I’m in the planning stages of building a detached garage/shop on a limited budget. I am think of a footprint of 21’x24′. I’ve been looking for recycled/salvaged materials, and have found some great windows & doors for a fraction of their new cost, but am not having much luck in the other areas. I am planning to use the space to facillitate my trim sub-contracting business, to build built-in entertainment centers & bookcases that I have been unable to do for lack of space. So my questions are these…a: is this an adequate space? and b: has anyone out there ever had any luck with salvaged materials?
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
Traditional lime wash still has tons of useful applications.
Featured Video
SawStop's Portable Tablesaw is Bigger and Better Than BeforeHighlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Replies
There is a Habitat for Humanity recycle shop here that occassionally has a little bit of everything ... as long as you're not too picky about colors.
You might get friendly with some of the local builders in your area, and offer to haul off scrap lumber during their project. Sometimes you can find half sheets of plywood after the roof is sheathed. Ditto for left over shingles. If you can be available to clean the stuff off their site on short notice, you might get a lot of useable material.
I'm sorry, I thought you wanted it done the right way.
I cry everytime the extreme home makeover guys take a high loader and flatten a perfectly good house (most of the time) that just didn't fit the new owners, recycled materials can be great. It is a crime to waist that much material. I demo'ld my own place and took a couple of skids of 2 X's out of it. Pulling nails took a while but the lumber was dried 50 years in the house and ain't going to twist nor more. Most pieces were 1/8 to 1/4" less than the full inch dimension. I didn't need any blocking to keep them from twisting which meant insulation would be continuous. Only problems are 1) it is hard to mix and match old and new lumber because the dimensions are so much greater, 2) if you need joist hangers, connector's, they have to be custom built or designed with an engineers stamp ($$$$$) ... try to fit 1 7/8" thick 2 X in a modern hanger, 3) my first cordless circular saw only cut 1 5/8" .. but it's still worth it ..
So would you pay me to salvage materials and build you a shop with them?
I built my last house with salvaged materials - everyone loved the huge recycled beams and big windows, but overall I regretted recycling materials. We came into the project with high and mighty ideals about building green, saving $$ etc.
In the time I spent cleaning and adapting and thinking about how to use what I had, I could have finished 2 houses. The overstock staircase was great, but I spent a lot of time making it work in the floorplan.
The used windows were the biggest mistake - after being moved and uninstalled, stored, reinstalled, etc. they leaked air, and I couldn't get to all the crannies to thoroughly clean them. We ended up with a sub-par house, but a great lesson in building!
Last summer I built a 24x48 metal pole barn/shop with a 32x48 concrete floor and a 100amp subpanel for under 5K total (materials only). It went up fast, and with all-new materials.
If you don't mind the look, Pole-building shops are fast and cheap.
21 x21 is small. Mine is 40x 30 metal bldg concrete slab and its too small. under 5k
Salvaged materials are only a good idea if time has little or no value. Think of this:
A 2X4 costs about $2.50.
If you want to use salvaged ones, they need to be the right length, not broken or split, and have no significant notches cut in them. Finding them in that condition will take many weeks -- at least for the hundred or so that you need. Then pulling the nails will take another few minutes for each one.
If you have that kind of time, then have at it. I didn't, and I wouldn't.
As for the planned size of your shop, most woodworkers think that a 2 car garage is about the minimum size that is workable. I'm not a trimmer, but I am a Handyman, and I get some built-in work. My workshop is 16 X 24.
And I'm REALLY sorry that it is that small. When I do built-ins, I need to think very carefully about how much I can do in the shop, versus how much must be done on site (due to lack of space in the shop).
And with only a 1-car size shop, finishing must be done on site. Every job that I get, I dream of doing the finishing here. I could spray some really great looking lacquer. Instead, I brush or wipe on a poly.
But your planned size can work, just as mine does. It will just have limits.
Unless you're the lead dog, the view just never changes.
21 X 24 is indeed small, especially if you intend building case work in that space.
I don't know if your limitations are site and/or money related, but if you can stretch it, I know you will be happier.
At this size, I can pretty much guarantee you will be cussing before you finish your first full day in the new shop.
Thanks for your reply, and all the other's! Of course, my limitations are $$, as I have plenty of room, and am trying as we speak to see if I can afford to increase the size to 21x32. As to the recycled part, I have no intention of pulling countless rusty nails! There is an old barn occupying the space currently, and have no desire to try & re-use the lumber. I intend the 100 yr old white oak boards to become my new kitchen cabinets! (with a little re-planing, of course) My definition of re-cycled is more on the lines of finding usuable salvaged materials, like siding and roofing. There is a so-called salvage yard here, but their prices aren't much better than the other lumber yards. As for the metal building, I have looked into them and while their price is appealing, I just couldn't deal with the aesthetics, as I intend to attach to the existing house via an addition in the future. I just stumbled onto this site & have found most of the information informative and friendly. thanks again to all!
How big is your barn ? Old building that get fixed cost less in TAXes then a new smaller building. If your barn is standing you are half way to your new shop.
Barn is 18x18 & falling down. I'll be happy if I can re-use some of the framing to build a small shed. The builder had an interesting style of framing which he used on some of the partition walls in my house: a 2x4 on edge on the top & bottom & one in the middle, with the siding nailed to it & then stood up. In my house he used t&g fir or yp. Previous owners have sheetrocked over, and I'm considering if it's worth trying to expose & refinish. But back to your origional comment, no the barn is coming down. Besides, there are several beautiful 14" - 16" 1/4 sawn oak boards there that I've been drooling over since I bought the place. The only reason they're still there is that I don't have the shop space to work them!
Whatever size you decide on, just make sure the location and style allow you to add on if you find you need more space.
I also like the metal buildings. They are not cheap tin, they are really well build and the speed at which the go up is much faster than stick built.
18x18 isn't big enough ,go ahead and riper down.