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Above 1200 Sq/FT Engineer's Multi-Purpose Shop

Wokspaces above 1200 squarefeet.
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Culture

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Culture

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I hired out the drywall work. Drywall for 1000 SF of space (hang, float and texture) cost $4000. I have done drywall before and did not have the energy to this much area. I decided to leave it to the professionals. Hurricane Harvey hit Houston about three months later and the cost of drywall work doubled. I dodged a bullet.

I painted the walls light gray, with dark gray trim and doors. Classical shop colors IMHO.

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Xti04

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Culture said:
I have even been happier with the Big Green Egg than with the outdoor kitchen overall. I got one on the advice of a friend and it is awesome. I rarely use that gas grill, now perhaps three or four times a year. They are ridiculously expensive, but if you can get past the price and convince yourself to buy one anyway I highly recommend it.
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Best thing I ever got! My wife bought me one for my 30th birthday because I kept complaining about the jerk across the street having one and how much you could do with the egg. The kitchen area looks great!
 
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Culture

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Xti04 said:
Best thing I ever got! My wife bought me one for my 30th birthday because I kept complaining about the jerk across the street having one and how much you could do with the egg. The kitchen area looks great!
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Thanks! I think everyone I have talked to with a BGE likes it.
 
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sberry

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With some help from my wife, I did all the work except for 1) the building pad, 2) the concrete foundation 3) the insulated metal building shell, 4) the load center, 5) the drywall finishes and 6) the insulation.
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Did it all except for that.

I agree, nice custom finished job.
 
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Culture

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sberry said:
Did it all except for that.
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In all fairness that does leave 100% of the wood framing (2000 SF of space), doors, air sealing, electrical circuits (cables, outlets and switches), trim, painting, VCT flooring, AC (2x Minisplit), second level decking, staircase, guard rails, lights, benches/cabinetry/shelving, area drainage and IT infrastructure. It took me a year of spare time and was a lot of fun (and some new tools) :beer:.
 
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Culture

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After the painting was done, I installed 15 4 bulb fixtures over the 1000 SF of AC space. With daylight bulbs, it looks like an operating room when they are all on. I used the Lithonia space lighting software to design the lighting, using the recommendation for "Performance of visual tasks of low contrast
and very small size for prolonged periods of time." Very nice for my old eyes. I do not need any supplemental lighting in the space. I used shop light so that I could adjust the fixture locations if I needed to. I do not think this will ever be required.

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Culture

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After the drywall was painted, I had cellulose insulation blown in the ceiling. I used cellulose because it has less air infiltration than blown fiberglass, at a very slightly increased cost for the same r value. It is also heavier and makes a bigger mess. I still have not cleaned up all the debris that was blown around the garage areas of the barn. During the process, one of the workers stepped through the ceiling of the shop area. No injury, and the installer paid to have it fixed. I did paint the repair for free :). $515 for the insulation, which was about what it would have cost me to purchase the insulation, not including renting a blower. I like doing things myself, but I could not bring myself to pay more for such a hot, dusty job (This was August on the Texas Gulf Coast).

After the ceiling insulation was installed, I decked the floor with 3/4" sheathing (glued and nailed) and installed some shelves so that I clear out the shop and office area downstairs to install flooring. I really should have used 9/8" decking but that would have been to heavy to install myself. As a result, I had to make sure all shelving legs sit directly on a joist.

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Culture

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Obviously, the second level required a guard rail once the decking was finished. The first AC system showed up at this time. It was a Friedrich 18k btu for the shop area (600 SF). A second system for the office area (12k btu) was back-ordered. Friedrich was the only company i could find that did not excluded self-installed systems from the warranty.

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The first step in getting cool:
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Culture

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I installed a Friedrich 18K BTU minisplit in the AC shop area. This is probably oversized given the level of insulation, but I wanted to be able to cool to room rapidly, as I do not keep it cooled all the time. I chose Friedrich because they do not eliminate warranty coverage for self-installed systems.

I would have paid to have a Mitsubishi or other top tier system installed, but I got $9,000 and $12,000 bids for two systems (12K and 18K BRU). I had to purchase about $800-900 worth of tools to install the systems and saved at least $4,000. Plus I got to learn how to install a minisplit. I had a lot of experience with R12 and R22 systems from when I was younger, which helped a lot, as does having a mechanical engineering background (I am a registered professional structural and mechanical engineer).

Electrical and pad ready to set system:
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Evaporator support frame mounted and ready to drill line set hole:
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The first hole I drilled in the wall was hit a wind girt support. What were the chances? I removed the mounting panel, filled the hole with expanding foam, remounted the panel and redrilled the hole.
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Because of the wall thickness (16"), the lineset connection was located inside the wall. Therefore, I had to building a temporary platform to support the evaporator unit while I tested the lines and system.
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I pressure tested with nitrogen for 24 hours, and pulled vacuum using micron gauge. I should have purged the system a few times with nitrogen after vacuuming (vacuum-purge, vacuum purge, vacuum), I will do this if I ever have drain the system to work on it.
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The final system blowing cool air:
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Culture

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After getting in the first AC unit, I installed the VCT floor. The first step for installing the floor was correcting a stupid mistake on my part; I had not covered up the concrete slab during drywall and painting. Therefore, I got to spend a full day scraping drywall compound and paint off the floor. This is the reason that people who know what they are doing cover the floor before the drywall goes up. Live and learn.

I used commercial grade Armstrong Imperial Excelon flooring. This stuff last forever. I also ended up using it to surface all my work benches, work tables and desk. I finished the VCT with three coats of sealer and five coats of finish. It looked like a mirror when done. I have been very happy with it, but realize I will have to strip and refinish it about every year or two.

VCT delivered:
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Office space in progress:
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Office done (no finish), shop space in progress:
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Finished office space:
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Finished shop space:
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TurtleValley

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That floor looks amazing. I am going to have to look into that for my shop main floor. IF you don't mind me asking, what do you think the cost per square foot is for the materials and sealer etc? Ballpark?

It looks like it will last forever.

Great job on the shop. I know what it is like to "Over Engineer" everything to get it right.
 
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Culture

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LXCam said:
Wow, very nice!
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Thanks!

1/2 Cup said:
Culture you have one awesome shop.:bowdown:
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Thanks, it has been a life-long goal. I remember starting, like a lot of us, as a light holder for my dad when doing car repairs outside in the rain. I realized then I needed an indoor, air conditioned shop some day :).

TurtleValley said:
That floor looks amazing. I am going to have to look into that for my shop main floor. IF you don't mind me asking, what do you think the cost per square foot is for the materials and sealer etc? Ballpark?

It looks like it will last forever.

Great job on the shop. I know what it is like to "Over Engineer" everything to get it right.
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Thanks! The VCT cost about 0.60 to 1.20 SF depending on the color and quantity. Adhesive runs about $5-6 per 100 SF when purchased in bulk (4 gallon container). Sealant and finish runs about $32 for enough to do 800-1000 SF. Cove base is about $0.50/ft. I purchased $40-50 of new tools. Overall, it is a durable, cheap but labor intensive system. Not difficult, this was the first time I ever did it and it came out perfect.
 
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Culture

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My second AC, for the office area, arrived shortly after the flood was installed. While not seen in the photos, I wrapped the entire line set in tape and connected the wrapped bundle to the wall to prevent movement.

Temporary support to allow testing of connections:
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Nitrogen testing and pulling a vacuum:
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Installed and operating:
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Second level storage after move-in (20x50). I may add more shelving in the future, but for now I have more than I need. So much, I store a lot of stuff I should throw away (but I may neeeeeeed it :)). I may also add a second row of light fixtures if I add more shelves as it will be too dark along the low side.

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EasyE

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Do you have any pictures showing how the building windows are flashed (and installed) to keep rain out and also how you framed/finished around the window in the workshop area? Obviously the sill is much deep since you are spanning the width of 2 walls. I will be doing something similar and need ideas.
 
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Culture

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EasyE said:
Do you have any pictures showing how the building windows are flashed (and installed) to keep rain out and also how you framed/finished around the window in the workshop area? Obviously the sill is much deep since you are spanning the width of 2 walls. I will be doing something similar and need ideas.
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Sorry, my erector put the windows in and I was not around when they were installed. I do remember him telling me that they were special windows designed to flash into R-Panel walls. Looking at them, it is clear that sealant is an important part of the equation.

All I did was install sandwich panels which span between the wall I build and the window frame, sealing the gap. They do nothing with respect to water proofing, but they do prevent air infiltration.
 
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rixtrix1

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Culture said:
Can I have you talk to my wife about this �� ?
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Shop and more stuff vs. outdoor kitchen; yeah, I think you're on the down side of the acquire equation for a little while. I don't think I could help you much

I got myself a TIG welder for Xmas, a bunch of fabrication parts for my race car and an air conditioner/heater for the garage this year, but I made sure the wife got the SS kitchen she's been talking about for a while. What really helped is that I just brought it up spontaneously while we were out and about. Being a professional tool user, she really doesn't balk at my tool purchases, but she knows I'm frugal.
 
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Culture

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rixtrix1 said:
I got myself a TIG welder for Xmas, a bunch of fabrication parts for my race car and an air conditioner/heater for the garage this year, but I made sure the wife got the SS kitchen she's been talking about for a while. What really helped is that I just brought it up spontaneously while we were out and about. Being a professional tool user, she really doesn't balk at my tool purchases, but she knows I'm frugal.
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My wife and I are both pretty frugal. I find the trick for me is making sure that any new tool I get has an important role in a project she wants completed. It makes us both happy.
 
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Culture

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readhead said:
Looking good. Where was all that stuff before?
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Believe it or not (and it amazes me every time I look at it) it was almost (plus my wife's car and a 14' boat & trailer) in a 20x30 three car garage with an 8x20 lean too. Of course, every time I wanted to do anything I spent 1-2 hours unpacking onto the driveway and 1-2 hours putting it back up when finished. Seriously, the only large things I have obtained (that are kept in the barn) since moving is the rolling HEPA filter and the quad.

It is so so nice to have everything immediately accessible, with plenty of open floor space for large projects. I have a 12x11 open space in front of the table saw that I can park mowers, motorcycles, etc. in the air con space. Makes wrenching in the summer a pleasure.
 
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Culture

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rixtrix1 said:
Shop and more stuff vs. outdoor kitchen; yeah, I think you're on the down side of the acquire equation for a little while. I don't think I could help you much

I got myself a TIG welder for Xmas, a bunch of fabrication parts for my race car and an air conditioner/heater for the garage this year, but I made sure the wife got the SS kitchen she's been talking about for a while. What really helped is that I just brought it up spontaneously while we were out and about. Being a professional tool user, she really doesn't balk at my tool purchases, but she knows I'm frugal.
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My wife got the house & neighborhood of her dreams and I got the shop of my dreams. She is WAAAAY are ahead; houses are much more expensive than shops, not to mention the lot which was $$ because she wanted to live in an upscale area (I would rather have 10 times the acreage somewhere else). The house and shop are about the same size (square footage), which I feel is only fair :).

Not complaining, my wife contributes almost as much to the finances as I do, and is not a spender (at least until it case this this house). She recycles dryer sheets and plastic cups from fast food places.
 
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Culture

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rixtrix1 said:
I got myself a TIG welder for Xmas, a bunch of fabrication parts for my race car and an air conditioner/heater for the garage this year, but I made sure the wife got the SS kitchen she's been talking about for a while. What really helped is that I just brought it up spontaneously while we were out and about. Being a professional tool user, she really doesn't balk at my tool purchases, but she knows I'm frugal.
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I want a TIG setup, but since I have a MIG rig, SMAW rig and oxyacetylene rig, I can't really justify it. I do have an oxyacetylene jeweler's torch as #1 on my birthday list.
 
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rixtrix1

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I don't have an oxy/acet outfit, but with full size tanks and spares for the MIG and TIG, there's no room. I do have many other ways to cut metal( secretly wanting a Plasma) and I'm not into woodworking. I think you now have the space to do whatever comes to mind, and everyone's pretty happy. Kudos to you and yours!
 
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