If you haven’t heard through the grapevine already, the new shop build is underway. This is the project we hoped to embark on several years ago when I originally moved out of my first Arizona shop and into the garage. If you recall, that move was supposed to be temporary. But the real estate market bit us hard and I decided I was better off moving back into the old shop space. Heck, I was paying the mortgage so I may as well use the space! Recently, with the market somewhat improved, we were able to sell the old house and of course the shop went with it. So now most of my tools are in a 10′ x 30′storage unit with the overflow in my garage. My hope is that during the shop build, I’ll be able to get at least SOME woodworking done in the garage. Well, not until I clean up and get organized!
The Site Plan
Since I first made the announcement about the shop last week, I received several requests for more information about the build including plans/drawings. So let’s dive right in. The site plan shows the basic layout of the shop and house. The shop itself will come in at 60′ x 30′ (1800 sq. ft.). We are very fortunate to have about an acre of land to work with, so there’s plenty of room for the new shop space. Our HOA (Home Owner’s Association) requires that the shop look exactly like our home, so all of the finishing touches really jack up the price. You’ll notice that we are also tying in the shop patio with the existing patio which will look pretty cool, but again, increases the cost. The shop is set back from our existing fence line, giving me some space to store my cargo trailer and perhaps enough room for a future basketball hoop for Mateo. Then again, if he plays basketball as poorly as I do, we might leave well enough alone.
The Floor Plan
Here’s a quick look at the basic floor plan. Although this version shows a garage door at the front, we will actually be installing a set of double doors and removing the front/side door. One of the things I am most excited about is the bathroom. In my opinion, that is one of the nicest creature comforts a shop can have. And for me, it also means I’m going to be more productive. I can’t tell you how many hours I waste going into the house when nature calls. Not because of the act itself, but because I have a really bad habit of letting myself get distracted. “Hey, let’s see what Nicole is doing.” “OMG! Someone screwed up the spice rack’s alphabetical order! Must fix!” or “OH schnap, my PS3 has an update. I need to take care of that right away!” So if I can avoid going into the house AT ALL on a work day, I will be a much more productive woodworker.
Good Problems to Have
Planning a shop from the ground up is a dream come true, and also very stressful. Personally, I have a lot of trouble deciding where things might go before ever stepping foot into a particular space. My goal is to remain as flexible as possible. I’ve said about a thousand times that the workshop is always evolving. If I lock myself into an arrangement because of receptacle locations or dust collection, I might regret it down the road. So I want to make sure there is some redundancy built-in. I’m basically building a giant rectangle with a bathroom, windows and a door. I am not running any dust collection ductwork in the concrete slab, for the reasons mentioned above, but I am installing a few floor outlets. Having outlets in the floor will be a real nice treat (fewer cords to trip over), but of course, I need to be careful about their placement. So I decided to take my old shop SketchUp drawing and use it to roughly model the new space. Nothing is in stone but this just gave me some initial ideas of what the configuration COULD look like. If you want to download the Sketchup File and have some fun with it, be my guest.
Documentation
I am indeed documenting the entire build process. What the final feature will look like and how it will be presented is still up in the air. I am taking video and still every day and we even have a live cam for you to check out. That should be available during regular working hours right on the Live Page.
FAQ
I tend to get a lot of the same questions via email, Twitter, and Facebook. So I figured I would collect them here for future reference.
- How big will the shop be?
60′ x 30′ (1800 sq. ft.) - Are you doing any of the work yourself?
Nope. I want it done properly and quickly. - When will the shop be completed?
Approximately 3 months - Will you have A/C?
Absolutely. The building is being insulated and treated as if it were a house. That includes A/C and extra attention paid to energy efficiency. - What will you do in the mean time?
Read comic books. Seriously though, I have some material to edit and if I can get the interim garage shop in good enough shape, I might be able to pull off a limited tools project or two. I am also in the process of writing a new book. - Will you have a finishing room?
Most likely in the future. But this is one of those things that I would rather do after living in the space for a while. - What you install wood floors?
Perhaps, although it isn’t in the plans right now. We are already over-extended with our budget so this is definitely on the “nice to have” list.
Hi Marc,
I’ve been an avid viewer of your website for the last few years since discovering it. I’ve probably read every thread and watched every video numerous times. I really enjoy your presentation style, despite what some of your “hater” critics say. I’ve been taking notes for the last 2 months on your new shop build and all the great comments you’ve been getting on it because I’m putting together plans for my own shop build to replace my 12′x24′ shop/shed/storage/catchall. Prior to my retiring from the Army a few years ago, my wife said that she wanted me to treat myself to a real workshop someday once we finally stopped moving…..well, “finally” has finally arrived~!
I’ve also been stoked about joining the Guild at some point and now that you have the new membership breakdown to make it easier, “finally” has arrived yet again~!
I look forward to every new project on your website and your unique spin on how it will be delivered. Norm & your hero, David Marks, were a couple of my early inspirations for my getting into woodworking, and now you and your website are a big part of what keeps me looking forward to the next pile of sawdust…..sorry dude, but I’m a fan~!
Keep up the great work~!!
Well congrats on your build! It’s a heck of an experience and I hope all the discussion here is helping you come up with ideas and solutions. I learn something every time I post an update, only it’s a little late for me to make any adjustments. :)
Glad to have you on board my friend and good luck!
Thanks Dave and Bruce (and everyone else who commented). I really appreciate the support and kind words. I do feel lucky in all respects. But I can’t deny that I have been working my butt off for the last 6 years to get here. I also can’t deny that if it weren’t for Nicole’s financial and emotional support, I would have never been able to take the risks I took that resulted in what we see today as The Wood Whisperer. Whether it’s luck, karma, smart business decisions, or a combination of the three, there isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not thankful for what I have.
Dave,I agree with your comments and will add. It is not luck that makes a successful business, it is dedication, a good business plan and a desire to succeed. Sometimes it is also karma, as Marc has helped many, many woodworkers both individually and through the podcasts. I hope that when the shop is again functional that his success ccontinues and that he continues with his online presence.
I have noticed that some people have mentioned that you are lucky in regard to this venture Marc. I know how hard it is to get ahead and self motivate when you are a one man show and I take my hat off to all the hard work and persistence you have gone through. And not to forget Nicole. As they say, “Behind every strong man is an even stronger woman.
All the best from Australia.
I’m really jealous of the shop you are building. My shop is a basement shop, I have about 800 sqft for use. Looking forward to seeing your shop up and running and making sawdust. Going to make some sawdust myself today. Cheers!!!
Hi Marc,
What will you use for soundproofing? And heating system?
No sound-proofing. The AC unit is actually a heat pump. So when we have a cold spell in the Winter, I can turn on a little heat. :) That doesn’t happen often.
Hey Marc
The Shop looks great, and I love the style of the outside as well.
Even though I live in Denmark, and we have a completely different set of building codes than you do in the US, many of the construction ways are the same. I’m a bit jalous of the nice and big space you have here. I have been following you on youtube for a while, and you do excellent work, which I would love to be doing myself.
Keep up the good work and keep those great videos coming, they are always interesting to watch.
Kim
Marc,
You have probably made us all a bit jealous… Seriously, the best point is all the planning you have done prior to any actual building. My garage workshop seems to be a continuous work in progress, as modifications are necessary to accommodate new equipment and optimize work flow. I keep on dreaming…..
I haven’t noticed the shop build cam on recently. Am I just stopping by at the wrong times or are you not broadcasting the build anymore?
Unfortunately, there’s nothing to broadcast. I am limited in where I can place the camera and all you would see is a corner of the shop covered in OSB. As the shop gets closer to completion, I might be able to work something out by moving the camera to a different location.
Marc,
I’m totally envious of your shop project, I would be thrilled to even have an arce of green grass to look at in my backyard here in Atlanta, let alone the resources available to build a custom wood shop!
As part of your documentation of the dream shop build, will you be tallying the cost of each subcontract/component along the way and sharing that info? I would be very interested in seeing how an undertaking like this shakes out cost wise.
Keep it up!
Dustin
Nope. We decided to keep the financial details private on this one. It’s a significant expense that we weren’t quite prepared for, so it is indeed putting a hurting on us. That much I don’t mind admitting to. :)
I wish I could have a dream shop.
Maybe I can have one someday.
Just building a wood Segway would work! :)
Daaammmmn, that is going to be nice!
Have you thought about getting a golf buggy to get you from tool to tool, with all that lovely space you might need it :P
Just stumbled on to your site this morning. Love your videos, they are fun to watch and easy to follow along and have some great tips. Congratulations on the new workshop. Can’t wait to see what come out of it. But, please get a clock that works! Constantly looking at 8:10 is too funny!
Have an electrician put some boxes in the slab with conduit back to the panel. You can have the flexibility of future changes without busting up or cutting the slab. I would have a noise room to isolate sound of dust collector and air compressor. Any plans for a webcam?
Hey Marc, congratulations on your new dream shop. we all envy you. Man I am very happy for you. I’d like to say that if your able to do the larger entry ways like “Sac” suggested, I’d do it. Not that I’m thinking of something happening to you, but, just because you can effortlessly at this stage in your build, well, then again there is the money you need to consider. My wife is a Realtor and when she helped a couple where the husband used a wheel chair, it turned her perspective around ever since. She can’t go into a house now without spotting little things that would make life easier for the accessibility and comfort for a wheel chair. That’s probably why I married her, always other before herself. Love your layout!
Marc,
Either read over the website I sent you for detail specs on air sealing and insulation, or call me. I can tell you what to look for at the different stages of construction regarding energy efficiency. You planning on going ductless heat pump or A/C? You had one for the current home garage/shop, right? What was the size on that? Without knowing the build specs doing the calcs, I would think you’d want a 2 to 2.5 ton worth of cooling on this shop. I can send you a very simplified Manual J calc that you can use to gauge the size.
Marc, No wood floor—Dricore I put it in my shop and if I was building a new shop would definitly use it.
I see from the SU drawing that the wall height is 10’. Will the DC ductwork be run above the ceiling area or below the ceiling? If below the ceiling, and not knowing how far below the ceiling your duct runs will hang, will you still have decent clearance for long boards and sheets of plywood?
The duct work will indeed run below the ceiling. Not far below though. I will have it as close to the ceiling as possible. 8′ boards and ply should have no problem clearing it.
Thank you for the reply Marc. I have NO idea now an “s” snuck into my name (fat finger! fat finger!). :(
“now”???
Hi Marc. Great to see that things are sorting themselves out for you. Disruptions to your life by others can be a pain in the butt.
My new shop space is half of yours but I love it. I read a few comments re timber floor, outlets, dust control, windows, bathroom internet access and stairs to a loft.
In my shop I have cat 5 directly to a wireless router, so either way I can connect. I laid the ply timber floor but because my concrete floor used to be a floor outside and had fall. Very handy for running power and air duct under, but as you mentioned, after the machines are in place and I can physically walk around in the room and get a comfortable feel for work flow. I agree with the comment about it feeling like a studio. Windows….I have none. Same reason as you due to filming and also, it gives me more usable wall space without breaks. I have a couple of large vehicle sized doors as well as 2 pedestrian doors and all of these are used to air condition in summer, amazing how a controlled breeze can cool a room. But, I don’t have the extreme in temp as you do, so aircon is a smart step. Bathroom is a must if space and connection to sewer is available. I have a great staircase to a second floor over my shop and it is a dream, doubles as a bedsitter for guests which is an added bonus for me and them.
Good luck with it all and hopefully you won’t be having any more kids until you reduce the debt, lol.
Mark, No wood floor—Dricore from HD or Lowe’s I put it in my shop and in every finished basement I do because it takes the hardness of the concrete away. (no BS) My customers love it if they can afford it!!! Dricore is giving a $50.00 gift card back for every 200 panels bought. Try it out–bring some home from HD–if you don’t like take it back. If I was building a new shop I would’nt think twice.
I am aware of Dri-Core but I wondered how it would look/perform as a stand-alone floor, considering it is sold as an underlayment. Have you found the surface holds up over time?
Marc, Sorry about the second reply but I thought the first didn’t go thru. Yeah Dricore can be left alone and I think it will hold up just fine for a everyday shop. OSB is really tough stuff. They say you can finish it with like a poly coat but I think that would just make it slippery.I’ve had it in my shop for 3 years now and it vacums up easy and isn’t slippery. Great on the knees and back. I have my 13″ rockwell surface planer on it and it doesn’t hurt it at all. (all my heavy tools) Just bang them together–(t&g) no glue and they havn’t moved at all. Expensive–$6.00 each 2′x2′ but I would definitely use them–no question.
Marc, the only thing I regret not putting enough of in my 600 square ft dedicated shop are 220 outlets. Almost all my big tools are 220 or have been rewired for 220, including my Dewalt slide miter and Delta 3/4 hp drill press. I didn’t put any windows in , just six skylights. Not the cheap plastic dome ones either. They crack over time. I put in the nicer two by four foot glass ones. I also did the ten ft ceilings, of course a must. Vaulted ceiling also, as I didn’t want any obstructions on the floor. One through the wall AC unit was sufficient for my shop due to it’s size. I use a good pleated filter over it to keep it from getting clogged with saw dust. I put power and air overhead and under the bench for maximum flexibility. Anyway, best wishes on your new build. I’ll actually be over your way come next week to deliver a bunk bed I just finished for my daughters twin boys so if you could just adjust the heat for me that would be great. Call me if you want me to run down and pick something up for you at Comic Con. Or did you make that this year?
No ComicCon for us. Tickets are so difficult to get anymore. We settled for Pheonix ComicCon :)
Marc,
just wondering, have you considered a false floor (2×4 on edge w/ 3/4 ply decking)? am currently designing my new home and semi-detatched shop (similar to your own), but my shop is designed with a 5″ recessed floor to accept this type of system. I’t's non traditional, I know, but I’m in IT and I got the idea from my server room to allow me to rearrange floor receptacles as needed as I acquire new equipment.
fyi, my current design is basically like a torsion box (without the bottom of course) using 2×4 on 12″ centers for strength. any thoughts?
Marc,
I’ve enjoyed reading through all the suggestions–lots of very good ones. I can add some comments concerning flooring and dust-collection.
After quite a bit of research, I decided to cover my shop’s concrete floor with BLT G-Floor PVC rolled flooring (75 mil, coin pattern), and couldn’t be happier. I bought it here: http://www.elite-xpressions.co.....s.htm#coin . Just unroll, cut to length and/or width with a utility knife and join the seams with double-face tape. Leave a 1/8″ or so gap at each wall–no need to glue it down. It looks great, stays in place, is nice to walk on and easy to clean, is non-slip when covered with sawdust and rolling machines on casters over it is not a problem. I see they make the heavier 85 mil in 9′x60′ rolls. Assuming no waste, you’d need three of those and a 9′x’20′ custom roll. With the needed double-face tape, it would cost you less than $5,000 and with a bit of help you could lay it in a day–not bad at all. Note that it comes in a variety of colours. (I opted for the light brown.)
Regarding dust collection, I put in pipes in my previous shop and it worked well. I had one under the concrete floor to a central machine area and the rest along two walls, with the cyclone in an adjacent room. I wanted no drops from the ceiling, as they would just get in the way and looked awful, IMO. Considering video production values, you have even more reason to avoid unsightly vertical dust pipes. (For anyone considering putting dust pipes under a concrete floor, make sure they are pinned securely to the ground before the concrete is poured, as they will otherwise float on top of the concrete!)
Last year I moved and opted to go portable with the dust collection. I’m using Rockler’s Dust-Right components–including a four inch diameter, 21 foot-long expandable hose–with a 1.5 hp dust collector. It works well. Considering the short hose runs, my collector has plenty of oomph for all my machines. Yes, I have to move the expandable hose from machine-to-machine, but that doesn’t take much longer than opening one blast gate and closing another, and it gives me complete freedom in rearranging machines. Moreover, the smaller collectors and cyclones (<= 2hp, say) are not all that noisy, compared to the woodworking machines they serve, and don't take up a great deal of space. If I had your shop, I'd use the Dust-Right components with two or three smaller collectors or cyclones on castors. I suggest you experiment with one collector see how you like it.
I also suggest you look into getting the iVac switches for turning the dust collectors on and off (www.ivacswitch.com). They are a great convenience–much better than constantly pressing a fob hanging from one's neck. The dust collector is switched on when you start an associated machine, and is switched off a programmable amount of time after you switch off the machine. You might want to consider one of their newer products that controls the dust collector whenever any machine on a particular circuit is used. I think the system supports up to nine dust collectors. Incidentally, although the iVac Pro switches are advertised to work with dust collectors up to 1.5hp (as I have), mine burnt out almost immediately (because of high startup current). It was replaced under warranty but I had to also buy the more expensive "contactor" to avoid a repetition of the problem.
Cary
Marc,
don’t know if it is information that you are willing to divulge, but I plan to build something along these lines in 2 years when I finally get out of the army and things stabilize a bit. Would you be willing to tell me what your budget actually was for the building itself (by that I mean ignoring the patio work?)
need to start the fund for it now. will probably have to end up converting the porsche fund to a shop fund…
Hey Jim. I decided not to go public with the cost of the shop. Not to mention, cost is going to vary dramatically from region to region and contrator to contractor. Also, I never priced out the building alone. From day 1, we knew that we would need the patio and all the extras, simply because of HOA requirements. All of this stuff inflated the price pretty significantly.
What I would like to know is …….when is the “Grand Re-Re-Re-Opening Bar-B-Que” going to be?????
If you want to film a project, feel free to take a vacation to Colorado and film one in my garage :) Might be interesting to see a project done with more.. meager tools.