Shopsmith Forums

I am about to begin the process of building a detached wood shop in my back yard. I will need a concrete for and will need to house another vehicle on rare occasion. I am thinking 20 x 20 or 24 x 24 zoning permitted of course. Typical side walls and either a gable, a gambrel or a hip roof.

Now is when I need the input. For those of you that done this job please guide me along and provide insights and recommendation.

All information is graciously accepted.

cabotcat wrote:I am about to begin the process of building a detached wood shop in my back yard. I will need a concrete for and will need to house another vehicle on rare occasion. I am thinking 20 x 20 or 24 x 24 zoning permitted of course. Typical side walls and either a gable, a gambrel or a hip roof.

Now is when I need the input. For those of you that done this job please guide me along and provide insights and recommendation.

All information is graciously accepted.

With a hip roof, there is less ability to get around in the 'attic'.

The opposite is true of a gambrel roof.

Do not skimp on ceiling joists(you will probably want to use the attic for storage).

Forget a trussed roof(no attic, no storage, pita to get around in).

That wide a span will be an issue(you will need a center load bearing beam) or very long very thick 'timbers' for joists.

Insulate it!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fully!

Excellent feedback., Definitely will need the storage up top. Also need to keep the water as far away from the foundation as possible. Insulation is not negotiable. I will need access to this place without environmental concerns keeping me at bay.

i just finished a 12X16 in the back yard. its kind of small but the yard is small.....
i dug the footer for a twelve inch X twelve inch perimeter with a four inch floor. installed half inch rebar all around, including across the floor in three places. built a "box", installed the sheathing and then the attic joists. we built a ramp to be able to cross from one end to the other as needed. its a gambrel roof, looks like a barn. i made the trusses by using half inch plywood to join the longerons together. for my roof it was five feet top legs and three feet bottom legs. my son and i then installed the roof sheathing and the tar paper. my lovely bride of 44 years hired the roofer to install the shingles as i've already come off one roof with a broke back........i chose not insulate because that would make the heat to cold transfer much longer......but that's here in HOT florida. up north you may need to insulate because the winters are so long.......i have a bunch of pics if you'd like????? the whole process was recorded for the permit guys....
e-mail me at wwoodward@cfl.rr.com and i can send them on......

thanks, bill:)

cabotcat wrote:Excellent feedback., Definitely will need the storage up top. Also need to keep the water as far away from the foundation as possible. Insulation is not negotiable. I will need access to this place without environmental concerns keeping me at bay.

And how far above/away from the mighty Ohio are you?:D

JPG40504 wrote:And how far above/away from the mighty Ohio are you?:D

He is a good bit closer to it than you are.
A pretty quick trip from Evansville IN. I do a little cemetery stomping in that area tracking ancestors. I have family buried at Olive Branch Church very near there and several other cemeteries not far from
there. That is some of my mother's maternal side from NC in the very early days.
My father's paternal side was closer to you from VA to Harrison, Grant and Boone counties also in fairly early days.

robinson46176 wrote:He is a good bit closer to it than you are.
A pretty quick trip from Evansville IN. I do a little cemetery stomping in that area tracking ancestors. I have family buried at Olive Branch Church very near there and several other cemeteries not far from
there. That is some of my mother's maternal side from NC in the very early days.
My father's paternal side was closer to you from VA to Harrison, Grant and Boone counties also in fairly early days.

I am 40 miles due south of the Ohio. Should not be a problem but one never knows. I would like to thank Brick1 for the fast photos. I will have time to review and develop many questions tomorrow. All ideas,suggestions methods, materials, pictures are greatly appreciated.

For now I am hitting the saw dust. Rest well brothers and sisters in arms.

robinson46176 wrote:He is a good bit closer to it than you are.
A pretty quick trip from Evansville IN. I do a little cemetery stomping in that area tracking ancestors. I have family buried at Olive Branch Church very near there and several other cemeteries not far from
there. That is some of my mother's maternal side from NC in the very early days.
My father's paternal side was closer to you from VA to Harrison, Grant and Boone counties also in fairly early days.

Whoops! I had Madison, IN in mind when I asked that!:o

JPG40504 wrote:Whoops! I had Madison, IN in mind when I asked that!:o

You can't get much closer to the Ohio than Madison IN.

robinson46176 wrote:You can't get much closer to the Ohio than Madison IN.

That is why I wondered if that was why he was so concerned about 'wetness' around the foundation.