Portable Carport/Garage

[Doofy]

I hear that! Even in Alaska, I'm only using 20-30 gallons of heating oil a month during the winter and it is well worth it. R-19 in ceiling and walls and no insulation under the slab floor.
Getting ready to add another 6" of blow-in to the ceiling. Sealing all the drafts makes a big difference.

I keep the thermostat down to 45 degrees unless I'll be working out there. I found smoke detectors that pair with the ones in the house to alert me of a fire. I spent to many years without a warm garage to work in and it sucked.

 

[wildbill23c]

I hear that! Even in Alaska, I'm only using 20-30 gallons of heating oil a month during the winter and it is well worth it. R-19 in ceiling and walls and no insulation under the slab floor.
Getting ready to add another 6" of blow-in to the ceiling. Sealing all the drafts makes a big difference.

I keep the thermostat down to 45 degrees unless I'll be working out there. I found smoke detectors that pair with the ones in the house to alert me of a fire. I spent to many years without a warm garage to work in and it sucked.

I have a wood stove in the house for heat, I plan on putting one out in the shop as well, but I'll have either electric or gas heat to keep things from freezing when I'm not out there. My little 12' x 14' tuff shed is insulated and finished inside and I use that for my pen making stuff and I keep it heated in the winter, about the same temperature you keep your shop when not in use, when I want to do anything out there I go out about a half hour before and turn the heat up, within a half hour its ready to work. Around tools I DO NOT wear long sleeve shirts and that type of stuff so if I can't work in a short sleeve shirt I'm not comfortable operating tools at all.

I spent a whole day out in the shed once making a bunch of pens for an order and I think the heater kicked on maybe a dozen times the whole day so it wasn't bad at all.

 

[Doofy]

Hahaha That's funny. My usual attire is normally a tank top and shorts because I like comfort with no restrictions. The Wife would have a shit fit if she knew I sometimes crank the heat up to 75 or so.

I surface mounted all of the electric and lighting so there are no wall or ceiling penetration to bleed heat. I also retrofitted all the 4' fluorescent lighting to led. You do what you can when you are paying .28 per KWH.

30 degrees this morning. Brrr! I'm off to town for more blow in insulation!

 

[don4331]

Looks like a nice building to turn into a proper shop.

Carefully remove the board from the front and re-use them to close in the back, install a modern garage door in the front, insulate the walls to R-20 (strap the studs if you need to), insulate the to R30, vapour barrier, drywall, pour a smooth floor, install some nice lighting and you'll be able to charge your buddies to use it

I have a small 2-post lift, raises vehicle 45-53" (technically, it is that distance from when the pads make contact with the vehicle - more with the 'Stang, less with the Ranger...) which still allows a hair of clearance with my 8' 6" ceiling.. You can't exactly run underneath, but it's nice height for working on brakes, etc.

 

[Doofy]

Well hell, don4331 We will all just come to your house. Problems solved!

 

[wildbill23c]

Looks like a nice building to turn into a proper shop.

Carefully remove the board from the front and re-use them to close in the back, install a modern garage door in the front, insulate the walls to R-20 (strap the studs if you need to), insulate the to R30, vapour barrier, drywall, pour a smooth floor, install some nice lighting and you'll be able to charge your buddies to use it

I have a small 2-post lift, raises vehicle 45-53" (technically, it is that distance from when the pads make contact with the vehicle - more with the 'Stang, less with the Ranger...) which still allows a hair of clearance with my 8' 6" ceiling.. You can't exactly run underneath, but it's nice height for working on brakes, etc.

I'll definitely be saving and reusing what I can, but I'm going to start looking for materials so I can do the reframing at least and get that going probably not till spring as winter is approaching and don't want all my tools getting covered in snow.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

A wood shed isn't that bad to work in, they beat the tar out of a uninsulated steel building.

I have a wood single car garage built in the '40's. I just have a little Black and Decker heater (that looks like a fan) and if I stay in front of it it isn't too bad. Usually down to my usual winter time two layers (t-shirt and sweater) with no coat. If it gets really cold it is a no go though.

Wood shops have a cool personality, insulating mine would be nice but it has a cool look on the inside now... and I would lose a ton of storage between the poles.

Next summer I want to put a steel roof on it (what it has isn't great) and eventual put steel on the outside walls too.

 

[wildbill23c]

My actual wood shed isn't enclosed on the front, so it would be impossible to heat LOL.

My barn would be pretty easy to setup once its added onto and the floor done properly. Its impossible to have tools setup properly because of the dirt floor.

If I can get everything done like I want I'd probably keep busy year round with my pen making stuff.

 

[Doofy]

What tools are used in pen making? Lathe? I see pen blanks on line but don't understand what is involved in the process. Sure love the smell of a woodshop!