I say build a cabin on a river and have a shop in the middle of the city, then you will get a full rounded life!

 

Dang, JJK. That's cool!

I really would like to live in my shop some day. My dream set-up is to have a shop big enough for all of my tools, cars, and such with an office-turned-apartment that way I can live in there. My stuff is spread out across the town right now.. Some stuff is at one place, some stuff at another, and some at home and that gets to me all the time. It would be nice to have everything under one roof.

Oh. And I'm single with no kids. I don't see any reason why not except for financial reasons..

 

At the rate I'm going, my wife may just force me to move into mine if I keep spending so much time in there.

 

you know the saying.....locks are for honest people, if someone wants in bad enough....they will get in!!!!!

 

good thread. very interesting good and bad aspects of living in the shop. at least have a shop that is set up to crash at if you want to pull a couple all nighters!

 

Time and money. Same boat.

 

I have a 1200sqft shop in an industrial warehouse complex that was supposed to be a temporary place to live.... I've been here for almost 4 years. It's not always as fun as it sounds.

 

Explain the Straw Bail Walls......how is it done and why......extremely cold weather I would think......I've never saw that before......I'm down on the Gulf Coast....the new thing here is the sprayed foam insulation to help with the Heat and cold......kinda like an ice chest effect.

 

Ive seriously considered building my own shop/home. To me screwing with old cars and antique electronics is my life. Ive car parts allover my house now, theres a motorcycle in my dining room..

I plan on eventually building my own home, its one thing i feel i need to do in my life, build a house that truly suits me.

Heck.. that straw bail construction seems pretty interesting. I recall seeing something like it before in a magazine years back. Might have to look into it, im sure thats one great bit of insulation.

 

This is what I see, when I walk out my front door...