# Garage Workshop Conversion



## Talos4 (Aug 10, 2006)

Well, She who must be obeyed has given me the OK to convert our one car garage into a workshop. :thumbup:

Lot's of questions, here's a few notes about existing conditions.

Garage is dettached

I live in the "Frozen tundra" No NG to garage.

Garage is fairly new built in 96. No insulation.

Already has a dedicated 20 amp circuit.

Will be used as a DIY workshop to start, however higher end projects have been completed recently. (bookcases, entertainment center)

Usual suspects in power tools, Table saw, Drill press, Jig saw, disc sander, Band saw arriving soon! Grinder, 

I'm looking for direction, where to start? 

Project begins in the spring. Around here, that's June!:wink:


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## slickshift (Aug 25, 2005)

>>>>I would suggest starting with the illusion of a workbench


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## majakdragon (Sep 16, 2006)

A one car garage is not a whole lot of space so you need to lay out your workshop carefully. I would suggest making the bigger tools mobile by adding casters with locks. This way, they can be moved out of the way when not in use. I have a large area for a workshop but it still seems crowded at times.


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## Talos4 (Aug 10, 2006)

Seriously, in almost ten years of using my handle you are the FIRST person to recognize the origin. 

I've had many people get the right program... but never the episode. Congrats Slick! :thumbsup: 

Back on topic. 

I had planned on the mobile tools. I'm doing that now storing everything under the work bench. 

This is not going to be a cabinet making shop. Cutting full sheets of plywood can take place in the driveway, much like it has the last several years. It's just a pain lugging my table saw up from the basement. 

I guess the use of colorful metaphor's the last time convinced the wife I needed more room.


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## Tscarborough (Mar 31, 2006)

Obviously, the first step is a beer fridge.


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## sjrhome (Nov 29, 2006)

I would suggest some kind of dust removal/vac system. I have a basement workshop that gets covered anytime a build anything.


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## RICHIE K (Dec 11, 2006)

I would insulate it first


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## Talos4 (Aug 10, 2006)

Insualtion is the first thing I would do, 

Then I was thinking of figuring out a heating system. 

No NG to the garage. 

Would an LP heating system be a good alternative?


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## sjrhome (Nov 29, 2006)

You can get yourself a space heater.


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## Proulx06 (Jan 8, 2007)

I have not yet done this project, but I'm going to turn one side of my 2-car into a workshop. The house we just bought 6 months ago had a workshop in the basement, but it was in the same room as the wood stove. Trying to do any sort of work in that room meant you lost 10 pounds in sweat! So, of course, I'm moving the workshop to the garage, where I'll freeze to death.

My first step will be insulation. I've never done this but it doesn't look terribly difficult. Next up will be plywood walls. I'm thinking plywood because it'll be much stronger than drywall, and I'm not too worried about aesthetics. I figure the garage is ugly as sin now, painted plywood will be a huge improvement. On the side of the garage where I'll put a bench and my tools, I'll use pegboard. A few sheets of that instead of plywood will give me plenty of wall space to hang my smaller tools, socket sets, etc. 

After that's done, I'm hoping to build a cheap workbench out of old/used cabinets and some plywood. If I happen to have some extra funds at the time, maybe I'll buy a couple of those prefabbed workbenches, but we'll see. I'd also like to epoxy the garage floor around this time. 

The only part I'm not sure about is the ceiling...as it sits now, you can look up and see through the rafters to the underside of the (leaking) roof (which needs to be fixed first, I suppose). Can you just plywood the entire roof too? I assume you'd have to put some sort of insulation up there as well. 

So anyways, I'm not a ton of help, but in a similar position as you. These are the things I think about during my 50 minute commute...


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## majakdragon (Sep 16, 2006)

Proulx06,
Drywall would be much cheaper than plywood for the walls. Just keep it up a little off the floor if there is a moisture problem or if "wicking" could occur. Old doors (metal or wood) make nice benchtops. Make sure you have enough electrical outlets installed before covering walls. I have a couple old dressers with drawers as my bench bases. Lighting is also an important consideration. Being one half of a garage, I would look at what kind of ventilation you will have/need. Just a few more things to consider. Good luck with your project.


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## Brik (Jan 16, 2007)

RICHIE K said:


> I would insulate it first


 Nope - First plan a good layout then run electric, then insulate if you plan to heat or cool the place. Placing outlets at 4' 6" off the floor makes things easier. Not 4' but 4'6" because you can lean a sheet of plywood againts the wall and still use the outlet. Also consider one or two 220v outlets for your new table saw and other stuff.


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## Proulx06 (Jan 8, 2007)

majakdragon said:


> Proulx06,
> Drywall would be much cheaper than plywood for the walls. Just keep it up a little off the floor if there is a moisture problem or if "wicking" could occur. Old doors (metal or wood) make nice benchtops. Make sure you have enough electrical outlets installed before covering walls. I have a couple old dressers with drawers as my bench bases. Lighting is also an important consideration. Being one half of a garage, I would look at what kind of ventilation you will have/need. Just a few more things to consider. Good luck with your project.


I didn't realize drywall was cheaper than plywood. I wanted to go plywood for the simle reason that I could mount things (rakes, shovels, weedwacker, etc) anywhere, not just where the studs were. Figured It'd be easier. Maybe if the price difference is large, I'll just use plywood in a couple spots and mount everything there.


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## head_dunce (Nov 20, 2006)

Proulx06 said:


> On the side of the garage where I'll put a bench and my tools, I'll use pegboard. A few sheets of that instead of plywood will give me plenty of wall space to hang my smaller tools, socket sets, etc.


We carry quite a few options for metal pegboard that'll give you both the storage space and the cool look. Give us a call if we can help.


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## Darylh (Jan 2, 2006)

I would definitely look into a little more power first. It will drive you nuts being in a dedicated shop and not enough power. No better time than now. Drywall is less expensive and if you use a cleat system you can hang anything anywhere.
When I bought this place they had the wiring on a 15amp 240 Volt breaker(still there). This seams to work fine all these years but I had to put in a 15amp 240 circuit for my table saw and a 30amp 240 for my construction heater and 15amp for my compressor(portable). I also installed a 240vt thermostat to run my heater plug. at present I have planer, jointer, miter saw, table saw, band saw, dust collector Router table and so on. If my shop had been 20amp I would have been in trouble but we do have to do what we have to do right, so look into this first and while your at it see if you have any outdoor plugs on any of the walls in this garage and see if you can tie into these for a little more power. then carry on from there. A LP gas heater would be a good way to go if power is a problem.
If you measure the foot prints of your equipment then sit down and draw a plan it will help you considerably.
Hope this helps.


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## harleysilo (Jun 19, 2006)

The metal peg board is tight! However it's expensive!

Good suggestions made above regarding boasting amps to shop. My current Basement shop is like only 20 amp, using my tablesaw with anything else going on like compressor and the lights start flickering.

That and I don't have a vac sytem for sawdust, talk about a pain in the butt. It just floats in the air. Don't forget a few ceiling fans for summer time, possibly and exhaust fan out the side (like a whole house fan) for fumes removal, or just air flow in summer.

Consider putting in a sink at this point in time. For a real shop throw in a urinal too.....


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