Hey everyone, my wife and I may be polishing off a housing contract soon, I am getting some ideas for my new woodshop. The house comes with a 24 x 36 heated shop space, recently built. The question I have, since the ceiling is rather high 14+ feet high, are there any thoughts on what to do with this HEIGHT space? I would rather not build two levels in it, but maybe platforms, shelving, messanine, etc. Anyone?????
Patticus Maximus
Replies
I would recommend a net ceiling height of at least 9 1/2' below the lowest hanging item, such as lights or ducts. This is to allow for movement and manipulation of 8' sheet goods. That only leaves you with about 4' of space and I don't have any good ideas what to do with that. You might use it for storage of non-woodworking material but I think you will quickly get tired of going up and down to get things you need periodically for woodworking. Plus, some of those things can be pretty heavy. I can sympathize with the desire to use every cubic foot of space. Good luck.
Leaving at least 9 feet from the lowest joist, I would make a loft-like space for storage of items such as lumber and supplies. A ladder for access, located next to one of the outside walls would be ideal. If you could live with less headroom, a ceiling height of 8 feet could give you enough room for a seperate office space, or a place to sit and enjoy a cigar, a brew and maybe even a TV.
I was dreaming again. Hope this helps.
Thanks to both of you. I didn't think about the fact of manipulation of larger lengths of plywood and rough lumber...good point.
I might end up building a series of shelfs around the perimeter and keeping a ladder around...
I have no clue, I just know that the space is valuable and don't want to waste it :)
mr. cross,
to say that your VAST amount of space is valuable is quite the understatement. most of us would give our right ______ for that much room. once, i and a partner rented a 630 square foot space. we moved what we had in and over time the space sort of explained itself to us.
enjoy it!!
eef
cigar,
i too have such dreams.
what i could do with all that space...
eef
I have a 12-foot ceiling in my garage. In the back, I built a loft. Basically, it is a 7’ by 20’ deck that is 8 feet off the ground. It is constructed like a normal deck out of 2x6’s and ¾ plywood for the floor. There are about 3 and ½ feet of clearance between the loft and the garage ceiling. It is constructed over a set of steps leading to the wood shop in the basement so I though it was unused space. It is a great place to store stuff you don’t want to get to very often. It is a PITA to get stuff up and down. Every time I go look for something I am amazed what accumulates up there. Currently it holds a couch waiting to be reupholstered, several sets of racing tires, enough spare body parts to build another race car, a transmission, wheel dollies for moving immobile cars around, plastic tubs of kids junk belonging to kids who have grown and gone, three bicycles, the previous set of outdoor furniture, Sever large specialty tools that are not used often (engine stands and hoist, transmission jack) etc etc etc.
I have visions of one day cleaning it out and building a dehumidifier based kiln to dry lumber, but in the mean time it holds many valuable things that would have been tossed out if not for having an out of the way place to store them.
Be careful, if you build it, junk will come…
Bob T.
Edited 1/21/2009 7:04 pm ET by Y1RET
Edited 1/21/2009 7:06 pm ET by Y1RET
Be careful, if you build it, junk will come…Oh Boy! You are not kidding!!!!!John
Patticus,
I suggest you trade your shop for my 9 foot high shop <grin> I juggle sheet goods around so I miss the air cleaner, the overhead DC lines etc. 14 ft is not a bad thing at all, sure beats being the president.
An overhead hoist point is always nice to have, easy to pick up the iron and assemble it, or load it into a truck bed.
I see no reason not to build a shelf along the sides or ends of the shop. 3' wide and 8' above the ground gives some nice storage for items, patterns, jigs, half finished projects (not that I have any). Caution on to storing lots of heavy items, side loads on walls can cause havoc. I would not like to work under suspended objects though, hate to think about them falling when I am working.
Basically enjoy the open air space! Do you have skylights or high windows, that would be very kewl.
AZMO
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Your existing ceiling is 14+ feet? I know you hate to lose space, but you live in Erie, Pennsylvania, and it gets cold in Erie. Since there's not a lot you can do with a few feet of "attic" space, would it be feasible to build a well-insulated (12" of fiberglas) ceiling and use the few feet left over above it to store rarely-used stuff?
I did a quick calculation, and the 14+ feet, opposed to 9 feet, equals roughly a 50% larger heating bill.
kreuzie
In my small shop with only a 7'10" ceiling I built 2' deep x 8' shelves hung on triangle plywood brackets with a 2"x 2" on the top edge & one on the edge that screws to the wall.
Pat,
First, I would recommend that you preserve a little of that high ceiling for long stuff. I had a 10' ceiling in my previous shop that I'm going to really miss in my new one. I managed to acquire some pretty long boards that were easy to store standing in a lumber rack along one wall. If you put overhead storage all around the shop, you won't be able to do that. So, at least save a little space for that sort of thing.
As far as the rest of your space goes, if you're looking for, or have, suggestions, take a gander at the thread called "Things I intend to do differently." I am in the process of building a new shop myself, so I'm encouraging discussion of the pros and cons of this and that for those of us who're contemplating such things.
Verne
If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is there to cut it up and make something with it . . . what a waste!
My 24 X 32 shop,long in planning and building, was originally designed with a 12' ceiling, but the sawmill I used to cut the lumber was limited to 16' lengths, so I redesigned the roof framing to use 16' ceiling joists collar ties, so I ended up with about a 15' high, 15' wide main ceiling with the two sides sloping to the 12' wall. Having the extra heigth above 12' foot has been wonderful. No problem flipping a 12' board end for end. The sloping portions reflect daylight from high mounted windows into my workspace. The walls and ceiling are maple plywood. The walls, above about 8', are lined with shelves and cabinets, the shelves on heavy duty, welded steel brackets, lag screwed into studs. There are always an amazing number of things a person collects, that only are needed occasionally, that can occupy the upper shelves. And, yes, you need a ladder (I have one against a shelf somewhere all the time. In short, you will love the high ceiling. I have a box fan, with a furnace filter taped to it to move the hot air around in the winter.
Your very first job is to make absoluely certain that your wife stays at least 50' away from your shop. Do whatever it takes - even if it means getting one of those invisible dog fences and riveting the collar around her neck.
I know that this sounds harsh and perhaps cruel, but as someone who has been married far longer than you've been alive, I speak from sad experience. Wimmen (bless their hearts) believe that vacant space is theirs even though it isn't mentioned in the wedding vows. (I've heard, however, that some pre-nups now include space division clauses). They can't help it - they're just hardwired that way. Us menfolk just have to recognize the situation and be constantly vigilant.
Ok, now that I've had my MCP (male chauvenist pig) rant for the day, the distaff members of FWW and our lovely moderator can begin heaping abuse on me. After almost 39 years of wedded bliss, I can take it. - lol
A house with a 24 x 36 heated shop space has no practical value and may actually be hazardous to the environment. Once you have full rights, you should e-mail the shop to me for proper disposal. ;-)
Before you get too far in planning how to utilize the excess vertical space, you might want to have an engineer look at the ceiling/roof structure to determine the load capacity (giving consideration to maximum snow loads, as well). It may or may not be possible to hang shelving from the structure that isn't also supported by the walls.
First, in a much lower garage, I slotted stuff overhead within reach-20 years ago! Too much gravity since then means I cannot reach most things.
Next, nothing has ever fallen up on me, but a lot of things have hurt me coming down. I would go for a division and put heavy machines below leaving space above in which to tiffle and impress gullible folk( relations). You will be nice and warm and free from the worst pollution.
If you put a floor in at this stage it will be easier to modify in the future but once the space is filled it will never be done.
Others are more expert, but I would keep the center area clear because you will just simply enjoy the feeling of freedom. Strong shelves on some sides is a good idea. KV makes a shelf bracket with an integal welded cross support that will hold 1000 pounds per pair. But they must be mounted properly to wall studs. They are not expensive 5-6 dollars each. This way you will not hang anything from the ceiling and the shelf space will be clear and open. Consider a library type ladder for the shelf. It will not slip out from under you and you can hook it on or store it flat against a wall. Consider the underside of the shelving as support for dust collection ducting. Go over size -- 5 or 6 inches. A larger cross section decreases resistance to air flow.
A well insulated roof will make a difference summer or winter. If needed, spend a few inches on good insulation. Don't forget side walls too. If the space is not yet built out, consider putting 3/4 ply on the walls and then drywall. The ply will make it much easier to mount things to the walls. (My contractor suggested this and while I may curse him for other things, I bless him for this idea.)
Another thought, is the space built out already? If not think lots of separate electrical circuits, not just outlets. E.G. outlets on adjacent walls should be on separate circuts. Put a 220 outlet, 30 amp, on each wall. You will not use more than one at a time, so one circuit could cover each set of opposite walls. (Total 2 circuits.) Consider dedicated circuits for a dust collector, overhead dust filtration, air compressor, or anything else that may be running at the same time you want to run a power tool.
If already built out, the underside of the high shelving would also be a good support for conduit for electrical. Don't just string cords. Keep to code, you'll be happier.
There are scale cutouts for shop tools on many web sites. Find some and do some layouts, several times over. Think workflow.
Max, Thanks for the great post..to answer your question, it is already built with insulation on all walls plus ceiling.
Whatever you do with it, ENJOY it, it's not exactly a burden. Run ductwork, lighting, maybe an air cleaner, impress clients, improve your posture and store your higher thoughts. Of course storage options abound, but I'd hate to create the feeling of a lower ceiling. Maybe small storage lofts on each end or even on all four sides? Really just a big shelf, and you'd need a librarians ladder to get up there, and it would collect dust . . .
Brian
I have two thoughts for you:
The attached (poor) photos show a lumber rack I "hung" from my garage rafters. If you run it along the edge of the shop you could use a rolling 'library' ladder to access the space.
I use a radiant heater for my adjacent shop. The normal limitation for the use of these is 'ceiling height'. You don't have that problem. A radiant heater heats "things" not the air, which should be a big benefit since you will have so much volume.
Frosty
"I sometimes think we consider the good fortune of the early bird and overlook the bad fortune of the early worm." FDR - 1922
Great problem, wish I had it! What i would do. Lay out the main part of the shop where all your work and handling of material will be done, leaving at least 9'-0" 10'-0" of head room below lights ducts etc. In the rest of the area build yourself the second floor, it can be used for storage of pretty much anything, and a little clean office space is always good. Under that area can be 8' or so, you can do allot of things with an area with that kind of head room. Try to incorporate a set of stairs rather then ladder access, I think it will cut down on fatigue and it will be much safer. One suggestion, close the upper portion off, trying to minimize dust .... I have a friend who has a similar situation and he used a couple of salvaged sliding patio doors. Dust proof and they open nice and wide when needed.
Good luck,
John
God I wish I had your problem!
That's 7 feet of storage with 8 foor of headroom! Life must be very hard for you. ;>)
Could you slice off the extra 7 feet and send to me? Seven feet is all I have now.
Seriously, you may want to consider flooring areas that hang from the rafters on steel rods or the like. Not sure is your local code will allow or what your rafters and supporting walls will carry. Depending on the structure you have many, many options.
Overloading the rafters can be a real issue especially with snow loading etc.
Love to see the before and after when you decide.
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