Shop size -- time to make up my mind!

[s9plus20]

Bigger is usually better.

My shop is 24' x 28' and is just big enough. I only do woodworking in there.  Wish I had the room for more.
You hear "wish it were bigger" often.  You almost never hear "wish it were not as big"




Some other things to ponder since you still have a chance to change things....

I have 2 garage doors on the 24' side.  I prefer 2 doors to one double wide as I can open one and leave some tools on wheels parked semi- permanently in front of the other. Or open both if I want to.

Fresh airflow.  I have 2 windows on the opposite 24' side.  When the weather permits I have a nice breeze thru my shop. (can be assisted with fans if need be)

Over hang is limited on my shop's front and I regret that.  It would be very nice to have the garage door open and watch a gentle rain. I cannot do that with a small overhang.

I love the smell of fresh oak being cut, I would not want to hinder that with the smell of automobile oil... So a walled off section would be my preference for the auto side. Also dust from one side would be contained.

A separate space for a dust collector and an air compressor is nice.

A whole house fan (a quite model, belt driven) can be nice.

My lighting is too centered, I should have put some lights near the edges to avoid shadows.

Wish I had of put multiple 220 outlets on each circuit. (I have 3 circuits with 3 outlets) I should have put more on each circuit as I only run 1 device at a time (excluding air compressor and dust collector)

Think about spreading each 110 circuit around and not clustering them near each other. (Atleast every other outlet on a different circuit)

A sink and a bathroom sure are handy.

[EdL]

Here you go....36x40 10'ceiling.

   

   

   

   

   

[BloomingtonMike]

I have 40X64.

Glad I did not build 40X32.

I would want taller than 12' if I wanted a  lift.

[bhh]

Really depends upon what you are doing.   If you are turning pens you have different requirements than if you are building kitchens or dining tables with chairs.

I think I read in one of the books that 800-1000 sq ft was good for a one person shop.   A good compromise between having enough room and spending most of your time walking between stations.    I have a friend with a 5000 sq.ft. shop and aside from the table saw area and another with stationary machines, he spends a lot of his time in front of the workbench by the window.   Also, it's too expensive to heat and cool so no a/c and he keeps it about 50 degrees in winter.

[Stwood_]

40x64 with a 16x64 addition. 3500 sqft and it's full. I planned on another 16x64 addition when I was in business, but that more than likely won't happen now. I have other priorities.

[Foggy]

Taller! My barn ended up with an eleven foot high door. This limits my choices of an RV that will fit to store or work on.

[daddo]

If I were to build one, it would be at least 40x40 with at least one stall. I could work on the vehicles inside. I could fill the shop up.

[gjohn]

I recently had a 30'x40' building built with a 16' side wall so that I can put a second floor on one half. I guess I could put a second floor on more than one half, but I have a 14' tall door and want to leave that side full height. Initially, it was just in case I want to add a second floor, but now it is a more immediate plan. Making it a bit taller so that a second floor can be added is cheaper than the larger slab.

[ez-duzit]

With a lift I'd go to the bigger size.

[Big Dave]

If you're gonna put two shops under one roof, you'll need all the space you can get. My shop is 26' x 36'. That's 936 sq/ft, and it's full - as far as I'm concerned, anyway
. With the 1200 sq/ft you're thinking about that doesn't leave a lot of room for workin' on cars and throwin' sparks...

Go big if you can swing it.

Dave