New shop for the Blazer, truck, boat, camp, etc...

[drfloyd]

I like your shop. I have one basically the same size and the one thing that I regret is not adding a separate room or section to house miscellaneous parts. My shop is oriented 180 degrees from what yours is and I have 20 foot shed extensions across the front and back the entire 50 foot length that I use to keep my cars and trucks out of the weather. I seriously don't think any of us could build a shop large enough. I'm in the planning stages of adding on to mine to include some storage area as well as a paint booth and prep area for the booth.

[drfloyd]

This is the first time I've posted any pics so bare with me. These are some shots I took this morning from the shop. Excuse the mess, I'm in the process of cleaning things up to prepare for this truck build. Got the Camaro sold and have to get it out so I can get the cab in the shop and get started on it. That's the C10 frame on the lift.

I like seeing shop pics and what everyone else has. I like getting ideas as well. Like the thread about socket organizers.

[drfloyd]

Here are the remainder that I took. I'll take some more when I'm done cleaning and organizing.

[Hart_Rod]

It's about dang time.......!

[smbrouss70]

Originally Posted by Hart_Rod

It's about dang time.......!

I know, Right! When it is finished, maybe I will actually be able to work on the truck again.


drfloyd, it looks like your walls are 12' tall, right? I had to go 16' on my walls to be able to get the camper or 4-post lift in the middle if I need to. I am going to make a loft over each side bay that will run from the front wall to the back wall. One side will have stairs going up and only have 8' of clearance below. That should give me almost 6' of clearance above it. The other side will have 10' of clearance below it leaving about 4' on top and it will be connected by a walkway across the back wall which will be over my workbench. Hopefully, that keeps my floor clear of parts that are being stored so that I can bring vehicles in and out at will.

I do like those heavy duty shelves that you have, did you source those from an old Home Depot or something? I'd like to find a set of those to go up in my lofts.

[drfloyd]

Yessir. It is 12'. When I built my shop years before I got my lift, I had no intention of buying one at the time. But my lift worked out really great as it turns out. The top chain track fit perfectly over my ceiling joists and I got a photo eye from work to shoot a beam just across the bottom of the ceiling joists to stop a vehicle roof before it gets into the ceiling.

The pallet racking is part of several loads of surplus stuff that I got from work for nothing. One day I'll get around to squirting some paint on it. Or not.

My next project is to add about 30 feet onto the end and put a down draft paint booth in.

I put my stairs on the outside to access the storage in the top. That kept me from using valuable space inside. I have an L shaped set of steps up to it with a landing that I can sit a pallet on using my forks on the front of the John Deere loader.

[drfloyd]

One thing I do like in my old shop are the roll up doors. I have never regretted spending the extra money on them. They take up almost no ceiling space. I think I paid $500 each for the 3 of them when I built it. I could have gotten electric operators for them for another $500. Obviously, I didn't have the money at the time and now I'm accustomed to pulling the chains.

[smbrouss70]

I finally got the plumbing stubbed up before I went to Cruisin' the Coast for a week. I just got off of the phone with the scheduler... CONCRETE TOMORROW!!!!!

[Advanced Design]

Nice to have and on my gotta have list for the shop. Concrete is always exciting...makes such a big differnce in a day.

[smbrouss70]

WE HAVE A SLAB!!!
It has a nice finish with perfect ramps in the doorways, and is 6" thick 5000 PSI concrete with wire mesh in the fiberglass reinforced concrete. It should stay perfect for the rest of my life... I really don't care what happens after that.

[Advanced Design]

Congrat's on the slab. Looks good and sounds really strong.

[Hart_Rod]

Looks great Steven!

[smbrouss70]

Thanks Guys!

They changed out some damaged panels on the side of the shop (at the back, where the clean panels are) and installed the 60 ft. long seamless gutters today. All that is left is the front wall and hang the roll-up door!

[Mr Chevorlet]

Very nice, I know how excited you are, i felt the same way in March when mine was going up. I was always excited the see the next phase start and then see it finished. That also looks like a well built shop too!

[DanS_71K10]

Is that a Mallet building? They built mine a couple of years ago. Looks like the same concrete crew out of Marksville that poured mine.

[smbrouss70]

Yes, it is a Mallett building. The concrete finishers were out of Mansura, but yeah basically Marksville, the foreman's name was Larry Louis, he seemed to be very knowledgeable and nice to deal with.

How is your building and concrete holding up? Any problems or little things that you don't like now?

[DanS_71K10]

Yep, Larry was the guy. Had a few problems with delays and scheduling construction, but other than that I have been 100% satisfied with my building.

[smbrouss70]

Yeah, their scheduling could use some work. The guys showed up and installed the gutters and left. 30 minutes later a couple of guys showed up to change some damaged panels and had to call the gutter guys back to have them take the gutters back down until the panels were changed.

It's been a week and a half that I have been waiting for them to finish the front wall so that I can start wiring and moving in....

[DanS_71K10]

I actually had mine wired and the lights on before they got the concrete poured.

[smbrouss70]

I got tired of waiting... I had to put the Blazer in first, just because... But I cleaned up the boat and got it in before the weather hits here. The shop is deep enough to get the boat, trailer, and truck all inside and close the door (If I had one...) with room to walk behind the boat motor and in front of the truck.

[Low Elco]

Awesome. After a 10-year wait also, I'm hoping to get my shop started in the spring.

[smbrouss70]

Daytime finished (sort of) shop pics!!! They put up the corner trim where the front wall meets the side walls in the dark, so there is some questionable cuts to make it fit. I'm going to get them to replace those. The chain doesn't look long enough for the overhead door either, I guess I will have to get them to get me an extension. But, It is finally locked up and completely out of the weather, now if the lake in front of the shop ever dries up, I can actually get stuff in and out of it!

[smbrouss70]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Awesome. After a 10-year wait also, I'm hoping to get my shop started in the spring.

Good Luck! I still have a lot of work to do before I can really work in this one, and it has been more expensive than I was figuring, but it will all be worth it in the end.

[_Ogre]

poor suburban looks lonely in there

[smbrouss70]

It's a Blazer, but yeah it does. I need to get some more toys in there!