Thread: My Man Cave

Hi Brian,

I built a new workshop a few years ago ... and here are some things that I would change if I were to do it again.

The materials used were similar to your specs ..

I have a roller door on the west wall, 2 large 1800mm windows on the east, an access door and a 1800 window on the south. North wall has no openings. The wall height is 2.7m .. gable roof at 22 degrees. I have 12mm ply lining and insulation in the walls and roof ... 6.2 x.6.2m is the size.

So what would I change ..

The west facing roller door gets red hot for most of the day in summer, and is open to the cold winds in winter .... and cant be insulated .. I would change this to either a panel door which I can insulate ... or insulated swing doors.

You should be OK with a 9m wall .... all except my north wall have openings and there is consequently a lack of hanging space ... I'd probably lose one of the windows to gain wall sapce for tool racks and cupboards.

I have an inside dusty .. I would move it to the outside if I could.

The rood height is OK for most things ... but mt soninlaw has 3.4m walls and a loft for all his equipment and spares. I would go 3.4 with a half loft I I built again

I have wall14 GPO's (6 are 15W) and two 15W roof hanging outlets. Just enough really.

The security cameras (2 outside 2 inside) are wified to my home system ... and run on mains with battery backup .. I would do this again.

What part of NT ..I had family in Gove for years

Regards

Rob

Hi Rob,

Thanks for your reply. Some things I can change the windows and door I cannot as they are positioned when the shed is converted down the track.

The north wall will have an A 2400 sliding door only no windows so plenty of hanging space, and the west wall has none and will be protected by the house as it's on a 4 m wall. The eastern side will have two windows It's not perfect however it will need to work.

Power, well i do plan on having heaps of power points with increase circuits hopefully to cover what I'm after, and I am also considering solar. The shed will be air conditioned and have fans.

Stowage, for what I'm planing on doing I should have enough space. I am trying work out how to put dusty outside just not sure what space I will need as yet.

Had not considered security cameras as at as as at the back of the house and a dog.

Any my photos of your set up.

Thanks fir for your comment when I gave my plan will post.

Brian

Originally Posted by Tahlee

I have an inside dusty .. I would move it to the outside if I could

Make sure you plan the outside dusty - it should go on outside of the longest wall of the shed that is down breeze from and opposite the largest opening into the shed. This is so the dust is swept away from the shed.

I have wall14 GPO's (6 are 15W) and two 15W roof hanging outlets. Just enough really.

I think you mean 15A?

Hi,

At this stage my plan is for an outside dusty and pleased to say was planned for the longest side of the shed, and away from any opening. Still not sure the amount of room I will require outside for dusty in regard to room and an enclosure. Enclosing I assume is for sound and weather proofing.

Rob has unwittingly caused me to have a couple of sleepless nights with his suggestions. So much so I will be calling the draftsman to put a stay on the drawings till I decide whether to increase the footprint from 9 x 4 to 9 x 5 and lift the wall height from 2.7 to 3.6 m. Also considering an awning out over the sliding door extending out 1.5 m. this will allow me to move the thicknesser outside of the shed when I have larger jobs to do. Another effort to keep the dust outside. These changes will had a few thousand however maybe worth the effort now. So much to consider in just building a shed.

At some point an air compressor will be considered and many people will tell you to put it in with the dust collector. I suggest you don't because the air compressor is going to suck in the dust from leaks and emptying the bags or bin. It isn't any better for the compressor than it is for your lungs. Put it in its own enclosure. You can put a wall separating the two machines in the same shed if you like.

Pete

A shed does sound like such a simple structure but it really pays to spend some time in planning.

Originally Posted by Brian45

At this stage my plan is for an outside dusty and pleased to say was planned for the longest side of the shed, and away from any opening.

Still not sure the amount of room I will require outside for dusty in regard to room and an enclosure. Enclosing I assume is for sound and weather proofing.

The size of the DC enclosure depends on the space you have to work with, the type of dust extractor you are going to use, the distance to the neighbours, and the how sensitive the neighbours are to noise.

If your neighbours are ~ 10+ m away, then a garden shed structure (thin wall) should suffice but if the enclosure ends up being close to noise sensitive neighbours then you will need to allow for thicker walls to accomodate noise insulation.

If you look on dust collector machinery company websites you can get an idea of basic DC foot prints.
If you go for a filter bag unit then allow at least an extra 50 mm on each side and on top for the air to escape past the bags to the vent.
The same CFM sized cyclone should have a smaller foot print and does not usually need much sound insulation.

If you are pouring a slab you might as well pour the slab for the DC and compressor enclosure.

I was also of the same opinion as QCinspector of not having the compressor in the same enclosure as the DC and this is what I did. However, after thinking about it I have seen many old, poorly maintained and still working compressors in workshops where the sawdust was as much as ankle deep and they don't seem to have suffered too much from the ordeal. You might have to clean the filters a bit more often than usual which seems to be once in a blue moon anyway.

Thanks for the replies,

I had no intention of housing a compressor in with the dusty. To be honest had not really given the compressor to much thought. However will be no issue installing outside next to the dusty. I will have 800 mm under eves so hoping the dusty will not extend past this. As for the walls I was considering 50mm or 75mm insulated wall panels and sitting on a concrete slab. Not sure what doors I will use however would plan to put seals around to help with sealing the enclosure.

Not to bothered about sound proofing the compressor, my current compressor is not very load and I would only use during the day anyway. If the neighbours complain (not that they are close) I will just extend the insulated wall panels to sort it out. Thanks for raising the compressor I need to arrange for another power point external.

I best list all my tools so I know how many PP I will need then a number of extras.

I have elected to stay with the shed size of 9x4 metres, however will include a covered roof area (4 x 1.5 metres in size) over my entry area, I am changing to bi fold doors instead of a sliding glass door. A few reason for my change in patio roof and bi fold door. 1. provide some extra shade as the sun will hit this wall most of the day, 2. I can open the two bi folds to give extra ventilation. 3. less chance me putting a piece of timer through a pane of glass. 4. better when I use the air cons. It is NT remember.

Hopefully I get my plans this week, so a start can be made ASAP. I'm hoping to use a builder for the shed rather than me build it. All will depend on the price. I have just got my reciprocal builders licence in NT so if need be will do myself, not that the wife will be happy about that I'm supposed to be retired and looking after myself . Will post the plans when I get them.

A few tips about PP.

You can never have too many, so before you line the shed make sure you at install at least enough cabling so that others can be added.
Over head power points are extremely useful. I started out with 2 (10A double GPO) and now I have 6 (5 x 10A and 1 x 15A double GPOs). If you have enough height, some PPs suspended on flying fox lines are excellent - we have 3 flying fox lines at the mens shed with leads coming in from each end at the mens shed and they are great.
Where wall usage is not specifically designated make power points are above 1.2m in height from the floor - this then means you can lean, say a 1.2 x 2.4m, sheet material up against a wall without blocking the power points, I had to shift 2 of mine to accommodate this.

Fair point there re the PP. I have managed to increase the size of the shed slightly 9 x 4.5 m with a roofed area over the entry double doors of 4 x 1.5 m this will allow me to move the thinknesser outside as required. I asked for a height increase from 2.7 - 3 m, 2.7 is the standard wall height in NT. Not sure if this slight increase will cause a design change. Will find out soon.

As for power the shed will be constructed to lock up, IE not internal sheeting. I will need to start planning my work areas so I can maximise work flow and power requirements. Allowances in power supply to the shed will be discussed with sparky before the slab is poured so there is plenty of room made available for wires. I am also considering solar so this is another matter.

I hope to start the footings next week, need to get this done so I can start my paved area, don't want an excavator running over newly laid pavers. Have spoken to the engineer and I know the size of footings he wants, draftsman is drawing to his specs and certifying is happy. Ass about way to do things as I will not have approval in place at that stage so trench will remain open for a little bit. At least they are only small in size 350 x 350. At the end of the day I need the shed to lock up by end of September before the onset of the wet season. Plenty of time for Murphy to stick his head around the corner.

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Well things are on the move, finally. The old shed is in the process of being dismantled and removed to make way for my new shed. The plans are in the hands of the engineer so he can cast his eye over them, should get them back this week. Started to install the profiles so I can set out the location of the trenches, have planned these to be excavated this Thursday.

Not the normal way to do things however cannot be helped digging trenches before the plans are stamped. At least have spoken to all parties and explained why they need to be excavated at this point and they have accepted my reasoning. Engineer gave me the sizes of the trenches he wants and any special requirements. If all works out I hope to have the slab down by the end of the month. Need excavator in before we relay our pavers.

Wife has had a say in the exterior of the shed, looks like cladding will be timber grain weather boards not colour bond, no real biggie for me other than painting (dammit). Oh well as they say if wife happy - happy life.

Friday is the start of minor works which need carried out first, 60 sqm of pavers to be laid and pool fence reinstated.

The build begins

Been a little busy to post, a bit has been happening to move forward. Footings have been dug, area levelled for new (2nd pavers) to be installed in new BBQ area and pool surrounds, some panels of pool fencing are now in place. Final adjustments to my shed have been made.

I should have a final set of plans this week so they can be costed and builder selected. I am hoping to get a reasonable price, otherwise I will have to do myself. At this stage I'm only looking at getting the shed to lockup, this will give me some breathing space so I can plan the inside placement of tools and power outlets.

Im still at crossroads as to what to line the inside walls, I was thinking ply however having thoughts of gyprock or villaboard. Anyone got any thoughts on this.

All walls and roof will be insulated, need to keep the shed cool. Anyway will post some pictures soon.

Line it with ply or structa floor. You can hang/fix anything any where

Originally Posted by BobL

A few tips about PP.

You can never have too many, so before you line the shed make sure you at install at least enough cabling so that others can be added.
Over head power points are extremely useful. I started out with 2 (10A double GPO) and now I have 6 (5 x 10A and 1 x 15A double GPOs). If you have enough height, some PPs suspended on flying fox lines are excellent - we have 3 flying fox lines at the mens shed with leads coming in from each end at the mens shed and they are great.
Where wall usage is not specifically designated make power points are above 1.2m in height from the floor - this then means you can lean, say a 1.2 x 2.4m, sheet material up against a wall without blocking the power points, I had to shift 2 of mine to accommodate this.

Don't put cables in the walls, it simplifies things in years to come. You can buy a plastic cable tray that is installed around the walls and against the ceiling to run to run the power cables in. The cables are accessed by a clip on front and power cables can be dropped out of it in conduit to wall mounted power points as needed and all terminations are done in the tray. Extra cabling can be added at any time as well which is helpful and all the cabling is hidden from view. Doing the electrical installation this way simplifies things hugely.

Well things are moving along albeit slower than I would like. Site is almost ready to progress just need to dig the location for some pipe work. You will note the bare area in the photo where the pipes are to go.

The delay has not been with the shed, it has been more my extension to the BBQ area which is on the same set of plans, hopefully this is now sorted and my final plans can now be drawn and resubmitted to the engineer for his stamp. I can then source a builder, once a builder is in place I can submit to certifier to get approval to start.

I'm starting to stress a little with the wet season approaching and don't want my trenches filling with water.

Thanks for the advise re lining the shed I will make a decision once the shed is to lock up. Anyway tomorrow's another day and hopefully we can get a fair bit more done with our pavers.
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