Reviewing work shop plans and building codes

Brent Zappe · May 11, 2018

Within this past two years I have moved from a big City area to a small town farming, Ranching and mining area. a place where I always have loved to live in type area. I thought build a work shop on my property would be no problem but threw the years they have changes the rules on what a building has to be. I first thought a metal shop would go but the county says no. soI had to stick to there guide lines in a shop. the first shop was 56 X 32 at the coast of 70.00 a square foot I saw the coast and said sorry can not afford this shop. this next shop plan is 43 X 32 the same price for square foot and so I am going to go with it because I have the money to afford this shop. Like I have said before I am still learning on all this crap on what is okay to build in an area where you live. Strange enough the coast goes by Square footage If I took counters out or walls out it still would not make it any cheaper to build it. The three rooms in the shop are made for equipment like the air compressor, for cleaning engine parts and building engines. Storage on the other stuff needed in the shop like safety stands , floor jacks, Engine cherry picker, and etc. the shop will not house any of my classic cars they have there own garages to go it that is a good thing.

David G · May 11, 2018

I still do not understand why you are making it so narrow with all the internal walls, clear open area with one clean room is so much more useful.

Brent Zappe · May 11, 2018

The problem is that the area I live in has a history of high winds and heavy snow load the buildings. the first shop I had drawn up I like it but I could not afford to build it to the county building guide lines. The work space is all open in side there are three doors on the wall instead one door. the rooms a design like I said for storage on parts, cleaning equipment for engine work, Boring bar, Lathe, and etc. Air compressor and generator for back up usage if needed. When I say I restore Automobiles and farm equipment I have a lot of equipment that needs to go in to spot for this because you do not want to mess up what your working on being next to it with some of the equipment. Plus some times you can find it getting it the way when using another machine. so that is why the rooms are there they are to separate those machines when in use.

Andy Martin · May 11, 2018

Sounds like you need a different contractor. He's not quoting, just charging you a high enough cost per square foot to cover whatever you want. Or hire the subcontractors yourself (may not be practical for you/in your area.

Ellis Kinney · May 11, 2018

Give some thought to your concrete floor. A minimum of 8 inches and #5 rebar would be nice. Compact the sub surface prior to the pour. The drive thru section of my floor is 12 inches thick with #6 steel on 12 inch centers. Good luck with your project. Ellis

grizz02 · May 11, 2018

the one problem I see is it looks like your bay doors are on the side where the snow slides which will plug your doors up if you can afford it a car port or front over hang is the best money I spent I can work under it weld and grind outside just my 2 cents

Goose · May 11, 2018

In any real estate deal, the onus is always on the buyer to do his homework ahead of time and make sure he can actually do what he wants with a piece of property if he buys it.

We run into it all the time. I've never understood why people will spend big money on a piece of property assuming they can do anything they want with it. The worst case we've had recently was a fellow paid $480,000 for 80 acres planning to put in a subdivision, and then found out local zoning regs didn't allow it. With good reason. The property is in a water conservation area and zoning regs limit residences to 3 per quarter section because there simply isn't enough ground water to support more than that. And the property he bought was already maxed out on houses.

A simple phone call to our Zoning Administrator ahead of time could have saved the guy an half million bucks.

teddy52food · May 11, 2018

My shop was built in 1975 with a 4 inch floor & no cracking yet. I used to do the township road grader with wing & plow on it. When they mixed the cement, they knew what it was for.

Duane WI · May 11, 2018

It may sound crazy but have you thought about mounting you large equipment on wheels? Large high capacity caster wheels are available. When equipment is not being used it gets pushed to the side. I have all of my large shop equipment on wheels but I don't have anything near as heavy as a mill or lathe. I pull out the equipment I need for what I am working on and then store it along the sidewalls when not needed. I restore old pickups and I move through the phases of work. Sheet metal repair, body work, painting, engine work, chassis work, wiring, etc. Each phase takes months so I set up the tools I need for the phase I am in. I am currently doing sheet metal work in the exact same spot that becomes my paint booth. Move the equipment out. Sweep the floor, drop the side curtains and I have a paint booth. I second what others have already said. Large open single room spaces are better than multiple rooms.

moresmoke · May 11, 2018

I don't have wheels on my stuff, but most has a pallet base. Pallet Jack if it needs to go a little ways, or forklift if it needs to go to another building.

dr sportster · May 11, 2018

Make all your equipment to scale in graph paper and you can arrange it in the shop and make sure it all fits.

Crazy Horse · May 11, 2018

Ellis ...... holy smokes, you must be repairing Sherman Tanks in your shop ...... never heard of that kind of thickness for a shop floor ......... well maybe some Caterpillar dealership or something.

David G · May 11, 2018

I have put all my equipment on roller, just roll it out to clean under it.

David G · May 11, 2018

That would support a tank, mine is 5" reinforced.

Brent Zappe · May 11, 2018

Thank you we have made a note on what you have said good information.

Brent Zappe · May 11, 2018

I had thought about doing this because this is the first complete shop I have with cement in it. The last shop I had did not have a nice cement floor all one level. It had different levels in the shop to walk threw nothing was a one level like shop is to be. There is one spot in the plans that show a wall that can be taken out to take the two rooms and make in to one big room. they call it a folding wall unit (have no clue what they say it is but it sounds like our class rooms we had in the school district I had worked in for years. It should be a folding wall on tracks that allow you to open it up. the reason for the rooms was to give the shop strength for the high beam crane unit that travels from wall to wall in the working zone..

Brent Zappe · May 11, 2018

When you say Restate people I had looked four five years before buying where I did. it was interesting to me every body told me yes for a shop. what I have learned is that yes means Maybe. the build codes have change in the past two years because of the impact of where I am located. the metals structures up here where not maintained and are fallowing down and the area had a lot of older buildings making eye sores. Since I have moved now and living here in building you have to be with in the building structure codes for this area. so in my conversation with the person to draw up the plans he told me we would have no problems with a work shop if it looked like a nice building. I am for this because A really need a shop and yes I do not want it not passing building code. I just only wish that realtors could had told me buy property that has a shop with a house on it. Would I have done it only if the price was right.

tomturkey · May 11, 2018

I see a lot of suggestions for your shop I'll make only two. 1. Set up your shop however it is in your mind that it will work for you. It is your shop and you need to be happy with the layout. 2. Make sure you use engineered truss rafters, that way when if you ever decide to reconfigure the interior of your shop (remove walls) none of those walls will be load bearing walls. That will give you some flexibility at a later time. It will be a happy day for you when it is completed. Enjoy. gobble

jm. · May 11, 2018

David that is just what I was thinking. I have paid for three new KUBOTA dealerships in the last 20 years and all shops have swerved well with 5,000 lb concrete poured a full 4 inched deep. No cracks and no problems. That 6 in with steel is getting where you could run a dozer thru the shop. Seems ever time this comes up the farther North one goes the thicker they want to pour it. Must be the extreme cold.

ss55 · May 12, 2018

" the reason for the rooms was to give the shop strength for the high beam crane unit that travels from wall to wall in the working zone.. "

The overhead crane is new information. If one side of the crane is supported by just the columns in the west wall (the wall with 3 overhead doors), why couldn't the other side of the crane also be supported by columns instead of the solid wall down the center of the building? Many shops do that.

Can the center wall should not be a structural wall, so that you or any future owner can easily remove the center wall without affecting the rest of the building?

MarkB_MI · May 12, 2018

> Strange enough the coast [sic] goes by Square footage If I took counters out or walls out it still would not make it any cheaper to build it.

I've never heard of a builder who gives away content.

It looks like a nice shop. For that kind of money it should be.

Destroked 450 · May 12, 2018

(quoted from post at 07:30:18 05/12/18) >

I've never heard of a builder who gives away content.

It looks like a nice shop. For that kind of money it should be.

The builder isn't giving away content, he's just making more profit if the owner has that content left out.

Reviewing work shop plans and building codes

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