Preparing a shop for sub-zero temperatures

[Toolmaker51]

Move the shop to a warmer climate. Our family left Pipestone, Minnesota for Sacramento, California.............<snipped>

Uhh no.
I was a CA resident until 2005. Until, that is deciding a building was now a requirement.
I bought freestanding 6500 square feet, foot thick brick walls, loading dock high, 3 bay doors, 16' ceiling, zoned M1, dropped the flat roof and replaced with 65' 4:1 trusses and 50 year shingles, on a 85' x 160' lot; for what 6-1/2 years of rent (calculated at that current per square foot rate) would have been there in Los Angeles County.

 

[slow-poke]

In our old house (Mississauga )I did not have enough space in the basement so the mill was in the attached insulated garage. The garage would rarely get below freezing. I had a 100A service so I rigged up a bunch of baseboard heaters and would turn them on a couple of hours before working, worked okay, electricity was expensive. Tools had a tendency to rust because of the up and down temperature swings. I found throwing those silica packs that get shipped with so many things these days into the tool box drawers helped.

New old hose now with really big basement so everything is now in the basement shop.