Planning new shop

[MikeV]

I'm planning a new shop for my boat building and furniture making. The plan so far is for a 28'x36'building. Attic trusses with an 8/12 pitch to provide an unobstructed floor area. 12'ceiling and a 10'x10' overhead door. This will eventually be insulated and heated space. 6" walls for the R value and noise reduction. Any ideas or helpful planning tips would be appreciated. I'm probably only going to get one shot at this. My wife said she expects a hell of a nice bathroom after this project!

[imported_Steven Bauer]

Two words - radiant heat!
When I built my shop under my garage I put radiant heat in the concrete floor. It's worked out great. I didn't even put in a real boiler, just a high efficiency gas hot water heater. There are 3 - 200' loops of HePex tubing in the floor. I installed it myself - total cost about $1200.
All the other stuff is important, too. Good lighting, plenty of electrical outlets, dust collection, air filtration, etc.

Steven

[ 06-03-2003, 10:03 PM: Message edited by: Steven.Bauer ]

[JimConlin]

Is I plan (dream) of building a shop, there are two parts of the picture that conflict, I think. I like the idea of radiant heating (hot water in lots of pex tubing) in the floor and I like the idea of a wooden floor which has some give to it and to which i can screw stuff like boat molds. Can they somehow be combined? I'll be up all night worrying.

Jim

[mmd]

Jim, put the radiant heat in the concrete floor, then lay 3/8" sub-flooring ply at your workbench area and under the boatbuilding project area. Bevel the edges that transition to the concrete with a 45-degree router bit. You end up with a warm, stable surface that protects edged tools and feet from the hard surface, is easy to keep clean, cheap to replace when worn or damaged, and not as expensive as an entire wood floor. OSHA may not approve of the transition edge, but you're not planning to go commercial are you? ;) Just do as your Mom always told you and "Don't shuffle, pick up your feet!"

[Bruce Hooke]

For boat work (and for anchoring power tools) I find that I need to screw stuff to the floor a lot. I'd hate to have to worry about hitting a heating line any time I drilled into the floor...

Another issue to be aware of with radiant floor heating is that it can be slow to respond. This is OK if you plan to keep the shop at a steady 60 degrees, say, but if you want to keep it at 40 most of the time and be able to get home from work and hit the thermostat and have the temp up to 55 in 30 minutes so that you can spend some of your evening in the shop then something other than radiant floor heating might be better.

I do have to question, as well, how much "bounce" you would get out of plywood laid down flat on concrete.

[JimConlin]

I've been thinking that a proper shop floor would be, say 2x6 t&g decking topped with plywood for a sweepable and replaceable surface. Would this completely muck up the heat transfer fron the pex tubes?

[mmd]

Bruce Hooke: not much, but better than none.

Jim Conlin: Yup. That's a lot of insulating material between your feet and the hot water. Better the tubes be laid in grooves in the 2x6 and then covered with the ply.

One problem with radiant heat (learned from experience at a client's new shop) is that it tends to drive out moisture in the shop in a big way. This causes little problem - other than static electricity build-up - in the client's FRP shop, but plays havoc with moisture content in wood in the shop. This would be a bonus for cold- and strip-planking but may be detrimental for traditional boatbuilding where higher moisture content in stock is a good thing.

Another problem is that if you are in an area that has significant cold weather, you will need to unsulate under the concrete or you will be expending a significant portion of your heat energy heating the surrounding earth under your building. Doing a radiant heat ground slab concrete floor correctly is not a way to get a cheap floor; in fact it can be quite costly.

As with most other things, there are advantages and disadvantages to the system. Careful evaluation of cost/benefit and suitability to useage is needed before one makes the plunge. I belive that Fine Homebuilding magazine had an excellent article on the subject about a year ago - a back issue would be a good investment before one committed to pouring concrete.

[Mike Vogdes]

Sounds like its gonna be a nice shop. If it where mine I would reconsider the 10x10 door, I have a 10x12H door on my shop and I seem to allways need a wider opening, someday mine is gonna be 12 wide.

[MikeV]

With regards to the heating system, I replaced the forced hot air system in the house with forced hot water. I saved the fha furnace anticipating the construction of a shop in the future. I also have a wood stove and 6 acres of woods that need thinning so the heat is covered at minimal cost. The 12' door width is definately a possibility.

My "dilemma" now is deciding between a monolithic slab (also known as a turned down or Alaskan slab)or a foundation with a 4' frost wall. The slab will be several thousand $$ less. I've talked to a structural engineer, a building code official and a few builders who feel the slab is fine. The one foundation guy I spoke with won't do the slab. He doesn't feel they work in New England. I'm leaning towards a slab with the specs approved by a structural engineer ( I know this guy and he'll do it at low cost)Any personal experiences to relate? I'm trying to get the shell built for $15,000. I will do all work but the foundation and underground electric to my house panel.

[Bob Perkins]

I had my shop build 2 years ago. I went with radiant floor heat in a slab. IMHO it was a good choice.

It is inexpensive (relatively) to other forms of heat (except woodstove maybe?)
The heat is consistant and even throughout the shop.

No condensation, rust or cold tools. I keep mine at 56 deg in the winter. After a few weeks of playing around - that was the point where 1 more degree lower got uncomfortable.

I haven't had any problems with wood - in fact - I think it keeps the humity levels more even than forced hot air.

Attaching stuff to the floor:

If you look at my building jig - you can see how it holds the boat up by the stringers. Under each floor frame - I epoxied (small thickened gob) a small piece of 2x6 to the floor. Then I screwed the jig in place.

In a year or so - I'll have to break the wood the wood away and use heat to remove the glue. But nothing has moved.

Additionally - nothing like a warm floor. But get some mats to lay around where you will stand most. It is hard.

[Ken Hutchins]

Mike, the door, the door. Not big enough, (Experience telling you this) :eek: .
Another option to a bigger door is make one section of a wall removeable with a few bolts holding the section in place. :D Then you can put in a much smaller door for most uses, but the option is there to build something bigger in the future. :D The removeable wall section can be done for very little added cost and will be better insulated than a door.

[MikeV]

How big is big enough? This could be an embarrassing question under some circumstances!

[Dale R. Hamilton]

Forced air heat and cool- IMHO only way to go. I only use my shop a few hours each night (after day job) and I don't want to keep it fully heated 24/7. With forced air -its warm and toastie in a couple minutes. ALSO, big advantage, you have AC to boot. My shop is alittle bigger than yours- with 18'ceiling. A 5 ton residential unit works just fine. Re the slab. Don't know if I would do this. Consider floor joists over insulated earth. If you have a really heavy planer for example, you can pour a mini 6x slab just for it. With floor joists you have complete freedom to reconstruct- there's no cracking or heaving, you save a hell of an expense, and you dont worry about the frost.

Dale

[paladin]

I built my shop (28 x 38) by contracting the footings and foundation and digging out the dirt under the floor by 3 feet, I then laid the sub floor girders on 12 inch centers and put tongue and groove pine (it was cheeep) and then 2 layers of 3/4 inch ply on top. I then put insulation between the floor girders. The walls are 2 x 6 and well insulated and drywall and double insulation in the ceiling...wired for 110/220 100 amps. Built the place with 30 year roofing shingles, steel door and anderson windows for under $20,000....a very small 60 dollar Sears heater keeps it toasty in winter...

[Mike Vogdes]

Well if your ceiling is gonna be 12' then I guess you should probably stay with a 10' high door, assuming your gonna use an overhead door. As far as width, I would like to have a 12 wide opening, that way you could use 2x12 as door header material and avoid the costly engineered lumber.

[Alan D. Hyde]

I wouldn't use an overhead door.

Overhead doors are not that cheap, it's easy to build a swing or a slide door, and the overhead door will get in the way of overhead braces from your joists down to the boat frame...

And the other types of door let you go taller. You should have a separate walk-in door (or doors) anyway.

Alan

[MikeV]

I know the overhead doors are more expensive. I was doodling around on the web looking for doors of appropriate size and got a price of $1200 for a 10x10insulated door (R17 as I recall nice windows in top panel as well). Turn key and well insullated have a certain amount of appeal. Can you build a decent insulated door that is large and seals well?

I know this vears from my original post but has anyone had good experience with pole barn construction. I am waiting for a few books from amazon on the subject. I am still partial to stick building the thing but may have to consider other methods if the numbers are too far outside the 15K number my better half is comfortable with.

[Bruce Hooke]

The good old sliding barn door would seem to me to have a lot to say for it. It would be easy to make it thick enough to at least contain some styrofoam insulation, you could readily make it 12' x 12', it would be relatively cheap, and with a little ingenuity you could set it up so that you could pull it in against a gasket to keep cold air (and rodents) out. Also, the person size door can be inserted into the larger door, thus keeping more wall space available for other purposes.

[Nicholas Carey]

No radiant heat in the floor. You're going to want to be fastening stuff to the floor. Radiant heaters in the ceiling, yes; floor, no.

Wood floor a must. Easier to fasten things to (see above). Much easier on the ol' feet and legs.

Build dust collection into the design. Design in troughs in the floor that will carry the dust collection piping with a removable lib so you can get to it when you get a clog. You can also run extension cords in the troughs. Plan for takeoffs to each stationary tool with individual blast gates. If you have the money, smart blast gates that automagickally open/close are nice. Dust collector and cyclone, of course, separated from the shop itself to keep it quiet. Nothing like a clean, dust-free shop.

Plumb for air. Run a distribution manifold around the perimeter of the room (made from iron pipe) with take-offs in appropriate places, especially at each workstation. Compressor right next to the dust collector, separate from the shop. Awfully nice having ready access to the air compressor without having to snake 50 or 75 feet of air hose around the shop.

Good, well-designed lighting. Using the right kind of ballasts (mechanical) in the flourescent fixtures can save a lot of money in the electricity department.

Most electric utilities will work with you to figure out the best choices here: they figured out the best way to get more generating capacity is through conservation. You may even be eligible for discounts or rebates for using energy efficient fixtures and appliances.

Paint the walls and ceiling an off-white or pale grey. Pure white is too bright. Increases room brightness a lot simply from the additional reflection.

My 2FF worth, anyway.

[Dave Williams]

Wood floors! Lots of insulation! Wood burning stove. Big door! Spend your money on dust collection instead of heating systems.

I live in an area that's very cold in winter and my 24x32 shop can almost be heated with the scrap that I generate. Right now through the summer months the wood pile is growing and waiting for winter. The moaning chair by the wood stove.

[Mike Vogdes]

Ya need a nice stereo too..
I have a Bose Wave, nice and simple, sounds real nice.

[abe]

MikeV, See your in Amherst,NH. Your welcome to stop by here (Plaistow NH) and check out a three year old boat barn that I am very happy with. As a matter of fact, why don't we meet at Ken's(Tally Ho), check out his new digs and then gather at my place.

Your on the right track with specs for a 10X10 door and 12 foot ceilings. I am limited to a 10'wide X 7' high door, and 9 ft. overhead, and would do it differently if ever again.

Although in conflict with much of the advice seen here regarding the floor, I have a 4" poured reinforced concrete with a four foot deep foundation. Use 1/2" thick industrial quality floor mats in bench area and am using six 4" concrete screws to anchor a strongback with no concern for hot water pipes. I was advised early on that a slab on grade is not advisable when we have a 30" frost like we experienced last winter season.

Heat is provided by an enclosed combustion 60K BTU Reznor natural gas heater; economical, heats quick and the barn is an uninsulated structure. I simply close up the loft stairwell with 8 mil plastic in cold weather. Walls are shiplap 1" thick northern white pine and very tight.

The structure is timberframe, all materials provided(except 30yr roof) and delivered by a New England distributor. They also provided a set of plans(PE approved) with my specific design options and I did not have any issues during the permit process. I can lead you to their web-site if you e-mail me. Never hurt to talk with them about your plans. Good luck.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid11/pc2052d08b034096828988668551e5c6a/fe0bdd5a.jpg

abe

[Ken Hutchins]

Sounds good, let me know day/time, I'm here most of the time, except when off to the woodworking toy store etc. I check my email every morning about 7:00.

[JimConlin]

Speaking of plumbing, I'd also plumb for vacuum.
See current issue of Professional Boatbuilder.

[ErikH]

True timberframe will be a lot more expensive than stick built, unless you do quite a bit yourself and consider supplying some timbers from those 6 acres. Of course, that's REAL timberframe--mortise and tenon joinery, trusses, wooden pegs etc--the kind my sister in law builds. Nice, never rusts, lasts foever, but it ain't cheap. If you go with modern "post and beam" you get "timbers" held together by iron fittings. Nothing wrong with taht if you like the look and cheaper than the real thing, but it's debatably advantageous over stick built and still probably more expensive.

Re the door issue: How often do you actually plan to use the big door? the less frquently you need it, the more of a PITA it can be to use, of course. You can fit a lot of stuff through an ordinary French door, includig 4x8 ply and many small boats. Even if it takes you 15 minutes to unscrew/ungasket/etc the big door that's OK once a month.

[Conard]

I second Bruce's comments about sliding doors, and Nichlas on lighting, etc. When I built my 24' x 36' boat barn (12'ceiling) a year and a half ago, I had the electrician wire two outlets in the centerline of the ceiling. It is really nice to just drop power cords from above the boat, rather than snaking them over the rail. I don't have a compressor yet, but I'd do the same thing with air lines.

[Dale R. Hamilton]

Why would you want to "collect" dust? I say get rid of it. Here's how. Hook up the dust chutes from your equipment to a home depot electric leaf blower- suction side. Then punch a hole in your shop wall for the blower end. Wire the blower into the machine off/on switch. I have this arrangement on all my equipment- has been doing finw for 10 years. The dust is gone- you never see it again- I guess the little forest creatures carry it away- but if you're really fastidious I guess you could put a garbage can outside the shop wall.

[TomRobb]

Our sponsor's boat school in Brooklin ME has a dust "collector" that just blows it outside onto a big pile - no filter cleaning or bag emptying worries :D If you have neighbors close by they may not like the blowing dust.
Of course you're going to have the benchs and tools - saws & such - on the sides with a big open gallery in the middle aren't you?
And there's not likely any such thing as too many electrical outlets. More than one every foot or so may be a bit over the top :rolleyes: but they're cheap to put in as you build and extension cord are a pita. :mad:

[cs]

My vision in my mind of the shop I want would be a barn like structure with the main floor being hard packed dirt. It would have offshoot rooms that would be open to the main floor. These rooms would have tounge and groove flooring. It would have an open attic with plenty of flat floor space up there.

This is my vision and I can't help you with the heat idea except maybe a wood burning stove or one of those forced air gas heaters.

Chad

[MikeV]

Lot's of interesting ideas. Since my budget is very tight I will most likely stick build the walls and use an attick truss system for the clear span. I would love to do a post and beam for the experience and aesthetic considerations, But time and money will likely preclude that method of construction. I have a local lumber company doing a "take off" of the design concept to give me planning numbers. I'll get a price for completely stick built (no clear span) and with roof truss to see the significance of any price difference.

I am considering a wood floor on at least a portion of the shop. this would probably be plywood on sleepers installed at some later date.

Definately plan to put plenty of outlets all over the place. Lots of lights too. I own a 1.5 hp Onieda cyclone with internal filter which I have yet to install in my existing basement shop. I would prefer external bag filters for the big shop but I already own this unit. Perhaps I can retrofit my unit.I also have a JDS air filter, 750 cfm, for dilution ventilation of particulates. I will probably get another unit as the new shop has a fair amount of cu.ft to filter.

Would love to run the ducts in the floor but that will add cost to the slab. I will have to see the what the additional cost would be.

The idea of a home built insulated barn door has aesthetic appeal. Removable wall panels is another interesting idea. Keep the ideas coming, I'm taking notes!

Abe and Ken, I would love to see your workshops and projects. Let me know a few dates( I have a 16 mo. old and a pregnant wife, ie.limited free time). I sent e-mail with phone #'s.

Thanks all

[Nicholas Carey]

One other rationale for wood in preference to concrete for the flooring...You won't cry so much when you drop your favorite and expensive chisel/plane/gouge/etc.

WRT to the large door and a concrete floor (underneath the wood floor, in my book) is that if you ever sell the property, the sale may be easier if the building can be readily converted to a garage. A purpose-built wood shop might restrict the pool of prospective buyers or even reduce the value of the property.

Also, here's a couple of useful references that have some good ideas:</font> Setting Up Shop (http://www.taunton.com/store/pages/070492.asp). Sandor Nagyszalanczy. Taunton Press, 2000.</font> The Workshop Book (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1561582719/qid=1054855532/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/102-3890621-4398514). Scott Landis. Taunton Press, 1987.</font>Should be available from the Usual Places (Amazon, B+N, Border's, etc.) as well as others.

[Dale R. Hamilton]

One last thought Mike- Consider pole barn steel building. These are very strong, cheap -my 30x60 plus concrete slab was $17,000. They are as permanent as anything- and you can finish them off inside with wallboard or panaling or just plywood. The key here is INSULATION!!. They make 4' wide glass and plastic commercial insulation that is just wonderful. Its 6"thick and easilly hangs between your pole barn uprights. My shop cost about $900 for insulation. I used a commercial insulated suspended ceiling- 18' up. It provides very high light levels, clean, good R value- and you can get behind them if you need to run a wire. My was $1250- installed. If you ever get near Nashville Tennessee, stop in and take a look.

Dale

[john welsford]

I find that I need to work on long bits of wood, whether spars or whatever makes no diiference. But I usually have several projects on the go at any given time and after several sheds I finally got the message. I now have a long bench down one side, two Record 9in ww vices spaced to take a full sheet length of plywood betwen them, and the bench lines up with the access door so I can get any length in there to work on. No matter how long I can get one end in on the bench and the other end runs out through the door.
My planer and jointer line up with the same door, its a useful door that.
JohnW

[MikeV]

Dale-It's funny you should bring up metal buildings. A good friend of mind has been bugging me to consider one (insist actually). I have begun to research steel/wood combination buildings. The trusses are steel, purlins and girts are 2x material. Roof and walls can be sheathed in sheet steel or wood. I will only consider wood siding at this point.The price and ease of construction have great appeal. The numbers for my project are getting closer to my budget number. All that being said, what product did you purchase?

[Dale R. Hamilton]

Mike- If there are any farms (left) around you- go look at them. Farmers have not built timbered barns since the 50's- yet they still have the same needs for shelter. Whatdotheyuse? pole barns.
There not manufactured- there built on site. heres how. 6X6 uprights are sunk into holes on 10'centers, plumbed and filled with concrete. Then their bases are framed up to 6" or so, and the concrete floor poured around them. You may want to reconsider a poured floor as previously discussed. The uprignts are then tied together with 2x4 purlins and 2x6 crowns. The manufactured truses are then set on 8-10' centers. The whole structure is then sheathed in steel. Then you should consider insulation and finally any sort of interior siding. I use 6"thick fiberglass batts with white mylar coating stappled to the purlins. This gives the shop a quilted padded cell type appearence, but what the hell. Its has a high light level, and the walls absorb alot of sound. Its very strong, cheap, durable. Lastly, I added a double row of 8' commercial flurescent lights around the whole shop walls- about 3/3rd up- body shop style.

I like my 30x60x18 so well, that I just built another 30x60 to use as storage garages on my property. Same pole barn sans insulation. Come take a look if you ever in my neighborhood.

[Nicholas Carey]

Think about building with SIPS (Structual Insulated Panel System) aka stress-skin panels. A SIP consists of two layers of OSB laminated to a foam core. Plumbing and wiring chases are typically machined into the panels at the time of manufacturing, either in a stock layout or according the designers wiring/plumbing layout.

http://www.sipweb.com/images/sipoverview.gif

SIP construction is frameless, so it goes up with much less labor than conventional balloon-frame construction (erecting the frame, sheathing it, drilling for wire and plumbing runs, insulating it). The overall cost is on a par with balloon-frame construction, but the structure is much more energy-efficient, strong than balloon-frame and more fire-resistant. As an example of how fast SIP construction is, Habitat for Humanity built a 1200 sq ft. house, starting with a slab, to ready for move-in, in 4 days.

In use, SIP panels are splined together and mechanically fastened into a ridgid moncoque. The joints are then sealed with foam to prevent air infiltration. Roofs can be done the same way, few or no rafters or trusses, or more conventionally framed.

Here's a couple of links for more info:

Structural Insulated Panel Association (http://www.sips.org/). The trade group

SipWeb (http://www.sipweb.com/). Another trade group. Lots of good info here.

Here's a Vermont manufacturer of SIP panels, Foam Laminates of Vermont (http://www.foamlaminates.com), that has price lists, technical manuals, etc. Ditto for General Panel (http://www.sipsproducts.com/).

[seafox61]

when I built m 40 foot long garage shop I started with 4 foot high poured concrete foundation walls on 8 inch footings the low corner was therefore 30 inch to the frost line and I had two feet of concrete wall above ground. then wqith bottom plate and double top plate and 12 foot 2x6 ( th limit of the code for 2x6 studs) I had a totale of 14 foot 4 and 1/2 inch to the bottom of the trusses. my door ran full height I started with double swinging barn doors and later converted to a sliding barn door. it hung from the top on a track.

question? have any one used sliding doors that roll on wheels at the bottom insteed?

the truss carrys the roof over the 28 foot width I can not see why need a header onver the 20 foot door opening but the building inspecter insisted so to keep him happy I nailed a fake header to the double truss I had put there in the first place ( one regular truss and one gable truss with verticals every two feet to nail the sheithing too.. never did have any but a dirt floor it was not the best but saved on the cost

when I do it again my heart wants to do a gothic arch shaped barn like in one of the early mother earth news. they used 7 3/4th inch layers of pine 3.5 inch wide glued and nailed in a jig IIRC. 32 inch on center for a 40 foot wide barn. a sears bard I had looked at in logan was laminated 1.5 inch by9.5 inch arches 24 inch on center also I belive a 32 to40 foot wide structure. I built a 30 foot wide by 16 foot shed curved walls at the bottom and then straight the last 4 feet using 7/16 wafer board 3.5 inches wide and 7 to 9 layers thick it is a little soft so I will put in a center beam.

on the other hand I have been planing an A frame 40 feet wide 2 foot on center the peak would be 35 feet high with a floor level at 17 feet have been making 5 layer beams for it from the wafter board 4 7/16 and one of thicker 3/4 or 5/8th stuff nailed with 8 penny nails every 4 inches. the layers runing height wise of the beam I think shoul have ben 7.5 inches wide not 5.5 so am going down to a 30 foot wide structure ( the shape is an equeladeral triangle so the base is the same length as the sides and technically there is no rood just walls angling in at 60 degrees, any flatter it would be a roof and leagally require heavyer framing. stil I think I will sheith it inside as well as outsie to give a sandtch structure

note I am not an engineer and only presenting my plans any one who builds like wise please relise your own responsibility for the choice.
best of luck
ps are you in a city setting or more rural? what are the beaurocratic restraints?

[Nicholas Carey]

Here's another resource for planning a shop. Wood Central (http://www.woodcentral.com/index.shtml) has got several hundred Shop Shot (http://www.woodcentral.com/shots/shots.shtml) on their site&mdash;photos of peoples shops, ideas for projecs, etc.

Also they've archived the [now-defunct and oft lamented] Badger Pond Shop Tours (http://www.shoptours.org/). More photos and virtual tours of other people's shops.

The best art is stolen.

[Phil Young]

Quote-"I have a 16m old and a pregnant wife, ie limmited free time"

Do the bathroom mate, the boatshop can come later.

[Phil Young]

Jeez, that killed it! Hey, no harm dreaming.

[MikeV]

The dream is alive! I am building the shop in the spring. It will give us back a fireplaced den, office for my wife and keep the noise and dust out of the house. I am retiring from the fire service in two years-3 months(late bloomer). Nice fat lump sum payment for accumulated benefits,decent pension and free time. I can do the bathroom then. We have four of them. We just need to update them as they are 30 years.

[Carlsboats]

Don't think heating should be a problem, but the floor is a major decision. My 24 X 32 shop has 6" stud walls, insulated, thermopane windows, and ontinuous joists so there are no support posts to get in the way of the work. Joists are over 1' high, so that makes for lots of ceiling insulation. In the attic, I lay 2X12s
across four or five joists, then hang a chain hoist from them and lift anything I can build --
up to a ton or more.
As for the floor, I am more than happy with mine --wood tongue-and-groove floor laid diagonally and painted, over a ply subfloor, over 2x4 sleepers nailed to a poured concrete slab that was insulated as it went down. Advantages: warm and comfortable on the feet, rock solid, dead level (we shimmed the 2X4's to make that happen. I can actually take elevations from the floor to set up building molds). My only heat source is a bottled gas, forced air furnace standing at one end of the room. It takes up only 18" of wall space, runs no more than a couple of hours on a cold day, and is more than adequate to heat the whole shop. Wish I had a wood stove to burn scrap, but don't want to go the expense of putting in a chimney. Only disadvantage: building inspector reminds me that I can never use the shop for a garage: Code prohibits wood-floored garage or one that does not slope for drainage.