bleedinblue Posted June 19, 2016 Report Share Posted June 19, 2016 I'm kind of thinking out loud here. We love our house, but our odd shaped basement kinda sucks. It is unfinished and we have no plans to. My brother in law keeps suggesting I build a wall to separate the shop from the rest of the basement. This could aid dust collection and help keep the baby out when she starts walking (a couple years before that'll be an issue) However, there are no windows on that side of the basement and I'd lose what very little natural light I have, and a door could make moving tools and maybe lumber in and out more difficult. Any other pros or cons I'm missing? Photos of my tool layout and a more general photo of the basement layout. The basement isn't necessarily scaled correctly, I guessed the dimensions. The shop area is "close" to accurate though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robby W Posted June 19, 2016 Report Share Posted June 19, 2016 How about a sliding glass door? Limits dust and toddler movement while still letting in light. Opens wide too. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Moore Posted June 19, 2016 Report Share Posted June 19, 2016 6' double door and to me natural light is overrated in a wood shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted June 20, 2016 Report Share Posted June 20, 2016 I'd say add a wall. I don't know how much you care about people's opinions but if you value the natural light don't put sheet rock on it and cover it in clear plastic. I have a 32" interior door into my shop and i have no issues moving wood in and out, not even sheet goods (to be fair i break them down from full size outside my shop). Other ideas is french doors between the two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SawDustB Posted June 20, 2016 Report Share Posted June 20, 2016 Add a wall. Go with a set of glass double (French) doors... It's a bit more expensive, but it'll accomplish everything you want. It will still let in lots of natural light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wouldwurker Posted June 20, 2016 Report Share Posted June 20, 2016 I thought about bifurcating my shop early on, but since then, I've expanded my working space into the area that I almost wall'ed off. I also find myself moving projects and tools in and out through the area I would have walled off. You could always buy a 14" super jointer...voila...instant wall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bleedinblue Posted June 20, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2016 Right on. I actually figure that if anything, this will allow me to expand a bit. Right now I try to keep tools away from the area around the lumber storage because I want to keep the area somewhat defined and don't want to take over the whole basement. The wall across from the rack would be a good miter station for rough cutting to length. Adding a wall would also give me just a little more wall storage. Since almost all of my walls are concrete, I don't like to drill into them for hanging storage. I'll consider this more seriously. I suppose the wall could easily be removed if we ever move and need to open the space back up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronn W Posted June 21, 2016 Report Share Posted June 21, 2016 Add the wall - use screws for everything so that you can take it apart someday in the future. I have already removed a wall that I built several years ago. If you don't tape the sheetrock you can even remove that with out breaking if up. Where the sheetrock meets the adjacent walls, use plastic "J" bead from home depot to create a nice appearance if you want. I put in a 36" door and that is adequate for me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted June 21, 2016 Report Share Posted June 21, 2016 I used a partition wall to segregate my shop space from the now dedicated laundry room. I wish I had done it years ago.I can post my project link if you would like to see how it happened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bleedinblue Posted June 21, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2016 4 hours ago, Brendon_t said: I used a partition wall to segregate my shop space from the now dedicated laundry room. I wish I had done it years ago.I can post my project link if you would like to see how it happened. Sure, post up the link, couldn't hurt. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted June 21, 2016 Report Share Posted June 21, 2016 1 hour ago, Mike. said: I like natural light and don't think it is overrated. Artificial light has no soul. Good quality fluorescent or LED light with a high CRI has plenty of soul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bleedinblue Posted June 21, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2016 I'd love to have some big windows in my basement, but that's a huge project that would ultimately give me a good view under my deck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robby W Posted June 21, 2016 Report Share Posted June 21, 2016 3 minutes ago, bleedinblue said: I'd love to have some big windows in my basement, but that's a huge project that would ultimately give me a good view under my deck. Look at the bright side: at least you wouldn't have any glare ..... 3 minutes ago, bleedinblue said: I'd love to have some big windows in my basement, but that's a huge project that would ultimately give me a good view under my deck. Look at the bright side: at least you wouldn't have any glare ..... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyF Posted June 21, 2016 Report Share Posted June 21, 2016 My basement shop is very similar in size and shape. I have a small 2' x 1' window where your top wall is, but I don't care much about natural light. I built a wall which is the size of the bottom 3/4 of your left wall. (The rest of the wall is concrete foundation wall.) The bottom plate is on foam sil gasket to help keep the bottom plate dry, although it is pressure treated lumber of course. That also helps seal in sound. Right now, the wall covering is a sheet of heavy plastic taped and caulked to seal it up, but I plan to use 5/8" firerock on the shop side of the wall for both fire and noise reduction (thicker and more massive = more sound attenuation). I put an exterior door (I think it's 32") in the wall which is half insulated window. It just opens to the rest of the basement, but it's nice to see in and out without opening it. I think it makes both the basement and the shop feel more open because of being able to see that there's something on the other side. I chose an exterior door to help seal in dust and noise. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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