Converting Garage to Workshop & Introduction

[4ndy]

Hi Everyone,

I've been lurking for a number of months, and have greatly enjoyed reading through the threads whilst working on the house that we moved into in May this year. The house was in reasonably livable condition, built in 1996 and new windows and doors fitted in 2005 (trims fitted over the wallpaper, so hadn't been decorated since).
Months of wallpaper removal, flattening, painting, glossing, carpeting and updating have ensued.
I've still to fit a new downstairs loo, family bathroom and new kitchen at some point, but otherwise it's now decorated through-out, with the exception of those rooms and the hall/stairs/landing.

However, one of the main reasons I liked the house was the attached double garage. The garage is attached to the house via a shared wall with the utility room, but there is no through-route. You effectively take one step outside of the back door, and step into the rear garage door.

The garage appears to be built with a block internal wall and brick outer wall and appears to have a DPM (there's certainly no moisture under paint tins etc that have been sat for long periods of time) and has well fitted roller shutter doors. The ceiling is currently - well, it's not there at all - and it's open up to the felt under the tiles. It's roughly 4.5 x 4.5 meters internal space and currently everything is piled up on the floor . I'm feeling very lucky to have a great space, but as always, I now have the space but not the time (I used to have so much time but no space! (hammer) :roll: ).

I've bought a couple of B&Q metal shelving units whilst they were on offer to at least get everything off the floor, but I'm also wondering what to do longer-term. I don't have much in the way of wood working tools (yet!), but have quite a few as-I've-needed-them-DIY-tools.

Times limited (full time job, 9 month old and many, many "little" jobs that need doing around the house), so it's going to be a slow project, but wanted to ask if anyone has any recommendations on starting to turn this space into a workshop?

Sooo, if I haven't bored you all to tears yet:

1 - Open roof trusses - is it worth boarding these out with plasterboard, insulation and then loft boards for storage? - Thinking is that it will drastically reduce heat loss, still provide storage for seldom-used tools and timber lengths?

2 - Walls - simplest idea is to just paint them white, but alternatively could line them with OSB or plasterboard (cheaper?)? - Aim is to smarten the walls up, improve light reflection and remove another source of dust.

3 - Wiring - many many more sockets required - currently there's one double! This will be straight forward as the CU is in the garage and a dedicated ring (maybe 16 amp sockets at the same time for any future toy purchases =P~ :mrgreen: ) is probably in order.

4 - Lighting - two fluorescent tubes are about as much use as a pair of candles. Thinking of the LED ceiling panels that look like good value 600x600mm, or the 1200x600mm panels with adjustable work lights in key locations.

5 - Floor - not sure what to do here. Currently it's concrete, but is very rough, dusty, and looks like it was poured in a couple of stages, but otherwise sound. Ideally I'd like it flat (level would be even better!) and a lot kinder to feet. I could potentially grind back what's there and put down carpet tiles? At the moment I have a load of carpet off-cuts to use, but longer term there must be a better solution?

6 - Heating - Now there's a luxury I never thought I'd have the option of! There's nothing currently, but as the garage is connected to the house, there's a chance I'll be able to pull a loop off the existing radiator's and run that into the garage, even if it's just left on a frost setting - good idea? Think the wife will try and move me into there permanently if I'm not careful!

7 - Noise abatement? I like tinkering and although I wouldn't start ripping lengths of timber on a table saw first thing on a Sunday morning, I don't want to cause too much noise at other times either. We live at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac with a lot of retiree's and would rather not be "that" neighbor. (Although I'm sure they're already questioning that as we're one of the few houses with Christmas lights :deer :ho2 :lol: ). Would the above measures reduce the noise considerably? Would noise absorbing panels help? The roller doors are well sealed, with seals around the doors (no light escapes) and are insulated slats, but what else can I do to reduce noise transmission to the outside world?

Think that's it for now, apologies for the long ramble and many questions .

Thank you for the fantastic forum, and I hope I can contribute in the future .

All the very best,

Andy. ccasion5:

 

[toonarmy1987]

Really interested in this thread. I too am converting my garage into a workshop / gym.

I cant offer any advice on the questions other than provide some council. I have toyed with the idea of boarding out my roof but still want to retain access for large items such as a roof box. The challenge is that any large hole is a way for heat to escape from the room. i dont think a loft hatch would work in my instance but it may not be an issue for you.

 

[Ttrees]

Hello Andy
Welcome to the forum
Two things I find handy about an high roof/no ceiling are....

The light, depending on how many horizontal joists you have, and what type of lights you've got,
The higher the lights are, the more light you have got for your buck
Do an experiment if you like, I found out this out by making some lamp fixtures
The gooseneck lamp I have has the bulb extending too far out from the shade ...
It was much brighter before I had to change the broken more inset fitting
So in effect the pitched roof acts like a lampshade for the two florescents


I'm in a single car garage and there is about 4 horizontal joists, doing f* all
I don't think these are that structural, as these joists are made from the remaining roof beams nailed together.
I'm not going to remove these as the landlord would get upset, and it wouldn't be worthwhile to figure out what
to do alternatively, if it is indeed for structural reasons (which it prob is somewhat)
When we first moved in, there was plenty of carp on these joists which was horrible,
I would sacrifice the heat for the space in there.

Another reason is, if you plan on working long timbers, you will find the high roof makes sense...
If you have to plane a board for instance and are going with the grain, you must flip the timber end for end,
not turn the piece over
Another reason would be machinery, I had to lift my bandsaw in a certain location to not foul the joists.

Have a look at kingspan insulation or similar brands of insulation if you need, I think this would be the job instead
of making a partitioned roof.

I would be tempted to knock through that wall if it were me... but!
I have to walk the whole length of the house to get to the garage.
This is one of those things thats very individual, for instance...
I think I would spend more time in there, if I didn't have to go through the faff of getting mentally prepared for it.
and staying there for a good while.

If the shed were attached to the house I could just pop in and out, without questioning wheather I'm feeling up to it
If I was too sore I could just go back in and have a cuppa

Some may find this a real time waster as they may get sucked in to watching telly another cuppa ...etc

The best of luck and much joy to ya,ll in your new home

Tom

 

[paulm]

I've just used this stuff on my workshop floor which was in poor condition, crumbly and dusty, seems to have made a lot of improvement. Take the coverage info with a pinch of salt though, needed far more than suggested, and three applications, but pleased with the result. Other ones are available too of course. https://www.uktoolcentre.co.uk/products ... xZEALw_wcB

For heat insulation celotex or kingspan or similar seems to be best but they do little or nothing for noise insulation, the celotex helpline actually told me they can make noise worse in some circumstances as the boards can pick up and amplify the sound !

I used this stuff as a compromise on being less efficient (but still very worthwhile) for heat in return for being an effective acoustic insulation as well http://www.insulationgiant.co.uk/Rockwo ... m/p/767875

It's available in different grades and thicknesses, and other types and brands again, just what I settled on, and it's transformed the workshop I installed it in, plenty warm and spookily quiet without any equipment running

 

[nabs]

good luck Andy, I'll be following along with interest. I am particularly intrigued to hear what advice you get about the concrete floor - everyone seems to agree they are a pain (literally if you are standing on them for long periods) but I have not seen many suggestions on what might be placed on top that is warmer/more comfortable but does not steal too much headroom. Oddly enough, carpet never occurred to me - perhaps that is the answer

 

[Stevedimebag]

I bonded my (very) rough concrete floor with pva then used screed to level it out a bit. It's not perfect as it was in such a bad state before hand but it certainly is now feet friendly. I put carpet over the main work areas but something nice and soft like a rubber mat ot the dedicated anti-fatigue flooring pads would be more desirable I think.

 

[Bodgers]

I have kids between 3 and 11 and the only advice I can really give is - be patient.

Over 3 years ago I started changing my single garage from a storage/dumping area into a workable workshop. I would say I am only half way there.

If I spent all the time I wanted in the workshop my whole family would have probably disowned me by now.

On a practical point - don't discount natural light. If you don't have any, think about ways to add some. I replaced my open and over door with hinged doors with Windows in the top and it makes a huge difference to the feel of things during the day. I am also planning to add a roof window. This is particularly the case if you transition more into hand tools because you discover that your neighbours don't like the sound of your thickness planer on a Sunday afternoon.




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[4ndy]

Really interested in this thread. I too am converting my garage into a workshop / gym.

I cant offer any advice on the questions other than provide some council. I have toyed with the idea of boarding out my roof but still want to retain access for large items such as a roof box. The challenge is that any large hole is a way for heat to escape from the room. i dont think a loft hatch would work in my instance but it may not be an issue for you.

Cheers TM, I was thinking that I could make a framed hatch, lined and insulated so I would still have large openings into the "loft" area for that very reason. I don't want to do myself out of valuable storage space. Looking at the roof arrangement, I'd probably need three of these so I could reach the "loft" space without having to get up there and crawl around.

Hello Andy
Welcome to the forum
Two things I find handy about an high roof/no ceiling are....

The light, depending on how many horizontal joists you have, and what type of lights you've got,
The higher the lights are, the more light you have got for your buck
Do an experiment if you like, I found out this out by making some lamp fixtures
The gooseneck lamp I have has the bulb extending too far out from the shade ...
It was much brighter before I had to change the broken more inset fitting
So in effect the pitched roof acts like a lampshade for the two florescents


I'm in a single car garage and there is about 4 horizontal joists, doing f* all
I don't think these are that structural, as these joists are made from the remaining roof beams nailed together.
I'm not going to remove these as the landlord would get upset, and it wouldn't be worthwhile to figure out what
to do alternatively, if it is indeed for structural reasons (which it prob is somewhat)
When we first moved in, there was plenty of carp on these joists which was horrible,
I would sacrifice the heat for the space in there.

Another reason is, if you plan on working long timbers, you will find the high roof makes sense...
If you have to plane a board for instance and are going with the grain, you must flip the timber end for end,
not turn the piece over
Another reason would be machinery, I had to lift my bandsaw in a certain location to not foul the joists.

Have a look at kingspan insulation or similar brands of insulation if you need, I think this would be the job instead
of making a partitioned roof.

I would be tempted to knock through that wall if it were me... but!
I have to walk the whole length of the house to get to the garage.
This is one of those things thats very individual, for instance...
I think I would spend more time in there, if I didn't have to go through the faff of getting mentally prepared for it.
and staying there for a good while.

If the shed were attached to the house I could just pop in and out, without questioning wheather I'm feeling up to it
If I was too sore I could just go back in and have a cuppa

Some may find this a real time waster as they may get sucked in to watching telly another cuppa ...etc

The best of luck and much joy to ya,ll in your new home

Tom

Thanks Tom! Knocking through from the house is a big no-no, as that would be the wife's "utility room", and she's rather proud of that!

It's a good height even taking a ceiling into consideration, but I'm definitely going to look at the sizes of equipment and timber lengths to see how this will impact moving those around.

Ceiling height looks good for light height, but again will experiment with this before doing anything.

I've just used this stuff on my workshop floor which was in poor condition, crumbly and dusty, seems to have made a lot of improvement. Take the coverage info with a pinch of salt though, needed far more than suggested, and three applications, but pleased with the result. Other ones are available too of course. https://www.uktoolcentre.co.uk/products ... xZEALw_wcB

For heat insulation celotex or kingspan or similar seems to be best but they do little or nothing for noise insulation, the celotex helpline actually told me they can make noise worse in some circumstances as the boards can pick up and amplify the sound !

I used this stuff as a compromise on being less efficient (but still very worthwhile) for heat in return for being an effective acoustic insulation as well http://www.insulationgiant.co.uk/Rockwo ... m/p/767875

It's available in different grades and thicknesses, and other types and brands again, just what I settled on, and it's transformed the workshop I installed it in, plenty warm and spookily quiet without any equipment running

Thanks Paul, that looks good stuff. Definitely don't want a drum effect, think that would very quickly put an end to my endeavors! (hammer) :lol:

good luck Andy, I'll be following along with interest. I am particularly intrigued to hear what advice you get about the concrete floor - everyone seems to agree they are a pain (literally if you are standing on them for long periods) but I have not seen many suggestions on what might be placed on top that is warmer/more comfortable but does not steal too much headroom. Oddly enough, carpet never occurred to me - perhaps that is the answer

Cheers Nabs, the only downside I can see with carpet is cleaning it, but I do have a Henry for garage use!

I bonded my (very) rough concrete floor with pva then used screed to level it out a bit. It's not perfect as it was in such a bad state before hand but it certainly is now feet friendly. I put carpet over the main work areas but something nice and soft like a rubber mat ot the dedicated anti-fatigue flooring pads would be more desirable I think.

Thanks Steve, I'm thinking maybe SLC/Screed sooner rather than later, as the more stuff I put in there, the harder it'll be to re-home it whilst sorting the floor. I have also considered large cheap porcelain tiles to create a solid, flat, level floor, and then some sort of covering to make it foot & tool-friendly.

I have kids between 3 and 11 and the only advice I can really give is - be patient.

Over 3 years ago I started changing my single garage from a storage/dumping area into a workable workshop. I would say I am only half way there.

If I spent all the time I wanted in the workshop my whole family would have probably disowned me by now.

On a practical point - don't discount natural light. If you don't have any, think about ways to add some. I replaced my open and over door with hinged doors with Windows in the top and it makes a huge difference to the feel of things during the day. I am also planning to add a roof window. This is particularly the case if you transition more into hand tools because you discover that your neighbours don't like the sound of your thickness planer on a Sunday afternoon.

Cheers Bodgers, you're not from there! I can't believe how much longer it takes to do anything when you have little 'uns to consider. I think back to spending 12-16 hour days tinkering (that was before meeting the wife also) and now I'm lucky to get a spare 10 minutes!

The rear door is half glazed and there's a nice sized window in the top right corner, so thinking the workbench will be in that corner. At the moment all the glass is frosted which is great for security but not so great for letting light in. These are the only two original wooden framed fittings, so will keep an eye out for cheap/second hand PVC replacements. I can always fit blinds to keep prying eyes from seeing in when I'm not in there.


Just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone for the warm welcome, I likes it around here I does! :ho2

 

[MJP]

If this were me, knowing what I know now, my first priority would be warmth - do everything you can to make the space usable right through the year.
I built my garage forty-odd years ago, single block walls, asbestos sheet roof, no lining, no insulation, no heating.
And it's too cold out there for me to work except for a few weeks in what we laughingly call Mid-Summer.
Doesn't matter how nicely you fit the place out if you can't face the cold.

Martin.

 

[deema]

When I used my double garage as a workshop I had the same issue with the floor. The cheapest, most effective and quickest solution I found was to line the floor with a damp proof membrane. Lay (not fix t9 the floor 50 x25 batons at 16” centres with batons between that are toe nailed together on the floor and level up either by profile cutting them or by packing. Fill the voids with insulation, floor boarding / OSB on top. Effectively a floating floor. You end up with a floor that is great to stand on, damp proof, and will take the weight of any machines you add and provides sound deadening. If you move is easy to remove.

From the floor up as time and cash permits I would insulate and line the walls and ceiling. A radiator hooked up would be brilliant but only after the heat lose had been minimised.

 

[Mark230]

Sounds like a great project. I tiled my workshop floor and have a rubber mat by the bench, this seems to be fine for myself. As has already been mentioned, work from the ground up to save effort on moving kit in and out. Don't underestimate how many sockets you'll need.

Regarding the walls, I have 70mm insulation with acoustic boards over the top. Before fitting, I had worked out where I would be fixing heavy items and placed suitable studs behind the sheets to take the load. A very quick skim and painted white really help the light levels as well.

Look forward to seeing progress photos. Good luck.

 

[will1983]

When I used my double garage as a workshop I had the same issue with the floor. The cheapest, most effective and quickest solution I found was to line the floor with a damp proof membrane. Lay (not fix t9 the floor 50 x25 batons at 16” centres with batons between that are toe nailed together on the floor and level up either by profile cutting them or by packing. Fill the voids with insulation, floor boarding / OSB on top. Effectively a floating floor. You end up with a floor that is great to stand on, damp proof, and will take the weight of any machines you add and provides sound deadening. If you move is easy to remove.

From the floor up as time and cash permits I would insulate and line the walls and ceiling. A radiator hooked up would be brilliant but only after the heat lose had been minimised.

Out of interest how does the floor-wall detail work?

 

[Bodgers]

If this were me, knowing what I know now, my first priority would be warmth - do everything you can to make the space usable right through the year.
I built my garage forty-odd years ago, single block walls, asbestos sheet roof, no lining, no insulation, no heating.
And it's too cold out there for me to work except for a few weeks in what we laughingly call Mid-Summer.
Doesn't matter how nicely you fit the place out if you can't face the cold.

Martin.

Even with insulation it still takes quite a bit to heat a garage as most have a least 3 external walls (4 if detached). Mine is modern with a damp proof course, cavity walls and an insulated roof, and a 2.5kw oil radiator has pretty much zero impact when the temps reach freezing point.

You just have to budget for fuel. I am considering a iron wood burner eventually...

 

[TFrench]

I have a pretty big workshop and when I moved in the ceiling had been plasterboarded ( fella built it as a granny flat for his mum, who croaked before he could convert it) with just a large hole in the middle for access. I fitted loft boards down the centre and a simple MDF loft hatch on T-hinges. Its made a massive difference to the temperature in there and the noise that escapes. Roller shutter door is my biggest heat loss and noise escape now. I had a load of 100mm rockwool slabs left over from a job at work so bunged them up in the roof as well between the rafters - not sure how much its helped the temperature in there as I tend not to heat it but its definately helped the noise that escapes.

 

[4ndy]

I have kids between 3 and 11 and the only advice I can really give is - be patient.

Over 3 years ago I started changing my single garage from a storage/dumping area into a workable workshop. I would say I am only half way there.

If I spent all the time I wanted in the workshop my whole family would have probably disowned me by now.

I'd like to thank everyone for their great advice, and especially Bodger's above - you couldn't have been more right! :lol:

Almost a year on and I've done the lump sum of nothing to create the man-cave/workshop!

Currently the space is stacked with my father-in-law's tools as they're moving to be closer to us and he works on the principle of "why have one, when you can have a dozen of everything", which also includes step-ladders #-o .

Hopefully once I've finished working on their new bungalow, I'll be able to start on the workshop.... maybe.... :roll:

 

[flying haggis]

Hi 4ndy

just to shove my tuppence worth in, be aware with floor covering s that a smooth floor ie flooring grade chipboard can be lethal when covered in fine sawdust!!! I have carpet in my workshop and on the garage floor, makes it warmer to stand on and as you say the henry was built to clean it.

 

[Justlittleme]

Sorry, Can't help you with what you posted OP, but......

Something i did notice that you havent mentioned much of is dust collection, I conncet my shop vac to a dustbin with a cyclone from ebay and ive used some 2" pvc pipe from where my cyclone is to my main work area.

my shop vac can still be used indepentently by simply disconecting the hose, not sure if this is an area you already have sorted or an area you havent thought much about.

also add some thermal insulation behind your garage radiator (if you get one) it really does bounce more heat back into the room, or atleast that is what i have found.

 

[Stanleymonkey]

Good luck - sounds like a great project.

I have two kids - and they will grow up to be your little helpers!

I tried to make sure I had an evening off every week - and would disappear to the shed, even just to tidy up or put a coat of primer on a project. Doesn't always happen - but it's nice.

My shed is at the end of the garden. I can keep an eye on the kids playing (in Summer) and get some stuff done. Your garage door is outside. This is a genuine comment! Can you see your garden? is there space for a sandpit, playhouse, swing nearby and you can be in and out - watching the kids play? I can set up trestles outside and glue and clamp things and drill pocket holes without any problems.

 

[Spectric]

in the garage and a dedicated ring

Rings are old hat, make life easier and use radials so at the last socket you do not have a run back to the board, 2.5mm on a 20 amp protective device and 4.0mm on a 32 amp protective device. Use trunking and singles then you will be more flexable as you develope the layout, things will move and change location as you use the space.