[captainawesome]

Well, we've officially moved to the new house, which means it's time to start all over again. I'm looking forward to setting up this garage with the intentions of being here for many years to come.

I hope y'all will follow along with me as I fumble my way through this thing, and hopefully I can rely on some of you to advise me on issues as they arise.

Old garage:

New garage with the previous owners setup:

The day we moved in:

A little progress on day 1:

Plans:
- Run wire for additional receptacles and lighting
- Cut vents in block wall to save about $300 a year on flood insurance
- Insulate right wall and possibly replace sheetrock with 1/2" ply
- Paint walls white
- Install lumber rack on left wall
- French cleat system on the walls for versatility
- Epoxy floor
- Sound deadened area for DC, shop vac, compressor
- Hard plumbed lines for DC

 

[captainawesome]

Questions:
I have most of my tools somewhat setup, or at least available if they are needed. Here come my first obstacles, and I hope y'all will be able to give me some tips on the best way to go about this.

1) I need to add a lot more receptacles to both side walls. Here are the issues.
-The panel (200 amp) is on the left wall (when looking in), and there are only 2 open slots.
- Above the garage is the finished bonus room, so running the wiring through the ceiling will not be as easy.
- There are NO receptacles on the right wall, and only one GFCI on the left wall so this has to be done sooner than later.

2) I need to cut vents in the block wall. The quantity and size of each can vary, as long as they all add up to 500 sq. in.
- Since I plan to insulate the garage, the vents will need to be cut so that I can retrofit an insulated panel back in them once I've sent the pictures off
- I planned on taking out individual blocks spaced appropriately, but there is stucco over the block which I hadn't noticed before
- Has anyone done this, or have any advice on the best way to go about it?
- Will I be compromising the strength of the wall if I cut too big or too close together?

Thank you in advance!

 

[mavawreck]

2) I need to cut vents in the block wall. The quantity and size of each can vary, as long as they all add up to 500 sq. in.
- Since I plan to insulate the garage, the vents will need to be cut so that I can retrofit an insulated panel back in them once I've sent the pictures off
- I planned on taking out individual blocks spaced appropriately, but there is stucco over the block which I hadn't noticed before
- Has anyone done this, or have any advice on the best way to go about it?
- Will I be compromising the strength of the wall if I cut too big or too close together?

Thank you in advance!

They also have to be like within 16" of lowest grade or something. Worth a call to your insurance company.

I've put them in, it isn't terrible but not fun. I had a 8" or so grinder with a diamond blade and a hammer drill with masonry bits. Brick fascia over CMU. Drilled out as much as possible, then connect holes with grinder, then pound out the rest with a huge cold chisel and sledge.

Structurally, I wouldn't stress but use your best judgement and common sense. Have you ever seen the holes that HVAC companies knock in foundations to fit gas packs? Have you seen how few lintel supports are over crawl doors? Have you ever seen a lintel over a foundation vent?

 

[Alan Sweet]

I had an additional CKT box but in

just for the shop. The box you can get at a big box store.

But you should get a certified electrician first that will recommend the box and do the work. Total cost for the box and rewiring was around $300, that was in 2007. If you don't want to install a new box, you can ask the electrician what your local options are. A good electrician will make good recommendations.

You can set up as many 220 lines as you want. I have 4.

 

[Piper]

I installed a new box with 100 amp breaker off the main box. Then, ran all 20 amp GFIC breakers. I ran 5 circuits and color coded the receptacle plates so if there are more than working, we can be on separate circuits. All the lighting is on a separate circuit so I can kill the entire shop without losing my lights. (Before I rewired, I turned on my table saw and the lights went out - pitch dark in the basement - until the saw came up to speed. That was pretty nerve wracking)
I had a friend who is a licensed electrician help out. I ran the wiring, boxes, etc. - he checked everything and gave instruction. I also needed an underwriter's inspection and a permit from the township.
I did not want to screw up my electricity on my own - if you are not sure, get someone who knows.
Off that, I have a service box for 1 ph. 220 for dust collector and thickness planer.
I might have spent more money on copper than I might have had to, but I have plenty of power. My smallest wire is 12 ga.
I hope all goes well. Good luck.

 

[chopnhack]

Since you have two open slots, you can do a subpanel. Basically you get to have another box with 20-40 slots! You still can not exceed your total of 200 amps, I would suggest installing a 100 amp 2 pole breaker in the two remaining slots, using the appropriate wire for whatever conduit you will use to connect the two boxes (if you can put it in the wall between boxes you can use feeder wire). I did the same for my shop a few years ago, low cost but frees up the ability to add outlets wherever you want them. Use metal conduit to supply your drops. Carefully plan it out so it won't interfere with your other overheads (dc)

As for your block work, taking out equally spaced at the same level is a great idea, just make sure your ground doesn't slope in a way that it would violate your min. height requirement - or other future improvements that would interfere. Stay away from corners as they tend to have rebar and are usually grouted. Ditto for areas around windows and doors as they sometimes have lintels and cells below those can be grouted too. A small 4.5" grinder if you have one will work, you just want to make sure you have cut out the mortar that is holding the block in. Don't worry if you can get it out in one piece, just cut out the outline back and front so that you don't blow out the stucco on the other side. You can drill a series of small pilot holes to mark your outline - I have a 1/2" bit that is about 11" long for my sds hammer drill, if you don't have something like this, try and rent it as it can be really useful for placement - i.e. letting you know exactly where your at on the other side. Don't forget, you can go low tech too HVAC guys routinely use a hammer to smash a hole when they run their lines :laughing:

 

[johnnie52]

OK, I'm lost now. Why does your insurance want vents to lower your flood insurance? Seems to me vents would be a good way to let flood water into the room.

 

[sanchez]

Ya'll southerners are lucky how you dont need to park in your garages!

 

[captainawesome]

Ya'll southerners are lucky how you dont need to park in your garages!

Yeah, tell that to my wife!

 

[captainawesome]

OK, I'm lost now. Why does your insurance want vents to lower your flood insurance? Seems to me vents would be a good way to let flood water into the room.

Doesn't make much sense to me either johnnie. All I know is if I cut a few holes, I save $300 a year. I figured it was best not to ask questions...

 

[captainawesome]

I like the idea of a sub panel, but thought that I would need 100 amps of available space in the main panel to do so. The two open spaces in the panel are side by side, so I guess I would just have to move one of the bottom two breakers to the other side to make the two open slots be on top of each other?

We have a good relationship with a commercial electrical company through work. They have rewired two buildings for us, and actually put in a subpanel in the building we currently occupy. I've gotten to know a few of the guys, and one of them came to my old house to help me out once. They are already keeping their eyes out for some leftover lighting that they can grab for me. I'll have to get one of them to come take a look at what I've got and let me know what my options are.

If I put in a subpanel, would y'all recommend mounting it in the wall like the main panel, or just against the wall? This would also determine if I run my lines inside the sheetrock or through conduit. I'm curious as to which one will be cheaper, easier, and which one y'all would prefer in your own shop.

Thanks for all the help already!

 

[johnnie52]

My own preference would be to run conduit and mount everything ON the wall rather than inside the wall. I think that you will find that to be not only cheaper, but also much easier than ripping out the drywall and then replacing it after the wiring is finished.

HOWEVER, you may run into a problem with building codes in your area considering that this is a home rather than a commercial building. Check with your Electricians and follow their advice.

 

[ryan50hrl]

I think it would look much better in the walls, but then you've got the added expense of drywall. So it's a toss up.

 

[chopnhack]

The reason they ask for the vents is to let flood waters to move through the property instead of trying to knock it down or slide it off the foundation.

<<I like the idea of a sub panel, but thought that I would need 100 amps of available space in the main panel to do so. The two open spaces in the panel are side by side, so I guess I would just have to move one of the bottom two breakers to the other side to make the two open slots be on top of each other?>>

Exactly, moving something up should be easy enough as there should be adequate slack in the wiring - and your moving towards the direction of the wiring. Free up a pair of slots, one on top of another so that you are accessing both sides of your split service.

<<If I put in a subpanel, would y'all recommend mounting it in the wall like the main panel, or just against the wall? This would also determine if I run my lines inside the sheetrock or through conduit. I'm curious as to which one will be cheaper, easier, and which one y'all would prefer in your own shop.>>


If the main is in the wall, its between studs generally... Wiring is probably coming in from both the top and bottom of the unit. If you are comfortable doing so, take the lid off the can and inspect where all the wiring is running. If all is coming from above, great! You can cut a hole in the drywall for the sub panel box and get a right angle drill to make a hole in the stud for the feeder wire to go to the main.

Inside the sheetrock is not always the best way. You won't have the flexibility of wiring the way you want to in my opinion. Putting in 3/4" conduit with separate 220 and 110 drops should future proof. But you can always repull if you need to so long as you don't have too many crazy bends. To do this, simply mount the sub on the wall not in it. I prefer exposed on retrofit, who likes climbing 20 feet through 2 1/2' high trusses in 100+ degrees only to remember your ***** are in your other tool belt I swear, some of the moves I had to make to get it done reminded me of that movie Entrapment, but I am sure my butt didn't look as good doing it :laughing:

 

[captainawesome]

Thanks for all the tips on the electrical. I will most likely go with conduit run on the outside of the sheet rock. It just seems like the easier and cheaper option at this point.

Small update:
My shipment from Woodcraft showed up on Friday. It wasn't until yesterday that I was able to do any work in the garage, so I started moving everything off of the left wall, and got my lumber rack hung finally.

I accidentally ordered two of these, but it was probably for the best seeing as how I've already filled this one up, and I bought them on sale. This is my first time having a legitimate lumber rack, and honestly for the money, it can't be beat. This really helped clear a lot of the junk off of the floor.

I hope to get some wall sections painted white (left of lumber rack) and get started on my "Freedom" Cleat setup. I still have to do some more research on the spacing of the rows and what not, but I have high hopes that this is the way to go.

 

[NetDoc]

I accidentally ordered two of these,

Was that the Pinnacle? http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2080248/28429/Pinnacle-Wood-Rack.aspx

BTW, when I am running from the breaker, I run 220 only for the shop. It's there if I need it, I often do, and I have two legs for the 120 to run off of.

 

[captainawesome]

Was that the Pinnacle? http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2080248/28429/Pinnacle-Wood-Rack.aspx

BTW, when I am running from the breaker, I run 220 only for the shop. It's there if I need it, I often do, and I have two legs for the 120 to run off of.

It is the "Porta Mate" one from woodcraft and there is a link in the original post. It looks a lot like the pinnacle though.

 

[captainawesome]

"Freedom" Cleat storage started

Another small update for anyone following along.

With enough of the punch list type work done on the rest of the house, I was finally able to sneak out to the garage this weekend and make some semi-legitimate sawdust! Boy did it feel great to scratch that itch.

I'll keep this short, but if you have any questions or comments please feel free to ask.

Several coats of white paint to brighten up the place.

First location selected for the "freedom" cleats.

I ripped down an 8' offcut of 3/4" plywood into 6" strips. Each of these strips will net me 2 - 8' cleats.

Next was to rip each one down the middle at 45 degrees. I know it's not imperative that this angle be exactly 45, however double checking your blade is a good habit to get into.

 

[captainawesome]

The other reason I checked my blade angle is so that it would line up perfectly with my ZCI.

Ripping 8' long pieces at 45 degrees isn't easy, so I set up a couple of featherboards to make life easier.

All 3 pieces ripped to give me 6 cleats total.

I then took my block plane and softened the edges of each piece to ensure an easy and tight fit between the cleat on the wall, and the cleat I attach to the back of whatever I will be hanging from it.

Lastly, I attached cleats to the back of some of my old clamp racks and got them on the wall.

When researching this type of storage for a shop, I was able to find a lot of information on the overall set up, but not much detail on the individual pieces people hang from them. I'll do my best to document each piece I make for this system and share it with all of you.

And for anyone considering this for their shop, I can assure you it is a great way to go. After setting up my clamp racks in one spot yesterday, I realized I didn't like them so close to the door. Instead of having to remove a bunch of screws, relevel the rack in a different location, and attach it to the wall again, all I had to do was lift it up, slide it over, and BOOM I was done. I am very excited about the versatility this setup will offer.

Thanks for reading.

Sean

 

[captainawesome]

Small update

This thread doesn't seem to have much interest, so the posts will be shorter and less detailed. Feel free to ask questions, and I will be happy to answer.

Final two walls painted:

Cordless charging station. I found a style I liked, and then made up all the dimensions to what I wanted. I have a SketchUp file of this if anyone wants it.

This is currently what I'm working on. I'll post pictures when it's finished.

Thanks for looking,

Sean