Shop/Polebarn attached to house?

[SPDMETL]

This is still a long way off, but I'd like to hear discussion about whether or not you folks would do this-pix, please!

My current shop is 150 feet away from the house.Sometimes, you just don't want to go outside to get there. Reading about the Gentleman in Utah with the tunnel got me thinking...

 

[Fueler]

Seriously? 150 ft to the shop. Really rough commute! Seek counseling or have a beer, then go. Or put the beer in the shop so you have incentive.

 

[Daddy454]

Here's the distance to mine from the back door.The house is our old place,but the new house has the back door in the same place.I don't know if I'd want it attached to the house.

 

[just1more]

My shop is at least 150 feet from the house and i wouldnt have it any other way..

Top 10 reasons to have detached shop:

10)depending on shop size, they dont "over power" your home.
9) Security, if shop is broken into, they dont have direct access to the house.
8)In my case, more privacy.. can hardly see the shop from the road.
7)I can crank AC/DC, Metallica, Uriah Heep, Deep Purple, etc. no one yells "turn it down"!
6) If by chance you start a fire(torches, welder, etc) not going to get to the house.
5) No air compressor noise waking the grandkids up.
4) Ditto on grinding noise "" "" """ """ """ ".
3) No nasty paint / chemical smells enter the house.
2) Ditto on exhaust fumes.
and the #1 reason to have a detached shop:
...Your wife has to make an effort to come and nag you!

 

[AZ Pete]

Hah! buy a golf cart.

 

[DoyleDee]

Mines a little over 100' , I don't mind the walk....I don't get bothered either unless she's bringing me a drink or something to eat. I definitely wouldn't have it attached to the house- just the possibility of catching the shop on fire, and then it could take the house too...nope, not here.

 

[DIC]

Build a zip-line.....Weeeeee

 

[CNGsaves]

Separate is GOOD . . . .along with above reasons, Fire Safety, Insurance, and yep TAXES!! You do NOT want county tax assessors calling your shop as living space.

Here is KS, polebarn definition of shop makes it way cheaper on taxes.

I would vote for breezeway, enclosed golfcart, etc. before I'd go with the tunnel.

 

[SPDMETL]

Well, then. Detached it shall be. Question was more of a "while you're in there...what to add/delete". Thanks for the input.

 

[bams50]

Well, I just spent 20 minutes writing a detailed reply, but it's somewhere disappeared into Computerland…

For 25 years I have dreamed of what you are contemplating, and with retirement on the horizon I am starting to plan to do just that. For those of us where it gets cold and lots of snow, sometimes you just don't feel up to bundling up, trudging out to the garage through the snow, waiting a half-hour for the garage to warm up, then being overdressed for shop work. In my sig line you will see my plan. I dream of being able to go from house to shop and vice versa in regular shoes and no jacket; and that's just what I'm going to build. For us, we enjoy the snow and watching it fall, having to deal with it all day every day – not so much. We could move south for the winter, but we love the area, being near our family and friends in their activities, and being able to pursue my retirement dream, which is restoring classic cars full-time. So putting everything under one roof is my life's dream.

As for fire safety, fumes, etc. lots of people do this already, and there're ways to manage all that that aren't too difficult. Everyone has to choose what they want, but for me, definitely all under one roof!

 

[RPH]

300 feet and if I could get it further I would. When I'm out there if you want to see me make it worth it. Most leave me alone and it's still quiet in the house.

 

[kvom]

My shop was built attached to the house.

Pros:

1) I could interconnect water and sewer at the juncture point.
2) Shared meter base for power.
3) Quick to go to/from house

Cons:

1) More expensive materials and requirements for fire prevention
2) Needed to blend in the exterior to the house (brick, roofing), so more expense
3) Limited in size so as not to overpower the house. Also a size that makes it a plus for resale vs. a minus.

 

[dieselgarage]

Mine is 500 feet from the house. Right now i have to use snow shoes to get to it.
It was the only place on the property that would not block a good view from the house.
Once I get a drive way cut in it will be the perfect spot for it. But I got to admit if I'm doing something in the house the trips back and forth to the shop do get tiresome.

 

[bacpacker]

Mine is about 100' mainly because that's where it fit into my property best for it's entended usage. Plenty quite, close enough if I need something from the house/basement. not a real long way to run electric.

If I lived somewhere else, that could well change to a further distance.

 

[rburke65]

Mine is probably 200' away from the house. My wife says I have put more miles on the SUV getting to the shop than I have on the road. Looking for an ATV.

 

[sfd524]

and the #1 reason to have a detached shop:
...Your wife has to make an effort to come and nag you!

The absolute best reason!

(Don't tell my wife I said that, will deny it all day long!)