WaFoster01
Member
Hey guys. My name is Aaron Foster. I am in the early planning stages for a 30x40 Shop on my property. I'm in the hills of Western Massachusetts. I have been coming here for a while to explore ideas and get inspiration. Mostly succeeded in fueling my garage/workshop envy. I am an independent contractor/carpenter. I built my house starting in 2007 and moved here in 09. I never planned for a garage or barn. Big mistake. I didn't have the money at the time anyway. I've been working in logistics and facility maintenance for the last 20+ years. I had been pretty desperate to get out of my job for a while, but the bills were paid so I stayed. But the pandemic showed me that no business was immune to such a global shakeup. So, I figured I better find out if my idea of a carpentry side hustle had any merit. Long story short, I left last June and have been full time carpentry since. I got my CSL last June as well.
That brings me to the shop. I'm running this carpentry business from my home. I have a spare bedroom upstairs that I use to store my tools (more like an episode of hoarders). My mudroom holds all my current use tools. If the weather is nice, I can work on custom carpentry in the back yard. And when its not, I either beg for space at my neighbor's shop or buy my wife flowers, cause its man-glitter time in the living room! I've done alot of planning and searching on GJ and have settled on a 30x40 shop. I have a place picked out on my property that should fit this well. I haven't met with my excavator yet, so, we'll see what he thinks. Otherwise, I'm moving forward with the planning. I have only contacted one company so far for a Pole building kit along these lines. I called Hansen buildings and I am having them work me up a quote. I have also drawn up a sketchup design that I'll share below. While I wait for Hansen, I will be putting together a quote of my own, as if I was just going to spec out this house on my own. We'll see how all that goes.
I am planning on a 30x40x12 Pole building with attic trusses. I initially was interested in Hansen buildings because of the simplicity and speed of this type of building. But as I complicate things, I want to work up my own quote. I say complicate, because I am thinking of using barnboard siding instead of steel. Which may require me to use plywood sheathing to get the shear strength from the pole structure. And at that point what is it I am saving. Also the way Hansen spaces their trusses; I have to accommodate the floor system differently if I want to use the attic trusses. I could just go with a different pole building company that uses the same trusses spaced at 4' instead of 10' and avoid the drama. Another possibility, in terms of the loft, would be to frame the loft similar to the way Ken's Karpentry does on youtube. As my title says: The possibilities are endless. Endless until the bills roll in. Which is why I'm here.
You all have either already done this or are right in the middle of it. I am sure I am missing something. This shop will primarily be for Carpentry/woodwork. I plan to do some metal fabricating in the future. I'm not a car guy really. I do my own vehicle maintenance, but a motorshop is not my intention here. I'm more of a "Maker." A whole bunch of wide-ranging interests. And I want them all to live in this space. I have a 3 acre homestead where I grow lots of food and chickens. I've been a buckskinner for 30 years. I tan hides here at the homestead and make my own clothes. The upstairs of the shop is going to mainly be a sewing studio for all my custom sewing and artwork. But I am also getting into 3d printing and the like. So, "Clean" work upstairs and "Messy" downstairs. The lean-to if for outdoor work and to set up my hide-tanning station. It also faces the garden so I can use the lean-to as a space to do garden related work.
I included some photos of the site that I have picked out. There is a good slope to the site. And we have the usual New England stoney ground. I am planning to do a full frost wall foundation. Even though I would love to get away with something more like a Perma-column. More to discuss with the excavator. I will also do an insulated slab. Even if I don't put radiant in the slab I will, at the very least, be insulating under the slab. That about covers my plans at this point. I am waiting to meet with the excavator and I am waiting to hear back from Hansen. Let me know your thoughts and thanks if you read this whole long story. Cheers! Aaron.
That brings me to the shop. I'm running this carpentry business from my home. I have a spare bedroom upstairs that I use to store my tools (more like an episode of hoarders). My mudroom holds all my current use tools. If the weather is nice, I can work on custom carpentry in the back yard. And when its not, I either beg for space at my neighbor's shop or buy my wife flowers, cause its man-glitter time in the living room! I've done alot of planning and searching on GJ and have settled on a 30x40 shop. I have a place picked out on my property that should fit this well. I haven't met with my excavator yet, so, we'll see what he thinks. Otherwise, I'm moving forward with the planning. I have only contacted one company so far for a Pole building kit along these lines. I called Hansen buildings and I am having them work me up a quote. I have also drawn up a sketchup design that I'll share below. While I wait for Hansen, I will be putting together a quote of my own, as if I was just going to spec out this house on my own. We'll see how all that goes.
I am planning on a 30x40x12 Pole building with attic trusses. I initially was interested in Hansen buildings because of the simplicity and speed of this type of building. But as I complicate things, I want to work up my own quote. I say complicate, because I am thinking of using barnboard siding instead of steel. Which may require me to use plywood sheathing to get the shear strength from the pole structure. And at that point what is it I am saving. Also the way Hansen spaces their trusses; I have to accommodate the floor system differently if I want to use the attic trusses. I could just go with a different pole building company that uses the same trusses spaced at 4' instead of 10' and avoid the drama. Another possibility, in terms of the loft, would be to frame the loft similar to the way Ken's Karpentry does on youtube. As my title says: The possibilities are endless. Endless until the bills roll in. Which is why I'm here.
You all have either already done this or are right in the middle of it. I am sure I am missing something. This shop will primarily be for Carpentry/woodwork. I plan to do some metal fabricating in the future. I'm not a car guy really. I do my own vehicle maintenance, but a motorshop is not my intention here. I'm more of a "Maker." A whole bunch of wide-ranging interests. And I want them all to live in this space. I have a 3 acre homestead where I grow lots of food and chickens. I've been a buckskinner for 30 years. I tan hides here at the homestead and make my own clothes. The upstairs of the shop is going to mainly be a sewing studio for all my custom sewing and artwork. But I am also getting into 3d printing and the like. So, "Clean" work upstairs and "Messy" downstairs. The lean-to if for outdoor work and to set up my hide-tanning station. It also faces the garden so I can use the lean-to as a space to do garden related work.
I included some photos of the site that I have picked out. There is a good slope to the site. And we have the usual New England stoney ground. I am planning to do a full frost wall foundation. Even though I would love to get away with something more like a Perma-column. More to discuss with the excavator. I will also do an insulated slab. Even if I don't put radiant in the slab I will, at the very least, be insulating under the slab. That about covers my plans at this point. I am waiting to meet with the excavator and I am waiting to hear back from Hansen. Let me know your thoughts and thanks if you read this whole long story. Cheers! Aaron.
