Garden shed workshop *in progress*

[Tony_Scarpelli]

Other ideas for those still wondering what they want to do to move out of the family kitchen/den.

I saw a shipping container at the state fair which was converted to an office. It had a 230V electric which could plug into the house(other source) and it has its own lights, a/c and heater. Totally cool since it was already water tight. Spray some insulation in side and finish it out to what degree you wish.

Then get someone to deliver it and set it on your property. Another idea is to get a double tandem trailer 16'x8' and do the same thing in it. Or buy a deep discounted construction job site trailer for the same purpose.

So i didn't want to be in the house when doing repairs. As i offer mobile & workshop repairs, it seemed a better option to build my own workspace so that i feel like im in an office, rather than being distracted in the house by the little one & partner etc.

Next step is to insulate & board the roof + door. Then beef up security on the shed and fit some sensor alarms, camera etc.

Plan to have monitors mounted to the back wall, soldering station in the corner. Other nice personalisations as i go along. Will post pics as things progress.

 

[MikeLierman]

I had thought about this, but thought damp proofing and insulating would be a hassle, also that after there wouldn't be a lot of room inside, i'd be interested to see how yours turns out. How much will it cost to add electric from your house to the shed?

I don't use my shed for repairing computers, but you know how I got electricity to it? I killed the grass around it, laid down a super heavy duty home depot extension cord, and threw lots of pea gravel over the killed grass. Then put connected red bricks as the border with stepping stones like he already has. Works great.

Btw, looks very nice so far! I like it! Don't know that I, personally, would like the permanency of the home-based business though. However, I'm sure you've already thought this through.

 

[Kitten Kong]

Erm mike.. The pics tony have posted, are from the op. nothing to do with Tony's outbuilding what so ever lol.

Ps, over here in the uk, when my workshop was first wired up(back in '83) the wiring had to be buried at least 18" deep. Mines in armoured cable, from th back of the house, down to the workshop, which is some 80' away. Then it goes into a 5 fused box electrical panel.

 

[bertie40]

I would suggest, to anyone thinking of converting a small shed into a tech haven, to do the following.

Kit out the shed with the bare minimums, and see if you like the working conditions.

Remember, you may be ok in summery conditions, but are you willing to drag customers machines back and forth through the snow, into your back garden ? Or when it's hissing down with rain.

With the best intentions, you are looking at having muddy and wet boots in there, so the floor will get trashed. You are going to spend an inordinate amount of time in there.
The last thing you want is to turn it into a hell hole you try and avoid.

Spending an inordinate amount of time and money would only make it worse.

I'm lucky.

We have/had an integrated garage which I had professionally converted. Lots of sockets and fully certified electrics, plus local council planning permission.

Even so, I still have computer remnants littering our hallway which I keep meaning to tidy away. I just never get around to it. !

Most of the people who go in for this kind of thing go for BIG Scandinavian log cabin- type buildings. Obviously, you are talking serious money here.

Anyway.
Good luck.

 

[Kitten Kong]

I agree with Bertie here.

I've been down the workshop now for 8 years (9 in Jan), in the summer, its roasting hot. All doors open. In the winter, it is freezing cold. I have a calor gas fire down here, which is on from 6am - approx 4-5pm. I use a bottle of gas every 2 weeks during winter. I could really do with insulating the walls, but just have not gotten round to doing it yet..

I'm lucky in that I do like it down here. I have my stereo behind me, fish tank to the right of me. My dogs come and stay down here most of the day (well one does, the other likes his creature comforts - ie the couch in the house). Only thing i'm missing is a little mini fridge :/

Floor. The floor is concrete, but I have a duckboard. Few years ago, I was getting some serious pains in my feet, from being on the concrete all day, so decided to put a duck board down. It has helped tremendously over the years.

Electric. When I first came down here, there was a single fused socket, and 2 x double sockets. Over time, this went to multiple extension leads on both sides of the workshop (still on the single fuse). At max, there was 29 sockets down here - approx 20 being used 24/7. I was >< close to having a electrical fire down here, that I had to increase the fuse box.

Now it is a 5 fused box. One fuse is for the lights. One for the fish tank, one covers the left hand side of the workshop, one covers the right side, and a spare. There are now over 40 sockets down here, almost double whats in the entire house!

If your going to provide electric, and its obvious you have to, then opt for armoured cable, and bury it a good 18-24" in the ground. (Check your local council regs, as these will tell you how far it needs to be buried).

Network. Preferably bury it in the ground, inside a plastic conduit, like plumbing pipe. You can always pull more than one feed from your router, in case a line breaks - save digging the conduit up and garden up again. You can even do your telephone line with cat 5. Putting that inside the same conduit.

I had a spare 10/100 24 port switch lay around, so used that for a few years. It currently has 14 ports being used from it. I have spare faceplates in blocks of 2, in assorted places around the workshop. Looks nicer and more professional to prospective clients, rather than having cat 5/6 cables being on view all over the workshop.

Shelving - Storage.
No matter how 'tidy' you are, you will always require an area for storage. This could be laptops your currently working on, needing parts, to machines ready for collection / to be worked on. Spare parts, the list is endless. Have as much storage space as you can handle.

Workbench.
Obviously you need a workbench. I currently have a 9ft bench, which is made from steel racking, sturdy as hell. This is the main bench. Then on the other side of the workshop is 2 4ft benches.

You can make your own benches, as a lot of techs have. One good thing about doing this, is you can customise your bench to your own specific needs. I.e have cupboards underneath, room for your tools, usb pens, cd's etc. Enough space for your monitors, to be on the wall, rather than on the bench itself.

 

[bertie40]

Swines. !
You've got me looking at having some shelving put up.
Long shelves though.
1x 8 foot
1x 12 foot.

Bad influence or what !

Problem is, I've approached two local companies about fitting them, but they say the job is too small !

Wonderful

 

[MikeLierman]

Erm mike.. The pics tony have posted, are from the op. nothing to do with Tony's outbuilding what so ever lol

Well that's embarrassing! I was typing up the post so fast, when I looked for a name I saw his and wrote it in, even though I already knew it wasn't Tony's!

 

[CraiGDaniel]

Honestly wish i had taken more pics. Had this setup complete and used for over a year. Ended up running electricity from a main plug in armoured piping to the shed, and mounted around 12 wall sockets in the shed, looked the nuts.

Ran ethernet underground in the end too. Never felt to closed in, got really hot in the summer, had to get a fan inside. During the winter and snow was fine, had a small portable electric heater that got the place toasty in a couple mins.

Was all very nice and perfect, had no problems. Cost me pennies to build up if you have basic carpentry skills and a b&q. The electricity was run by myself in the end no sparky, never had an issue. Perhaps didn't comply but i doubt i'll go to hell for it.

Situation changed, moved on from my girlfriend and moved out, so it's all packed up and electricity was removed etc.

Now have a converted workspace in my 1 bedroom flat, slowly going mad living & working in a flat i do not recommend it. Retail space is now an option.

Bit mad at myself for not having pictures really. I had it properly setup in there, could spend all week! Girlfriend use to get upset i didn't see her enough (we lived in the same damn house, i worked at home)

Cant win!

 

[Computech1]

I'm really excited about it.

I have insulated the whole shed for about £6. ($9) from B&Q. Just horrible old fiber glass loft insulation.

Once the insulation was in place we stapled heavy duty plastic bin liner, covering the whole shed. This adds damp + weather proof. The shed barely got damp before this anyway and i sat in there in a horrible storm the other day, was warm and not a drop got in.

As for electricity, i have a sensor light on the outside wall of the house. This was hooked up directly into the mains, so i'll mod it and run a cable to the shed. Just gotta factor the extra electric as a business expense.

Hi Craig: What size cable do you have going to the light ? & what sort of circuit is it spurred off of ?. You need to run at least a 20 amp supply out to the shed & even then that's not a fantastic supply. Don't forget as well that any wiring like that is covered by Part P of the building Regs.

Andy

 

[CraiGDaniel]

Hi Andy

I ended up running electrics from a main socket. The sheds been knocked down since, as i've moved from the property. Had a good year and a half of working in it though with no issues!

 

[Computech1]

Lots of nice ideas on here, may implement some.

Think i'll end up using wifi as my landlord wont allow me to drill through the house or anything like that, really annoying. My sheds no more than 7 meters from my router anyway - £5 a pop for wireless dongles i should be good.

As for electrics, i have no idea. I had a knowledgable friend over to give me some advice and he seemed to think the light idea was bullet proof, and that it ran on the main circuit so i should be able to run a good amount of plugs off it safely. The guy is very credible and has done lots of this sort of work. Perhaps ill pay a sparky to come over and give me some advice on it, better safe than sorry.


DCGPX, i'm south east in Essex. Bit of a hike for you

Never take sockets off the back of any lighting circuit, it's Dangerous & a fire hazard. Play safe & get a proper Electrician in. A house locally had some Downlighters installed in their landing ceiling by someone who supposedly knew what he was doing, 3 months later they caught fire in the middle of the night & the people living there only just got out with their lives. It's not worth the risk, I trained & worked as a sparky for a long time & spent years clearing up after people who apparently knew what they were doing. No matter who does the Job it has to be Part P certified or you could well end up in Court.

 

[jmitservices]

Quick snap of my workshop! Very similar...

 

[CraiGDaniel]

Very nice, actually looks extremely identical to when mine was done, though you have a slight bit more space.