Workshops at home...

[hotponyshoes]

So,
I am looking to move house.
Currently, I have a wooden shed in my back garden. This holds the stock for my day job. Also various other "stuff" that I want to keep dry and clean. It's about 14'x12' and is pretty full!
I also share a workshop (huge) with a few other guys. All my welding kit etc is in there. Main problem is the other guys do car work so everything gets covered in filler dust.
I also rent a storage unit for my weekend job (mobile bars) this is purely for storage so everything in there stays untouched by others and clean/dry.
I also have a small barn on a farm where my large lathe and mill live. This is a distance away though so they rarely get used!

As I have been looking at houses I was originally thinking my ideal would be a house (any type, not the priority!) with a large double-skinned brick built barn with concrete floor and insulated roof. 3-phase power etc.. Obviously I can not find anywhere like this!

Aside from the odd farm selling up (mostly out of my budget or don't want to sell me just a barn for conversion plus a few outbuildings) I have seen a few places that have been previously lived in by the hobby types!

One I have seen has a single garage attached to the house, a large (25'x25' ) wooden summer house and a 12' wooden shed beside the summer house.
It's a bit of a mish-mash, obviously all been put up at different stages.
A mate of mine has pointed out the it would be easy to add some heating to the single garage and that could be used as a prototyping/drawing room. The summer house is a half decent size for a fab shop, has a wood burner fitted. The shed could be used for dirty operations like housing the grinders, compressor, shot-blast cab etc. It's probably not big enough for a plasma table though!

If given the choice, would you be looking for the one big workshop (or the space to build one) or would you actually prefer to have several different areas for parts/storage, construction, planning m, etc?

 

[Jlg]

The space to build a decent garage

 

[cumbriasteve]

Ideally I would have a decent sized workshop (probably block built) but also a smaller hobby room that is easier to keep warm and clean, something like a quality wooden workshop with double glazed units etc...I like wood.

 

[Screwdriver]

I have the luxury of three main work areas; machine shop shed, forge area (just another shed really) and a garage area. They are all within a few metres and the biggest problem is getting tools from one place to another.

I find myself dashing out of the forge to grab a screwdriver or the right size drill bit, popping out to the garages if I need a bit of extra space to work, back to the forge to hammer out stuff on the anvil. In other words having separate areas for even dissimilar tasks can be a nightmare scenario of running around in circles. I guess it's ok if the passage between is free and clear but things would be a damned site easier if everything was under one roof.

The only real advantage is I can keep hot iron away from wood shavings I suppose. By dedicating one area to forging, I am forced to keep it clear of flammable items. It is the main reason for having a separate space, a lesson I learned after some stick welding went awry in the main workshop. Luckily I only set fire to myself and not the workshop.

 

[rtbcomp]

Ready built and make sure planning & building regs are in place.

 

[Chillitt]

I have a goodly number of small sheds and and outbuildings and an inability to organise stuff. Id give up my spare bandsaw to have one or maybe two big sheds.

 

[cheb]

Garden shed for mowers etc and for potting on.

Workshop attached to the house with the lathe etc. Also used for motorcycle bothering.

Small other shed attached to house for storage of stoff.

Garage with two rooms, one for a car and the other for grinding, welding etc. Keeps the grit away from the machine tools. Mildly vexing to have to nip back and forth in the rain, but it's what I prefer.

 

[fixerupper]

I think given the choice and if I was single I'd buy a Massive Barn or industrial unit out in the middle of nowhere ...and park a caravan or porta- cabin inside to live in ....

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

Big workshop divided in to clean and dirty for me.
Currently single garage for machine tools.
Garden shed for mowers and the like.
2.4x4.8 shed for work storage and a lockup for the same.

Will be organising the big shed at home and quitting the lock up soon. Rented for that purpose.

 

[fixerupper]

Well .whats not to like ? everything in one spot, loads of floor space ,all in the dry ,no security problems, no parking problems ,The problem I have now is , If I get tools out for a project there is no room in the workshop to work so I work out side ...then when you knock off all the tools have go back inside , next day by the time you get all the kit out again I 've lost the will to live and the thread of what I was doing ....

 

[maz0]

If your house is a keeper then space to build, design it from the ground up exactly how you want it and learn from yours and others experience on here. If your pouring your own concrete pad you can specify various things if you want to have a vehicle lift, or heavier plant equipment or a power hammer or a swinging gantry or whatever, design the electrics/water/internet/heating how you like it.

Im in the process of drawing on the back of a napkin stage of this my self. Chances are you wont recoup the investment tho in future if you sell the house which is why I reckon its only worth it if its your forever home.

 

[Wendelspanswick]

The biggest garden possible as in theory you can cover 50% of your garden with a building 4m high under permitted development.

 

[Olderisbetter]

So,
I am looking to move house.
Currently, I have a wooden shed in my back garden. This holds the stock for my day job. Also various other "stuff" that I want to keep dry and clean. It's about 14'x12' and is pretty full!
I also share a workshop (huge) with a few other guys. All my welding kit etc is in there. Main problem is the other guys do car work so everything gets covered in filler dust.
I also rent a storage unit for my weekend job (mobile bars) this is purely for storage so everything in there stays untouched by others and clean/dry.
I also have a small barn on a farm where my large lathe and mill live. This is a distance away though so they rarely get used!

As I have been looking at houses I was originally thinking my ideal would be a house (any type, not the priority!) with a large double-skinned brick built barn with concrete floor and insulated roof. 3-phase power etc.. Obviously I can not find anywhere like this!

Aside from the odd farm selling up (mostly out of my budget or don't want to sell me just a barn for conversion plus a few outbuildings) I have seen a few places that have been previously lived in by the hobby types!

One I have seen has a single garage attached to the house, a large (25'x25' ) wooden summer house and a 12' wooden shed beside the summer house.
It's a bit of a mish-mash, obviously all been put up at different stages.
A mate of mine has pointed out the it would be easy to add some heating to the single garage and that could be used as a prototyping/drawing room. The summer house is a half decent size for a fab shop, has a wood burner fitted. The shed could be used for dirty operations like housing the grinders, compressor, shot-blast cab etc. It's probably not big enough for a plasma table though!

If given the choice, would you be looking for the one big workshop (or the space to build one) or would you actually prefer to have several different areas for parts/storage, construction, planning m, etc?

The problem is most people are selling a house with a garage/workspace and most of us need a garage/workshop with a house, Anything that has space to build seems to jack the price by me, I wanted to be able to build a few sheds and workspace and ended up buying a commercial property and turning it back into a house, It was a wreck though but the garage was nice.

 

[Ashley Burton]

I would have workshop seperated with grinding/welding, painting & everything else. Nothing worse than getting overspray everywhere & metal filings!

 

[gaz1]

Just building one at moment for @Burdekin

Buying without one make sure you can get planning permission

Buy one allready built

 

[Screwdriver]

The biggest garden possible as in theory you can cover 50% of your garden with a building 4m high under permitted development.

In theory yes. In practice all it takes is one neighbour to object on the grounds of "looks" and you will have to modify the design until the planning officer is happy.

 

[Seadog]

There speaks the voice of experience.

 

[Greeves246]

Friend of mine was renewing his house insurance and asked about his new (expensive ) workshop. When asked what it was used for he replied messing with motorcycles, a small lathe, mig welder, and so on. Was told no cover possible under any circumstances due to the welder. Be warned if you want to insure on your home insurance, if attached to the house it could invalidate your cover. Greeves246

 

[Blagadan]

The summer house is a half decent size for a fab shop, has a wood burner fitted.

Thats a big bonus. I'm in the process of fitting a stove in my workshop at the moment. Hoping to cut down on my winter heating bills!

 

[snowcat]

Ideally I would have a decent sized workshop (probably block built) but also a smaller hobby room that is easier to keep warm and clean, something like a quality wooden workshop with double glazed units etc...I like wood.

Unfortunately so do the night magpies, relatively easy to cut and pry. After the spate of tool thefts around here another 7 within a mile (in other words in my rural location just about everyone who's got something) since my place was done, Id build in nothing less than block with preferably BP over the top. then a lockable vault for anything electrical that can be carried.

Honestly my starting point would be to think like a scumbag and work back, convince for you and nice shadow boards are invites for them.