Great job! Overthinking is part of the process; better than the alternative.
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Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT Comfortable one-car workshop build
- Thread starter dla
- Start date
Workspaces between 485 and 705 squarefeet.
Great job! Overthinking is part of the process; better than the alternative.
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Slowly getting there. With the excitement of having the electrical panel live, I had the motivation to finally get the compressor together and running.
I may have posted waayyy back that it was a kijiji find (canadian craigslist kind of thing), my father bought it for me and then I discovered it had a broken connecting rod in one of the cylinders. I ordered the part and tore everything down, did all the cleaning, then lacked motivation to get it back together as I didn't have 240v to run it in the shop. Here it is in 100% working order
I wired a 240V, 20A plug for it. The motor is rated at 12A but I wanted to make sure it would have an easy life without any voltage drop through the circuit.
Now back to the ceiling. Strapping with 1x3. Halfway done here, took a few evenings. Pretty sure I was up and down a ladder 4 times for every nail I used.
At this point, I decided I had to figure out my plan for an attic hatch sooner than later. After visits to 2 hardware stores, I realized $100 is going rate so that was that
Original plan was to put the hatch near the back of the shop. I have seen in lots of other garages that's where it always is so that's where I pictured it. Overthinking once again, I had the idea that I would put it at the front of the shop, right above the overhead door. Theory is that in this location, access will never be impeded by shelves, benches, machines, broken cars, etc. Mounted up so that the frame of it is flush with where the ceiling drywall will be, I'm not risking door interference.
The install was probably typical for any engineering type that has never done one of these before
Not sure if I have any good pics, but I had the trusses built with an extra 10" height for insulation. Therefore, I wanted to do the same around my attic hatch. I measured that I had just enough clearance on the sides of the hatch frame to build a 1/2" plywood box extending up to match the raised trusses. I then screwed 2x4 on each side of the plywood to sit on top of the bottom chords of the trusses. The whole assembly fit just right between the bottom chord of the trusses and I positioned it close to center of the shop to hopefully make entering/exiting the attic space as least awkward as possible.
At this point, I had the frame of the hatch spaced 1.25" below the bottom chord of the trusses, exactly where the underside of the ceiling will be (3/4" strapping plus 1/2" drywall). It also is positioned at the point where the overhead door travels closest to the ceiling. I was finally able to get a real measurement on how close we were when installing the door. We cut a 6" hi-lift section off the door tracks because we knew it would hit the ceiling for sure. In the end, turned out to be less than 4" clearance. I can accept that.
Finally while up on the ladder, I took an overall shot of the disastrous state that the shop is in right now. One of the tractors is to go home with my father, the other to the shed. The lights sitting on the wheelbarrow will be mounted to the ceiling once finished, and all the other ****... well hopefully I'll figure that out soon!
Figured I'd throw in a pic of my "overhead door toolkit". I've had this 2x3 and 1/2" steel rods kicking around since installing the door and used them twice to make adjustments when the pulley slipped, figured I'd label them and tie-wrap them together to make sure I had the proper tools on hand anytime I may need to make further adjustments.
I may have posted waayyy back that it was a kijiji find (canadian craigslist kind of thing), my father bought it for me and then I discovered it had a broken connecting rod in one of the cylinders. I ordered the part and tore everything down, did all the cleaning, then lacked motivation to get it back together as I didn't have 240v to run it in the shop. Here it is in 100% working order
I wired a 240V, 20A plug for it. The motor is rated at 12A but I wanted to make sure it would have an easy life without any voltage drop through the circuit.
Now back to the ceiling. Strapping with 1x3. Halfway done here, took a few evenings. Pretty sure I was up and down a ladder 4 times for every nail I used.
At this point, I decided I had to figure out my plan for an attic hatch sooner than later. After visits to 2 hardware stores, I realized $100 is going rate so that was that
Original plan was to put the hatch near the back of the shop. I have seen in lots of other garages that's where it always is so that's where I pictured it. Overthinking once again, I had the idea that I would put it at the front of the shop, right above the overhead door. Theory is that in this location, access will never be impeded by shelves, benches, machines, broken cars, etc. Mounted up so that the frame of it is flush with where the ceiling drywall will be, I'm not risking door interference.
The install was probably typical for any engineering type that has never done one of these before
Not sure if I have any good pics, but I had the trusses built with an extra 10" height for insulation. Therefore, I wanted to do the same around my attic hatch. I measured that I had just enough clearance on the sides of the hatch frame to build a 1/2" plywood box extending up to match the raised trusses. I then screwed 2x4 on each side of the plywood to sit on top of the bottom chords of the trusses. The whole assembly fit just right between the bottom chord of the trusses and I positioned it close to center of the shop to hopefully make entering/exiting the attic space as least awkward as possible.
At this point, I had the frame of the hatch spaced 1.25" below the bottom chord of the trusses, exactly where the underside of the ceiling will be (3/4" strapping plus 1/2" drywall). It also is positioned at the point where the overhead door travels closest to the ceiling. I was finally able to get a real measurement on how close we were when installing the door. We cut a 6" hi-lift section off the door tracks because we knew it would hit the ceiling for sure. In the end, turned out to be less than 4" clearance. I can accept that.
Finally while up on the ladder, I took an overall shot of the disastrous state that the shop is in right now. One of the tractors is to go home with my father, the other to the shed. The lights sitting on the wheelbarrow will be mounted to the ceiling once finished, and all the other ****... well hopefully I'll figure that out soon!
Figured I'd throw in a pic of my "overhead door toolkit". I've had this 2x3 and 1/2" steel rods kicking around since installing the door and used them twice to make adjustments when the pulley slipped, figured I'd label them and tie-wrap them together to make sure I had the proper tools on hand anytime I may need to make further adjustments.
MLandry
New member
Nice build! Where are you in NB? I'm in Bathurst lol.
timbitca
Well-known member
sqznby
Well-known member
Great build
My wife's family is from Bouctouche. I loved visiting, so beautiful.
My wife's family is from Bouctouche. I loved visiting, so beautiful.
Mac Hmslf
Member
Also got delivery of strapping and drywall today to start putting up a ceiling.
[/QUOTE]For doing the ceiling what was your plan to get drywall up? Those stupid lifts only get you so high unless its setup on homemade scaffolding lol
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Last edited:
MLandry
New member
MLandry
New member
Thanks! From what I see this is a pretty global forum, so it's nice to have a few people from our province.
e-tek
Well-known member
Enjoying this build. Great work on getting the compressor fixed and wired!!
sean Buick 76
Well-known member
Good work!!! Never feel bad for not posting much on here. You are a hard working guy no one expects you to post more than you can. Have fun and keep up the great work!!!
Yesterday and today I was doing a brake service to the station wagon... cleaned and lubed calipers, drum hardware, replaced front flex hoses, vacuum then gravity bled the entire system. After replacing the drivers side flex hose, I decided to turn on the camera and share a tip for working on old but still serviceable brake lines.
cliff notes: support behind the flare nut with a dolly and give a few rattles with an air hammer, helps break free the line so the fitting can turn on it's own.
I'll see if I can put together an overall shop progress post this week. Motivation has recently gone up and I'm taking advantage of that the best I can.
cliff notes: support behind the flare nut with a dolly and give a few rattles with an air hammer, helps break free the line so the fitting can turn on it's own.
I'll see if I can put together an overall shop progress post this week. Motivation has recently gone up and I'm taking advantage of that the best I can.
Denwood
Well-known member
Dan, checking back in Did you get your ceiling up? Nice work getting some power in there as well. My guess is that you might be itching for a bit of heat soon.
I had an older Craftsman compressor similar to yours with a tank that rusted out (and failed gracefully, thank goodness). I actually found a new tank and bolted er up...still going strong. Most folks would have tossed it, so kudos for taking the time and effort to fix yours.
Did you get your ceiling up? Nice work getting some power in there as well. My guess is that you might be itching for a bit of heat soon. I had an older Craftsman compressor similar to yours with a tank that rusted out (and failed gracefully, thank goodness). I actually found a new tank and bolted er up...still going strong. Most folks would have tossed it, so kudos for taking the time and effort to fix yours.
Hey, thanks for stopping by Dennis! I've been meaning to update this thread for... ummm... better part of two years now
The compressor was assembled with a new (to me) tank and I fabricated a frame to mount it all to the wall. I mounted it way up on the wall to not take any floor space. This has proven to be a great setup, just a little awkward when it comes to maintenance. I'll actually be taking the whole setup down before this coming weekend, more on that later...
The ceiling did get done. I used 8' and 12' sheets of drywall to make up the 20' width (minus wall thickness on each side). This worked out really well. Using a drywall lift wasn't really an option so I managed to build an apparatus that would clamp to the wall studs, lay the sheet on a rack and pivot it up into place. I was really proud of that invention but didn't find pics of it just now. I'll dig further and hopefully post an update on that.
Oh, what's going on here?
A couple weeks later, I had the Atlas PV10PX all setup and working quite nicely. This is the exact model I had sized up before pouring the slab so no surprises when it came to fitting in the shop. My father and I did the entire install. It was a big task but I was really motivated on this one!
Now, to continue on working on the structure itself. Last fall I got 2 walls insulated, vapour barriered, OSB'd and painted. Started off with the right side and back walls because they didn't have anything mounted to them at the time, minimal amount of things to shuffle around.
Now back to the compressor story. I'm taking it down this week and pulling everything off the left side wall to insulate and finish it. Unbelievable how much stuff has moved into that space in just under 5 years
When I put the compressor up there, I had to assemble it piece by piece up there... frame, tank, compressor plate, pump, motor. After way too much thinking, that's exactly how I'm going to have to take it down to finish this wall. I'm sure the bark is worse than the bite, I've just been overthinking it for too long.
I think I said it before, but hopefully I'll update this thread a little more frequently with whatever's current.
The compressor was assembled with a new (to me) tank and I fabricated a frame to mount it all to the wall. I mounted it way up on the wall to not take any floor space. This has proven to be a great setup, just a little awkward when it comes to maintenance. I'll actually be taking the whole setup down before this coming weekend, more on that later...
The ceiling did get done. I used 8' and 12' sheets of drywall to make up the 20' width (minus wall thickness on each side). This worked out really well. Using a drywall lift wasn't really an option so I managed to build an apparatus that would clamp to the wall studs, lay the sheet on a rack and pivot it up into place. I was really proud of that invention but didn't find pics of it just now. I'll dig further and hopefully post an update on that.
Oh, what's going on here?
A couple weeks later, I had the Atlas PV10PX all setup and working quite nicely. This is the exact model I had sized up before pouring the slab so no surprises when it came to fitting in the shop. My father and I did the entire install. It was a big task but I was really motivated on this one!
Now, to continue on working on the structure itself. Last fall I got 2 walls insulated, vapour barriered, OSB'd and painted. Started off with the right side and back walls because they didn't have anything mounted to them at the time, minimal amount of things to shuffle around.
Now back to the compressor story. I'm taking it down this week and pulling everything off the left side wall to insulate and finish it. Unbelievable how much stuff has moved into that space in just under 5 years
When I put the compressor up there, I had to assemble it piece by piece up there... frame, tank, compressor plate, pump, motor. After way too much thinking, that's exactly how I'm going to have to take it down to finish this wall. I'm sure the bark is worse than the bite, I've just been overthinking it for too long.I think I said it before, but hopefully I'll update this thread a little more frequently with whatever's current.
KevoDesign
Well-known member
Wow that looking really clean. I really like the wall mounted compressor idea. Nice work
Denwood
Well-known member
Great work Dan...and nice job sneaking that lift in there! The PV10 looks like the real deal. My little lift has paid for itself many times over now..I can guarantee you will really appreciate that investment on a full height lift. 10K lbs should cover all your truck lifting needs too
Getting some heat and light going is next I would guess? What are you planning? I also notice that you decided not to install any windows for natural light...but I'm guessing you have a master plan
Getting some heat and light going is next I would guess? What are you planning? I also notice that you decided not to install any windows for natural light...but I'm guessing you have a master plan
Great work Dan...and nice job sneaking that lift in there! The PV10 looks like the real deal. My little lift has paid for itself many times over now..I can guarantee you will really appreciate that investment on a full height lift. 10K lbs should cover all your truck lifting needs too
Getting some heat and light going is next I would guess? What are you planning? I also notice that you decided not to install any windows for natural light...but I'm guessing you have a master plan
Heat for sure. I'll probably use an electric shop heater on a thermostat for the foreseeable future, keep it around 8 to 10C and bump it up if I'm going to be in there for any amount of time. House is on electric heat anyway and upfront costs are probably the least out of any options. Heat pumps are probably the longterm efficient solution for both house and garage.
Lighting plans are still evolving
I've seen various folks on here wire in switched 120v outlets on their ceilings so lighting can be installed and modified very easily, that is how I'll power the lighting. To begin with, I made five of these assemblies each with four standard screw-in sockets... just a really versatile way to get some lights up there with all the options in the world for now. The extension cord network is temporary, these just went up last week because I pulled the electrical panel, details to follow...
Preliminary results are promising. The bulbs in them right now are philips 5000k 60w equivalent. They do a reasonable job lighting the back half of the shop, more would be better of course! I recall you've put a lot of effort into sourcing efficient and high-CRI lighting and I'll be looking back through your experiences when I decide to expand on these. My choice of white semi-gloss for the walls was primarily to help out with lighting as well. The staggered bulb locations and different mounting directions helps to avoid hard shadows, or at least that's my theory!
As for the lack of windows, that was a conscious decision. I do live in a good area but I felt the passive security was still worth the tradeoffs. This also keeps all my options open for how I choose to arrange the interior, I'll never have to decide whether or not to block a window. The front of the garage is perpendicular to the road so I can still work with the big door open and not reveal everything to every passerby.
Next post will be the update from this weekend...
Now for the update from this weekend. As mentioned in my last few posts, I took down the compressor and electrical panel to prepare the left side wall to be finished:
R20 insulation installed:
My sister visited for the weekend we did some work. Put up vapor barrier, and here she is nailing on the first sheet of OSB.
Kind of funny place to start? Why yes, yes it is. I have a line marked on each stud to line up the top of the first row of OSB sheets. With the first one installed as pictured above and it's edges centered on the studs, we had a good place to measure from to cut the sheet that will go to the corner. The one thing I've learned with framing lumber and my first construction project is to never trust that anything is level, straight or square!
The piece of OSB around the electrical conduit was a test piece, the hole drilled at an angle a known distance from the left and top edges. I fitted it around the conduit and measured the remaining distances to where the sheet's edges will be, then used these measurements to drill the piece that was actually installed there. First try!
We put in a good day of work from that point on and I'm happy with the result.
Hopefully I'll get it painted this week and the compressor back up. The last wall remaining is the front wall that is mostly taken up by the overhead door and man door. There should only be one OSB sheet that I'll need help to place on that wall and not much stuff to move out of the way.
R20 insulation installed:
My sister visited for the weekend we did some work. Put up vapor barrier, and here she is nailing on the first sheet of OSB.
Kind of funny place to start? Why yes, yes it is. I have a line marked on each stud to line up the top of the first row of OSB sheets. With the first one installed as pictured above and it's edges centered on the studs, we had a good place to measure from to cut the sheet that will go to the corner. The one thing I've learned with framing lumber and my first construction project is to never trust that anything is level, straight or square!
The piece of OSB around the electrical conduit was a test piece, the hole drilled at an angle a known distance from the left and top edges. I fitted it around the conduit and measured the remaining distances to where the sheet's edges will be, then used these measurements to drill the piece that was actually installed there. First try!
We put in a good day of work from that point on and I'm happy with the result.
Hopefully I'll get it painted this week and the compressor back up. The last wall remaining is the front wall that is mostly taken up by the overhead door and man door. There should only be one OSB sheet that I'll need help to place on that wall and not much stuff to move out of the way.