New Shop Build, Still in Formative Stage

[Phil Lunsford]

Hello everyone, I'm here fishing for some insight into the shop build process, literally from the ground up.  I'm buying a bit of land next to my home (in town) and plan to build a 24'x40'-ish shop.  I will be building it myself, with a little help from friends/family, and I only have limited framing experience (have only done interior wall framing when finishing my basement, wired it as well).  It may have to do a little double duty storing lawn equipment, bikes and the like, but it will primarily be a shop.  I woodwork in a semi-professional capacity (haven't quit the day job yet) making furniture, built-ins, etc, and would like to eventually get into cabinetry.

 

So far, I'm planning to go with a wood foundation, kind of a modified post and beam set up.  A few things I'm debating are: using 2x6 or 2x4 walls for framing (2x6 is appealing because of increased insulation and soundproofing capabilities, but 2x4's are cheap and plentiful); what method I should use to heat the place, as I am in Michigan and it tends to get a little chilly; overhead vs. carriage doors (again, insulation vs. ease of use); and anything else that may pop up or need consideration as I'm sure I'm overlooking some things.

 

Anyone with experience in this area, your input would be greatly appreciated.  Also, any good resources that helped you in this situation.

 

Thanks!

[dwacker]

Electricity and lots of it if you intend to do this for a living. I just bought a building and the hard part was finding a place with good power placement. With my shop it was easier I had it wire specifically for the machinery.

[..Kev]

I'm a bit confused by your description of the construction.

 

Will this be a pole building or a stick built building?  Both have their positives and negatives.

 

Either way, 2x6 walls are the standard.  I'm not sure that I could get a permit here to build something that size with 2x4 walls.

 

The heat for your new building is a ways down the road and beat up pretty heavily in another thread.  

 

I have a pellet stove in my 30x50 pole building.  My walls are all framed from the inside with 2x6s, insulated, and sound proofed as I originally built it as a recording studio.

[Phil Lunsford]

It's basically a post and pier foundation and then stick built from there up.

 

As far as electricity goes, I'd like to keep it flexible because I know I'll get antsy and move things in the future.  A few things I'm considering are plugs on the floor, female 220 leads, or racetrack wiring along the walls.  I know I'll need plenty of 220 V outlets, but I'm not sure yet if I'll need 3 phase or not.  Speaking of 3 phase, is that something you have to wire up from the start, or will a 3 phase converter generally suffice?

[..Kev]

I would check and see if 3 phase is even available in your location.

 

I have 2 floor outlets in my shop and  love them!  It's nice not tripping over cords.

 

Will the power be coming from your house or will it have its own feed?  I would suggest a minimum of 100 amp service, 200 if you can.

 

As for where they go, you could get lots of graph paper, set a scale, and start toying with the layout.  This will start showing the possibilities in the shop and help you decide what to put where.

 

I think Grizzly's web site used to have a shop set up tool to help.  Not sure if it's still there but, it's pretty easy to use.

[Phil Lunsford]

Not sure if it'll have its own service or not yet.  I need to talk to an electrician friend.

 

That Grizzly planner is pretty slick!  I was cutting out little scraps of graph paper for the tablesaw and whatnot!  Definitely easier.

[..Kev]

Not sure if it'll have its own service or not yet.  I need to talk to an electrician friend.

 

That Grizzly planner is pretty slick!  I was cutting out little scraps of graph paper for the tablesaw and whatnot!  Definitely easier.

 

Yea, pretty helpful.  Glad it was still there for you!