Building a Shop

In floor heat is not cheap to run. It’s really really nice though! Unless you use glycol you will need to heat all winter. And that’s the point with in floor heat it needs to o be on and constant because it takes a long time to warm up. I have propane tube heaters in my shops and I like them. Keeps everything warm. I also have a small wood stove in my machine shop to save gas.
I have infloor heat in my house and garage I have a wood boiler so it doesn’t really cost me anything but labour. We like the warm floors in the breezeway and garage.
Cheers
Martin
 
With any concrete floor, the key is proper preparation of the ground below. All vegetation grass & roots etc. removed, properly compacted gravel ballast, and a good vapor barrier if needed. If all that is done correctly, you should be fine with 4" of fiber.
 
I poured the floor in my shop back in the 80's and placed 2" foam under the portion that was going to be heated in the fall/winter.
It has done a fine job and IMHO really helps.
Did the same for the floor in the basement of the house that I built in 1980
 
I got an estimate for a 1000 sqft stick built shop with a 10' door so 12' ceiling. also infloor heat. No electrical as I can do that myself.
$55,000.:disillusion:
 
Mine is a 36x54 Wickes pole shed.'
$7700 in 1977 w/no floor or perimeter footing.
Did all that my self and cemented the poles in and tied them to the footing.
The ground was mostly soft limestone.
And, yes, it's not big enough!! ;)

Good luck w/your project!
 
ddickey said:
Transferred jobs so I'm selling and thunk I'll build. The company that builds metal buildings in the area quoted a price that included 4" fiber reinforced concrete.
Sounds light to me. Will be a normal machine shop with medium sized machines. Any opinions on that?
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Depends on geology; trust a local to know the requirements.
Dry concrete 'dusts' with age, and the dust is corrosive and at least slightly abrasive, so you DO want to paint before putting tools
in contact with it. If you spill lubricants, the paint will keep 'em from soaking in; a few bags of cat litter will help
clean up after.
 
I'd talk with a realtor and see if something that already has a shop is available. You can also drive around the neighborhood you're thinking of moving to and see if anything strikes your fancy. More than one real estate deal has been done by just asking the owner if they want to sell.

John
 
@ddickey If you do in-floor heating you need structural foam under your concrete pad. This is foam that won't compress under load, and is rated in xxx hyndred lbs/sq ft. My mill weighs 3800 lbs and has a 2' X 3' footprint. the concrete averages the weight over a larger area, so use 4000 lbs over 15 sq ft for about 267 lbs per sq ft, so I'd have to use a 300lbs/sq ft product.

If you don't all your heat goes into the ground.
 
FOMOGO said:
In floor heat is not particularly cheap to run. It is nice to have warm floors, but the big downside is that you have to keep it pretty much where you want it temp wise all the time, as it can take days to bring a large space up to temp. It is also expensive to install. If you do go that route, or any other for that matter, don't skimp on insulation. It will save you many times it's initial cost over time. R-19 walls and R38 minimum ceilings. Mike
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In colder climates, one should also consider insulation between the floor and the ground it stands on.
 
Got an estimate today for a Cleary Building. Does not include excavation/leveling. 1200Sqft, 12' walls, insulated, in floor heat but I don't think it included the boiler $66,000. Not going to be possible at that price. Getting some estimates hopefully more reasonable or maybe I'm just delusional about prices.
 
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