Most woodworkers dream of building a woodworking shop. The thought crosses the mind of most woodworkers when looking for a new house. Sometimes an out building in a yard can be converted into a shop. Usually the yard is too small and most of us end up using the garage as a shop. I have always examined the garage as a potential shop when house hunting.

After moving to a more rural location where back yards are much larger then typically found in the suburbs, my wife suggested that I build a shop instead of enlarging the garage. In August of 2006, I began to turn the dream of building a shop into reality when I actually received a building permit for a 36 foot long by 22 foot wide building. The back wall would be 10' high to allow the storage of long vertical boards. The ceiling would peak at 13' in the center with a large LVL as the ridge board.

A few weeks later, after much hand digging, excavations for the footing were completed and I put in the waste plumbing lines for a small bathroom that would be included in the shop. The concrete forms went in place very quickly. I hired a concrete contractor and tons of rebar were quickly put in place. The day arrived for the concrete and early in the morning the pumping truck and concrete truck arrived. Later in the day after much excitement and 3 and one half concrete trucks later the monolith pad was finished. With a minimum thickness of 6 inch of concrete many considered this part of the structure rated for a 9+ earthquake.

I ordered the framing materials, including some very large LVL's. When the material arrived it was all dumped in one large pile in the middle of our driveway. My 13 year old son had the day off from school and together we spent over half a day restacking the many tons of materials to allow us to reclaim our driveway. In the following weeks we used a wheelbarrow to move all the material to the back yard. The walls went up fast using my Pasalode framing nail gun. With help of a two story scaffold and a small come-along, the heavy LVL's were lifted into place. I decided to do most of the work on this project myself except for the concrete and roof shingling. Some assistance from family and friends made the task such as attaching the 2X10 barge boards to the rake walls a much easier task than working alone. The walls were quickly covered with sheeting and the rafter framing began. Rain and the detail framing of 3 window dormers slowed the roof framing. All the windows and door went in quickly. Finally the roof framing was finished.

My wife had bought 2 very large blue tarps early in the project to cover the building during the frequent rain storms. Adjustments of the tarps during strong winds were always a dangerous operation. At times, the tarps seemed to have their own personality. My feelings were proven one day when, after untying a section of the tarp, it blew straight up in the air and then over our neighbor's fence and over the power lines. I found a large narrow board to remove the tarp from the power lines. Just as I approached the tarp once more, it began to fly and miraculously it flew back over to my yard without damaging the power lines. The tarp seemed to have finally become benevolent and to keep it that way, I decided to immediately remove it from the roof and call the roofers.

A few more weeks between rain storms and the fiber cement siding was completed using 2,000 stainless screws and my new impact drill driver. Wiring of shop was fun except for the many outlets on the vaulted ceiling for the fluorescent lighting fixtures.

All the inspections went well and I was ready for more materials. The insulation arrived along with 63 sheets of drywall. Insulation in the walls and ceiling went in quickly and the next couple of weeks working alone on the scaffolding, I invented new ways to install the 4X8 sheets of sheetrock on a sloping ceiling that peaked at 13 feet. I rented an automated taping Bazooka and most of the taping was done in one day. Two more coats of mud took another week to cover the 2,000+ square feet surface area of the drywall. I bought a new hand held pole sander that attached to a vacuum cleaner and found that I would never sand drywall again without this tool. I bought a new power paint roller and primed all of the drywall. A slow process since I found many areas that need a little more sanding or mud. The molding went in very quickly with the help of my son and my finish nail gun. As I put on the final coat of paint and think back on 8 months of work I still wonder when my tools will finally move into their new home.