She Shed!
 

Howdy y'all ☺

Another post I read today reminded me that I haven't asked some questions I need to ask! LOL! My DH, DD, and I are measuring the pros and cons of possibly moving into his mother's house in the spring, which has sat empty since she went into a nursing home a few years ago. Really the biggest con to the whole idea is that it has such tiny bedrooms. They are so small in fact that not one of them is really big enough to use as a sewing room! 😕

But here is the biggest pro. When my DFIL was still alive, he had a one-car garage built in the back yard to use as a storage building. This building is plenty big enough to use as a sewing room, and in fact will be bigger than any sewing room I've ever had! There is also a one-car garage connected to the house, so we won't need to use the separate one to park a vehicle in.

So here are my questions:

1) I plan to put in Pergo flooring. It already has a concrete floor, so is there anything I need to know as far as padding underneath the flooring to make it more comfortable to stand on?

2) There are wall studs and rafters up, but no drywall or ceiling in it. You can see all the way up to the point of the roof, which is VERY high! Should I just put in a partial ceiling, leaving an opening to easily get to the part of the rafters that have plywood over them to use as storage, or should I put in a complete ceiling with "attic access"? I would think a complete ceiling would give better insulation, but I honestly don't know which is the best way to go.

3) There is no electricity in the garage right now, so that will have to be connected from the house. So since its not going to have a separate electric bill from the house, will it still be possible to set it up with its own breaker box, so I don't have to run back in the house in all types of weather to reset a breaker if one blows?

4) One problem with the garage is that it is built partway up a slight hill in the back yard. At times when it rains really, really hard, water will leak into the back of it! I'm thinking about digging a trench around the back and down the sides and lining it with rock to direct excess water away from the back of the building. Will this work, or do I need to do something different?

5) The garage currently has no windows in it. It will definitely need windows, if for no other reason than that I will need a window AC in it during warm weather. How many windows should I put in? I'm thinking maybe one on each wall, but I don't want to go overboard or put in too few. And after living in a trailer for 21 years, I DEFINITELY want windowsills so I can put a few potted plants in there, just so long as they're not over fabric or machines! Is there a particular type of window that is better to use?

6) What type of heating system should I put in for the winter months? Would a portable heater like you can buy off the shelf at Wal-Mart do the trick, or should I go with something built in?

7) I'm pretty sure this garage will be big enough that in addition to having plenty of room for sewing, I should be able to set aside a space for working on the machines I've acquired that need cleaning and some repairs. If I have the room to do this, should I partition off that section to keep dirt/rust/grunge from floating over to my fabric, sewing surfaces, and clean machines that I use?

8) I believe this is my last question, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it. LOL! Like any other garage, it has a roll-up door on it. My biggest concern about this is that it takes up about 2/3 of the wall space on that side, whereas a regular door to one side would only take up maybe 10% of it. But I also wonder about how well I would be able to insulate the door that's on it now. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Just so y'all know, other than framing and installing the windows (which I have no idea how to do) and having an expert run the electricity, I plan to do all of the work myself. I will be hanging the drywall, painting, and laying the flooring myself! If we make the move and no longer have to pay rent, I will have approximately $700/month to get this done with. Hopefully it won't take too awfully long to get it done!! Thanks in advance for any ideas and advice! 😃

Donna

Your local Home improvement store or Lumber yard should answer a lot of your question about #1,4,5
#2- I am a great believer in the more storage the better, if you will need to keep the items in there at a even temp I would not close it all the way in. Lets the air circulate too.
#3 #6- Check with n electrician, He will know the regulations in your area. I would not go with a room heated, too easy knock over.
#7 I would partition off a work area, even if I was just a curtain you could open after you finished the dirty part.
#8 Is there another door in to the building? If no get rid of the rolling door, fame in the hole with a door in it, you don't want to open that rolling door insulated or not, you will loose any heat or cooling you have in there every time you open the rolling door. If there is regular walk in door already in the building you can just build a wall inside. in front of the rolling door, insulate it. From the outside it would look like a garage door. Make sure you lock the door, you don't want someone coming along and opening it. Sounds like a fun project. Have fun with it.

Hi Donna
To start I would put a breaker box in the room. And put a electric base board heater in there .The small ones from Walmart will not heat a room . How big is the room any how ?
But the first thing you have to look at is if the main panel has room for you to ad another line and and do you have the amps on the panel. If not then you are looking at some money.
Up here older homes have 60 amp so it,s not very much.
You probly should have at lest 100 amp. Just look at your panel and it will tell you if it is 60 or 100 amp.
Ad up all the things you want to run with hydro like the lights A/C heater and that will give you a idea of how many amps you will need .
Are you going to hang the line from the house or bury it?
Good luck
Tom

I would not put in any dividing walls. I keep the space open for more room and once you are in there you might change things around till you find what u like. I would put in a ceiling and insulate everything . I would take out the big door and put in a regular door. I would put window in on 3 sides. I would take the back wall and make it one sold cupboard with sliding doors and shelves . for storage of all types. I don't know how cold it gets in KY but here in wi. we would insulate the floor some how to. and have a built in heater. Boy I like spending your money lol. good luck and have fun.

My niece put an addition onto her house and no way to put in heat/air conditioning from the main part of the house, so she got one of those units like is in a motel room - that is a heater and an air conditioner. She got a rebate from the local electric company. She only used it when somebody was staying in the new addition and said it did a really good job. But, you would have to have your new building wired for something that big. HTH

Be sure to insulate it well - it really pays off.

#5-6 - New! Two units in one, air conditioning and heat, ductless! Here is an example:

https://www.goductless.com/Mitsubish..._yYBoC2_zw_wcB

For flooring, ask Lowes about Smartcore, unaffected by moisture, and Home Depot about Allure. I believe I would lay down a moisture barrier first. I would insulate the heck out of it. It keeps it cool in summer and warm in winter. I would put the windows on the east, west and south for the best light and cross air. I would have a full wall of storage, and then again, storage around the windows too. The more, the better. Make yourself a design wall area and a quilt hanging area, a closet type for hanging up those that are waiting to be quilted. I am in the same boat you are, but I am hoping to move into a much bigger house in the next year. My sewing area is going to be large, large.

About water problem....hubby dug a short trench around yard and laid pvc pipes in it and every so many feet has a drain top attached to it so water is reverted out to somewhere else. This may help a lot but not completely?

Lots of questions. You are probably going to need to French drain to keep the water out. You need to remove the large door they do not insulate very well and you will loose a lot of heat. You will need to check the box at the house and regulations in your area. You will probably need to conform to building codes if putting in power and will need a permit. Better to save up a few months and have that done. You need insulation and I recommend on a cement floor to use the insolating layer under the flooring and you will loose a ton of heat there. I would put a lower ceiling with some storage above but will still allow you to heat at a more nominal cost. Trust me I heat an area like this for my sewing room and it ain't cheap. We wired in in wall heaters when we put in our insulation and drywall.

I would have a contractor give you some bids so you have a realistic idea on how much this will cost and what the true work actually is. Also what permits will be required

Our sewing studio is in our lower level (daylight basement). We were flooded in 2007 during a 100 year flood, replaced footing drains, reinstalled laminate flooring (Pergo) and again had serious water intrusion in 2012 from neighbor's water main break. Instead of laminate we went with vinyl planking. Easy to install (use the click kind for basements, garages), comes in many colors, if you do have water intrusion it can be removed, dried off and reinstalled since it is 100% waterproof. I concur that footing drains are needed and a permit will be necessary for electrical. Be sure and check with you insurance agent regarding coverage since the garage will have changed purposes and you want to make sure your machine(s) are insured against theft, fire etc.

This is my humble opinion with your new SR, and might I add, congrats!

First off, good insulation is a must! And, when you paint, I recommend selecting a really light color or neutral paint.

Like some of the others recommended, I would do away with an overhead door and install a regular door, and possibly some windows. If you already have an entryway door, you may not want another one, though, just windows to allow a lot of natural light, plus being able to look out!

I would think about installing a ductless mini split system for heat and air. Go with the largest one possible. It is extremely efficient and works great. My BFF in TX got one for her SR upstairs in the attic (not much insulation), but she undersized it when she figured what she 'thought' she needed. It works great, but does not cool as well at the very end of the long room because of lack of insulation. There are a lot of different brands available, so I recommend reading up on them for comparison. And - many of them may have rebates through your electric company as well as federal and state. That is certainly worth looking into.

As for flooring, especially if you are worried that water may seep in, I would not go with any type of wood flooring. I would go with ceramic or porcelain tile. I love the new plank type ceramic/porcelain tile. You can get it in a wood look if you prefer, and you actually cannot tell that it isn't wood until you run your hand across it. Tile is cooler in the summer to your feet as well. And, it is not that hard to lay tile yourself. I've done it many times.

As for electrical, if you can have a dedicated panel, that would be great! My take is to have those baseboard electrical strips installed, as many as you can around the room as well as other outlets. I hate having to run electrical outlet strips that have those annoying cords everywhere.

And lighting, you cannot get too much lighting IMHO. I recommend LED bulbs or fixtures. My GF has a track system in her SR that is like a box (all around the room) and an X in the center as well. She can move her bulbs around, or add more to it. It is sure worth looking into....

Good luck!

https://www.goductless.com/Mitsubish..._yYBoC2_zw_wcB

I have two of these particular units; one is I my sewing room; the other in 15 x 30 addition I had added a few years ago. I really do like them. Great choice; and when my house unit died me I had two large units installed in the house. SUPER quiet. I never hear them kick on and off.

I don't know if you have thought about this or not, but, how about just taking out the garage door and making it into a regular sewing building (aka sewing shed). You would have to rebuild the wall, but, might be easier to insulate and sheet rock, than trying to figure out what to do with the door. That or just insulate and sheet rock over the garage door, in case you or someone else would ever want to make it back into a garage again.
Whatever you decide to do, Good luck and let us know how it all turns out.

How about putting some French Doors in the garage door opening. You could add some extra panels to the sides and that could give you lots of natural light. I also agree with a heat/ac ductless unit!!! First things first, get working on that drainage asap. Don't put any money into it until you have the drainage perfect. Just my 2cents. Love all the ideas here, good luck on you new adventure!!!

You can just cut a hole for an a/c unit.

Maybe replace the garage door with one with windows? I know down in the south there's roller screen doors too. That would be amazing to me during good weather. Almost like a screen porch.

I have a mini split a/c unit if my den. We have a large house and the den is a SW exposure at the far end of the a/c duct so cooling it in 100 degree summer was always a problem. The mini split works great. I'm not sure if they make one with heating, but my husband has a gas wall heater in the garage. It keeps one bay of the uninsulated garage warm in the winter. As far as the water goes, that can be a real problem. We've fought (or at least the DH has) water seeping into the garage for 15 years now. He finally lowered the back yard and made tiers so hopefully we won't have any more problems. I'd definitely go with the flooring that can be take out and dried and re-installed. It sounds like you might have a chronic problem. Also make sure your power strips are mounted high on the wall so they don't get wet. Wall mounting them makes it easier to plug and unplug your machines anyway.

For the water problem, does the garage have rain gutters? We lived in a house where water leaked into the basement. It had no rain gutters. DH installed rain gutters with a long pipe directing water away from the house. Problem solved.

My question before you do anything with that outside room is - could you remove a wall between two rooms inside the house and have it be large enough?

I had a detached space (20x20 , finished and had a window unit for cooling) and it sounds like a dream but you're out there by yourself, and it's hot or it's cold. I sewed much less than I do inside the house.

Fixing the drainage will help with the water problem, but keep in mind that high humidity levels can be just as much a problem as standing water. Make sure that who ever is helping you transform the space understands that a sewing studio with fabric and thread storage needs to be more consistently conditioned than a garage woodworking shop where the HVAC system may only be run when there is someone actively using the space.

Rob