Shed fit outs

[Driftit 2078]

Looking for tips and ideas to fit out a shed.

What have you done to yours or for someone else to make it more functional, comfortable, awesome?

Looking at flooring options.  Work bench and storage options/tips.  Did you line it?  What sort of lighting did you put in?  Did you put water in?  Security features?  Wheel racks?

My garage will be around 10.5 x 7.5.  3 Bays.  2 x Car and 1 x Wshop.  I'm only going 2.4 stud as i'm not putting in a hoist (prob just quick jacks).

Edited May 5, 2020 by Driftit

[E30 325i Rag-Top 2956]

Would strongly suggest a hoist...

[Driftit 2078]

Nah not worth the extra cost.  To increase the height in a high wind zone + hoist that is not a Chinese death machine is another $10K minimum.  I just wouldn't use it.  Plus I have the use of a hoist in the area.

[BM WORLD 1283]

5 minutes ago, Driftit said:

Nah not worth the extra cost.  To increase the height in a high wind zone + hoist that is not a Chinese death machine is another $10K minimum.  I just wouldn't use it.  Plus I have the use of a hoist in the area.

maybe a drive on ramp style then  4 post type , 

[KwS 2425]

If you're building a shed, you're stupid not to at least design in the space for a hoist. Even if you dont get one now, it will give you the option down the track without having to redo the flooring or the roof.

You should have a look over on the Oldschool forum, if you havent already, there are a couple of threads on their sheds.

[sweetm3 180]

16 minutes ago, KwS said:

If you're building a shed, you're stupid not to at least design in the space for a hoist. Even if you dont get one now, it will give you the option down the track without having to redo the flooring or the roof.

You should have a look over on the Oldschool forum, if you havent already, there are a couple of threads on their sheds.

"Not stupid", if cost is a restraint. But if you can work into your budget an area if not the whole roof. 

I went with the Quickjack, because I didn't have an option re headroom.

I was looking at this https://www.maxjax.com/maxjax/ or similar so I could set it  up outside.

My dream garage would have a drive over pit as well. ?

 

Edited May 5, 2020 by sweetm3

[KwS 2425]

I have quickjacks too, also due to height constraint (bit hard to move the bedrooms to give headroom), but given half the chance I cant see why you wouldnt factor in the extra to have the ability to add a hoist later. Cost or not, you will regret it later if you dont.

[lord_jagganath 421]

Ventilation is often under specified, so maybe some built in fans would be good?. 

[Jacko 2154]

Roughly same size as my shed, which is a totalspan. I want a hoist but hard to justify the cost.. technically my shed is my business location and fixing cars is not my business  

I carpeted my shed using garage carpet, its pretty hard wearing, have had it in for over a year now and its certainly nicer to work on compared to bare concrete... just try not to spill oil over it (is cleanable though) Cost roughly $1800 for carpet install, worth it. 

I lined the shed using ply, think its 12mm from memory. Made up some framing between the steel and screwed the whole lot together... no insulation or ceiling but much better place to spend all day/night in. Because its all screwed together, adding insulation in the future will be simple. 

Made a whole swag of benches up using pine laminate and screwing legs too them, worked out WAY cheaper than pre made benches and added benefit of being whatever size you want. 

 

Few pics from when I did it, and how it currently looks. If I ever feel rich again Ill sort a ceiling out and insulate it, but for the roughly 5k it costs to turn it from a steel box into a work area its pretty good value. 

 

[eliongater 718]

I’ll be following this with interest... I’ve got another shed build coming up in my future. I plan to put a hoist in mine.
Some learnings from my previous garage extension (may not be entirely applicable to you). Add far more power than you expect, ideally have some 15a for a welder, add more lights, double glazing and insulation are fantastic, drive through capabilities are awesome, add more structured networking, add air pipes.

 

Short version:

[aja540i 1906]

Power points, power points, then more power points. Mine is 6 x 7M and I have 20 x 10 amp, 1 x 15A and 1 x 32A power point, it's not enough! I also recommend insulating ( I went with noise insulation bats) and lining, 12mm ply is great, if you want something on the wall, screw it on, job done!

I also installed a cabinet with extra noise insulation for my air compressor and ran hard air lines around 3 walls with 3 outlets on each wall.

I also went with 3M hip height, and installed a beam across with a girder trolley and chain hoist, the extra height is great for storage as well, but if it's not in the budget, it's not in the budget.

I painted my floor with a Resene non slip 2 pack epoxy paint, makes it very easy to clean up spills etc, well worth the money.

It goes without saying that good lighting is vital.

[zero 1162]

I just upgraded my lighting in my little shed. I had a few old mismatched flouro tube lights and just put in 17 1.5m flouro lights so its super bright. I got them off trademe for $10 each including the tube and they honestly like they are new.

Just to demonstrate that you can get good results for little money.

[richard 384]

I wish id put in floor lighting

[tawa 150]

+1 for the epoxy floor coating, I got mine from Regis, coverage was spot on (as opposed to the acid etch from bunning, which was about 25% of it's recomended).

[Driftit 2078]

Cheers for the ideas. It's unlikely I will go with a hoist. I could pop around the corner to use a mates one 100s of times before I could justify the cost. The most I can increase my height to before the cost starts getting silly is 2.9m.

I'm not sure if I will carpet the whole thing. Maybe coat the two bays and carpet the workshop area. I can line the shed with ply for nothing as the father in law works for a mill.

Good idea about the compressor having a soundproof box. Good time to upgrade it too. Was thinking of keeping it outside and running lines throughout the shed.

Power is going to be sorted by some mates who are commercial electricians. Will sort me out with LED lighting and plenty of power. Lack of power points drives me mad so will get plenty.

At the moment the two doors will be manual. I will install auto motors at a later date. As the cars that will be in there are not frequently used.

Lots to think about. Makes me wish I had brought more tools back with me from the US.

 

 

 

[eliongater 718]

Good call on the LEDs, I have them in my garage and they're so much nicer than the fluro's in the shed. Seriously wish my compressor was in a sound proof box though

[Southerner 146]

I recently built a 9x7m totalspan myself in the same layout with two rollers on the side. I have 12 LED light battens in it, screwed straight up onto the perlins. Pleanty of powerpoints in it, double plugs, misture of 10amp and 15 amps dotted around the place. 4 over a couple of work benches.

I also brought some smaller scale pallet style racking, only 4-500mm deep instead of the usual stuff which would hang right out. I find alot of height is underutilised in sheds for storage.

I only have 2 workbenches about 1800mm long and a 1600x1600 steel topped weld bench. Do most of my work on the steel bench. Having limited benches means they dont clutter with unnecessary stuff and actually remain as work benches

One other thing i done was a concrete 6m x 5m pad out the front with exterior LED lights, ideal for quick jobs that dont mean moving a car into the shed, you might already have a concrete drive, but for the extra concrete it gets alot of use out there!

 

Coated the floor in an almost resin product, sprayed the concrete with acid, washed off and then applied the coating. For $200 its well worth it, no oil stains, can wipe up oil after months

Edited May 8, 2020 by Southerner

[Driftit 2078]

So I had my arm twisted by many people, including those on Bimmersport.

I have increased the stud to 3m.  And the bay width to 4m.  To accommodate a 2 post hoist.  They will also have a thicker band of concrete running through the middle where the hoist mounts.

It will now be 12m x 7.5m by Totalspan.

I'm going to put that resin type product on the two car bays and garage carpet the workshop bay.  Line it with ply.  Then will let my sparky mates come and overkill the power and lighting.

Looking forward to it.

This is the hoist.  A mate has one and said it is great.  I was worried it would fall into the cheap China junk category but the company backs them.
https://www.automaster.co.nz/products/peak-2-post-base-plate-car-hoist

Edited May 21, 2020 by Driftit

[B.M.W Ltd 950]

You won't regret that decision Dan ?

[Young Thrash Driver 1020]

Had a Totalspan shed built 6 years ago. It was contracted to a bit of a cowboy. Make sure it is one of their regular guys who builds it.

[Driftit 2078]

37 minutes ago, Young Thrash Driver said:

Had a Totalspan shed built 6 years ago. It was contracted to a bit of a cowboy. Make sure it is one of their regular guys who builds it.

They have a pretty good name down here which is good. Making sure it's a local and not someone over from Wellington. 

[zero 1162]

5 hours ago, Driftit said:

I'm going to put that resin type product on the two car bays and garage carpet the workshop bay.  Line it with ply.  Then will let my sparky mates come and overkill the power and lighting.

Get the sparkys to run the cabling before you line the walls and it will save you heaps of time

 

 

[Allanw 1071]

My neighbour had the floor of his tilted slightly, so he could wash his cars out of the sun, wash underneath while on the hoist but even in the garage bays, so he can hose them out if required.

The hoist bay is walled off from the other 4 bays, it it can be wet as hell in there without it getting on his other toys.

He also painted the floor, so it's easy to wash away the Austin Healey stains ?

[Olaf 3317]

I'd not use terms like "stupid", though I do agree that at least designing for a hoist - if you're not constrained by space - is a *very good idea*.  You might consider one of those barn-style structures where the central bay is taller; this will keep your overall costs lower by only building the height where you need it.  Do note, you;'ll need thicke/stronger concrete and/or more reo in the slab where the hoist will eventually go, so design this in up-front.  

In terms of power, three phase may initially cost more to set up (just leave it to the board, no need to reticulate until you have gear that needs connection), it pays off later as you're not competing with home-garage types when buying ex-professional workshop (often 3 phase) gear.

Green building paper between framing and cladding as an absolute minimum.  Pre-wiring is always easier when the internals haven't been closed-in.  When you close-in, consider throwing in some batts - particularly if you'll be spending evenings out there.  If neighbour proximity is a factor, the noise insulation may also help.

Physical Security needs consideration in design phase, to keep out determined low-lifes as long as possible.  You'll have a lot of tooling and parts locked-up in there.  Window bars, door bracing etc.  Will you install an alarm and or camera system?  Then pre-wire for it.

Solar panels, batteries, and LEDs will keep your ongoing power costs low.  If you need heat in the winter evenings, what about a waste-oil converted pot-belly stove?

Consider a dedicated flammables storage cabinet (externally-vented) or even an external shed away from your garage/vehicle shed.  Paint/Fuel/Solvents/Lubricants all present a fire risk if an ignition source becomes available.

Where will welding be done? (hopefully not near the flammables storage)  Do you need a clean bench (or room) for engine or transmission build work?  Where would a lathe and/or mill fit amongst all of this?  Natural light to workbench is a boon, though not at night.

As Elijah mentioned, consider air reticulation, and where your compressor will live is another consideration.

Once you've figured this out, and freaked out on how much all these extra consideration are conspiring to blow your budget, figure out how you can add these items in stages.

And then, invite the GCs from Bimmersport to your garage warming party.  If it's a shed lining party ahead of the BBQ, we'll bring screw guns, hole saws, jigsaws and skill saws too.

HTH.

[Driftit 2078]

Nice tips and ideas Olaf.  I initially wanted a barn style shed.  However one of the only covenants on our property is that the structures stay single story.  Even with a 3m stud I am going to have to get them to approve it.

I found out yesterday going from 2.4m stud to 3m is a very minimal increase in cost.

Security will be high.  I have no windows or ranch sliders.  The shed won't be visible from the road.  I will still be installing a high end security camera system and physical barriers for the vehicles.

I am currently planning to install solar on the roof of the shed.  As it needs to be engineered for it I am going to plan that now and install at a later date.  It will be included in my engineering for high wind zone.  No extra cost.

I'm going to get two mates who are commercial electricians to come and fit out the place.

Staging will be a must.  I want to put the Compressor outside in its own sound proofed box.  And it's a good idea about the flammable stuff.