Garage workshop improvements

[Sazerac81]

Hey Everett,

We have decent airspace between houses here. It's a little over half an acre lots here so to be honest, there have been zero complaints of the noise of my woodworking late into the night. So unless I buy much noisier machines, noise likely will not be an issue. And trust me, if noise was an issue, some of my neighbors would let me know. All houses are fairly well insulated from noise since all houses are fairly new construction with very good insulations/energy efficiencies. Most houses range between 3200-4100 square feet.

To be honest, I am amazed by how much more insulated this house is than my prior house. The current house is 3400 square feet and it costs the same to heat and cool (actually we heat and cool more now because of the kids) as our prior abode which was about 1800 sq feet.

I hope to keep the garage at decent working temps, so ranging from low 60s in winter and high 70s-low 80s when it is summer.

My wife will be congnizant of the cooling/heating issues. However, she is the boss so she will come and go as she pleases with the kiddos. It's just easier for her to haul the little rug rats through the garage and into the mudroom via the garage vs. the front door of our house.

I have been strongly considering building out that above the head storage area and it would generate a solid amount of storage. Just takes time and I would like to largely do it by myself. That's why keeping the garage at workable temps would probably allow greater progress on the shop.

Thanks for the suggestions all! Very good ideas!

Cheers,
John

[Sazerac81]

Got this all worked out...
Install the mini-split heat pump / AC.
Switch to all hand tools...

All problems solved.
Very little dust.
Very little noise.
Much smaller space requirements.
Very small power needs.


Errr, uhh... Maybe not.


.

Not to mention a lot safer! . I need to get my hands on some veritas hand planes! The YouTube comparisons to even some of the very fine old Stanley planes favors the veritas!

Also, been looking at some Japanese hand crosscut and rip saws. They seem to have excellent cutting ability!

John

[br549]

Wow, you've got a lot of equipment! I count three full size Shopsmiths, 2 planers, 2 belt sanders, a bandsaw, a jointer, a couple of vaccums, as well as the usual garage stuff! I tend to visual "in plan" ... is this a fairly accurate plan of your garage?

Sazerac81 garage.jpg (72.65 KiB) Viewed 14646 times

Did I guess right on which sides are 21' and 22'? Are steps to house "centered" on wall between doors? Looked like in the pictures one wall is angled ... assumed steps project into garage about 4' and angled wall is splayed about same amount. The three rectangles on the shop side are 24" x 72" footprints for three Shopsmiths. Square is 24" x 24" footprint of freestanding planer. Maybe you can print this out to some sort of scale and try re-arranging your equipment on paper.

For the mini-split system, why can't it go on splayed wall, and refrigerant lines run along wall or ceiling to get to outside wall?

The dashed line down the middle is possible plastic divider. I would limit access between 2 sides just at base of steps.

I second suggestions to use that additional space up high for storage. Any chance of an outside storage shed to get some seldom used things like garden tools out of the way?

[superpop]

I would start with 4 of these, Costco has a two pack for around 250 bucks when they go on sale and they work awesome. I have 2 in my garage and they are way better than trying to build a loft due to cost and ease of installation.

2017-03-05 14_45_24-costco overhead racks - - Yahoo Image Search Results.png (409.91 KiB) Viewed 14623 times

[benush26]

I would start with 4 of these, Costco has a two pack for around 250 bucks when they go on sale and they work awesome. I have 2 in my garage and they are way better than trying to build a loft due to cost and ease of installation. 2017-03-05 14_45_24-costco overhead racks - - Yahoo Image Search Results.png

With apologies, I am not trying to hijack this thread...
How is the 4' depth for access? I considered them but it seems like a long way to reach in to pull something out that isn't at least 36". Costco does have ones with 36" and 24" depths, they appear very stout.
Thanks for any info and again sorry about hijacking this thread.

Be well,
Ben

[Sazerac81]

I would start with 4 of these, Costco has a two pack for around 250 bucks when they go on sale and they work awesome. I have 2 in my garage and they are way better than trying to build a loft due to cost and ease of installation. 2017-03-05 14_45_24-costco overhead racks - - Yahoo Image Search Results.png

I think one of the big problems is the slanted front of my garage and height. I would need the support struts to come down about 6-7 ft to support. Do they sell versions with longer support struts and a roof slant?

Cheers,
John

[Sazerac81]

I may go with rhino shelf. It may work better with the slanted wall.

It's nice they are located within 40 minutes from me as well!

http://www.rhinoshelf.com/catalog

The actual support weight also seems to be far higher than the roof hanging units. Unfortunately, you need to add your own 2*4 support wood.

Cheers,
John

[superpop]

Access is fine and they do extend down to give you about 4 feet of clearance. I use the big plastic totes to store stuff in and they go about halfway back and then another one goes in front of that. Works fine. I would think 2 of them in the OP garage would be fine. You can also hang things under them with bungee cords.

[masonsailor2]

Sorry to jump in late on this one John. I am facing the same situation with AC here in Vegas with the opposite issue with humidity. This will be my first summer here in Vegas and I will be using the garage as you are for the shop. I am not sure about mitigating the humidity. Probably impossible here. I have AC in the garage but it will only be of marginal help. I will have to open the doors periodically so we will see how effective the cooling is. Unless you are shipping products to different locales the humidity gradients in your shop will be the same that your projects will experience in your house on an annual basis so planning your projects to withstand those fluctuations is just part of the build. That will include not only the joinery techniques but also the choice of woods.
Paul

[Sazerac81]

Just got my first quote... a little sticker shock considering what they intend to charge for labor.

I got a quote for a 25 SEER 12K BTU Fujitsu unit which would cost total of $4200 installed.

I have found a more efficient (likely better) Fujitsu unit online, a 29.3 SEER unit shipped free for $1726.68.

https://www.ecomfort.com/Fujitsu-12RLS3/p65508.html

Labor alone will cost $4200-1726.68 = $2473.32.

I think it's a bit on the high side for labor costs for a days work. I would understand that kind of pricing if ducting was required.

Am I way off base here? It just seems like a lot of money to pay for them to come out for a day to drill a hole in my house, run the refrigerant tubing and charge, connect electricity, maybe throw down a small concrete/rock base, and do some final checks.

If there are any HVAC guys or guys with some experience in the HVAC field or do some amount of mini-split work, does this seem about right for general labor costs or are they gouging me just a bit.

Cheers,
John

PS. I know benush had stated like $360 for labor... that seemed low to me, but ~$2500 seems ridiculous for what amounts for a half days work for a professional.