The day I almost out-gloated Philly and Chris...

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Neil

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My wife and I are just in the process of moving house and having signed contracts last Friday, I’m now sufficiently comfortable that the move is really going to happen to be able to tell you a little story...

So we found a very nice house on the internet, called up to get more details and to arrange a viewing, and during the conversation with the auctioneer we were told that there was a substantial workshop included with the property. Any seasoned house-hunter in Ireland will know that 999 times out of 1000, the promise of a workshop-type structure usually turns out to be a run-down old haybarn/cattle shed etc., so I was more than able to contain my excitement :|. The brochure for the property had not arrived by the day of the viewing, so off we went to see the house being none the wiser about what awaited us :-$

We arrived at the house, looked around the main building, then the auctioneer says ‘would you like to see the workshop now?’ OK, so off we go through a doorway into an extension built on to the back of the house, which turns out to be a massive purpose-built workshop, (cover your eyes, Adam) size 9.1m x 7.6m!!! Sat in the middle, almost lost in the acres of space, is a Scheppach TS4010 with sliding carriage, home-made outfeed table measuring a full 8’x4’, some huge roller stands etc. The Scheppach is plugged into a dedicated 32A supply, and there are plenty of double sockets on a separate ring-main as well. Down one side of the shop, there is a Norm-style mitre station with Makita SCMS, with at least 8’ of bench either side of the saw. Scattered around the rest of the workshop are a Makita thicknesser, triton router table, several workbenches etc. etc. By this stage my knees are starting to tremble. Worryingly, SWMBO looks very impressed too... 8-[

We go outside for oxygen, and the auctioneer leads us over to some more smart-looking outbuildings the other side of the courtyard. ‘I think this one is used as a woodstore’ he says, and we peer in to see lots of boards of sawn hardwood (mostly Mahogany) stacked up. Then the next one is another nice big space, 7.2m x 3.4m.

The house was very impressive too, so we go through the usual shenanigans and a few days later we are sale-agreed, and we come back to meet the owners and to have a second look. The husband is the woodworker, and needless to say we get on brilliantly. We walk around the workshop and he asks if we want various benches/cupboards to be left behind, then he takes us over to the woodstore and asks if we would like him to leave the contents… :shock: I manage to splutter out a ‘Yes, please’.

So you might think that things are going pretty well for me at this moment, but when we get home SWMBO and I talk about our various requirements - most pertinently, what building she is going to use as a studio. In an ideal world, she would like a studio away from the house, but we have an ‘impending arrival’ due shortly after we move \:D/, and having a studio at home makes more sense for the immediate future. She needs somewhere pretty large, and of course the requirements of her career have to take precedence over my expensive, unproductive hobby :roll:. So unless I find another suitable building nearby, I’ll just have to make do with the 7.2m x 3.4m workshop :p, with the adjoining woodstore…still about a 400% increase on the size of my current workshop, but not quite the Nirvana that could have been :-({|=

I'm still really excited about planning the new space from scratch, luckily SWMBO needs it too so it can be a big priority. ‘The Workshop Book’ is winging its way from Amazon as I type...

Cheers,
Neil
 
Neil

What a GLOAT :shock: :shock:

Nicely done. Really hope things go smoothly for you during the move and impending birth :wink:
 
Congratulation again Neil :D

Happy days, house, workshop, baby. What else could you need :wink:

CYC
 
Neil,

My oh my what a find, a class workshop, and the house will do too! I know all too well how hard it is to find that kind of property in this country, I made this mistake of telling an auctioneer once that i would be happy to do some "modernisation" on a house if it had requisite workshop space - and got sent a brocure describing a property as being:

"... in a most desirable state of neglect..." with adjoining "barn".

Enjoy, looking forward to the photo diary of moving into that one.
 
What the heck d'you mean "almost" out-gloat them?!!! :shock: There are about a million gloats in there, you lucky blighter. :D But to the important one; 7.2 x 3.4? Not so far off the size of my own modest workspace, although a bit narrower, which may give you grief... How high's the ceiling? Windows Doors? Roof? We need details so we can all give you conflicting suggestions! :lol:

Congrats. =D>

Cheers, Alf
 
Nice outcome Neil, hope ALL goes well.

Rgds

Noel
 
Neil,

size isn't everything.....oh heck yes it is. Well done and congrats to your and yours

Andy
 
Thanks, everyone - I'll post pics in about three weeks, all being well. I don't want to tempt fate too much by posting any now :-#

Les, your story sounds very familiar (sounds like a Green Valley Properties description to me??). This house really was a jewel in a sea of... well, I don't know, I'll leave it to your imagination!

Alf, I was thinking it was close to the size of your workshop... no exact heights on ceilings I'm afraid, but the roof is a lean-to type, maybe 8' at the low end and maybe 16' at the high end (it has a really steep pitch). One large double-door, no windows, two big roof lights. The door is very sturdy. It is made of Red Ebony imported from Australia, its an ironwood and I think its the densest wood in existence? When he handed me a piece I almost dropped it, it was like a lump of lead. Anyway, the entire ground floor of the house is floored in it, and I guess he had some left over afterwards. I'm hoping that there are a few pieces left in the woodstore so that I can try my hand at plane-making :D

I could knock the (non-structural) wall between the workshop and the woodstore which would give me another 2.5m on the length, but at the moment I'm quite keen on the idea of keeping them separate, and having the extractor in there too. All suggestions welcome :)

I guess I'll have to change my avatar soon...

Cheers,
Neil
 
Neil,

Tool gloats don't impress me any more but workshop gloats definitely do so you have scored! \:D/ \:D/

However, you really need another little chat with your wife. What does she do that needs a studio that big and how did she manage before? Still, I guess if you do have to take the smaller place, at least you will have secured a lifetime's supply of goodwill to acquiring future gloating material. :) :wink:
 
Cor..... I'm left drooling =P~ .

That's got to be the most impressive gloat we've seen on this forum.

Gill
 
Hi Chris,

I'm afraid that she already has a 9m x 4m studio here, and she struggles for space when she has a big show coming up. Her work is pretty large, most pieces are made up of two 2m x 2m canvasses side by side, and I remember one that was 7m x 2m :shock: So I guess I can't really argue too vociferously :wink: Your point about the goodwill is well made, though, and has been noted!

Thanks, Gill, although I fear that Rob Lee's recent gloat was more impressive :wink:

Neil
 
That'll be a GREAT size workshop :shock: :D

Hope the move goes well. I hate moving but mum always gets the urge to move within about a year of finishing the house :roll:
 
Nice one Neil, although I have to agree with Chris about powers of persuasion and debate.

How about: "Why don't I try it first, what with you busy with the baby and all and then maybe when you want to spend more time in the studio, we could swap?"

Looking forward to the pics!

Cheers

Tim

who wishes to make it clear that the comments above are in no way representative of his personal views :whistle:
 
tim":b2qaa6wg said:
what with you busy with the baby and all
Tim, I think this particular tactic would be destined to fail, probably resulting a response something along these lines:

"Right, here's Neil Jr., I'm back off to work and you can be 'busy with the baby' instead" :lol:

Seriously, though - I think if I bide my time, SWMBO will want to change to a studio away from the house in a year or two. Then I can move into the big workshop and keep the smaller one as a finishing room \:D/

Charley, I hate moving too and I've sworn that this will be the last :roll: - I hope your mum gets sufficiently attached to your new place and decides to stay put this time!

Cheers,
Neil
 
Sounds like a great shop - definitely an uber-gloat :).

And congrats on the impending mini-Neil. I hope the the latter leaves you some quality time with the former. Or do I have that backwards :? :lol:
 
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