I acknowledge that many simply won't care about this but, after a year of effort, I'm finally almost to the point I can call the shop ready for action. The shop will undergo more "adjustments" as I continue my efforts to make it user friendly. Still trying to determine exactly where I want different things to be. This is just my initial placement of "stuff". Not sure the bike/trike lift is going to stay where it's sitting but (as usual) I wish I had built it bigger. The two-post lift takes up a lot of room in the center leaving just enough room for that bike/trike lift where it's currently located. That might change, anything or everything might get moved except the two-post lift. Anyway, here's my shop.

Feel free to comment or make suggestions.







Oh BTW, I didn't take a pic but on the rear of the shop is a 12X30 lean to where I park my Kubota Tractor and a few implements. I looked at getting a mini-split HVAC unit but, the cost of doing that would have been about 7 times higher than those two window units.

------------------
Rams
Learning most of life's lessons the hard way. .
You are only young once but, you can be immature indefinitely.

Looks awesome. I've been wanting a dedicated workshop for a long time.

Looks like it's about 30x40x12? Did you put it up yourself? I'm also guessing from the lack of spray foam, that you're going to do some kind of rigid wall on the bottom 7ft?

Gary

That's a lot of yellow.
Is it sealed?

Looks like a place I would love to spend a lot of time in.

quote Originally posted by G-Man: Looks awesome. I've been wanting a dedicated workshop for a long time. Looks like it's about 30x40x12? Did you put it up yourself? I'm also guessing from the lack of spray foam, that you're going to do some kind of rigid wall on the bottom 7ft? Gary

Correct on the size of the shop, 30X40, 12 foot walls, the peak is about 2.5 feet on up. No, I did not put it up myself. I would have and could have but, I haven't developed enough local friends to ask helping me. This is not a one-man construction project by any means but, three men had it up in a day and a half. From about the top of the windows all the way around the inside wall, I had the foam crew tape the uprights off and then remove that tape and foam spray when done. I do plan on hanging some plywood or peg board on the walls eventually. One thing I did learn is, that closed cell foam once applied strengthens the entire structure. This according to both the building manufacturer and the foam crew. I'm still trying to figure out how and where I'm going to hang my TV and then get an "over the air" signal through that metal skin. No, I'm not running cable or Wi-Fi out there. We'll have to see how that works out. I'm also considering a mezzanine up above the garage door across the entire or partial width of the building but, haven't decided yet. The building was sold with a rollup garage door that I didn't want. Was told (by the manufacturer that it was not available in an insulated version and could not get one with windows. Turns out, that's not true. They just don't sell them. I'm doubtful I should hang that much weight from the cross beams on a mezzanine and really don't want any poles coming up from the floor to support such a structure/storage area.

quote Originally posted by Jake_Dragon: That's a lot of yellow. Is it sealed? Looks like a place I would love to spend a lot of time in.

Yep, it sure is. Told the foam crew the wife wanted pink (joking). They told me a lot of folks paint the foam. I haven't considered painting it, figure I'll get used to it. No, the foam is not sealed, the need wasn't mentioned and I haven't heard of anyone doing that. Enlighten me if you will. Oh yeah, if you happen to ever come to South West Tennessee, stop by. We'll do something even if it ain't right.

Rams

[This message has been edited by blackrams (edited 07-27-2025).]

quote Originally posted by blackrams: Yep, it sure is. Told the foam crew the wife wanted pink (joking). They told me a lot of folks paint the foam. I haven't considered painting it, figure I'll get used to it. No, the foam is not sealed, the need wasn't mentioned and I haven't heard of anyone doing that. Enlighten me if you will. Oh yeah, if you happen to ever come to South West Tennessee, stop by. We'll do something even if it ain't right. Rams

It's been several years but the foam I worked with attracted dirt and was no friend to oil.

If I do ever get that way I will take you up on the offer. Sadly we don't do much traveling. I hope that will change in the next couple of years.
Want to get a nice roadster and spend several uncomfortable months seeing the country

Put a dormer in the roof, on one side, then slide the lift to the side with the lift's frame top in the dormer. Allowing the lift to be against the wall and not in the center.
This will free up alot of room.

[This message has been edited by 1987RedFiero (edited 07-27-2025).]

quote Originally posted by 1987RedFiero: Put a dormer in the roof, on one side, then slide the lift to the side with the lift's frame top in the dormer. Allowing the lift to be against the wall and not in the center. This will free up alot of room.

An interesting idea but, in that the uprights (posts) and roof A frames are on five-foot centers, doing so would require some additional engineering, materials to include ripping up and repouring thicker concrete for the two-post lift. That lift requires a minimum 6-inch pad. When I poured the pad, I planned on the lift being located where it is. As I said in the opening post, I wish the structure was bigger. If it was 10 foot wider, that lift would have been placed on the side and the shop would have two 12 foot garage doors instead of one. Such a project is most likely way out of my financial reach but, I do appreciate the suggestion. Thanks.

Rams

I like the shop, for a hobbiest it should be more than enough.

Fire cabinet for flammables, this is something I would not want to do without.
Air compressor? Do you have it plumbed to each side of the garage or will you just pull hoses? This was our biggest dirt generator, keeping the lines dry was the hardest part. Would suggest some oil resistant panels so clean up is not an issue. The water collectors were messy and draining them was a pain in the ass.
Ventilation, I would suggest a vent in the front and back to keep the top of the garage clear of fumes and hot air. May save you some money when its not that hot out. Put it on a thermostat with a range and a way to turn it off when you want to run the AC.
Then just storage to keep things off the work bench and floor.
** I did not own the garage that I worked in so I could only ***** about it but those were the things that I would have changed if I could have. The owner was like you, a hobbyist that let me work on things that were too much for my car port. Just had to clean up after and buy the beer.

I assume that you could put a small car on the lift and leave it when you are not using it, lock it out at the top and have room for a second car/bike under it.

quote Originally posted by Jake_Dragon: I like the shop, for a hobbiest it should be more than enough. Fire cabinet for flammables, this is something I would not want to do without. Air compressor? Do you have it plumbed to each side of the garage or will you just pull hoses? This was our biggest dirt generator, keeping the lines dry was the hardest part. Would suggest some oil resistant panels so clean up is not an issue. The water collectors were messy and draining them was a pain in the ass. Ventilation, I would suggest a vent in the front and back to keep the top of the garage clear of fumes and hot air. May save you some money when its not that hot out. Put it on a thermostat with a range and a way to turn it off when you want to run the AC. Then just storage to keep things off the work bench and floor. ** I did not own the garage that I worked in so I could only ***** about it but those were the things that I would have changed if I could have. The owner was like you, a hobbyist that let me work on things that were too much for my car port. Just had to clean up after and buy the beer. I assume that you could put a small car on the lift and leave it when you are not using it, lock it out at the top and have room for a second car/bike under it.

Some good suggestions there, Will consider and act on some. My next project is to put my air compressor out under the lean to and then plumb air lines into the shop but, that's going to have to wait a while, my "Honey Do" list is long and I'm behind according to her schedule...................... Apparently, we need four new ceiling fans installed where there's already four ceiling fans in the house. Mine is not to question why but to do or.................................

Edited: Visited a couple of retail outlets and found a air hose reel with a fifty foot air hose that I believe will do the job. Was intending to plumb in air supply plastic pipe but, this seems like a very useful idea to me. Yeah, I'm cheap and lazy but with a fifty foot air hose, I can reach every corner of the shop. Seems reasonable to me. Credit goes to CoolBlue87GT for that one.

Rams

[This message has been edited by blackrams (edited 08-15-2025).]

Your shop turned out great. The floor looks great.

I have a small compressor, using a 50 ft retractable hose reel.



Have you tried out the ac units & the lift yet?

I'd have to go back out and look but, my air compressor has a 10 gal. tank (IIRC). It might be bigger. It does what I need done. Even though I do have several air tools, I don't use them very often. Edited: I checked, my compressor has a 20 gallon tank.

Reference the AC units, those get used every time I go out there. In addition to the two ceiling fans, the two oscillating fans and a whole house squirrel cage fan. I usually turn the AC units on and come back in for 20 minutes to allow the AC units and fans to circulate some cool air through out the building. There's a lot of cubic feet of air that needs to be cooled down in that building. They also help dehumidify the air in the shop some, that's a big deal here.

Edited: The lift is still waiting on my Electrician to come back and run the conduit and wiring. Should happen this week.

Ram

[This message has been edited by blackrams (edited 08-05-2025).]

Looks awesome, man!

quote Originally posted by TheDigitalAlchemist: Looks awesome, man!

Thank you, sir! Today I'm having a load (or two) of topside soil delivered so that my Spousal Unit can direct me on how and where she wants the plantings to be placed on the side of the shop she views from her patio.
That's an easy compromise for me, she doesn't get to say squat about the inside but, she still has to look at the outside. One of those "Happy Wife, Happy Life" things.

Rams

[This message has been edited by blackrams (edited 08-04-2025).]

Man, that work shop is awesome!!

quote Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]: Man, that work shop is awesome!!

Thanks, I appreciate the comment. Spent several hours pushing and leveling out that dirt I had delivered. Spent the next day (morning and evening) doing the same for my neighbor who had two triple axle dump truck loads delivered to his back yard. Heat index at noon was 120 F. While I do enjoy tractor work, that was a bit taxing on this old body. But it's done now and both yards look leveled or contoured to the owner's desire. Now to get some grass and plants on it.

Rams

quote Originally posted by blackrams: Some good suggestions there, Will consider and act on some. My next project is to put my air compressor out under the lean to and then plumb air lines into the shop but, that's going to have to wait a while, my "Honey Do" list is long and I'm behind according to her schedule...................... Apparently, we need four new ceiling fans installed where there's already four ceiling fans in the house. Mine is not to question why but to do or................................. Rams

A few things.
If you use cordless electric tools, A gun/riffle safe is a good investment, A 600.00 safe from H/F is cheaper than a batttery pack burning the place down and everything in it.

The air compressor. You can knock down it's noise with going to a junkyard and getting a vehicles aircleaner/filter box and ducting It muffles the compressors pumping noise by 2/3rd and the air filter flows more than enough air to ever limit the unit. I added it to mine and now no one complains if I'm running it at 2am. Mine is outside my garage in a 4'x4'x8' tall shed with 3/8th inch plywood walls no insulation.

quote Originally posted by 1987RedFiero: A few things. If you use cordless electric tools, A gun/riffle safe is a good investment, A 600.00 safe from H/F is cheaper than a battery pack burning the place down and everything in it. The air compressor. You can knock down it's noise with going to a junkyard and getting a vehicles air cleaner/filter box and ducting It muffles the compressors pumping noise by 2/3rd and the air filter flows more than enough air to ever limit the unit. I added it to mine and now no one complains if I'm running it at 2am. Mine is outside my garage in a 4'x4'x8' tall shed with 3/8th inch plywood walls no insulation.

More interesting ideas. I like the way you think. Inside the shop, the biggest limitations are square footage, what it costs to get things the most efficient way and time to get it done. Time is the one thing I seem to have most of. I don't have any battery powered tools, I know their handy but all my plug in tools still operate and they don't get used much anyway. Yeah, I'm on the cheap side. If it still works, I'm going to use it till it doesn't work. But, a fire proof storage cabinet is always a good idea. Will seriously consider that air cleaner idea, never thought about that before. Air compressors are noisy and I'm already suffering from hearing loss due to my military activities.

I need to contact the company that manufactured my building to find out what the load bearing A frames up high are capable of carrying. There's a lot of wasted space up high that could be used for storage of all those things we should get rid of, throw away or give away but think we'll have a use of "someday". You know, those things one comes across five or ten years after being put up and wondering why I ever kept it..............

Rams

[This message has been edited by blackrams (edited 08-15-2025).]

I looked into these a while back and they were rated for a pretty good snow load ( a serious consideration here ). Find out what their rating is and try to determine your load where you live and that could give you a pretty good idea of what would be OK.

Marc

quote Originally posted by OldsFiero: I looked into these a while back and they were rated for a pretty good snow load ( a serious consideration here ). Find out what their rating is and try to determine your load where you live and that could give you a pretty good idea of what would be OK. Marc

Marc,
An excellent idea. Haven't put much thought into actually constructing that storage area yet. But believe that eventually I'll need a storage area somewhere. I seem to keep inheriting things that aren't really mine from my Spousal Unit to store. But, that reminder about snow load makes me think again about a mezzanine hanging from the A frame versus supported by posts from the floor. While we don't get much snow here (normally combined with ice), if I had a heavy load hanging from the A frame on a platform, a significant snow load could cause a structural failure. You have given me reason to rethink this. Thanks.

Rams

[This message has been edited by blackrams (edited 08-01-2025).]

quote Originally posted by blackrams: More interesting ideas. I like the way you think. Inside the shop, the biggest limitations are square footage, what it costs to get things the most efficient way and time to get it done. Time is the one thing I seem to have most of. I don't have any battery powered tools, I know their handy and but all my plug in tools still operate and they don't get used much anyway. Yeah, I'm on the cheap side. If it still works, I'm going to use it till it doesn't work. But, a fire proof storage cabinet is always a good idea. Will seriously consider that air cleaner idea, never thought about that before. Air compressors are noisy and I'm already suffering from hearing loss due to my military activities. I need to contact the company that manufactured my building to find out what the load bearing A frames up high are capable of carrying. There's a lot of wasted space up high that could be used for storage of all those things we should get rid of, throw away or give away but think we'll have a use of "someday". You know, those things one comes across five or ten years after being put up and wondering why I ever kept it.............. Rams

I started buying cordless tools, because 1) They made less noise than the air tools and compressor before I was told about the compressor inlet car air box trick/mod and 2) makes life a lot easier when I hit the junkyard for parts. Are they needed, no but nice to have. I just don't trust the batteries not to flare up into a fireworks flame throwning fire starter. So a riffle safe they get stored and charged as needed.
Cheap is good and why I hit the junkyards.

quote Originally posted by 1987RedFiero: I started buying cordless tools, because 1) They made less noise than the air tools and compressor before I was told about the compressor inlet car air box trick/mod and 2) makes life a lot easier when I hit the junkyard for parts. Are they needed, no but nice to have. I just don't trust the batteries not to flare up into a fireworks flame throwing fire starter. So a riffle safe they get stored and charged as needed. Cheap is good and why I hit the junkyards.

My wife has all the battery powered cordless tools in this household. From pole saw to weed eater and a few in between. As I previously stated.

quote Originally posted by blackrams: I know their handy, but all my plug in/corded tools still operate, they don't get used much anyway. Yeah, I'm on the cheap side. If it still works, I'm going to use it till it doesn't work. A fireproof storage cabinet is always a good idea. Will seriously consider that air cleaner idea, never thought about that before. Air compressors are noisy and I'm already suffering from hearing loss due to my military activities.

Rams

quote Originally posted by blackrams: My wife has all the battery powered cordless tools in this household. Rams

TMI !

Tell me more about your lift. I know you have had a few. Were they different ?

I just inherited a shop from my Son In Law, complete with a 1947 Hudson P/U.

Wow, nice shop! Downloaded a couple of the pics I can use as a goal for my retirement!

quote Originally posted by cliffw: Tell me more about your lift. I know you have had a few. Were they different ? I just inherited a shop from my Son In Law, complete with a 1947 Hudson P/U.

Cliff,
The lift I finally decided on was the HALO 10K lift. Most of the lifts out there are pretty similar (some are two piece posts bolted together, mine are one solid posts, I've had both) my decision was mostly based on US produced, price and what was going to base my needs on. I can't honestly say where the steel was produced but, the actual production was in the US. I've had a few different brand lifts; they all did the same thing with minor differences. The last lift I owned in KY had safety locks on both posts and releases for those locks on each post. My previous lifts had a single point safety release located on the post with the hydraulic controls, an easier way of letting the vehicle back down than having to walk to each post repeatedly. It's a small thing but, I wanted that option. The 10K lift capability was within the heaviest vehicle weight of anything I'll allow on it, it will safely lift any one ton dually out there currently. My son's Ram 3500 with huge tires and rims hits the scales at 9500 lbs.

Many say that Bend Pak is the best lift made, I'm not sure why. I've owned one previously and thought it was reliable but no more so than the others I've owned. But, there's a pretty significant difference in price. My HALO 10K required a 3K PSI concrete mix a minimum of 6 inches thick. I went with a 4K concrete mix and 6 to 7 inches thick. I also put rebar and wire in my concrete in the 12-foot wide and 10-foot-long area where the posts are located. The rest of the concrete is 3+ inches thick with just wire in it. No relief/crack joints are with in 4 feet of my lift posts. When drilling the expansion bolts holes in the concrete, I did hit one spot where contact with the rebar was made with the drill bit. That hole didn't quite make the desired depth of 5 inches but, was close enough. The lift posts are located where they are so that I am sure I'll be able to balance the load equally and still have room to work. I have known of friends who put their lifts too close to walls or other things restricting access to what they wanted to work on.

My biggest gripe was that I wanted the lift to be Blue like my motorcycle/trike lift but, it only came in Black. It is, what it is.

Rams

[This message has been edited by blackrams (edited 08-03-2025).]

quote Originally posted by blackrams: Jake, Because you asked

Out standing, it's always better to know then be told. Also that its fire retardant is great! I hope you have many years enjoying your projects. When you have time

quote Originally posted by Jake_Dragon: Out standing, it's always better to know then be told. Also that its fire retardant is great! I hope you have many years enjoying your projects. When you have time

One thing worth noting, I recently was sweeping the shop floor when my Spousal Unit came in to advise me of something I needed to get on from the previously mentioned "Honey Do" list. Told her that I would get on it but, needed to clean up all the dust that was on the floor from leaving the garage door open. Pretty dusty on my shop floor. Told her I need one of those Roomba things. Three days later, one arrived. She knows how to manipulate me.

Rams

That's a nice shop! Way prettier than mine.
I was in too much of a hurry to get into mine, so I didn't bother getting the floor sealed. It's also not nearly as clean as yours.

I also made the mistake of letting my wife use it for some of her dog training classes.
I won't tell you how that worked out.

quote Originally posted by blackrams: Mark, Should you ever get the opportunity, you'd be welcome to come take a guided tour. It's only a Buck, Two-Ninety-Eight. There's always something that after it's done, you wish you'd done something a bit differently. Mine is wiring and not putting in more plug-ins for electrical uses. Should have also installed another 220V outlet but, that can always be done later but at an additional cost. Oh, and 10 foot wider................. Rams

Heck, I thought 2 bucks four thirty-nine was where you were at! My neighbor at the lake had a shop like yours. Unfortunately, a few years ago he slipped and fell on some ice in February and hit his head and that was the end. So, to all- enjoy life as much as you can now.

quote Originally posted by MarkS: Heck, I thought 2 bucks four thirty-nine was where you were at! My neighbor at the lake had a shop like yours. Unfortunately, a few years ago he slipped and fell on some ice in February and hit his head and that was the end. So, to all- enjoy life as much as you can now.

Oh, that rate is for regular folks. Obviously, you get the Pennock's Members Discount..................................

Your friend's accident is unfortunate. My condolences.

On previous shops I've always had to have a line buried from the street/power pole which, required a separate meter on my shop. That meter isn't free, IIRC the last one cost me $30.00 a month whether any juice was used or not. I also had to pay commercial rates for any juice that went through that meter. I wasn't going to have that again unless I had no other choice. My home has a 200-amp breaker already and there are two external/outside breakers that were installed when the house was built, one for an AC Unit for the three-car garage and one for a future pool. Neither was ever installed so, I rented a trencher and trenched out a 2-foot-deep trench (required by code here) and tied into the house electrical breaker.

Rams

[This message has been edited by blackrams (edited 08-03-2025).]

amazing

quote Originally posted by ls3mach: amazing

Appreciate the comment but, I consider it a work in progress. Most likely for the rest of my life.

Rams

I used to have a sign that indicated Fiero Parking on my shop in Kentucky but after the last Fiero left, I gave it to someone. Honestly don't remember who.

Regardless, I have this sign I just put into the shop door window. I know, most folks won't get anything out of seeing it but, my Valkyrie friends all love it.



Rams