Building Construction
We signed the land purchase agreement in September 2018, but due to some flooding remediation to be done, we started construction on August 2019. The outside building dimensions are 36 foot wide by 40 foot deep with the front car port adding 16 foot (total length 56 foot). The inside has a 10 foot high ceiling and the frame is made of 2x6. The roof is made of 2x4 engineered trusses. You can get more details on the attached floor plan and elevation. The main entrance is through a service door at the front where there is also a 16x8 double garage door. The back as a smaller 8x7 garage door. The electrician installed a 100 Amp electrical panel with a couple of lights and outlets with the line coming from the main panel in the house. While trenching, they added a Cat 6 line in a separate conduit and of course a water line. Connection to the septic system was direct as it's situated right behind the building. A gas line was also to be brought from the main house but end-up not happening due to a glitch in the construction contract!
What I love: The 10 foot ceiling, really make a big difference for a workshop. The windows style bring plenty of light without using too much wall space that's always needed in a shop. The car port is fantastic, providing a protected outside when the weather is not cooperating. The space of course; you can always do a nice workshop in a smaller space (I did it) but who should complain about having more space!
Some regrets: The small garage door at the back is somewhat useless as I barely use it. Not being able to use the attic space; some different trusses will have been needed as well as may be a different roof pitch and more $. But having a space that can be used for storage or even a shop extension could have been nice (like a 3D printer room).
Rough-in and insulation
I took possession of the building in May 2020, in the middle of the pandemic! Good timing for working by myself in my shop! The first step was to install all the wiring; electrical, Cat 6 and audio. And before pooling any cable, I created a plan on paper to define what I wanted to do and create a shopping list of all the needed supplies. I decided to distribute some of the equipment outlets from the ceiling to eliminate power cable on the floor as it usually creates trip hazard. I installed a couple of lines for 110 Volts and 20 Amps outlets and one line for 220 Volts and 20 Amps outlets. For ceiling lights, I installed two zones, one for the right side of the shop and one for the left. Cat 6 wiring was mainly for security cameras, a wireless network access point, and few additional drops for potential future need. And why not adding audio cable to have a couple of speakers in the ceiling to enjoy music or podcast when in the shop. The plumbing was not extensive and contained around the bathroom but I wanted hot water so I installed a 4 gallon electric water heater and select the Bosch Tronic 3000T. It's not a big one but for hot water at one sink, it's perfect and works for me. When all the wiring and plumbing was in place, it was time to install insulation. I want to use the shop all year round and be comfortable, so I didn't do any short cut on the insulation. The 2x6 frame let me installed a nice R30 in the wall. The attic insulation was done after the drywall installation with some blow-in insulation to a R38. I also asked the builder to installed insulated garage door.
What I love: Having a sink with cold and hot water as well as a toilet is very convenient. I don't have to go to the main house to wash something or use the bathroom. Good insulation make the shop easy to heat during winter or air condition during the summer. I use rarely the A/C as it's stay comfortable even during hot day.
Some regrets: Not too much here, except may be more outlets. We never have enough!
Drywall and Paint
In a woodworking workshop you always need wall space to hook and store your tools, so I went with plywood paneling for the walls where the workshop zone will be situated. Another advantage is that all 4x8 panels are screwed and can be remove if I need to access the wall interior. It already happened ones to pull a new electrical line for outside lighting and it was very convenient. No drywall to cut, patch and repaint. I have done drywall before but for this project I decided to hire a contractor. The high ceiling and overall size of the space was the driver including the "not fun to do" banding, mud work and endless sanding. And contracting was much quicker compare to me only able to do it on weekend. After the drywall was done and dry, I painted the ceiling and the wall. The ceiling being finished, I was able to install all the lightning and it really made a big difference. I want with T8 style LED shop lights from Barrina. I used a mix of 4 ft and 8 ft strips. Easy to install or replace, daisy chained, that limit the number of electrical boxes you have to install, very bright and somewhat affordable. the down side I start to see is longevity; after 4 years I see some LEDs to start to burn. It does not impact the lighting yet but one day I will have to change some of them.
What I love: The plywood paneling was a good move as I have already relocated a lot of tools and other thing hook to it as well as being able to easily access the inside of the wall. Painting the floor is almost a must in such space. Easy to clean all the
Some regrets: small one, but may be I should have spend more in the lighting and install something that could last for ever.
Finishing Touch
Even if it's a workshop, why not making it looks good. So I trimmed all windows and doors and painted. Blue being one of my favorite color, I used it in multiple places. Last was the installation of a split unit to provide heating and cooling in the shop. I went with the MRCOOL DIY unit. Using the recommended calculation and the workshop dimensions, I went with the 36K BTU unit. The installation is really DIY but I will say you have to make sure you fill comfortable to do it. It is quite intensive.
What I love: I am impressed with the split unit. I need around 20 min to bring the shop from 5°C to a 12°C that is comfortable enough for me, using the Turbo mode of the unit. Of course it's all connected and I can control it from my phone or schedule in advance the start and stop. It consumes energy but the cost of running it is reasonable. In some situation (like when painting and finishing) I run it 24/24 for few days and the consumption was still reasonable.
Some regrets: None.
