Finally Getting My Shop

[BoylermanCT]

I have a 2 1/2 car garage, and after many years of wishing, I am finally building a shop in the 1/2 section of the garage. The shop portion of the garage will be 8 feet wide and 21 feet long. The front 8 ft wall has a door into the shop. The 21 ft side wall has a window in the middle and the rear 8 ft wall has another window. I have ordered cabinets that cover 19.5 of the 21 ft wall. 3 six foot high double door chests, 6 upper cabinets, 2 lower cabinets with doors, 2 lower cabinets with drawers and 12 feet of stainless steel counter top. I am planning on installing 32" high galvanized steel pegboard between the counter top and upper cabinets. Here is what it will look like:



Here is the garage after spending a day clearing it out and cleaning it up.




Here is my project list so far:

1. Clean out garage
2. Add additional electrical outlets (convert 2 existing outlets to 4 plug and add 2 more 4 plug outlets)
3. Add horizontal 2x6's at 32" and 86" to mount lower and upper cabinets to
4. Add insulation
5. Install sheetrock
6. Mud screw holes and seams
7. Prime and paint walls
8. Trim windows and door
9. Install cabinets
10. Install galvanized pegboard, including cutouts for electrical outlets
11. Upgrade lighting from 3 light bulbs to 3 4' LED shop lights

Electrical service is one existing 30 amp circuit, so no welding for me! I am also planning on using my existing 2x5 Harbor Freight wooden work bench as an island. May get another one so I can configure it as 2x10 or 4x5.

Any suggestions on anything I have not thought of?

 

[cat fever]

Sounds good.

Lots of plugs is a good idea since you are going to sheetrock it. More lighting is better than not enough. If you paint it white it will make it all brighter.

Look forward to the progress. Thanks for sharing.

 

[EddieWalker]

Sounds like a gun project. Is there any way to add a sink? Washing hands, or cleaning paint brushes, or washing what you are working on is always nicer in a shop sink then using the hose outside.

What will you be working on in your new shop?

 

[BoylermanCT]

I thought about a sink, and getting water to the garage would not be too difficult, but tying into the septic would be a challenge. The garage is downhill from the septic tank so it would be an uphill run with a pump. What other options do I have for the drain water? Dry well? Not sure how one is built / how much space it takes.

#1 purpose for the shop is tool storage. Right now I can never find the tool I need, as some are in the garage, the house, basement and barn. I want one spot for them all, and enough storage that everything has its place - air tools, cordless tools, mechanics tools, plumbing tools, electrical tools etc. #2 use is for wood working projects. #3 is for car / tractor / engine repair and maintenance.

I would like to rig up my compressor so it is always hooked up and feeding 2 separate hoses that would be suspended from the ceiling, either hanging or on retractable reels. May be a good excuse to upgrade to a larger shop compressor.

No plans to heat the garage yet, but I am doing the insulation in case I ever want to finish off the rest of the garage and add heat. Don't want to undo what I have done already.

 

[BoylermanCT]

Finished the electrical work today. Removed the 2 existing outlets and replaced them with four 4 outlet boxes. Also mounted a weather proof outlet outside the garage at the roof line to power the bug zapper in the summer.

Tomorrow is the horizontal 2x4's used to mount the lower and upper cabinets and insulation. With any luck sheetrock goes on Saturday.

 

[two_bit_score]

Looking good!

 

[handirifle]

Make a hillbilly septic for the sink. Use 55 gallon drums buried and plum them like septic tanks. Google it for designs. My shop is 24x40 and I have it crammed full, but my wife keeps reminding me that the first 35 years of our marriage, my shop opened up when I backed a car out.

Yours is a nice size and sounds like you have it pretty well thought out.

 

[dragoneggs]

Costco 4ft LED lights will make you smile. Will draw less and more light. I have lots of equipment on wheels/castors. Including a small welding table that I made out of and old craftsman tool chest and a 1/2in by 24in by 48in steel plate top. This and any floor tools can be rolled around to suit your projects and not be in the way when sitting.

One thing I did is label my drawers and door on my tool cabinets. It forced me to keep my tools in dedicated spaces and now I know where everything is!!! I thought it was a stupid idea at first when we had to do it at work but now I love the discipline of cleaning and putting everything away at the end of the day or at least project. I used to leave tools out so I could find them but then I never had clear counter space because it was cluttered with tools.

 

[EddieWalker]

For just hand washing, run the drain pipe into some bushes. It's the same as using the hose outside your building.

 

[Big Barn]

For just hand washing, run the drain pipe into some bushes. It's the same as using the hose outside your building.

I HAVE hot water and a sink but that's what I do. Soap dispenser just inside the door and hose bib on the other side of the wall. Saves me cleaning the counter and sink.







Terry

 

[Creamer]

Drywall? Do you plan on doing real work in it?

 

[graysonh]

Very cool project, will be so great to have your own space. I echo the sink comments, just run a pipe into a bush, maybe some rocks underneath so it doesn't gouge. Don't forget a trap though! Also if you're going to be doing a fair amount of woodworking I can't recommend strongly enough to get dust collection in order before you start populating it with tools. For a long time I tried to do it with a shop vac, but when I switched to real dust collection it was night and day.

I used to live in Litchfield and I love that whole area. The reservoir in Barkhamsted is so beautiful! Unfortunately never got to spend too much time there except for "the back way to Bradley". Best of luck with the shop!

 

[BoylermanCT]

Did not get as much done as I hoped today, spent too much time picking up supplies at Lowes. But I did get the horizontal supports in for the upper and lower cabinets. I was originally going to toe nail individual boards between the studs, but my father-in-law suggested notching them so I can run full length 2x4's for the supports. Used my HF multi tool to notch the studs and ran full length 2x4's for greater strength and holding power. The upper cabinets will start at the top of the window so the view is not obstructed.



May not make much progress tomorrow as I found a guy selling new IBC firewood cages for $30 so I am going to pick up 12 of them. That'll take half the day, but I hope to start on the insulation tomorrow.

Graysonh, I live right near the Barkhamsted dam. My property butts up to reservoir property. Its nice knowing no one will ever develop the land around yours!

Creamer, what do you recommend for interior walls? I don't want to leave the paper side of the insulation exposed, too easy to rip and damage. I'm planning sheet rock mainly because it was free. My father-in-law had a dozen sheets left over from his addition, and he wanted to get it out of his basement. I wasn't planning on painting it a pastel color - it will be a working shop!

 

[Creamer]

I prefer wood because then i can put screws into it to hang tools on and it doesn't get dinged when it gets hit near as easily. I would hate to have sheetrock behind my workbench it would look awful because I get into my work and at times things hit the wall - unintentionally but nevertheless there is still damage.

 

[handirifle]

Yea but drywall is more fire resistant and easily repaired. Plus he has it FREE, that's a BIG plus in my book.

 

[Creamer]

Materials are cheap. the labor to put it up and finish it and repair it is what is expensive - unless it is a show shop.

 

[BoylermanCT]

I agree the wall behind the workbench should not be sheet rock. I am going to cover it with galvanized metal pegboard. It will give me 3'x12' of tool storage and protect the sheetrock behind the workbench.

 

[Creamer]

I agree the wall behind the workbench should not be sheet rock. I am going to cover it with galvanized metal pegboard. It will give me 3'x12' of tool storage and protect the sheetrock behind the workbench.

View attachment 505951

that will look and do nicely!

 

[dragoneggs]

Tough call between wood and drywall. Drywall is more work to do right (mud, sand, prime, paint) but white walls reflect more light and a bright shop in better in my opinion... not to mention cleaning. I like not to fasten to walls as my shop matures, I rearrange often so hard attachments end up not as permanent as I thought they would be.

 

[EddieWalker]

Why did you install your outlets and face plates before your sheetrock? I always leave the wires in the box, and never do anything else unless I'm desperate for an outlet to use while still working on the wall. I wait until i'm done with the sheetrock and I've painted it before I install outlets and face plates.