I’m in a new shop space. It was previously a two-car garage. There were severe problems with condensation and the structure was a little wonky. Leaning walls, bowing ceiling, that kind of thing. Formulating a plan around a structure that is connected to your lively hood in a building you own is challenging. There is also the fact that when my wife and I bought our house and property a year and a half ago, there was no question my shop was going to be in the big, beautiful barn beside the house. That’s a dream I’m sure you can get behind. The barn has issues with the foundation that need fixed. It’s also twice as big as the garage and twice as tall. Which means four times as expensive to rehab. So, when the person that I was renting from in my previous shop decided to go a different direction that didn’t include me and the reality of tearing into the barn became more of a long-term dream, the garage started looking more attractive.

In my mind the dance for a project this big is between the time I can put into it, the vision I have for the space and the money I can spend. I was trying to work with what was there and sure things up while making the modifications that would make this a great shop. Part of the balance is always getting advice in the areas you need, making your decisions and then not really listening to anyone’s advice. I’m mostly kidding but if I would have listened to any one of the people who said, what I would do is… I wouldn’t be as happy as I am. I did what made sense to me and in that process, I practically started from scratch.

One of the cool things that happened in the process involved roofing trusses. A friend told me I should just take off the roof and get new trusses and that idea was completely overwhelming, not to mention something I know nothing about. I ended up finding a great local building supply with the right person who gave me tons of advice and guided me in the right direction. I went with raised heel scissor trusses and was able to get over eleven feet at the peak of the inside roof with no inside support or cross bracing. The resulting space feels incredibly spacious because of this and really supports my use of it as a shop space. Building engineering when well done is really an incredible thing.

My one regret is the size of the windows. The budget was really getting tight when I decided on the windows, and they feel a little small. I do love the additional wall space on the inside and feel the temperature is easier to control without a huge bank of windows. So, it is what it is. My last shop had a wall of windows, and the sun was incredible. I do miss that. It makes taking photos a little more challenging.

I still have a lot of work to do on the inside and storage to deal with, but it has been a great space to work in so far. I also need to finish the doors to the outside and put siding on the building. Ok fine, so I’m a long way from done, but I can walk out my back door and work in a space on my property. That certainly feels pretty good.