Home Shop/Garage

[brn24whl]

I did a search in the Forum and didn't see this covered at all. What do you use as a shop at home? What features did you put in yours that are really cool or usefull? What do you use for parts storage oil containment?

I thought I would see what has been done by others. I have a 2 car garage with an 8' overhead door and 9' inside clearence that is a clean slate to fix up as I want as a home shop.

Eric

[landrovered]

Your clearance shoots a lift right in the butt. That is my dream...a lift.

[Abrooks]

My father just finished putting an extension on his shop and did some neat stuff -- the most clever feature he put in, though, was in-wall fluorescent lighting encircling one bay that has a lift in it. The lights are about 6' up the wall and really help diminish shadows especially under the lift. He does concours restorations (going to Pebble Beach this year!) so his needs are slightly different than your average Rover owners, but it's a neat feature.

[brn24whl]

Your clearance shoots a lift right in the butt. That is my dream...a lift.
It does but I have lifts at work for the BIG jobs. Clearence for a lift will be a must have at the next house. :)

[oilburner]

Insulate it like it's a bedroom, so you can keep it warm all the time, like an extension of the house. Build a shed outside for parts storage and put your air compressor in it so it does not drive you insane, plumb the shop all the way around with hardline and air fittings, as well run electrical boxes all the way around, 2 outlets every 4 feet should be enough, with a few 220V outlets. If it's in the budget get a pony panel installed so when a breaker trips you don't have to go walking through the house to the basement. Lights are a big deal, more is mo bettah, enough so that it look like a tanning bed. Put everything in the shop on wheels so you can move/reposition everything. A double car is a little small for a real working shop but if you are smart you can make it work quite well.

Congrads dude, when it's set up have a garage warming party!

[dave_lucas]

26 x 36 2 story detached shop, the lower ceiling is 10ft and I use the entire upstairs (8ft ceilings) for storing parts and products.

Best additions

Modine Hot Dawg heater

Fully insulated and dry walled (insulated garage doors as well)

2 Air reels that reach the entire shop and the concrete pad out side

2 Electrical reels that reach the entire shop and the concrete pad out side

Air outlets on all walls ran with copper pipe inside the walls

220 service on all walls

Enough lighting to blind someone wearing a pair of welding goggles :cool:


Wish list for future shops

Radiant floor heating
Taller ceilings so I can install a lift
10ft or 12ft garage doors (only have 8 ft now)
More space more space more space

[evilfij]

I have an unlighted, unheated box. But it is a big box.

[Ren Ching]

My shop is 12.5' x 70' with infinite ceiling height. Solar heating, partial concrete floor, lots of natural light. 7' x 7' shed for storage. 220 and 110 outlets located at one end. Cut down the shade tree a few years ago...

I have an unlighted, unheated box. But it is a big box.

[LRNAD90]

I did a search in the Forum and didn't see this covered at all. What do you use as a shop at home? What features did you put in yours that are really cool or usefull? What do you use for parts storage oil containment?

I thought I would see what has been done by others. I have a 2 car garage with an 8' overhead door and 9' inside clearence that is a clean slate to fix up as I want as a home shop.

Eric

How much time you got? Drop in over on the Garage Journal Forums (http://www.garagejournal.com/) , endless supply of ideas....

my self, I'm just lucky the 90 gets four walls, a roof and a door (and it's only a 7' door that kisses the top every time I move the truck in or out, so I am already jealous.. LOL!)

[madcowdungbeetle]

I've got a 3 bay shop w/ full flourescent lighting, shop air (in progress), 110V & 220V. Planning to put another storage building behind it, and kicking around the idea of a tastefully done car-port extension off the side.

[JSBriggs]

http://www.d-90.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13967

Some ides here.



I have an unlighted, unheated box. But it is a big box.

I'm in the same boat (although heat isn't really that important here). I did get conduit run this fall so all I need now is a to pull wire and put in a sub panel. Then I can wire it up for real, until then I'll keep the 150' extension cord headed out there to run the garage door opener and florescence lights.


I also got some interlake pallet racks (think Costco) for shelving. I can store engines, axles, transmissions etc on them. They make the most of the space. Mine is 35x40, and as it it I can fit 7 cars in the shop and that is working around the 10x14 office & Bathroom

-Jeff

[ini88]

I have an unlighted, unheated box. But it is a big box.Lucky.

I have an outside parking spot in Queens, which I pay $125 for (a real deal, trust me!). I am about 6 inches away from 2 other strangers' cars. Lucky for me I am in the corner next to 2 concrete walls. It sucks when something breaks on it in the winter and I need to fix it. I have an endless supply of Carhartts and insulated coveralls in the truck for the occasion. There are two cats in the neighborhood that like to jump on the roof rack from the building behind me. They also like to shit on the ground next to my truck.

The one thing I have done to keep people away from the truck is to leave it all muddy after wheeling it. Nobody wants to touch it then.

[brn24whl]

Insulate it like it's a bedroom, so you can keep it warm all the time,

If it's in the budget get a pony panel installed so when a breaker trips you don't have to go walking through the house to the basement.

Congrads dude, when it's set up have a garage warming party!




Hey I plan on insulating it but hopefully I can avoid it being my bedroom ;)


I have a bunch of pony panels since my house had a 40 amp service and 3 pony panels before I rewired it. It WILL have it's own breaker box 110 and 220 outlets are a must.

Garage warming party is a great idea.

[evilfij]

Lucky.

You saw my previous arrangement so I consider myself lucky indeed.

[ini88]

You saw my previous arrangement so I consider myself lucky indeed.very true! you did have a lot of dog poop in the backyard. I remember stepping in a good deal of it that night.

[evilfij]

It would have been easy to avoid had you shown up during at time other than 1am :)

[RyanB16]

find a good place for a beer fridge and hang a tv from the ceiling that plays Speed Vision 24/7.
should be set.

[JSBriggs]

find a good place for a beer fridge and hang a tv from the ceiling that plays Speed Vision 24/7.
should be set.

That puts it in the real of 'man chamber' :D

-Jeff

[brn24whl]

find a good place for a beer fridge and hang a tv from the ceiling that plays Speed Vision 24/7.
should be set.

Oh that will be saved for "man town" as my wife calls it. It's a basement room 18x30 with bar, TV and sliding doors out to a covered patio. She has plans. :)

Eric

[GYM]

I did a search in the Forum and didn't see this covered at all. What do you use as a shop at home? What features did you put in yours that are really cool or usefull? Eric
Garage doors at both ends for air circulation / natural light and a dedicated swamp cooler just for the shop. (House is in the desert, so cooling, rather than heating is my challenge...)

One thing that might be handy for cold climates would be an exhaust hose with evacuation fan plumbed to exit outside the garage that you clamp to your tailpipe so you could run your truck indoors with garage door closed.

[black diesel]

I did a search in the Forum and didn't see this covered at all. What do you use as a shop at home? What features did you put in yours that are really cool or usefull? What do you use for parts storage oil containment?

Some useful things I did were the aforementioned air hoses, LED work lights and power cords all coming down from the ceiling on self retracting reels. Not having to deal with tangles cords and hoses makes working on anything much more pleasant. Lots of light is an obvious one.

If you have much room to deal with buy at least one rolling cart to put your parts and tools on so they're not on the floor or on the vehicle. If you have a big tool box consider getting a smaller tool cart with your basic tools to roll to the jobs.

Steck makes a handy rolling step platform for getting under the hoods of taller vehicles.

A sturdy workbench preferrably anchored to the wall with a big vise on it is always a necessity.

For parts storage I have a couple 10' tall pallet racks with 3 shelves each and some smaller shelving units from sam's. For around $100 sam's has a wire shelving unit with pull out plastic bins that's well worth the money. If you're doing an involved disassembly they're great for keeping fasteners and parts organized for reassembly.

[flippedrover]

My shop is 12.5' x 70' with infinite ceiling height. Solar heating, partial concrete floor, lots of natural light. 7' x 7' shed for storage. 220 and 110 outlets located at one end. Cut down the shade tree a few years ago...

Don't forget its cold in winter hot and humid in summer and the automatic overhead sprinklers on rainy days.