Basement Workshop

[Hack]

My wife and I are considering building a new house in the next year or so and have been deciding on what features we can afford. I would really like a separate building for a workshop complete with heat/air conditioning, and a house with a full basement.

My concern is that with the cost of heating fuels as they are, can I really afford to have the extra building/furnace/heating cost. Been concidering not having the extra building and moving the shop into the new basement. We could easily heat the basement.

My question is for those who have basement shops. How does one control the noise so the rest of the family can watch TV etc while I work in the shop. Obviously good insulation / drop ceiling? Seems as though the table saw, air compressor, cnc router get kinda loud. Also, have you had a problem with dust and odors from the shop migrating thier way into the living areas?

We have also thought about building a 2 story home with the bedrooms on the second floor to allow the 1st floor to act as a buffer while others are sleeping. I am an early riser on the weekends and the wife likes to sleep in.

Any input from those with experience in this?

Thanks

Dan

[Ken_Shea]

Dan,
You are gonna have your hands full and in the end, will undoubtedly not work out, it is one thing to run a saw for a few minutes and another for running a router for perhaps hours on end.

I know two story are all the rage now but plenty of beautiful single story are available.

My suggestion is;
Build a single story and a very nice out building with the money you save by not going two story.
Ken

[strat]

howdy insulation helps but not really a good sound proofing for my sound room i had to go with double walls 2x 6 frames filled both side with insulation use a heavier r value for more sound resistance about 2 inchs apart also doubled the drywall started with 1/2 in then put 5/8 on top of it seal any holes around the wireboxes ect sound can slip thru a hole as small as 1/16 think of the shop as a box inside a box for design and you should be fine
also do a google for soundproof room design and you should come up with some good references

[ger21]

My attached garage has a ceiling mounted gas furnace, 60,000 btu. http://www.rezspec.com/catalog-udap.html

The garage is insulated, and it costs about $40-$50 a month to keep it at 55-60 degrees. It takes 5 minutes to get to 70. That's with night time temps in the 20's. If I'm not working out there, and it's above freezing at night, I turn it off.

I personally would never consider a basement woodworking shop. Too much noise, and too much dust.

[pminmo]

I have a basement shop in a ranch. While it serves the purpose, I would go with an outside building if your going to be making dust.

[High Seas]

If you're gonna do any thing that fumes - resins, casting metals, etc - you'll wind up outside! Then, wish you had a separate shop! A mate in NZ is building his new place as a 3 story - ground floor is his shop then the first and second (above the shop) start off on a 12 inch concrete and rebar slab. The BEAMS in the shop ceiling are MASSIVE 14 inch I sections) - but he's got a lotta gear to move around - cars etc. He figures the concrete will do most of the sound barrier then he's plans on putting a flooring and insulation above that too. So far he's just got the shop done! Guess thats his priority - they're still living in the temporary house! If you're in the right spot of the US consider adding passive solar or slab heating to cut heating costs of you shop.
Jim

[2muchstuff]

My uncle built a new workshop because his wife complained about the noise so much, he is an avid woodworker. He lifted the garage off of it's foundation, ripped out the floor and foundation walls. He then repoured new footings and walls that matched up with the existing basement foundation walls along with a new floor. The new garage floor was done with metal trusses and steel decking and poured over with reinforced concrete to support the weight of the cars. A set of stairs was added from inside the garage to the new workshop. A hole for a door was cut thru the basement wall into the new workshop. The workshop had it's own ventalation system that vented to the outside. The garage was set back down onto the new wall. He had two solid core doors between the basement and his workshop to help isolate the noise. That solid concrete wall did a wonderfull job of keeping his wife happy.

I agree that this was an ambitious project but you have to know my uncle, nothing is beyond him. If you think about it, there is 625 square feet of wasted space beneath a 2 car garage (25' by 25'). If this was done as the house was being built, it would be a lot easier and less costly than trying to do it after the house was built.

By the way, my uncle has a 3-1/2 car garage which comes out to about a 1100 square foot workshop.

[ViperTX]

Also consider what would happen if something caught fire after you left the shop.....or while you were in it.....separate insulated building with it's own heating/cooling system is much safer....

[Karl_T]

I live in Minnesota. Heating cost is HUGE. So I built my new house with a Garage/walkout on the basement level. My welders, torch and EDM are in the garage part of the basement and the machine tools are in the rest of the basement.

Compared to the outside shop at the old house, I really like this arrangement. The shop is allways warm and nearby. When doing stuff that makes fumes, I always have the door open, doesn't seem to go upstairs. With sheetrock and insulation between floors, noise hasn't been an issue.

Karl

[JavaDog]

Also consider what would happen if something caught fire after you left the shop.....or while you were in it.....separate insulated building with it's own heating/cooling system is much safer....

That's the biggie for me. Had one house catch on fire (chimney), it is NOT something I ever want to repeate.

So, for me, detached workshop is the way to go. Of course, this from someone who is stuck doing all his work in the spare bedroom in my Apt. - for now!

[pminmo]

I too like javadog had a house fire. Mine in 2001, wasn't related to my workshop, but when I got the call that it was on fire, the first thought that ran through my mind was my workshop as the culprit. 8 months living in a rental while my house was gutted and rebuilt, replacing items, the stress on the family, it's not worth the risk. I hope to move in the next couple of years so that I can have an outside shop. I don't think I will ever be comfortable using the basement one extensively again.

[Hack]

Well all of you have valid points, but I feel the safety issues are a little bit of an unessesary worry. I mean your toaster could catch on fire just as easy as something i your workshop. Not like I am going to be welding or doing castings in the basement. Just running electrical appliances (well sort of). With that being said, I do not want to take the safety of my family to lightly.

Here in Michigan it gets cold and having the basement at a relatively constant temp is very appealing. An extra furnace for a dedicated shop seems as though it would cost a fortune. I do little finishing and could easily do this at a 3rd party location if needed.

Noise and dust are my main concerns. i feel the majority of the dust can be controlled, noise, not so sure about. I think you all have given me a lot to think about. I welcome any further input from all.

Dan