New Shop/Last Shop Construction

[ArtisanFarms]

I'm planning a new shop, which will be my last shop as I am now retired and don't plan to move again.

I had planned to renovate a 25X75 timber framed barn that I have on my property into the shop, but an injury has affected my balance and mobility which prevents me from doing a lot of the renovation work needed and it won't be cost effective to hire the renovation work out.

So, I'm considering three options and am curious what others have to say. The shop will be used for both woodworking and metal working (each in its own room).

I have a fair amount of iron that I will be moving into the shop. Wood shop tools include - Powermatic 66 table saw, Delta Shaper, Drill press, lathe, 18" bandsaw, planer, 8" jointer, 6X42" sander, dust collector and miscellaneous hand and power tools. The metal shop includes - 15X30 lathe, 9x42 Bridgeport, 20" vertical bandsaw, horizontal bandsaw, 6x12 surface grinder, 4 spindle drillpress, bench grinders, arbor press, hossfeld bender, Pexto 48" shear, Di-Acro notcher, Weidemann turret punch, Chicago 48"press brake, torches, CC-CV welder w/TIG watercooled torch and MIG wirefeeder, heat treat oven, and an anvil.

Option 1 - free standing SIP construction 30X50 shop - 2 rooms, 12' sidewalls, minimum 10X10 and two man doors to outside, minimum 8X10 and one man door in interior wall.

Option 2 - free standing insulated pole construction 30X50 shop - 2 rooms, 12' sidewalls, minimum 10X10 and two man doors to outside, minimum 8X10 and one man door in interior wall.

Option 3 - 20X75 lean-to addition to barn with large access doors thru barn.

One of my kids, who will probably use the metal shop as much as I do, favors option 3. I don't yet have a strong opinion, but probably lean a little towards option 1.

For people who have built your last shop which option makes sense to you and what are lessons from your experience that you would like to share.

 

[WisJim]

I am completing my"last shop", 24 x 40 with attic room, size is maximum I can have even with a zoning variance. I considered SIPS but the attic room floor structure made it too expensive. I went with 2x6 walls, attic room trusses, and spray foam insulation.
SIPS would be easier to heat and cool. A barn addition might be good for easy access to storage in the barn.

 

[El_Pozzinator]

If you’re sufficiently handy that you could do it yourself, I’m betting you’re sufficiently skilled that you could teach a few young guys how to do stuff where it’s not quite as critical to be aesthetically perfect like it would inside a house. If you’ve got some younger guys around who’d be willing to sweat a little to learn a valuable skill (church youth groups or men’s bible study groups if your area is anything like mine are good places to consider, if you’re involved with any), that might be an option worth exploring. Knowledge is worth a lot, and you’ve got a whole working lifetime’s worth. If you were closer to me, I’d volunteer to help with any of your options in exchange for a small portion of what you know.

Good luck and congratulations on retiring (even if it’s a bit belated)! Merry Christmas!


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[sberry]

Skip the "rooms", build 40 wide.

 

[GoodStuff]

Skip the "rooms", build 40 wide.

This. All day. You will hate the rooms and value the open space much more


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[ArtisanFarms]

If you’re sufficiently handy that you could do it yourself, I’m betting you’re sufficiently skilled that you could teach a few young guys how to do stuff where it’s not quite as critical to be aesthetically perfect like it would inside a house. If you’ve got some younger guys around who’d be willing to sweat a little to learn a valuable skill (church youth groups or men’s bible study groups if your area is anything like mine are good places to consider, if you’re involved with any), that might be an option worth exploring. Knowledge is worth a lot, and you’ve got a whole working lifetime’s worth. If you were closer to me, I’d volunteer to help with any of your options in exchange for a small portion of what you know.

Good luck and congratulations on retiring (even if it’s a bit belated)! Merry Christmas!


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Thanks for the compliments. Knowledge or skill aren't the issue. Rather it is time and physical capability. I'm unhappily following the SSDI path into retirement. I'll enjoy puttering in the shop, but my days of building the shop, unfortunately are behind me.

 

[ArtisanFarms]

Skip the "rooms", build 40 wide.

The "rooms" are for dust management. I want to keep the woodworking, and dust, away from the metalworking equipment.

My current woodshop is 26x28 and that size has worked well for me. . Unfortunately, it is on the farm about 5 miles from the house I will be living in. My son is on the farm and he has better uses for the space than his dad's shop and I'd prefer to walk to my shop whenever I want, hence the planned new building.

 

[landspeedrich]

I am in the designing stages of my last garage,as I slide along in retirement.I'm going with a 32x40 size with a upperlevel at each end for storage,as the house will not have a basement.I like the idea of separate work area's for dust and heat-cool control of my machine shop and,fabricating area.As well as a 10' 2x6 wall.Still deceiding on overhead door size and shop access door size.
You must have 3 phase power availability in your location?As I can get separate 200 amp sevice but only in single phase.Concerned about that,and what form of supplement heating during winter to use.Garage will be in southern Delaware,not in Chicago area.
Will follow your project to help myself with decision's.Good luck and take care. Rich

 

[matt_i]

Too early to tell if I built my last shop yet.

It would seem at first like the lean-to is best bang for the buck and max square footage as one structure is already built. Lean-to is going to be fairly easy to build on with some detail work needed for flashing and weatherproofing the interfaces. Not sure how hard its going to be to insulate a timber-framed shop....it might mean building a stick framed building inside of it or using spray foam....

My personal requirements for a last shop would be #1 significant extra room past what I currently need. And #2 full HVAC. Seems like my tolerance for extreme temps goes down every year. Following that is insulation so you don't have wild energy bills. What I think I know about your climate might drive me into strongly considering in-floor radiant heat - PEX tubing placed into the concrete slab so you can work comfortably all year.

Personally I like natural light and that means #3 windows. Expensive for good ones but nothing beats the sun when its out.

The SIP construction I feel is very well insulated but a very small percentage of builders are into this style of construction and its going to be the most expensive and most difficult to wire (lots of conduit I'm guessing).

Another thing to think about is lifting & hoisting as we age. I put a 1/4 ton jib crane into my shop and its been very useful thus far. If I did build another shop that would be #4, I'd like to have around a 3-4t bridge crane. I have the majority of the components except for the steel and the VFDs for the tractor drives. If you don't have one, a forklift would be very helpful, the concrete deserves some additional prep for using it.

Congrats on your retirement and a nice cache of equipment! Hopefully you'll knock out many projects in the new space.

 

[karoc]

Get a chance post pic of the barn that you are thinking about putting the Lean-To on. But not wanting to use it for shop maybe a lean-to won't work.
I like the pole barn ideal cause that is what my next and final shop/living space will be. They can be easy to add on to such as a Lean-To, built at any height for little money and cheaper/faster to build. Having storage don't work for me, my knees kills me just standing up much less climbing stairs trying to carry a load, but with height you could if wanted to.

 

[My Old Tools]

It would be really hard for me to not utilize a big timberframe barn. If you can afford to build a new one, I bet you can afford to hire some renovation on the existing one.

 

[Yankeefarmer]

I’m 65 and just built what is probably my last shop. It’s 26’ x 48’, so similar in size to your considerations. This is the first outbuilding on my property that I didn’t do the actual construction myself; my body just isn’t up to it anymore. It’s stick construction with engineered scissor and attic trusses for the loft and roof over the lift area.

I’m curious about why you aren’t considering stick build, since, at least around here, that’s the most common, so more builders to compete for the work, and conventional fiberglass insulation is easy. I learned years ago that insulation contractors can provide and install insulation cheaper than you can buy it yourself.

I had considered dividing mine in half to allow heating only the side I’d be working in to save money, but my analysis showed the savings wouldn’t be enough to justify the added capital costs.

I wonder if a stick built addition on the barn might be your best option- do you have enough height on the barn to get sufficient pitch on a shed roof spanning the 20’, and is a 20’ depth what you really want?

 

[greg13]

You are around the corner from me. You are also in Amish country, I would check into an amish build it may not cost as much as you think. Worth checking into.

 

[ArtisanFarms]

I have a budget quote for a 30x52x12 pole barn with 2 10X10 doors, 2 man doors and 4 windows and 5" fibermesh concrete for $34,900 + site prep for my shop. While I am still shopping around, this builder has just finished a new shop where one of my kids works that looks to be very well done and built a barn for a neighbor that was well done, so I am confident they will do OK for me.

I'll be meeting with them soon to review the site and get a final quote and am working through a list of questions and deciding upon must haves vs. nice to haves vs. not worth pursuing. Some of the questions include:

1) Perma-columns for the posts? (I'm Zone 5 in Central NY)

2) XPS insulation under the concrete? (The shop will be heated/conditioned with a working temp in the winter of ~60 F.)

3) Insulation? - the builder offers spray foam or fiberglass batts as options. I have also considered polyiso panels sealed with spray foam and possibly blown cellulose for the ceiling.

4) Liner panels for the interior finish? If not liner panels, what are good, durable, economical and in the metal shop area fire resistant alternatives?

5) Building height - one son is recommending going 16' to allow for a mezzanine in part of the building, For members who are older and not as mobile, how useful is a mezzanine, vs. creating additional space at ground level? Especially since I also have a 25X75 barn that can be used for additional storage.

6) What else should be considered?

 

[My Old Tools]

Me mezzanine is very handy, but I designed in a 1 ton traveling hoist to get stuff up there. My shop is smaller and no other storage.

 

[Daniel Dudley]

I did the lean to shed on my barn, pole construction, pour slab and then frame the walls on the slab.

Very quick and straight forward. I used 24' 2x12 fir for the roof rafters, and got a 22' wide addition. I would do it again in a flash.

 

[wayout]

I was considering a mezzanine as well but it was pointed out to me that a 'bank barn' style building will work for my particular situation.
Main floor of the garage is set into sloping ground with added access through a garage door on the second floor.
Second floor will be half the building footprint to allow for clearance for lifts in the other half of the first floor.
Moving woodworking equipment and projects will be simple to the second floor.

 

[ArtisanFarms]

I was considering a mezzanine as well but it was pointed out to me that a 'bank barn' style building will work for my particular situation.
Main floor of the garage is set into sloping ground with added access through a garage door on the second floor.
Second floor will be half the building footprint to allow for clearance for lifts in the other half of the first floor.
Moving woodworking equipment and projects will be simple to the second floor.

I regret not doing a bank barn style building at the farm. It would have been a really good use of some hilly ground that was close to the road and not really suitable for crops. At my new location, the ground is flat, so, unfortunately, a bank barn isn't feasible.

 

[johndeere_40]

You mentioned that you had a Weidemann turret hole punch. I just picked up a manual R-2 model along with a Pexto 36 inch shear. Both had been neglected for some time. I have the shear looking and working like new. Not so with the punch, which I’m fascinated with. Ive been soaking the working parts with Kano penetrating oil but I cannot get it to operate. Would you happen to have any information about the tool or know where I could find any info?

Thanks in advance for any help.