New shop build


sj2494

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I’m having a difficult time deciding on the size shop to build

 

because of the location it will need to be on concrete pries and have a wooden floor 

should I go 16x24 or something else

i have had 12X16?in the past and it was tight

only requires is that I don’t want supports in the middle and I will be adding a second story for storage

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28 minutes ago, sj2494 said:

I’m having a difficult time deciding on the size shop to build

That's an easy one: what ever you're thinking make it bigger :lol:.

Seriously, it depends on what you make and how.  If you strictly make jewelry boxes and only use hand tools' then you'll need less space than if you produce matching bedroom sets using a full scale CNC.

I think that 16 x 24 would not be an overly large sized place for a shop with very many stationary tools.  For that arrangement I'd want the equivalence of a two car garrage--and if I could have a three car I'd promise never to complain about shop space again.

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52 minutes ago, wtnhighlander said:

Anything is possible with enough money, but a second floor spanning 16' or more will get costly. Is the second story you preference, or a necessity due to limitations on the footprint?

I figured past 16 I would have to get into engineered woods and the second store is a requirement by the boss to release funds

 

the space I have for max foot print is 40x40

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I have one open span in my home that is just under 19'. No second story. To meet building codes, it required a tripled 2x6 joist, tripled 2x4 studs under each end, and a 2x6 triangular truss in the attic, perpendicular to the rafters.

My parent's last home had a similar span across the 'great room', 22 feet, IIRC. They had a second floor, so that span required a beam of two 2x10s with a 1/4" x 10" steel plate sandwiched between them, full length.

Even a 16-foot open span is likely to require a bit more beefiness in the framing to support a second floor.

A single floor & trussed roof can go much wider. My garage is a 24' wide open span, 36' long, but the roof is trusses on 24" centers. With 40x40 as your max, I would suggest perhaps 20x30 single floor, with part set aside for storage. I also suggest ceilings higher than 8', because handling longer boards is so much easier.

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Can't build those for 8 grand though. 

I'm sure I built that 16x36 for less than that, but I was adding it onto the side of another 16x36 horse trailer shed, so already had one long wall. I didn't keep up with what it cost, and have no idea.   Later, I added another 16x36 tractor shed off the other side of that shop. 

One thing about 16' wide structures, you can use standard dimensional lumber.  It's not a good width for a practical shop if you have large stationary tools though.  I quickly grew tired of it, and now it's just used for storage.

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2x10 is what's used here for 16' span floor.  I expect roof load may be different there than here, but floor load should be the same.  I put piers under the big machines, so they really weren't just resting on the floor. 

Your local building inspection department should be able to tell you the load ratings required for floors, and roofs, and even for the dirt that footings will be dug in.  From there, you can probably find charts online.  Before the internet, I always referred to a book called Architectural Graphic Standards.   

Some places might require engineered drawings, but fortunately, we're not to that point here.  An Inspector can call for an Engineer's approval if he doesn't understand something, but I've always been able to show him in the book that I'm overbuilding anyway, and that's been good enough when they have a question.

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Consider using plywood webbed joists.  You should be able to price them out at a local lumber yard.  They are lighter and stronger than 2x lumber of the same depth. If you are using construction grade lumber like spruce-pine-fir, 2x10 @ 16" spacing is not enough.  You don't want a bouncy floor.  Also remember that the farther apart the joist are, the thicker your subfloor needs to be.

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