New shop ideas

UncleTom · Nov 29, 2013

A friend of mine sold his shop and is planing a new shop which will be about 70 x 100. It will have 18 foot side walls with 10 inches of insulation. We want to put some upgrades in it. It will have a hoist that swings around the shop area. It will have a bathroom and hot water. We are thinking of ideas to improve this one that will be built this spring. It will be used for tractor and equipment storage and a place out of the weather to work on a few things. Does anyone have ideas of nice features and pictures would be great. Thanks

DENNIS MIN · Nov 29, 2013

UncleTom,

Perhaps too lame a comment, but take a lot of digital pictures of items that get buried.

D.

Wheat Farmer · Nov 29, 2013

That is not a shop, that is an inside farm. LOL

ddl · Nov 29, 2013

If your gonna have hot water might as well add a wash area with a sloped floor and a drain. and floor heat. Second floor storage space above the office/restroom. in floor hooks so you can bend broken toys. i think rfdtv has a video section that has shops.

David G · Nov 29, 2013

Warm floor and foam the walls.

JT in CT · Nov 29, 2013

That is no lame comment. I've done that on numerous occasions and what's lame about it is all the times I've had to refer to those pics later for various reasons.

Jim

Tom OConnor · Nov 29, 2013

I built a new shop nearly forty years ago and installed a floor hoist like you would see in an old style gas station. It turned out to be one of the most usable things that we could have ever done. It has been used for anything from changing a transmission on a semi tractor to a straw chopper on a combine or even placing a split rim truck tire under the arms for safely inflating it.

Determined · Nov 29, 2013

Phone line and internet if you are going to have an office
Plumb walls with black pipe and lots of outlets for air
Seperate shed for noisy compressor
Lots of lights on multiple switches so you can turn on only what you need
Lots of plugs 110 and 220
Air make up and or exhaust ventilation
Radiant or in floor heat
Celing fans
Wide high doors for getting equipment inside
Smaller door for moving pick-up trucks etc in and out in the winter without loosing all your heat
Multiple man doors
Wire for outdoor lights
Calculate adequate electrical service then increase by 50%
Floor sump and area for pressure washing
Bright painted walls
Lots of shelving for storage
Hoist

Anonymous-0 · Nov 29, 2013

Bury an anchor with a hook in a little hole in the floor for straightening duties.

DENNIS MIN · Nov 29, 2013

JT,

That's a heartwarming reply. I too, refer to many pictures that were taken amidst construction.

D.

Rick Kr · Nov 29, 2013

Everything Determined has said is spot on.

I have put as many of those as I could when building mine. It makes working out there much easier and quicker. Only thing I don"t have is running water and drains. Here a few pics, shop is a little dirty, was in the middle of digging trees for the fall and a big caulk 2 story caulk job.

Cable, Cat 5 wire, 220v with multiple plugs. 110v plugs every 4 feet on multiple breakers. Hose reels for the air compressor, tons of T8 lights on 4 switches, ceiling fans, overhead radiant, loft, R21 walls, R50 ceiling. Bright white walls. 40x60x14 w/12 foot doors, insulated.

It cost a little more, but its worth every penny as much as I use it.

Rick

Ken Macfarlane · Nov 29, 2013

I sure was glad of that when I had to break into my floor to split a radiant zone for the living spacing we built into the end.

Wish I had more photos of the electric wiring, its a pain now trying to add an outlet as I don't know where each circuit is exactly run. Shop is in conduit to avoid this.

Janicholson · Nov 29, 2013

State of Jefferson · Nov 29, 2013

I'd look into SIP panels for the walls. Super good insulation value.

Ben

showcrop · Nov 29, 2013

At that size I think that I would have a partition or two so that you can have a door open without loosing all your heat or cooled air, and then an office space, that could be warmer than the general shop area. you can never have too much wall area.

Greg K · Nov 29, 2013

Lights on the walls. If using fluorescent lights remember that they get dimmer with time and will get dirty and make even less light.

moresmoke · Nov 29, 2013

To work on the modern farm equipment we have around here, I wouldn't go with less than 26' walls. It stinks having to crawl around on top of a combine.

John B. · Nov 29, 2013

If you put heat in the floor with hot water put in different heat zones/circuits just like you'd run electric, different work areas need different electric, same goes for heat. This way you don't have to heat the whole floor but just certain parts. It makes a difference and you'll be able to tell. Heat in the floor I think is the best. There are no cold spots and after a door has been open then closed the heat recovers some much faster since you have the slab of concrete heating up the air.

huntingreen2day2 · Nov 29, 2013

Multiple floor drains and a grease trap.

FBH44 · Nov 30, 2013

I ran a 14" I-beam out of an old Walmart from end to end, down the center of my shop, supported on 6" steel pipes in the walls. It holds up the second floor, also has two chain-hoists that run from end to end, hauling stuff, lifting stuff.

Bryan inIowa · Nov 30, 2013

plenty of T5 lights

Royse · Nov 30, 2013

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet, when I built my shop I
put several PVC pipes along the walls in different places going to
the outside under ground before I poured the cement.
I put them there for "those things I don't know I need yet".
They're just 90 degree elbows with a empty pipe sticking up inside.
I filled the ends with steel wool and insulation to keep mice and cold out.
So far (12 years) I've only used one, but I was sure glad I didn't
have to cut up my floor to get a new cable or copper tube through.

Mike M · Nov 30, 2013

Machinery Pete features many top shops on the tv show. Maybe check out sucessful farmings web site for a link.

Last one I saw was really nice. One good feature was 4 foot wide walk in door so you can run four wheelers right in without having to open the large doors.

I am always on a very limited budget so my buildings never got all they should have. I can't even imagine how much a building like I last saw featured cost that fellow.

Handyman · Nov 30, 2013

along with the infloor heat I would suggest running conduit under the slab to various locations in the shop,use a 3/4 or 1 inch conduit to most locations and run a 1 1/2 conduit from the panel location to the far opposite wall, may not ever need it but will simplify things if you ever do need it. cap every thing off with threaded caps to keep dirt out untill the time you need it.

Roy Suomi · Nov 30, 2013

How about a "Man Cave" type office with ample seating for the "buds" and internet service to look up stuff....Don't get cheap with lighting and outlets.. There's no such thing as too much light.. Especially as we get older......

Dr. Walt · Nov 30, 2013

With a shop that large I would assume that you would have other people there to assist in working on equipment, so instead of just a bathroom with hot water I would install a Change Room / Locker room where each person could have their own locker for their work clothes / coveralls, and a shower area so that you keep the dirt & grime out of the House & POV's.

(2) I would have Heavy Duty, clear Vinyl Strip Air-Curtains on ALL shop doorways, that way doors can be left open without losing heating / cooling.

(3) Gantry Crane: "H" side beams incorporated into structural framework (need Structural Engineer), Cross-beam travels back & forth on longitudinal beams with chain-hoist & trolley running on the bottom of the cross-beam. This would give coverage to virtually any area of the shop. Also, you have the capability of having more than one cross-beam / chain-hoist.

(4) Dedicated Anchor Point: Buried under the floor & inline with a large doorway so you can winch a piece of heavy equipment or machinery into the shop.

(5) Dedicated Shop Office: For Reference Books, Shop Manuals, Computer, Phone, File Cabinets for Service Records, Refrigerator for cold drinks, Coffee Pot, etc. .

(6) And most important of all - LOTS & LOTS OF STORAGE SPACE, Cupboards with doors, Lots of Drawers, Lots of Shelving, & Lots of Work-Benches.

dr sportster · Nov 30, 2013

Sounds like you did this before . Good info!

Hoby · Nov 30, 2013

Install a Washer & Dryer in the bathroom. Doesn"t have to large, stackable unit would work great. The wife will love ya for it.

Samuels68 · Nov 30, 2013

I love the idea of an anchor for winching in dead equipment!

I will never regret plumbing compressed air to every imaginable place, with a 100' reel next to the OH door to reach outside, and a separate one in the main work areas

Kenneth R Ohnstad · Dec 1, 2013

Yeah! Lean to's on both sides for cold, dry storage.
good luck
Kenny

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