Getting first shop built, lessons learned?

[bubbaearl]

my shop is fed off my house meter . only problem is when things like compressor or welder kicks in it does effect the house . the lights will dim a little. has even kicked off the tv a few times .

[4EyedTurd]

I moved into a place with an unfinished 3 sided 20x30 and I’ve done a bit to it. Run Ethernet from the house to the shop for internet because you won’t have a dick for wifi inside. It’s something I still need to do. Get it insulated and stick a mini split in, so far that’s the best thing I’ve done. I’d stay away from skylights only because I’ve heard they are just another place a leak can happen. Add a carport off of it because it’s nice to have more covered work area/parking places.

[garycrist]

My shop I built in Mission Viejo Ca. ran 50- 100 cars a day.
I ran a full circle air supply of 2 inch PVC with 1 inch drops.
The last 4or 5 feet were black pipe screwed to the wall.

Wireless N router and a couple of flat panel dual band antennas for internet.

I epoxied the floors (grey) easy to clean!
You will never have enough lights!!!

[Chopped54]

Havent read through it so may be a repost, but run plumbing. Even if you do not plan on needing it, run it. I built my shop 13 years ago and at the time I said I would never need it, wish I had it now.

[mustang_revival]

To have a separate meter you have to get a loop back meter installed..

On the septic, depends on the County, but if you have 10+ acres, you can have a licensed electrician install it and be ok. The enforcement on these is via snitch septic pumping companies..

Make sure all your exterior/interior walls are framed/plumbed/electric (tested) before you get spray insulation or you will be adding unnecessary work..

Metal buildings kills cell phone reception, so have a plan for some type of extender that amplifies the signal inside the building..

Make sure you are considering water drainage off the roof , that it has a good place to drain vs. bad place..

If you are getting windows / doors installed, make sure you are watching them while they frame and cut these holes out.. If you have a crew doing it, someone may install it slightly differently than his buddy on the other side.. not a big deal, but if you like everything to look uniform, take this into consideration..

[Rick Modena]

Havent read through it so may be a repost, but run plumbing. Even if you do not plan on needing it, run it. I built my shop 13 years ago and at the time I said I would never need it, wish I had it now.

Exactly, my buddies shop had two outside spigots on either side of the building, a small bathroom with a toilet and utility washtub in place of a sink and two spigots on the inside as well. Even if you have a home nearby, no sense in running to the house shitting yourself. Also if you have friends over, they can go to your shop bathroom instead of going to your home or pissing on the side of the shop.

[TX_92_Notch]

Exactly, my buddies shop had two outside spigots on either side of the building, a small bathroom with a toilet and utility washtub in place of a sink and two spigots on the inside as well. Even if you have a home nearby, no sense in running to the house shitting yourself. Also if you have friends over, they can go to your shop bathroom instead of going to your home or pissing on the side of the shop.

Depending on budget, I would add a small shower too. Those times when you're just crazy greasy, makes sense to have a shower in the shop. Hell, there are times my kids are outside playing and they're so muddy I end up hosing them off in the yard. It would be nice to just take them to the shop to clean up instead of carrying them through the house.

First world problems, I guess.

[mustang_revival]

On lifts, I am looking at these for the future - https://www.wildfirelifts.com/ from a recommendation from the Vice Grip garage guy.. makes some good points on spending the extra on it..

[Craizie]

Depending on budget, I would add a small shower too. Those times when you're just crazy greasy, makes sense to have a shower in the shop. Hell, there are times my kids are outside playing and they're so muddy I end up hosing them off in the yard. It would be nice to just take them to the shop to clean up instead of carrying them through the house.

First world problems, I guess.

This for sure. I would def have a full bathroom in it if you could.

I hate to get all the car greese and shit in the nice shower. I end up spending more time cleaning the shower than myself.

[TX_92_Notch]

This for sure. I would def have a full bathroom in it if you could.

I hate to get all the car greese and shit in the nice shower. I end up spending more time cleaning the shower than myself.

You don't have a sandwich maker for that?

[SS Junk]

internet access, check on signal strength from the house. Multiple doors would be the way i would spec out my shop, vs one large single, provided at least one door is taller in case you need to bring in a tall vehicle.

This can easily be solved using a mesh wifi system.

[Broncojohnny]

Instead of a two post lift, a four post drive-on lift with a bridge jack is a better choice for most jobs IMO. You can do alignments on it, driveline installs, drop rear ends, etc without a lot of the gymnastics and pole jacks and shit that you need with a two post lift. Ideally you would have both but if you can only have one, I'd do the four post.

Also, make your own stove to burn your used motor oil. You only need these for about four months of the year but they are nice to have and cost almost nothing to operate. The motor oil puts off a shit ton of heat when it burns.

[HarrisonTX]

To have a separate meter you have to get a loop back meter installed...

What is a 'loop back meter'

[mustang_revival]

What is a 'loop back meter'

A meter that loops back

[fordracing19]

My shop had a 100amp panel ran off my 400amp main panel in my house. Most houses wouldn't have big enough service to run a sub needed for a shop so you will need to have a separate meter.

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