#I desperately need help fixing my small garage shop layout

1 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

wintry pecan
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Its a 2 car garage with a wall going down the middle separating where the car goes and where the shop is. Right now a lot of space in the shop is occupied by a lawn mower, the garbage/recycling bins, a lot of yardwork and other tools, and a large generator. Ideally we would put some of these things in a shed, but ours had to be demolished a while back and we haven't had the time or money to make a foundation for a proper shed that won't fall apart. There is no space to move, to work, to think.

This is more than a shop lay out problem. Its my life. I struggle establishing boundaries, half of the space is basically used by my mom for storing things in the least space efficient way possible. I don't know what's really important. It feels like all of the projects I've invested a lot of time and money into end up going nowhere or being abandoned. I don't have proper dust collection, I have never even attempted to turn on the planer I bought. I don't remember the sense of wonder or joy of making anything.

Even the decision and the action of writing this post asking for help is now an obstacle in my mind, I need to share pictures, give dimensions, say what I'm trying to make in the shop, etc etc, But the shop problems are really just an example of my greater dysfunction in life. I need to get my drivers license, I need to get a new learners permit, I need to get a new therapist, I need to get new health insurance, I need to find a job that doesn't wear away my soul. I feel like there was never really room for happiness in life, and upon this realization we still find no agency--there's nothing we can do but revel in disgust and hatred for the world we were born into. Fuck.

PXL_20220225_151712179.jpg PXL_20221208_231328940.jpg 04_workshop.jpg PXL_20221208_232015287.jpg PXL_20221208_232020607.jpg
fallow pendant
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Don't try to solve everything at once. Pick one thing, make a plan for how to complete it, and follow through on it even if it takes a while. Get that therapist, a good one can help you tackle everything else.

tardy condor
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You have a lot of white wall space. Why don’t you draw/paint something on it? Some art just for yourself

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Also I suggest cramming all the non shop stuff tighter together and then putting some cloth over it to hide it. That’s worked well for me in the past

wintry pecan
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I need white emptiness

tardy condor
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But it’s not white emptiness it’s a white wall with a bunch of ugly stuff on it. No disrespect to the stuff

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Also you might consider putting the mitersaw in storage below the bench.

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Having a totally empty bench can be a great motivator

uneven zinc
grand delta
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Maybe you can build a outdoors storage shed for the crap piled up on the other side of the garage. It doesn't seem like a lot of stuff, so a 4x8 shed would do wonders cleaning that up.

tardy condor
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It really would

wintry pecan
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i want to but i'm not sure how

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i need to make some kind of concrete foundation or something where our old shed was

tardy condor
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Not all sheds need a poured concrete foundation

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I’m not great with construction but there are alternative ways to build a shed foundation that is plenty solid

grand delta
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If you're not on completely sandy soil, you can make a block foundation very easily.

wintry pecan
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its ohio, so its not sandy.

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I was thinking of just buying a small premade shed of some kind

grand delta
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That's also a good idea.

wintry pecan
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i dont know what kind of foundation is needed for what kind of shed though

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if i bought a premade one, what foundation would i need and how would i know

grand delta
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You can either do a slab foundation, gravel foundation or that block foundation for them.

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Slab or gravel is what I personally recommend to help prevent settling.

tardy condor
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I think spiff made his shop on a cinder block foundation

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In Texas

grand delta
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It's totally doable, prep the ground to prevent settling.

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But with small 4x8 sheds, foundation isn't as big of an issue.

wintry pecan
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how does one prep the ground?

grand delta
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Lots of tamping

uneven zinc
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Level it with a shovel. Add and tamp sand. Then gravel..or blocks or w.e.

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For 4x8 or smaller, I would do gravel.

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Concrete if money is no issue.

wintry pecan
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i dont know anything about doing concrete, and i imagine money is an issue

grand delta
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Gravel it is. It's a good option

uneven zinc
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Just don't skimp on the tamping and leveling!

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You got more help with getting stuff out of your shop than you did with the shop itself

wintry pecan
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well thats my first main problem

uneven zinc
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Of course. Do you know how to 3d model?

grand delta
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I would just start there.

wintry pecan
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not really

grand delta
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Also fusion 360 seems to be recommended here if you don't want to pay for a subscription for sketchup.

warm copperBOT
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I now officially gives permission to help mantra with his shed project even though it’s kind of not super woodworking related.

tardy condor
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It’s alive!!!

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We’ve reached the singularity

grand delta
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Woodworking adjacent

tardy condor
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Yeah and it’s fine we love mantra and want to help in any way we can

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So help away with foundation construction

wintry pecan
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thank you

uneven zinc
burnt hill
grand delta
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Definitely. I used sketchup for shop layout as well. But that price suuuucks.

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Oh shit really?

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I'll check it out

uneven zinc
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Not anymore

grand delta
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oh

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Damn you Paulooooo!

burnt hill
uneven zinc
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Whoa...

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I can't thank you enough honestly

burnt hill
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that being said, you can probably do it all in Sketchup Web Free version. I just imported my old shop layout file and it seems to be OK?

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uneven zinc
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The UI is terrible

burnt hill
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Yes, thats consistent with all Sketchup products

uneven zinc
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One thing I learned from autocad, keybinds are everything.