shop in a separate building or attached to house

SVanderkolff

SVanderkolff

Joined
Oct 31, 2002
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We are starting the process of designing our next house and I need some advice. We will have the opportunity to either have my shop as a separate building behind the house or as part of the house probably as an addition to the garage area. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having your shop separate from the house.
Thanks for the help.
Steve
 
I currently work out of my garage, the door of which opens into the living room. The main advantage is that I can pop in and out as often as I like, for kid interruptions, etc. I get alot of "hey Dad, watch this" that I'd miss if my shop were detatched. Works well with my distractibility, as the in/out becomes part of the work flow. The disadvantages... dirt gets tracked in the house, it's loud in the LR when I'm grinding, and more risk of serious damage if something were to catch on fire.
 
I'd go go for the separate building, but pay very special attention to the walkway/access from the house. The fire hazard in knife work is very real, as is the noise, dust, dirt, etc. Building it exterior allows you many more options as time moves onward. I'd look into a few overhead/garage doors opening into a covered patio area. It takes a little effort to get there, but the point is kinda to "get away" if it's a hobby and to "be away" if it's an occupation. I would not make it too far away, and I'd have a covered walkway, so you could do the "dash" in cold weather.

Cons of having it detached is that climate control is more expensive, but then again, I'm not sure I'd want my home central air system dealing with my shop particles.

Regardless, put in a small bathroom with a toilet, shower and a deep sink.

OH, and since you are building, LIGHTING-LIGHTING-LIGHTING! Put in twice what you think you need and plan for options for increasing it. Also if you think you may ever need to upgrade your electrical service, pull the wiring when the walls are exposed.
 
My shop is a fairly large (1600sf) detatched metal building. It is about 150-200 feet away from the house. It is great in the sense that I don't worry about the noise bothering my wife or the mess getting into the house. It is on its' own 200amp service, so that is nice. It is also unlikely that most people would have that much space dedicated for a shop inside the footprint of their house. Disadvantages are; it is not climate controlled, it is a short hike back and forth to the house which can eat up time if I need to make several trips, it can get a little lonely, and if the weather is not good, I have to walk out in it. I think the ideal solution is a detached shop closer to the house and connected by a breezeway. I've had two houses setup like that and it was really nice.

Bob
 
Separate building with a breeze-way
So you don't have to go "outside" in the winter

It will let you build wherever you get the best window light.

Separate airspace

It will let you change clothes between the house and shop



It will keep the house cleaner


Toilet sink and shower is a nice idea
You can give that some extra insulation and heat so it won't freeze

Shower could be considered a safety device if you want to justify it.

Sink is great if you do a lot of etching and so on.





I'd heat it with hot water in the floor heat
You can use Natural gas or propane so if you're in the city or country it works either way


I'd insulate it with the spray on foam.
It sticks to the walls and insulates so you don't have the condensation problems

They have these construction panels you can finish the walls with now, like white kydex or fiberglass
smooth clean washable walls that won't scuff like drywall and you don't have to paint.


Telephone that you can turn off
Internet connection
Power with an isolated ground orange outlet to service that computer



Lots of windows, lighting, power etc

I'd put in a set of double doors, so when you're moving equipment you have no worries getting through the door

but it's still secure and lockable and insulated - patio doors and garage doors not as much.



I'd put a concrete sidewalk outside of the outdoor doors



Since we're dreaming

I'd think about how you will move stuff in and around the shop
I want a bridge crane inside

I'm not getting any younger or stronger and some stuff takes more grunt than I have left
 
Mine is attached to my house and I love it. I can step through a door and be in my shop. If my shop were separate I would get a lot less done.
 
We have been looking at houses and my preference was one where the shop was unattached to the building. The secondary preference was one attached but which could be fairly isolated from the main living areas. Third was in a garage or similar enclosure. My primary concern is dust, particularly with two young children and a family history of asthma.
 
At my old house my shop was basically the back screened in porch that I enclosed. It was nice because I could pop in and out easily like Jason mentioned. The down side is that it was small and when I was forging, glueing up handles, or sanding something like bone or antler, you could smell it inside the house. I also tracked a lot of dirt and dust in, and when it was cold my kitchen table was used as a second shop space. Something my wife did not like......

At our new house, my shop is about 100 yards from my house. It is nice because I can do whatever I want without worrying about irritating my wife and kids with smells and dust. The down side is when I'm out there working late and it's cold, I have a long walk back to the house. Oh, at night time around my house it is pitch dark. That doesn't help either if I forget a flashlight.....


If I were building now, I would do like the Count said. Have the shop detached, but have a enclosed walkway to the house. I think this would be the best of both worlds.

-Adam
 
My shop is attached and I ended up closing off the door and sealing it so the g-10, and metal dust doesn't track into the house as easy, my next step is to build a separate garage, I think the ideal set up would be is separate garage with breezeway. Defiantly have a grinding room with dust collection.
 
I'd seriously consider a "clean room" with sink, finising benches, etc attached to the house.

A far as grinding, etc goes I would not want the fumes or dust in my home... separate main shop for me.
 
Well , Steve, I have had the three types: in the basement, attached to the house and a attached but only by a breeze-way. The last is by far the best ! I don't know if the washroom - sink room is so great since keeping that clean will be a real job.
GREAT that you are moving ahead with your life !!! Frank
 
Thanks guys for the input. This is not something that will be happening in the near future but probably a couple of years out.
We like to plan ahead.
Steve
 
Just to put it on the table, sometimes neighbors complain about the noise. If you can direct the garage doors away from those type of neighbors or use insulation on the walls.... you might avoid angry neighbors who go to HOA or zoners to exclude your activities. A headache avoided...
 
only thing i wish ia had in the detached shop was a bathroom/ running water
fact is if i had that it coudl be down the road sold as inlaw quarters if the next owner didnt need a 2 floor 16x24 workshop
 
I would much prefer a separate shop like I used to, for lots of reasons. But tax issues can be a huge factor if you're actually going to sell knives legally. Where I am now, I can't get a tax ID number and operate as a "home business" unless the shop is actually part of the main house. If I wanted to work in a separate building on the same property, there are a whole host of zoning/tax laws that make it essentially impossible. Obviously, this will vary widely between different states/counties/towns.

Then there's insurance in case of fire or theft... that's a whole other ball of wax... which ties in not only with whatever "normal" policy is on your house, but on whether you're a hobbyist or runnning a business... and if you sell one knife... guess what, in the eyes of the gov't and insurance companies... you're "running a business".

So (as usual with these type questions) the short answer is... there IS no short answer. You'll have to determine what you actually want to do and how all sorts of local regulations affect what you can do. Unless of course you want to try to "operate under the radar" and just pray you never get audited or have to file an insurance claim of any kind... in which case you might be completely screwed.

Karl B. Andersen said:
Just build a bedroom in the shop. :D
Click to expand...

My darling wife will not allow me to build a bathroom or have a fridge or computer in the shop. She claims I'd never come back in the house... ;) :D
 
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