Figment wrote:I'm also really interested in a "lessons learned" discussion regarding V1.0, once your mind has room for a retrospective.
OK, here are some thoughts in that general direction, running the gamut from trivial to important, and in no particular order.
1. In V1.0, I installed 3-way switches and wiring for the overhead lights, with switches at the main man door (entry door) and across the shop at the side rolling door. The extra switches and wiring are a waste--I never have used the second set of switches. As installing these required a substantial amount of extra wiring, and for no gain, I do not intend to install such switches in the new shop. Instead, I may install a simple, small wall light near any potential entry door, with a nearby switch--just enough to light the given space if required. No more 3 ways. (Let it go, gutter minds...hehe)
2. The pine doors hung on rolling door hardware were OK for V1.0, but the large ones in the front are sort of a pain, and are really too large for the capacity of the hardware. I would not, and am not, using this hardware again for such large doors. Instead, I'm going with overhead doors (insulated steel sectional) with chain operators.
3. In conceiving the large door opening in V1.0, I ultimately decided upon a width that would allow the doors to open completely without sticking past the sides of the building--hence the three overlapping sections. However, this was more restrictive to truck access to the inside of the building than I had anticipated, what with 4' wide solid walls on each side of the opening. The new shop will have minimal sidewalls surrounding the doors--only 1' on each side, to allow for a maximum opening.
4. The separate wood shop is key to the design of V2.0. While I am not complaining, there's no doubt that having the woodworking operations occurring directly beneath the boats, with resulting dust and mess, is less than ideal. Frankly, my focus changed enough once V1.0 was built that this observation only arose after the fact, though it's doubtful anything would have changed in the construction given our needs at the time, as well as the notion that V1.0 would only be a stepping stone in the process, since a move elsewhere was virtually assured. The only question there was the timing of the move.
5. The high windows in the wall have been outstanding, and are highly recommended. I also very much like the lower windows in the back wall to give me a view out, but the light from the high windows is great, while retaining the use of the sidewalls for storage, shop equipment, or what have you.
6. The 16' wall height is more than adequate unless one anticipates working on boats with 7 or 8' draft, or greater. I don't foresee this ever, partly because boats of this size are too tall for easy over-road travel, so I'm sticking with 16' walls. (However, the new shop will have a 7" curb above the slab, so the walls will actually be closer to 17' inside.)
7. Vinyl siding on the new shop to eliminate the need to paint. It was OK once, but painting the T-111 was a real chore. I hate vinyl, but for a working shop I don't mind.
8. The single Monitor heater worked really well in V1.0, though I still have concerns about the dust. I plan to have it thoroughly cleaned before this heating season, after 2 dusty seasons of use. I chose radiant floor heating for V2.0 because the only time to install it is during initial construction, and it made financial sense here. Because of the divided nature of the new building, a single heat source like a Monitor would work less effectively, so several units would be required. This adds up quickly in cost, and suddenly a "real" heating plant makes sense. If I could get away with a single unit again, I'd do it in a second, as the cost is so much lower.
9. Insulating V1.0 was a miserable, exhausting task. I only did it because I couldn't find a company locally who would even quote the job; they were all so busy with contractors and big jobs that they didn't even care. For V2.0, I have already found a small guy who will do the insulating. They get their materials so cheaply that it hardly costs more at all to hire someone versus buying the materials myself.
10. It's never big enough.
11. One reason for the significant design changes--and resulting significant increase in building cost--of V2.0 is because I found myself moving from hobbyist to professional during the construction of the Daysailor (for which V1.0 was actually built). When the building suddenly becomes a necessary plant for paying work, with the need for professional quality and professional work environment, everything changes. There's no doubt that the first building inspired the initial change in focus for me, but now that that's occurred, I realize that I have more or less outgrown the V1.0, though I could make it work indefinitely if we weren't moving.
12. I considered metal, but stuck with stick framing because I have an excellent, reasonable builder who I trust implicitly, and because the cost was still reasonable for a wood building, once one factors in all the ancillary costs that they don't show you when you quote a metal building (foundation, erection, options, etc.).
13. I missed interior plumbing in V1.0, but it wasn't worth trying to hook into my septic system at that time. But a bathroom and sink was a must for V2.0. I originally planned a shower, but decided for several reasons that it was unnecessary and would be a waste of space in my situation.
14. The attached office will be nice to have, but I mainly decided to put it there so that I wouldn't have to waste space inside our new house with a dedicated office there. This opened up possibilities for the house.
15. This time, I planned ahead and ran a conduit beneath the slab for wiring to a table saw in the shop. In the first version, I ran an external conduit across the floor, which was/is a pain.
16. I'll wire everything with 20 amp cable in the new shop. It doesn't cost much more and gives all outlets a higher capacity.
17. I'm not yet sure what I'm going to do about lighting in the new building. I've been very disappointed in the performance of the midrange fluorescents in the current shop, which have been failing with ridiculous rapidity. Light failure is a major problem given how difficult they are to reach up at the ceiling, especially when boats are in the shop.
That's all I can think of for now, but there's probably more.
