Building a New Shop

[willie59]

Thanks ATCOEQUIP, that was a great reply. That was a long post which you obviously put a lot of effort into and I appreciate it, my knowledge on OH doors has been greatly expanded. :notworthy

Ahh, it was no effort mate, just stuff I've got buryed in the various files of my cranium. Would be a shame if I were to pass away and never share these tidbits with others for their benefit.


Another thing I've noticed about using tall sectional doors in a shop bay is you have to make sure not to locate a light above them, otherwise when the door is up it blocks the light. Also, being in the area you're in, it would be a great advantage to having insulated doors of either type, sectional or roll up. Insulation, although it's light weight, still yet adds some weight to the door, which the roll up doesn't mind, but it bears more load on the rollers of sectional doors. You would be wise to spec 3" tracks and rollers on a large insulated sectional door. I think once you get a price on a sectional of that spec, you're going to get near the cost, maybe a bit less, than the cost of a roll up door.

And I like JD's idea of a 4' stemwall to set a pre-fab building on, makes for a durable building inside and out.

Oh, and one more thing, very important, on either door of this size, sectional or roll up, you're more than likely going to have an electric operator on it. MAKE CERTAIN that the push button to control the door is located near the door, not across shop somewhere, and that the down button is wired for constant push to lower door. You're mechanics and such may gripe a little because they have to stand there and hold the button to lower the door, but trust me, I used to make a good living going out and repairing doors that were wired for momentary contact on down button and a worker would push "down" and walk away, not noticing that shipping crate or pallet leaned against door jamb on opposite side of door. Yep, certain discombobulation and door out of service.

 

[AmerIndependent]

Similar to what alrman suggested, when we redid the concrete in our shop a while back, we left space to insert some 4'x4'x1" steel plates flush with the ground. That's where our assembly work is done. Really helps to keep your cement from getting beat up. I'll try and post some pics on Monday.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Did anyone install an interceptor pit (sump pit) to collect water and other garbage on your floor? How big did you make it? Did you use grates or just drainage along your floor to the pit? Thank you for all the replys to this thread, we are making up the plans as you speak.

 

[willie59]

Drains aren't really a big issue where I'm located in the south prarie dog. But I can see where they would be of great advantage in areas where vehicles can come in covered with snow and ice. Can't really give you some insight on that issue. But I would advise an equipment shop to install a wash bay with a grease/sludge pit and oil separator tanks. Enviro issues become a bigger deal with each passing day, and you could pipe your floor drains to drain to oil separator tanks. Just a thought.

 

[jofc]

in regards to drainage: our shop has steel grates covering pits going along the shop floor, straight down the middle. creeper wheels get stuck in them everytime, big pain when working under a truck. Plus the pit gets filled with mud and garbage that doesn't flow down the line, so regular cleaning is required.

 

[AmerIndependent]

Similar to what alrman suggested, when we redid the concrete in our shop a while back, we left space to insert some 4'x4'x1" steel plates flush with the ground. That's where our assembly work is done. Really helps to keep your cement from getting beat up. I'll try and post some pics on Monday.

Here's some pics of our floor. A very cheap and worthwhile investment in my opinion.

One thing to note - the little hole in the middle is threaded to put in an eyebolt. If we spill some oil or just want to clean up the dust, we just lift it out with the crane. Simple.

 

[Impact]

I hate drains in the floor. But, if you are going to install drains, look at trench drain systems. Do a google on it. Polydrain is one company. Dumoor. There's several out there. Be careful of the grates you use. Some are for foot traffic, some for large equipment, some are for small rubber tired forklifts. I'd recommend cast grates. They're expensive, but, if you look at the total costs of forming walls, and buying a GOOD grate, they're cost effective.

 

[DiamondLTruckin]

Hydramatic or whatever it's called heated floor, insulate under your concrete so you're not heating the ground! Floor drains so you can wash equipment inside. Figure how big a shop you need for all your stuff, then enlarge your size by 25% to 50%. Tons of storage, insulate it good, and don't forget to build yourself a nice great big fireplace for those cold winter months.