Getting my shop built on 3/29! YAY!

G

GrizzlyBear

Joined
Dec 5, 2009
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Well, after some deliberation on what size I wanted my fiance and I went to Lowe's to order the installation of my shop. She get's a SWEET discount on special order items, 10% above cost.

I had originally planned on a 10x16 Liberty model from Heartland buildings. When we called to get pricing they told us that the 2009 catalog was out of date and they didn't carry the 10x16 anymore. Bummer! So, we went with the next model down, a 10x12. Still a very good size for what I want to do in there AND the money I saved can buy an 8x10 metal Arrow building for my mower and garden tools to keep them out of the shop! :)

This is the style it will be:
095317184635xl.jpg


I ordered it with a 16" venting skylight and the felt/drip edge package which would be stupid not to go with and I'm surprised they don't have it mandatory. Having it installed cost about $350 more than DIY, and is well worth the price. Not only is delivery and shingles included with installation, the building comes with a warranty on labor.

All I have to do is paint it, wire it for power and lights and get to building shelves and a bench for my tools I'm acquiring. I'm quite excited!!!
 
thats cool,
do you already have an idea where all your tooling (and electrical outlets)will go?
have you figured on a dust evac system?
 
Congrats.

Can't wait until I can build a shop, got a 108 year old house with a basement that no one has lived in for probably 60 years that my belt sander is in. Cannot really get too crazy though down there, don't want all the dust and fumes coming into the house.
 
Bought a house with a 2 car garage 7 months ago. For the past 4 months been doing electrical work and prep work for the master bath. I have the next 10 days off and hope to finish the bathroom in that time.

That 2 car garage is what I am gradually turning into a shop. My next major project is to have a new breaker board put in. The old circuit breaker board does not have enough circuits and is no longer up to code.
And the Garage only has one 120v outlet which to plug anything into!

My advice would be to get books on the subject and do as much as possible as you can by yourself. Although it seems daunting at first you can save yourself a HUGE amount of cash by doing some of the jobs yourself.

I'm going to have the new break board put in by a real electrician, but I will be doing the majority of other electrical work myself. I may hire an apprentice I know to do the 240v drops I want, as that much juice scares me, but all the lights and 120v switches and outlets I know I can do.

Remember, HAVE FUN with it!
Good luck with your project!
 
Bill Burke said:
Nice, but you will wish you would have went with the next size bigger.
Click to expand...

My budget could only allow for the 10x16 and it was a discontinued model, :(. To get that size in another model, the price rose considerably!! Like well over $1000 more than the price of the 10x16 I wanted originally. So, I will have to make do with what my budget allows :). If I need more space later, I can build on to it. For what I intend to do, 10x12 should be just right.

RSMITH said:
thats cool,
do you already have an idea where all your tooling (and electrical outlets)will go?
have you figured on a dust evac system?
Click to expand...

Haven't started working on outlet placement yet, I will get to that soon. As far as dust evac, I'm probably going to go with something small and low budget to start. Even if that means affixing tubes by the work areas that my shop vac can attach to to start. I'm up for any ideas!

montana guy said:
Congrats.
Can't wait until I can build a shop, got a 108 year old house with a basement that no one has lived in for probably 60 years that my belt sander is in. Cannot really get too crazy though down there, don't want all the dust and fumes coming into the house.
Click to expand...

I had a 24x32 attached garage on my old house, all it needed was better lighting and a 220 circuit installed. Then the state came and told me that they were going to be buying my house in a couple years for the new highway coming through. That halted any advancement on making that garage into a nice shop. Now, I've moved into my new home...with no garage. And to have added one at the time of purchase would have made my mortgage a bit too high for me to handle right now.

What really sucks about that....is that I have a project show truck I've been working on since 2007 with over $10k invested in it. It now sits under a cover in a 10x20 storage unit down the road racking up a $59 bill every month.

Anyway, I know a larger one would have been better to go with...but you got to work with what you can afford. And a bit smaller is better than nothing! :D
 
SamuraiDave said:
Bought a house with a 2 car garage 7 months ago. For the past 4 months been doing electrical work and prep work for the master bath. I have the next 10 days off and hope to finish the bathroom in that time.

That 2 car garage is what I am gradually turning into a shop. My next major project is to have a new breaker board put in. The old circuit breaker board does not have enough circuits and is no longer up to code.
And the Garage only has one 120v outlet which to plug anything into!

My advice would be to get books on the subject and do as much as possible as you can by yourself. Although it seems daunting at first you can save yourself a HUGE amount of cash by doing some of the jobs yourself.

I'm going to have the new break board put in by a real electrician, but I will be doing the majority of other electrical work myself. I may hire an apprentice I know to do the 240v drops I want, as that much juice scares me, but all the lights and 120v switches and outlets I know I can do.

Remember, HAVE FUN with it!
Good luck with your project!
Click to expand...

Thanks alot, sounds like you have a good project on your hands too!

I have family that's very experienced with running electricity, so I'll probably enlist them to help with getting power to the shop. Wiring up switches and lights and outlets are easy, got plenty experience doing those from my old house.
 
A new shop is always exciting. Congratulations! I just went threw this a couple of months ago and can relate to the excitement. A couple of suggestions would be to remember to put your outlets above work bench height and that you can never have too many. Also as you are wiring try to give yourself all the lighting that you can. :)It's much easier to do it initially than to add on later.

Good luck and enjoy!

Gary
 
My first shop was a 10x8 room off my carport that also had my yard tools and freezer in it. I figured I ended up with about an 8x4 bench space. The good thing is nothing you need is ever very far away. Get a stool the right height with some casters on it and you are set.

You might want to put the vacuum system outside and just run the pipes inside. You could set the vacuum inside when you close up shop. It would save space and be a lot quieter.
 
As to the exhaust system, check out what Bob Tersuola didi in his book....Rubbermaid is a good "supplier".

Also check out what Tony and Reese Bose have at their website.....Espcially the "how to make a backpocket knife" not only the knife but really great shots of the shop and their tools.....thanks to Kerry Hampton and his camera and prose skill......
 
Installer arrived at 8am this morning to build my shop. I fully expected at least 2 men, maybe 3. Nope....1 guy. And he's got it down to a science too, guess he's done enough of them in 16 years.

I will post pictures this evening when he is all finished up.

I think I will run to town and start picking up wire, receptacles and light fixtures.
 
Awesome, Craig. Congrats!

I'm longing for the day we buy or build a new house. A requirement I have put my foot down on is enough space in the backyard for a 20x30' shop. I'd like to have 10' walled off into a seperate room for grinders with a wall-mounted filtered exhaust fan. The main shop area will also have a filtered exhaust fan near the drilling/sawing area. Some sweet day....:)

I'm looking forward to picutres, Craig. It's a very exciting thing!

--nathan
 
One of the things that sold me on the place I am in now was a wired 12x12 with a workbench already in place... now to just get all my tools back and in place and up and running. Oh well, my grinder is up.
 
I have one like that I bought at a yard (divorce) sale. it only has 9 speeds though. Im getting ready to change the belt for a link belt.. what a pain to change gears. Mind you, it's not bothering me now, being in my friends basement and all.
 
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