# Workshop makeover!



## Soylent1 (16 Jan 2016)

Hello all!

I have had permission to turn my workshop/shed/man cave/junk room into an actual workshop. At the moment it is a cold, dark and damp place where my tools go rusty and I spend as much time moving stuff around and in general getting frustrated which leads to a lack of motivation to do the things I enjoy. So today I have moved everything out and have ended up with a blank canvas which measures roughly 3.6 x 3.6 so quite a small space but, I think with a bit of thought into planning the final layout and storage solutions it could be a really great space in which to ''faff around with stuff'' as my wife likes to say!

Anyway my plan is as follows:
take up the old broken quarry tile flooring
dig down roughly 8 - 9 ''
install a DPM and fit 100mm recticel insulation
lay 3'' of concrete 
install electrical under floor heating
lay a 1'' perfectly flat and level screed
stud the walls out with 2 x 2 and install 50mm recticel in-between studwork
first fix for the installation of x 7 double sockets and LED lighting strips 
install 100mm recticel in between the A frames and purlins and plasterboard and skim roof/ceiling area.
board over studwork with ply
build/install workbenches/modular storage units on wheels underneath
repair/ replace door

The photos are a couple of years old so there was even more stuff crammed in there when I started clearing it out this morning. (and hurt my back moving the planner/thicknesser on my own!) I hope to have it completed by the end of this summer, I know that's a long time for a such a small project but I work full time during the week and some weekends so I will just keep chipping away at it! hopefully next Sunday I will be able to post some photos of the floor having been dug out the required depth!

This will be my first WIP & workshop build so I welcome any comments from the wealth of knowledge here in the forums.

Regards Tony


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## Roughcut (16 Jan 2016)

Sounds like a plan.
Look forward to seeing the results in due time.


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## blackrodd (16 Jan 2016)

I've done a few of these, It would be easy to undermine the original foundation by digging down 8"- 9" and doing as you suggest.
That is to say the Shale, mud or compacted soil the walls are built on, or some in some areas slate laid as a DPC.
Should this dry out you could very well have problems.
I suggest you pick an area or two against the wall and carefully take up a tile or two and dig down, to see how the foundation and floor levels meet.
I would guess it's 3" down, under the present floor base, I may be wrong.
A workshop floor should be 6" of concrete on a DPC membrane on 50mm sand on 150mm of compacted hardcore,
as I recall. you can save work and any concerns by the following.
If the existing floor is sound,treat that as the compacted hardcore sub base, which it is, sweep out the floor well, scatter some sand in any areas that might damage a polythene DPC
As this is Domestic/ light duty workshop area, Level, drill/plug/nail A 2X1 batten at 4" to you're concrete line, all the way round, as a guide, lay the dpc and a doorway shutter and cocrete with Cemex or any fibre reinforced concrete and trowel up the floor as it cures. Get some rubber workshop matting
Just as strong as all the alternatives and easier and safer for the building.
I would check the guttering and ground levels outside at the back, where the damp area is in the pic, may not be rising damp only.
Regards Rodders


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## Soylent1 (16 Jan 2016)

Thanks rod.
I am fairly confident that the walls extend further down than I need to dig, as I have excavated quite a bit below the existing floor level on the outside on the right hand side of the building (for a 100mm slab), which isn't shown in the photos as they were taken before I did any work on the outside. I have since repaired the facia and guttering where it needed attention. I understand your concern about undermining the walls but I am pretty happy that I can excavate without too much concern as the walls are between 600 - 650 mm thick in most places and sat on fairly stable shale strata. In an ideal world I would do as you suggest, just compact the material underneath the tiles and go up from there, however I need to fit 100mm insulation under the 100mm slab which takes me down to 8'' already! I will post some pictures up when I have excavated and if it hasn't fallen down before I pour the slab I will be happy!


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## blackrodd (16 Jan 2016)

I forgot to say what a lovely outbuilding you're mancave is and not too big for you're bank account to keep up with.
Regards Rodders


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## Soylent1 (17 Jan 2016)

Thanks Rodders,

Yeah it is a nice little building built around 1850 I expect. As you say materials spend will be minimal as it's such a small space however I must not be tempted to buy any new toys to go in there for when it's finished! I really want to get cracking on with it but my back is still pretty bad after yesterday.


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## Claymore (18 Jan 2016)

Looking forward to seeing you progress with your workshop too, agree with Rodders that looks a lovely home you have there.... I love stone built homes 

Brian


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## Soylent1 (31 Jan 2016)

Finally managed to start digging out to get down to the required depth. I spent a couple of hours on Sat morning and about 4 hours today digging (hammer) . The material I am excavating is mostly backfill quite clayey (if that's a word) soil with a lot of small shale and the remains of an old wall/building as there are some pretty big bits of building slate with various colours of limewash remaining in places. It's a real pain in the arris to shovel even though it's loose the small bits of shale stop you driving the shovel in! 

So I'm about 9'' down from the finished floor level and I'm about half way through the digging!


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## blackrodd (1 Feb 2016)

The shovel in This makes the digging work you're doing much easier, unless of course you can get someone else to dig for you!
It's what we call down here in Sunny Devon, A Devon ditching shovel Somerset and Cornwall have similar versions, (but not quite so good!) There may be a local version to you, try and borrow one, so much easier.
If you're lucky, With training, you're wife will be delighted you have bought her one even though it's a late xmas prezzie
Or if you're like me, you'll find The handle lets you stand more upright, enabling you to push the pointy front easier, which tends to cut soil, spoil etc much easier, and being flat, makes life easier too!
Regards Rodders

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=devon ... bE1481Q%3D


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## Soylent1 (6 Feb 2016)

Thank's Rod,

I knew I had one of those shovels somewhere! so after a bit of searching I found it behind the shed and even with a broken handle it made the work easier! getting there now just finished excavating!.


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## AES (7 Feb 2016)

Cor, that's amazing blackrodd.

When we bought the present house here we inherited some garden tools and included was a shovel (or is it a spade? - I'm no garden tools lover, on the contrary, I tend to run away from such things as fast as possible!) which looks exactly the same as the pix you linked to - even down to the "handle-less" handle.

I'd never seen/noticed such a thing before, only ever having seen the "normal" item with a "sideways D" at the top of the shaft and a flat bottom at the business end. So I thought it was something peculiar to Switzerland. I wonder who copied from who? You live and learn.

AES


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## Doug B (7 Feb 2016)

Hi Tony, I've only just seen your post, that looks like it will make a great workshop.

Two observations from your to do list are that a 1" screed is a little on the thin side, personally I'd make it 2" better still a wooden floating floor. I regret not installing a wooden floor in my latest shop, whilst the rubber mats I have help I'm seriously considering installing a floating wooden floor over the existing screed.

The other thing I would suggest is that you run your electrics in plastic surface mounted conduit. My previous two workshops had hidden wiring & any alterations where a nightmare, so when I built my present shop about 10 years ago I used conduit.
Not only does it make installation easier it also means I didn't have to worry about damaging hidden wires when fitting out the shell. Over the years it has proved invaluable particularly when I up graded machines which needed heavier feeds or wanted an extra socket.

Good luck with your upgrade.


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## Soylent1 (8 Feb 2016)

Great tip there Doug! Surface mounted cables in conduit! why didn't I think of that (hammer) (hammer) (hammer) knowing my luck I would no doubt drill straight through a cable if it wasn't right in front of my eyes in conduit with the black and yellow stripy tape on it!

Can I ask why you would go for a wooden floor? would it not be a bit slippery? I was only going to put a thin screed on the top of the concrete due to the ''cheap'' electrical under floor heating I'm thinking of installing. I am a bit worried it might not be up to the job of heating up a thicker screed?


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## Doug B (8 Feb 2016)

Painted screed can be just as slippery as wood it tends to be the fine dust That causes the slip rather than the surface, I've found standing on a concrete floor can lead to aching legs & feet which I don't tend to get when I've worked in workshops with wooden floors, also wood is far more forgiving when you drop an edge tool on it.

Jacob (of these pastures) lined his floor a while back with tounge & grooved chipboard which he then oiled, I've been impressed with the results over the last 18 months or so & think this will be the way I go when I get round to sorting my floor out.


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## wallace (11 Feb 2016)

I agree about the floor, wood is much better for your back. Im redoing a shed which has a concrete floor. I will be putting machines on plinths and then board around them


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## blackrodd (11 Feb 2016)

I expect you know all this, 
You ought to insulate the floor under the heating source, and the 2" of screed that is recommended surrounding the element is to store the heat for you're tootsie's.
The makers recommendations on this can vary and ought to be on the packs of you're kit, or look at their fact sheet.
The layers I would expect would be roughly 1" sand, polythene DPC, (Visqueen), insulation and screed. 
The gang I worked in, the floor screeder's would lay a minimum of 65mm on insulation, but being a workshop you may get away with 50mm, but not using fine sand.
Good advice on the surface conduit, but sometimes a floor socket is useful in the centre or wherever the sawbench will be sited, so no cable in the way of sheet cutting, or tripping on a floor cable.
40mm plastic waste pipe, elbows not 90's, and draw a string AND an extension cable just in case.
Have this floor socket on a fused switch on you're board, just in case its needed.
Keep up the good work, that'll be an excellent man base when you've done!
Regards Rodders


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## Soylent1 (13 Feb 2016)

hmmm, well I have got roughly 9'' to the finished floor level and the under floor kit I have got my eye on requires screed 65 - 75 mm so I expect If I lay 1'' blinding sand, DPM, 4'' recticel and then lay the kit atop the insulation then just slap 2.5'' concrete and 2.5'' screed it should be fine? it expect it might take a little longer to reach temperature due the extra inch and a bit? (I just want it to hold around 18 deg C)


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## Soylent1 (30 Dec 2020)

Only nearly 5 years and I've finally got around to sorting out the workshop! Life etc got in the way!
Limecrete floor with electrical underfloor heating, insulated and OSB boarding throughout, just got to finish off and get the electrician back after the new year to 2nd fix.
It's only a small space but hopefully it'll be warm, dry and comfortable to work in.


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## Soylent1 (30 Dec 2020)

Apologies if this is in the wrong area, but I'm not sure if there was a dedicated workshop category when I started the thread ...almost 5 years ago!


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