What would you do differently if you were setting up your shop?

[Dusty Workshop]

Good morning,

I am getting to hit the reset button on shop setup.
We are moving and I get to start from scratch.

I realized after our last move, that I should have insulated the shop, run 220v lines and hung drywall BEFORE moving in all my tools. The new shop has fiberglass insulation in the ceiling and walls but no drywall so that's good.

What are some other suggestions of things that you would have set up differently now that you know what you know?

Thanks

[Dumb_Polack]

Good morning,

I am getting to hit the reset button on shop setup.
We are moving and I get to start from scratch.

I realized after our last move, that I should have insulated the shop, run 220v lines and hung drywall BEFORE moving in all my tools. The new shop has fiberglass insulation in the ceiling and walls but no drywall so that's good.

What are some other suggestions of things that you would have set up differently now that you know what you know?

Thanks

Install all the plugs higher than 48" or higher than you bench(es) height.


Not an issue in my shop, but it is one bit of advice I'd follow if I were building a shop.

[sweensdv2]

1) Put a mobile base under every tool that I think I may ever have to move, even if it's only a few feet.

2) Lean on the side of over kill when it comes to adding overhead lighting.

[ajkoontz]

Some things I have done and wish I had done (or could do), this is based on me working out of my 2 car attached garage-

More room, obviously
Climate controlled + insulated
Lots of OH lighting and windows. Windows come at the cost of giving up wall space, so I had a new insulated garage door with windows installed + a man door with a window and that helped a lot
Running water is REALLY nice to have
OH outlets, lots of outlets in general, room in the panel w/ easy access to add more later if needed
Something I didn't do but I really wish my concrete floor was more level and I have some bad spots. I should have put in a wood floor sleeper, or at least done some patching and epoxy floor coating
Paint all finished surfaces white
Lots of storage of all types- shelves, drawers, cabinets, pegboard, slatwall etc. (ability to reconfigure later is a big plus)
Wish I would have bought some better tools in the beginning and I wouldn't have spent so much time and money upgrading
De-clutter, get rid of some stuff I never use and will never use

I'm probably forgetting a bunch of stuff but that's all I can think of for now.

[srv52761]

- Previous shop was concrete floor, this one is osb (AdvanTech), what a difference when standing for a time.  I will not do concrete for a finished floor again.  
- Insulated under my floor.  
- New LED recessed light, a lot of them, in a dropped tile ceiling.  The lights are programmable for color and brightness to accommodate my changing eyesight as I age.
- Structural ridge beam to allow me to put ceiling ties up higher to give me more head room.
- Structural ridge beam to allow me to hang a chain to lift my machines (my heaviest one is only about 600 pounds, so not too much weight)

-As already mentioned, bottom of outlets at 50”. 
- Alternating two different 20 amp circuits on each wall
- 240 30 amp outlets every 6 feet
- While some suggest putting your lighting on a separate circuit, I split my lighting on two general purpose circuits. The six LEDs on each circuit only draws 50 watts, and should one trip the other half of my lighting is still working.
-A dedicated 120v circuit for a space heater on a three way switch, with one switch in the house.  I can turn on the heat from my house 45 minutes before I go out to take the chill out of the shop.
- Plywood walls.  Shelving for heavy things still gets screwed through the ply and into the studs, but a lot of things just attach anywhere on the wall.

[Ray Newman]

If doing it today, seriously consider a small slider, a combination jointer/planer machine, and finding room for turret head radial arm saw.

[Willyou]

Make the shop bigger.

[Allen]

No Drywall, use OSB or Plywood. Heat and A/C if you are going to spend a lot of time in it. Maybe a dedicated area with ventilation for spraying finish.

Al

[Hank Knight]

The one thing I wish I could do over is to put down a hardwood floor. My shop has a concrete floor and it has been very hard on my feet and back for many years, even with rubber mats in most areas. Once the machinery, cabinets, benches, etc., are in place, going back and installng hardwood flooring is a daunting idea, one that I'm not willing to undertake at this late date.

Someone above commented on making sure the floor is level. My concrete floor was done hastily and poorly when my basememnt shop was built (that's a whole other story), and it is anything but level. I've learned to live with it over the years, but if I were building from scratch, I'd spend time and energy to making sure the floor was level.

Do not put your wiring in the walls or floor. Put it in conduit attached to the outside of the walls where you can get to it. I have reorganized my shop a dozen times in the last 30 years and often the reorganization involved adding or moving electrical outlets. Having access to the wiring makes the job much easier.

Make sure you have plenty of power. It's easy to put in a large main power feed and a breaker box with plenty of capacity up front than it is after the shop is built. As you add or change machinery, your power needs are likely to change - more likely increase ratther than decrease. Plan ahead for that.

Daylight is good. If you have the option, put in lots of windows. In any event, make sure you have plenty of good, high quality lighting. The new LED lighting is much better than old style flourescent fixures.

I suggest building a sound insulated room for your dust collector and an air compressor. Life in the shop is much more pleasant if you don't have top listen to these screamers on a regular basis.

MY $.02. Good Luck.

[atgcpaul]

- Previous shop was concrete floor, this one is osb (AdvanTech), what a difference when standing for a time.  I will not do concrete for a finished floor again.  
- Insulated under my floor.  

Did you put in a wood floor over concrete (sleepers and AdvanTech), or was this a purpose-built shop with real floor joists, etc?  If the latter, how far apart are your joists?

I'm about to setup shop in a 2 car garage again with a concrete floor, and I probably have enough headroom to add sleepers and plywood over top.