Setting up my 40x30 out-building

[Daubs]

Lived on acreage years ago, then moved in the city. Wife and I have a contract on a nice house / acreage with a wonderful 40'x30' steel building. It's on 3 acres. We close in August...can't wait to move in!

Building is tall, I think 16', concrete floor throughout, but has no power. I've already talked to electricians and will be running 220 out there.



I am absolutely STOKED! Will be used to store a few toys (two Polaris ATV's), my 1972 Chevy K-20 4x4, lawn mower(s), and my hunting stuff (decoys, layout blinds, tree stands, etc.), two kayaks, did I mention decoys??? : ) I will have room to store my fishing boat out back of the building. It seems HUGE right now, but I know it will fill up fast with all my stuff.

Here is what I'm bringing from current house:
- 220v 60 gallon air compressor
- 220v MIG welder
- engine hoist / engine stand
- power washer
- all my tools / paint guns / decoys / bikes / hunting stuff / etc.

Future plans:
- run 220v to the building, wire the whole damn thing
- run CAT-6 ether to the building for wired internet access (have a dedicated shop laptop)
- build a nice, long workbench like I have in my garage now
- cabinets to store tools, etc.
- Shop will be used for storage and projects.
- I plan to restore my K-20 at some point in time.
- I've thought about adding a window on the north side to maybe get some airflow through there. Doors face South-west.
- Plan on putting down some rock in front of building and making a pseudo road to front of property (building my own little rock road...does that make sense...)

Suggestions for things to do / not do in a building this size?

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

Lights? Don't scrimp on lighting, especially with the tall ceilings. Have your electrician make some recommendations.

 

[Daubs]

Incandescent? Or Florescent?

 

[sneakypete]

Put in LED tube lights!

 

[go_deep]

LED lights, put more outlets in than you think you'll ever need, put more lights in than you'll think you'll ever need, I'd also put in a couple ceiling fans on there own switch to move air. Figure out what kind of heat source you want. If it's not insulated, after the electrical is pulled that would be the next step.

 

[Fink]

We have a 60x40 at our farm, and finished out half of it. On one end, we build out two bunk rooms, 10x20, each room will sleep four. On the other end, we framed in a living area, 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, and a kitchen/living area. That's probably way more than you want, considering you'll be living on site, but.. A little mancave in there would be pretty cool. We put in a front porch after the fact, and really enjoy having it. Again, maybe not necessary since you'll live there, but a porch over the doors would be nice if you wanted to keep the garage door open while you were out there, in inclement weather.
I'd put in a small loft, specifically for the decoys, to keep them up and out of the way.. I'm sure you texas rig your decoys, and this way you can just hang them from the rafters, and have easy access. PS, don't store your waders in your barn, the heat/cold will cause those badboys to dryrot in a hurry!

 

[JimP]

Have the panel sized larger than you think you'll need. Not necessarily in the amperage but on the number of breakers you can put into it. Then ask the electrician to skip outlets so that you don't have two or three right in a row on the same circuit.

A friend built one similar and he set up a workshop that is heated independently of the rest of the building. He has a 10' ceiling in this shop and finished off the top of it with 3/4" plywood. He can now store a lot of stuff up above his work shop and keep it warm enough to work in during the winter while the rest of the shop is fairly cool.

 

[dirtclod Az.]

We put LED lights in our mud room,very cool.

 

[Gr8bawana]

Since you already have a 60 gal air compressor you may want to run an air line along one side of the building with a few quick-connect fittings so you can have access to air anywhere inside. Maybe even one fitting on the outside on the front.
Perhaps a freeze-proof spigot because it's always nice to have access to water.
View attachment 21698

 

[HighPlainsHunter]

If you have to put in new electrical service to the building and 3 phase power is available it might be worth considering. Lots of great equipment out there at auctions that is 3 phase like welders, compressors, and CNC mills.

 

[Bonecollector]

If possible, one of those large fans in the side to move air. It will be hot in there in the summer and this will help.

 

[RICMIC]

Beware Daubs, as a man's stuff expands to the capacity of his garage. A couple suggestions: LED lights all the way. Add that window, not just for the ventilation, but also for some more natural light (carefully consider the best side for the sun).
Interior wall sheathing? I don't like the ambiance, but it sure makes for a bright, clean shop to have white steel interior panels.
Driveway: What's with the grass to the front door? Depending on the base, you may be best off to have a contractor put in a real driveway.
Congratulations on the move....you got what you wanted, and your wife must have found something to like about the property. If not, you better budget for a major kitchen remodel, or a trophy room for her.

 

[Catahoula12]

Heat source (reflective propane) if your building is insulated. Modine heater. Works great in our shop.

Do LED lighting for sure, any other now days is really obsolete.

 

[Daubs]

Beware Daubs, as a man's stuff expands to the capacity of his garage. A couple suggestions: LED lights all the way. Add that window, not just for the ventilation, but also for some more natural light (carefully consider the best side for the sun).
Interior wall sheathing? I don't like the ambiance, but it sure makes for a bright, clean shop to have white steel interior panels.
Driveway: What's with the grass to the front door? Depending on the base, you may be best off to have a contractor put in a real driveway.
Congratulations on the move....you got what you wanted, and your wife must have found something to like about the property. If not, you better budget for a major kitchen remodel, or a trophy room for her.

Thanks RICMIC: Yep, I know how stuff expands to fit the space...Our first real house was a tiny little brick ranch built in the 60's...but it had a 40x20 shed out back, and a 24x12 one car garage next to that. It was really tough moving to our current house in the city. I constantly have to re position things in the garage, build shelves, get stuff off the floor. But it's made me pretty space savvy. Stoked that we are moving back to country life!

Driveway: Yea, the grass was a downer. The building is on the back half of the property, situated to face south. I'm planning to put in rock/gravel drive that will swing north past the shed, and run next to property line back to the road. Note: only the west most / left tree is still there...other three have been removed. Wonder what that will cost?



Wife really likes the kitchen...she's already looking at master bath re-model. But thankfully my Dad's a carpenter, and brother and I are pretty handy with stuff like electrical, tile, etc.

Not sure what you would call it, but the shed currently has a clear plastic section of the roof that runs the length of the building right at the peak. It's about a foot wide. Let's in a lot of natural light. But yes, I want to put in a few windows.

 

[ScottR]

I will echo the outlet comment, my garage is small but functions as my shop. It doesn't have nearly enough.

 

[Ikeepitcold]

Lived on acreage years ago, then moved in the city. Wife and I have a contract on a nice house / acreage with a wonderful 40'x30' steel building. It's on 3 acres. We close in August...can't wait to move in!

Building is tall, I think 16', concrete floor throughout, but has no power. I've already talked to electricians and will be running 220 out there.

View attachment 21693

I am absolutely STOKED! Will be used to store a few toys (two Polaris ATV's), my 1972 Chevy K-20 4x4, lawn mower(s), and my hunting stuff (decoys, layout blinds, tree stands, etc.), two kayaks, did I mention decoys??? : ) I will have room to store my fishing boat out back of the building. It seems HUGE right now, but I know it will fill up fast with all my stuff.

Here is what I'm bringing from current house:
- 220v 60 gallon air compressor
- 220v MIG welder
- engine hoist / engine stand
- power washer
- all my tools / paint guns / decoys / bikes / hunting stuff / etc.

Future plans:
- run 220v to the building, wire the whole damn thing
- run CAT-6 ether to the building for wired internet access (have a dedicated shop laptop)
- build a nice, long workbench like I have in my garage now
- cabinets to store tools, etc.
- Shop will be used for storage and projects.
- I plan to restore my K-20 at some point in time.
- I've thought about adding a window on the north side to maybe get some airflow through there. Doors face South-west.
- Plan on putting down some rock in front of building and making a pseudo road to front of property (building my own little rock road...does that make sense...)

Suggestions for things to do / not do in a building this size?

The place sounds perfect. Congratulations

 

[missjordan]

Lots of people mentioned Electrical components but the next best thing is having a heat source in the winter time and even something to keep it cool in the summer.

If you put windows in a higher output window AC works decent. We never use our shop in temperature extremes because it?s too miserable to be out there! With ours we?re running gas lines for forced air heat so we can enjoy it in the dead of winter.


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