What to include in your dream shop build?

[jkranchrstexas]

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[StrayDog]

Big Arse Fan - pricey but man they move some air
Put roll up or garage doors on the long side of the building opposite each other (north-south side) to help move air.

Insulation.

A little enclosed area with a comfy seat and AC for thinking/taking a break.

I hate being hot.

I know a guy that bought a kit but bricked/sided the outside and put the r-panel on the inside (warranty/structural reasons from the city). He has a couple clear roof panels, a light epoxy floor, and a few LED lights - I thought it was goofy until I figured out how bright the inside was. Easy to see anything you’re working on or when you drop something

An overhead gantry with electric hoist with electric trolley - I’d love to have a movable aluminum one with adjustable height that’s wide enough to straddle a flat bed trailer. Makes loading/unloading stuff by yourself easy and can use for a million other things. Alternatively, or in addition, a little jib crane with a decent reach.

[DZM]

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This is awesome!

[Tommyh]

Worked in many shops when i was younger. Air, a/c, lifts, varsol, bathing, storage all would have been appreciated.

[jkranchrstexas]

This is awesome!

Thank you.


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[DeerGeek]

A Door on the south and a door on the north. Open them to get good cross breeze.

[chrisgunguy]

One of my favorite decisions was to put an I beam across the inside peak of the shop for an electric wench to go back and forth. A co-worker had just finished his and was upset he hadn't done it, so I did it in mine and its an awesome edition. You can see the jeep top above the camaro, and in one of the under construction pics. I also made sure the slab was ready for a lift install.

[Quackerbox]

Mine is 30x40x16 as well. 3 roll up doors and a 12 foot lean to on one side and 12 foot apron on another

Should have gone bigger, should have done another door for draft. Need gutters

Did full bath,200 Amp service, lots of plugs. still working on it

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[RdRdrFan]

I just finished up my 60x80x20 barn with a 32’ lean-to down one 80’ side and a 30’ gable extension on the entry end. I ended up laying additional slab and enclosing half of the lean-to. I attached my lean-to at the 16’ level.

What am I glad that I did?

I spray foamed everything above the 16’ purlin in the main barn and everything above the 8’ level in the side barn. Below that I put in 6” batt insulation and skinned over the batt with a combination of wood paneling and corrugated galvanized panels. Cost was very close to the same for batt and panels versus 1” of painted closed cell spray foam. Looks way better and cleaner.

I put in 2x5 horizontal windows in each bay on the 80’ side on each side. So basically 4 on each side. These were installed between the 16’ purlin and the top of the sidewall. Provides great light during the daytime instead of the barn being pitch black when you walk in.

Put in a loft for a 20x40 area so I have upstairs and downstairs. We finished out a couple of 20x20 rooms (one up and one down) complete with Sheetrock and separate mini-splits. Also have a bathroom with shower and a wash bay for our pigs.

Put in a couple of large TV’s in the main barn area. This barn can/does double as a party barn for us to have friends over to watch games (or for my wife to have her friends over to watch the bachelor). It’s very nice to have the TV’s for when you are working and there is a game on that you don’t want to miss.

Speakers. We decided on a few of the Sonos Five speakers so it’s all fairly integrated but can be hooked to each TV wirelessly or run music when you don’t have the TV on.

Plenty of 110 outlets. They are everywhere.

Lights. We spent a ton of time deciding the right amount of light. We like where we ended up. High bay LED shop lights can be tricky IMO. You can easily drift from too little light, past the perfect balance and end up with too much.

Cheap labor. We still aren’t finished with the “finish out” but I have a couple of young men that are hungry for cash. So I save up on some of the harder (heavy lifting and crap I just don’t enjoy) work and utilize them for that. It’s amazing how much a young back can’t get done in 4-5 hours. And it is worth every dang cent.

Hot and cold water to the wash bay in addition to the bathroom.

High bay garage door. I can (and have) use it to get anything in there that I will ever need to.

Basketball goal. Got this as a Christmas gift for my boys. They use it constantly.

Quality openers on the garage doors.

My well doesn’t have to have a large tank so I went with an underground tank. Don’t have to have a well house or anything and they put the well right next to the barn.

Interior 34x60 walking area with turf. It can be stacked and put to the side along with the interior fencing after show season. We can work with our animals when others can’t.


What do I wish I had done differently?

I went with 5” slab. Wish I had done 6”. Haven’t had any issues and probably won’t but I’m always worried about it.

Wish I had extended the lean-to down along side the gable extension. More lean-to space would be great for additional trailer/tractor/truck/whatever parking.

Exterior hose bibs. I went with standard off of the side of the barn at the recommendation of the plumber. Wish I had gone with the frost proof hydrant style where I needed them.

Should have planned better for my floor drains.


I’m sure that over time my lists will flip some and there will be more under the “what I wish I had done differently” tab but we just got to where we could use it about 60 days ago and we are still finishing up a lot of the smaller finish up items.

For us it fits our lifestyle. It is a great party/work/show pig barn.

[CaptainDave]

I agree with the comments on the outlets. Make sure to have lots of outlets and also have the ability to run just about any type of equipment from power tools, welders, wood working and even RV if you have or plan to own one at some point. This is something easy to do during a build and isn't a budget killer.

Plumb for a bathroom, sink, shower, even if you don't plan to build one out initially.

Take the size building you think you need and go up at least to the next size. Even a 40X60 can fill up fast.

If you plan on parking a boat or similar in there, be sure to measure the trailer! Same goes for an RV, be sure to measure height and width if you plan to park inside or under an awning, etc. Also take that into account as lost work space, which sort of goes back to the go bigger than you think you need.

[IOWA BOW HUNTER]

Hot water heater, have everything else but winter and washing your hands really sucks in a old 1980 barn/workshop.

[Gunfish]

Great info! Following

[TexasBob]

I have a 40x50 with a 40x12 porch. It’s too small. I cheaped out on the awning out front and regret it every time it rains. Layout makes a huge difference. Mine has 3 doors across the front so I have basically two 15x50 bays and one a bit larger. Feels huge compared to similar size building with one entry on the end


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[Montec man]

Definitely an electric hoist.

[RWB]

Mine is 50x50 with a 25x50 carport.
Add as many carports / porches as you can
Build out a loft for storage
Washer and dryer. We use all the time. RV bedding never has to go in the house.